| Nitro Girls | |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Members | See below |
| Debut | 1997 |
| Disbanded | 2001 |
| Promotions | WCW |
The Nitro Girls were a dance team in World Championship Wrestling.
Contents |
History
The Nitro Girls were formed in 1997 by Kimberly Page at Eric Bischoff's request and made their debut on July 14 in Orlando, Florida. Their main focus was to entertain the live fans during the commercials of Monday Nitro and occasionally performed in short segments on the show. The Nitro Girls filmed their own pay-per-view that aired in 1999. During the Nitro Girls’ opening dance routine on the October 7 1997 edition of WCW Monday Nitro from the Target Center in Minneapolis, one of Chae’s nipples accidentally popped out of her top. Cameras immediately cut to a shot of the live audience. This incident is frequently known as the "Nitro Nipple". The Nitro Girls also made appearances at WCW promotional events and were featured in the WCW produced film Ready to Rumble. As the group became more and more involved in storylines it slowly dissolved, but never officially broke up until 2001 when WCW was sold to Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation.
Diversity 5
Several former Nitro Girls formed a pop music group called Diversity 5. They were Teri Byrne (Fyre), Melissa Bellin (Spice), Sharmell Sullivan (Storm), Chae An (Chae) and Vanessa Sanchez (Tygress). When Sharmell went to the WWF for the first time, Chiquita Adams (Chiquita) replaced her.
Members
| Nitro Girl | Given Name | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC Jazz | Amy Crawford | 1997-1999 | Born April 1 1971 in Douglasville, Georgia was a graduate of Jacksonville State University and was a cheerleader for the Atlanta Falcons for two years before joining the dance team. One of the original members of the Nitro Girls, Crawford initially handling the dance team's choreography and costume design. She later became involved in a feud with fellow Nitro Girl Spice who had become head of the dance team after Kimberly Page left the group in November 1999. However, Crawford soon left the company several weeks after due to disagreements with WCW management and her role was eventually being taken over by Tygress. She subsequently returned to her dance company Excel Cheerleading and Dance, Inc. |
| Baby | Shannon McNeill | 2000 | Born on September 15, 1976 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, McNeill graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in special education and was a cheerleader for the Charlotte Hornets basketball team before joining the Nirto Girls in 2000. During her time in WCW, she and Nitro Girl Chameleon were valets for "Champagne" Chris Kanyon. She was also one of Stacy Keibler's bridesmaids in the "wedding" that fell apart with David Flair in September. She would eventually leave the Nirto Girls and return to college before the end of the year. |
| Chae | Chae An | 1997-2001 | Born June 8 1973 in Seoul, South Korea graduated from Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia with a General Studies degree. She went on to become a cheerleader for the Atlanta Falcons and became a member of the original Nitro Girls in 1997. She was a member until 2000. She dated wrestler Kevin Nash from 1996-2002. She appeared in a non-nude Nitro Girls pictorial in the September 1998 issue of Penthouse, along with Melissa Bellin, Teri Byrne, and Kimberly Page. She is getting married on October 27, 2007.[1] |
| Chameleon | Carmel Macklin | 2000 | Macklin became Ms. Jones, WCW Commissioner The Cat's personal assistant in WCW up until the promotion closed. |
| Chiquita | Chiquita Adams | 2000-2001 | |
| Fyre | Teri Byrne | 1997-1999 | She is working at the university of Phoenix.[2] |
| Fire | Alexzandria Hardy | 1999-2001 | |
| Gold | Diane Klimaszewski | 2000 | |
| Kimberly | Kimberly Page | 1997-1999 | |
| Naughty-A | Jamie | 2000-2001 | Born in Nashville, Tennessee on June 1, 1975, she was one of the last members of the Nitro Girls before the promotion's close. |
| Silver | Elaine Klimaszewski | 2000 | |
| Skye | Stacy Keibler | 1999 | The winner of the 1999 Nitro Girl Search, Keibler later joined WWE as a diva. |
| Spice | Melissa Bellin | 1997-2000 | Born May 30 1973, she was one of the original Nitro Girls. She is now married and recently had a baby boy.[3] |
| Starr | Jennifer Bancalum | 2000-2001 | |
| Storm | Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman | 1998-1999 | Sullivan is currently married to Booker T and is currently working in TNA Wrestling. |
| Syren | Allison Pfau | 2000-2001 | Born May 4 1976.She was involved in a storyline romance with Billy Kidman and Reno, her "boyfriend" after he broke (kayfabe) up with Torrie Wilson and she sided with Shane Douglas. |
| Tayo | Tayo Reed | 1997-1998 | |
| Tygress | Vanessa Sanchez | 1998-2000 | Born January 21 1971 in Syosset, New York, she graduated from Oglethorpe University with a degree in accounting. She later became a certified public accountant. She joined the Nitro Girls in 1997, but left them in 2000 to become a wrestler and valet for The Filthy Animals stable. She feuded with Misfits in Action's valet Major Gunns and Torrie Wilson. At Halloween Havoc 2000, she and Konnan defeated Wilson and Shane Douglas. |
| Whisper | Rebecca Curci-Hickenbottom | 1997-1999 | Born June 16 1973, Rebecca joined WCW's Nitro Girls as Whisper in October 1997.[4] Her signature move was to put a finger to her lips at the end of each routine, in keeping with the name "Whisper". She left WCW in 1999 to marry World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Shawn Michaels and did not return.[5] She and Michaels have one son, Cameron Kade, born January 5 2000 and a daughter, Cheyenne Michelle, born on August 19, 2004. |
See also
Further reading
- Nitro Girls. Richards & Southern, 1999.
References
- ^ Chae is getting married Oct. 27, so I’m going to that wedding
- ^ Teri, who was Fire, is working at the University of Phoenix – she’s doing great
- ^ I keep in touch with them. Melissa, who was Spice, just recently had a baby boy, so I can’t wait to go see my little nephew
- ^ World Championship Wrestling Magazine, April Edition, (1998), Bill Apter, Pennsylvania, p.23
- ^ Michaels, Shawn. 2005, Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story, Pocket Books, New York. (p296)

