Remembering Ashley

[Brandon]

Initially I didn't want to make it a big thing. I shared my piece on HB and I know a couple of people never cared for her anyway so I didn't wanna do the cliche thing where we all say something nice now when it's too late, but I was looking at another thread about gripping storylines and immediately thought of Ashley and Melina and how their storyline was one of the first to break the fourth wall and had the other girls jumping in and debating via MySpace blogs lol. And at the same time, I know a lot of us here were big fans when she was around, and WWE doesn't do a good job of acknowledging the women after they leave, so I thought it'd be nice if we did that.

Let's share some of our favorite matches, moments, photos, etc. of Ashley.

Ashley was such a good talker who was comfortable on the mic and had a natural connection to the fans from day one, and I always thought this was a shining example of that.



She played such a significant role in the Trish and Mickie feud - which is one of the top women's feuds of all time.


And this was one of Ashley's better matches. She was starting to get steady in the ring, and this is one of my favorite attires of all time. When Jillian wails into the mic lmfao.




And this to me is like a shining example of DIVA culture in the mid-2000's. Ashley and Kristal were really the successors to Dawn Marie and Torrie as the premier SmackDown Divas feud.

[Brandon]

Watching that last clip, I just remembered how my best friend and I dyed the under layer of her hair blue just like Ashley's there when we were in high school lol, and she inspired my teenage Hot Topic phase.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, wrestling is obviously a connection that all of us share and have for many years, and we've seen a lot of wrestlers come and go and form bonds and attachments to many of them, and Ashley was one of those people for me. She was away from the spotlight for so long, I forgot how much I adored her as a teenager, from the very first moment I saw her on the Diva Search. I made MVs of her and bought her Playboy, and called her and got to speak with her briefly when she gave out her number on Raw - which was SO big to me as a 16 year old lol. In a weird way, her being out of the spotlight for long and kind of being out of sight, out of mind, hearing the news that she died yesterday was almost like finding out that an old friend you lost touch with passed. She seemed so kind and sweet, and was loved by her peers. She was extremely close with her daughter and brother, and it makes me sad that someone could seem so loved and happy and still be so troubled.

[Burke]

It's sad to say but a lot of the time wrestler deaths aren't that surprising. I was so shocked when I woke up and saw this this morning though.

I liked a few of the 2004 Diva Search contestants but the following year Ashley was the only one I really liked and wanted to win. I think it was obvious pretty quick that she was going to win. She had such a cool look and attitude that stood out.

I didn't watch SD much around 2006-2007 so didn't really see a lot of her there but I remember her RAW run fondly with the Ashley/Trish vs. Candice/Torrie/Victoria feud and her role in Mickie vs Trish. And to this day she had one of the best entrance themes.

[Astrozombie]

I remember going to Blockbuster and renting a copy of Smackdown vs Raw 2008 after not having watched wrestling since I was 13 years old. I'm not sure what compelled me to get it, but I did and even when I was 13 I was a huge fan of the women. So went I put the game in my PS2 I scrolled down the roster waiting to find Trish or Lita (it was probably late 2007) and they weren't in the game. Torrie was the only one I recognized, but then I scrolled over Ashley and she caught my eye.

Then I went to youtube and caught up and everything I missed. From her winning the Diva Search, to debuting on Smackdown, and her being part of Mickie and Trish's feud. I was enamored. Ashley was smart, charismatic, and beautiful. Her style was awesome and we even had similar taste in music. She'd easily become one of my all time favorite's. God and when she returned to Raw in the lingerie pillow fight, I was actively watching wrestling then it was such an awesome moment.

I can't stress enough how much I loved Ashley's style. She was the epitome of pop punk, but in the best way. Even when she came back with that bob. And lets not forget the good sis's spear. I remember her almost tearing Melina in half pre Wrestlemania. Man, her passing away though is really heartbreaking. Generally when wrestler's die it's sad, but it's never affected me. But this has me floored. She was so important to me and obviously to a lot of people. I'm sad that she was seemingly erased from WWE history in favor of the Women's Revolution. I'll never feel the need to defend why I loved her, she was the epitome of a Diva and even to the end proved she had a heart of gold. I hope she found peace and I hope she knows how important she was and is to so many people. She'll never be forgotten.

[Brandon]

Burke and I were reminiscing a little more while I was at work and we watched when she won the Diva Search. God, this is such a feel good moment to watch because it's such a genuine reaction. The way she's shaking and screaming, and how anxious she is leading up to the reveal. She was so in the moment and full of life, and to watch it now, you appreciate more what a Cinderella moment that must have been for her life.



So genuine and happy. This is how I'll remember her.

[Tiarnán]

So sad.

Like everyone else I liked Ashley a lot during the Diva Search and wanted her to win. I'd then deny it years later but at the time I didn't care if she was a good wrestler or not. She was charismatic and her feud with Mickie was more intense than the actual Mickie/Trish rivalry at one point. When Mickie would maul Ashley with spears in the middle of matches. And Ashley in a box is iconic obviously.

I remember enjoying her Smackdown run too. The little foursome she led with Kristal, Michelle and Jillian was cute, and I loved her with London and Kendrick, especially when they'd go up against MNM.

I went off her a little bit by WrestleMania (naturally, as I was defending Melina), but Ashley was an important part of mid 2000s WWE. People tend to forget just how over she was in retrospect because WWE all but wiped her off their history the moment she left. She was really Torrie Wilson's natural successor on Smackdown in a way that Michelle couldn't really capture her following Ashley's Survivor stint.

And as Astro said, best spear ever.

What has come to light about her WWE experiences is really sad and reflects on just how shitty the company has been. The Middle East tour incident is horrific.