In news first confirmed by ESPNW and now reported on WWE.com, this weekend’s rumor that Torrie Wilson would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of their 2019 class has proven true. A former fitness model, Wilson signed with WCW in the late 90s and began appearing in WWE during the Invasion storyline. While she’s seen as emblematic of a low point in the company’s presentation of women’s wrestling, there’s no denying she was a popular and often-featured performer during the aughts. Feuds with Jamie Noble & Nidia, Sable and Dawn Marie were prominent on SmackDown from 2003 - 2005, and often involved references to Wilson’s Playboy photo shoots as a plot point, stipulation matches like a WrestleMania XX Evening Gown match, and teases of more explicit material such as kissing Sable or sleeping with Dawn Marie. Wilson was traded to Raw in 2005 and turned heel along with Candice Michelle. With Victoria, they feuded with Hall of Famer Trish Stratus and Diva Search winner Ashley Massaro, again frequently in bra-and-panty-type matches. For a time, the villainous stable was known as “Vince’s Devils”, but Torrie turned face again by 2006... although she wasn’t able to escape booking like the WrestleMania 22 Playboy Pillow Fight match she had with Michelle. Prior to her release and retirement in 2008, she worked as a valet/manager for Carlito and Jimmy Wang Yang. Since leaving WWE, she’s returned to her fitness roots and runs her own company, Torrie Wilson Fit. Commenting on her induction along with D-Generation X and Honky Tonky Man at the Sat., April 6 ceremony in Brooklyn, Wilson told ESPNW:<doc-sep>2019 WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson appeared on Busted Open Radio today with hosts David LaGreca and WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley. You can hear a clip from the show at the bottom of this post. Regarding criticism over her induction, Ray brought up how Torrie always gave her best effort, whether she was asked to wrestle in a bikini in a pit of mud or just wrestle. Ray believed Torrie can look in the mirror and be proud of herself knowing she maybe wasn’t the best women’s wrestler but she went out and tried to entertain, and perform to the best of her ability. Torrie agreed and talked about the people who aren’t happy about her induction. “100%,” Torrie agreed. “I mean, I think some of the people that are angry are the same people that are forgetting that this is an entertainment show, and I was not calling the shots backstage going, ‘Hey Vince, can I please wrestle in a bikini tonight?’ I actually was out there with Fit Finlay going, ‘OK, what’s the most athletic match I can put together with a bikini on? '” Torrie previously told espnW that she received the call to go into the Hall of Fame just last week. She told Busted Open that WWE Talent Relations head Mark Carrano called her while she was on a spiritual retreat in Sedona, Arizona a few weeks ago. She said she already had plans to go to the WrestleCon convention during WrestleMania 35 weekend, but Carrano’s phone call changed everything. Torrie also talked about how she had to tell herself that she might not be a top talent like a Charlotte Flair, but she did bring something to the table during her WWE run. “I don’t know if it’s human nature, I believe that it is,” Torrie said. “Fear kind of runs our world. Immediately when I hung up the phone I sat there and thought like, I basically started putting together this list of all the things I’m not. I was never a champion, I could really just start… I could do much better than my haters about beating myself up. And then I had to put myself in check, and say, you know… but there are a lot of things that I am. I’m not Charlotte Flair, I’m not jumping off ladders, but I am Torrie Wilson and I did have something to bring to the table. I think for most people, we are just too quick to start looking at the negatives and losing focus on what we can bring to the table.” See Also: Torrie Wilson On If She Feels Bad About Never Winning A WWE Title Torrie will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 6 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn during WrestleMania 35 weekend. She joins headliners DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, Billy Gunn, “Road Dogg” BG James, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman) and The Honky Tonk Man as confirmed names for the 2019 induction ceremony. Taz, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Jimmy Hart) are rumored.<doc-sep>Gail Kim goes to bat for Torrie Wilson. Before WWE made the official announcement about Torrie Wilson being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in April, WrestleVotes originally broke the news about her induction and the report made the rounds on social media and many wrestling fans and wrestlers shared their opinions about if Torrie Wilson "deserved" to be in the Hall Of Fame or not. Related Article Knockouts Tag Team Championship Match And More Announced For 6/3 Episode Of IMPACT Wrestling IMPACT Wrestling Hall Of Famer Gail Kim caught wind of Torrie Wilson's doubters and decided to go to bat for Torrie and explain to various individuals why Torrie deserves to be honored. Gail sent out several tweets and explained from her point of view, why Torrie Wilson should not be labeled as "non-deserving" of a WWE Hall Of Fame induction. Just stop it. She deserves it. This tweet is BS https://t.co/0gxG1Du64d — Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) March 3, 2019 Why is it controversial? She has contributed a lot to the business and the fans adored her. There are people who are way more controversial picks. Like that poop Donald Trump. I don’t care whether there is a celebrity inductee or not. That whole part should be taken out. https://t.co/9UrzP8IKBK — Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) March 3, 2019 Well I agree there are people who deserve it now. But so does she. There’s always other years right? https://t.co/e7WBHJEHBE — Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) March 3, 2019 Well they will have their time. This is hers. So we should celebrate it. https://t.co/7iBSYpbQUO — Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) March 3, 2019 Torrie Wilson also did an interview upon the official announcement of her induction and to check out Fightful's published article about the interview, click here.<doc-sep>
With WrestleMania weekend fast approaching, the WWE Hall of Fame class is beginning to fill up, and ESPNW was first to report the news on Monday that the latest inductee is former female superstar Torrie Wilson. Wilson joins a group of 2019 Hall of Fame inductees that already includes D-Generation X and The Honky Tonk Man. An ex-fitness model, Wilson began her career in professional wrestling with WCW in 1999, enjoying time in a number of prominent storylines with the likes of the nWo and Hulk Hogan. She was released from WCW in late 2000 but made her 2001 debut with WWE shortly after Vince McMahon acquired her former employer. Wilson became one of the more popular mainstream Divas of that era with her inclusion in some of the more over-the-top storylines as well as her appearance on the cover of "Playboy" magazine in 2003. Wilson retired from full-time action with WWE after the company released her in 2008, though she has made sporadic appearances over the years, most recently as a participant in the No. 1 contender battle royal match on the historic all-women's Evolution pay-per-view event that took place last year. Big fan of WWE? Subscribe to our podcast -- State of Combat with Brian Campbell -- where we go in depth on everything you need to know in WWE each week. The 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set to take place on Saturday, April 6, inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. More WWE news, rumors