[ A r t i c l e s ]

WOW Magazine
March 2000

Beautiful Impact

ECW manager Dawn Marie is proud to do whatever it takes to succeed By Dave Scherer

     Extreme Championship Wrestling's Dawn Marie is the beautiful distraction that complements the Impact Players' destruction. As Lance Storm and Justin Credible rattle the ECW roster with their tendency to interrupt other matches, Dawn Marie provides an extra boost of crowd heat with her sizzling costumes.

     She was originally worked into ECW storylines as Dawn Marie Bytch - a slam on fellow valet Tammy Lynn Sytch. Since then, Dawn Marie (real name: Dawn Marie Psaltis) has concentrated on helping Storm and Credible rise to the top of the heel ranks. In the following exclusive interview, Dawn Marie talked with WOW Magazine about breaking into ECW, her college studies and her penchant for "catfights," among other hot topics.

Q: How did you break into ECW?
A: I received a phone call from Jeff Jones saying that Buh Buh Ray [Dudley] was looking for my phone number. I was just a nervous wreck, thinking, 'Oh my God, what does Buh Buh want me for?' I had never met him, but I called him up. He asked me if I would be interested in coming to the [ECW] Arena that night [Aug. 29, 1998]. He said they were not sure if they were going to use me, but I was welcome to come if I wanted to. I went down there scared to death. I had only been in the business for just under three years. They put me into a tryout match. And then the best part came: 'Do you mind if we rip your dress off?'

Q: Who asked you that?
A: Paul [Heyman, owner of ECW] said: 'This is what we want to do. Tell me now if you have any problems with it.' All I could hear in the back of my head was Simon Diamond's voice saying: 'Do whatever it takes to get whatever you're trying to do done.' I said, 'Nope, not a problem.' We did it and everything worked out great. Thank god for Tammy [Sytch, her foil in the match]. She was a doll and really helped me through a lot.

Q: How much of your character is the real you?
A: Dawn Marie is basically an exaggerated, fun-loving, mindless, faithful person. She loves to play games and make jokes, and because of this she is annoying to most people. I would like to think of myself as al of these things, except for mindless and annoying. Even though there are many people who might want to argue this point!

Q: Who makes your costumes?
A: My friend's mom. Her name is Sonya and she is from Brazil. We usually get together twice a month to pick out material and come up with some really cute designs. She is very patient with me. I tend to get caught up in my costumes. I am a perfectionist at times.

Q: Do you prefer being an object for men to look at, or would you rather be mixing it up in the ring as well?
A: I've always been an athlete and I enjoy learning how to wrestle. I also enjoy being a manager. If my job description changed tomorrow and I was asked to just be a valet, then I would do that to the best of my ability. I enjoy this more because it's more hands on and more exciting. I find the thrill of being a manager much more fun than when I first started.

Q: So you don't mind taking bumps in "catfights" with Francine, for example?
A: I love it when people say, 'You shouldn't be doing that, because you're going to get hurt.' I look at my job description as incorporating anything that I'm asked to do - to take a bump, to trip someone, or just to walk out there and be eye candy. Chyna [of the World Wrestling Federation] and a lot of other women in wrestling are incredible athletes, and I am not at that level and I'm not ashamed to say it. My job is to go in there as physically fit as I can be and to portray my character as best as I can. If I have to get my clothes ripped off, that's my job. If I have to take a crazy bump, that's my job too.

Q: What are your goals in the business?
A: I simply would like to be the best I can possibly be. I don't look at it as, 'This is where I want to be in three years, or this is where I want to be in six months.' Success is when you wake up in the morning and love what you do for a living, regardless of the amount of money you make or have.

DAWN MARIE - AWAY FROM THE RING

Q: What TV shows do you always set your VCR to tape?
A: (Laughing) I always forget to set the VCR, so I don't get to watch much TV! Every weekend as I am running out of my house to try to get to my plane on time, I realize I forgot to set the VCR to tape the ECW weekly show. I get so mad at myself and go without seeing the show week after week. I am always begging Jeff Jones to make copies of his tapes for me.

Q: What is your favorite movie and why?
A: 'Elizabeth,' which is a movie from 1998 about the reign of Elizabeth I and how hard it was for her to learn the ways of being a monarch. I love to learn about different eras. I also enjoyed this movie because the story exemplified my theory of perseverance: When all the odds are against you, you can succeed if you keep trying.

Q: If someone looked in your refrigerator, what would they find?
A: Spoiled milk, because I am never home!

Q: If you could meet one male and one female celebrity, who would they be and why?
A: I often ask a question like this when I am getting to know a person. The question I ask is: If you could choose two people that are famous to be your parents, whom would you pick? Well, I would pick Goldie Hawn for my mom because she is witty, funny, smart, and beautiful. For my dad, I would pick Harrison Ford because he is very smart and seems to be strong-willed.

Q: Is it true you're taking college courses?
A: Yes, I am trying to finish my degree. I am a biology student, but I am considering changing my major because being on the road as much as I am is not conducive to studying biology. I need to take more "book-learning" classes, and biology is more hands-on. Whatever my choice winds up being, I will continue to go to school.