Christie Ricci
Encyclopedia
Christie Mathis is an American professional wrestler
better known by her ring name
s, Christie Ricci and Glory. She is the current and inaugural Wrestlicious Champion.
After being trained by Leilani Kai
, Ricci made her debut in June 2002, and began competing on the independent circuit
. She won both the LLF Championship and the XWF Women's Championship, before being sidelined with a knee injury in 2004. After her return, Ricci continued to wrestle on the independent circuit, competing in All Pro Wrestling
's first ChickFight
tournament, and on October 8, 2005, she won the NWA World Women's Championship
, which she held until January 2007. She also appeared at Shimmer
's first shows in November 2005. She currently works for the Wrestlicious
promotion as Glory, and was the inaugural champion.
, so that she could attend a wrestling school in Atlanta. Weeks before she was to move to Atlanta, however, she met Leilani Kai
, and instead decided to stay in Nashville to train with Kai.
After being trained by Kai, she debuted as a wrestler in June 2002 using the ring name
Christie Ricci. That year, she was named Rookie of the Year by the Professional Girl Wrestling Association
. For the next two years, Ricci competed for numerous independent
promotions
, and won both the Mexican's promtion Lucha Libre Femenil (LLF)'s LLF Championship, by defeating Miss Janeth
, and the Xcitement Wrestling Federation's Women's Championship.
In February 2004, Ricci reaggravated a previous knee injury in Mexico
, and underwent surgery. She was briefly sidelined while recuperating. She returned to Mexico in July and August 2004. In October 2004, Ricci competed in at All Pro Wrestling
(APW)'s Halloween Hell Night 1 show, in which she participated in the "ChickFight
Tournament". She defeated Tiffany in the first round, but lost to Cheerleader Melissa in Round Two. She competed for APW at Halloween Hell Night 2 the following night as well, defeating Hailey Hatred, Candace LaRae and Nikki Roxx
in a four-way elimination match.
In early 2005, Ricci competed for New Breed Wrestling (NWS) and Top Rope Wrestling (TRW). On February 18, Ricci competed in a gauntlet match in NBW; the match was won by Daizee Haze
, and also contained Josie, ODB
, and Tracy Brooks
. On May 24, Ricci was defeated by Lollipop
at a TRW show. From August 14 to August 31, 2005, Ricci travelled to the US army bases in South Korea
, Japan
, Guam
, and Hawaii
for Armed Forces Entertainment
. On October 8, 2005, Ricci won the NWA World Women's Championship
by defeating the reigning champion, Lexie Fyfe
and Tasha Simone in a three-way match at the NWA 57th Anniversary Show. She appeared on the first two DVD
volumes of Shimmer Women Athletes
. The first volume was taped on November 6, 2005, and she lost to Lexie Fyfe. The second volume was taped the same day, and Ricci defeated Amber O'Neal
.
Throughout 2006 and 2007, Ricci continued to competed for independent promotions, including USA Championship Wrestling, CWA Championship Wrestling and Memphis Wrestling
. After holding the NWA World Women's Championship for over a year, Ricci eventually dropped it to MsChif
on January 27, 2007. In mid-2007, Ricci began competing regularly for Women's Extreme Wrestling
(WEW). Her first appearance for WEW was on May 5, when she competed in two matches, losing to Talia Madison
in the first and Jazz
in the second. She also began competing for Southern All-Star Wrestling, defeating Lollipop in her first match for the promotion. She continued competing for both promotions throughout 2008, wrestling people including Cindy Rogers
, Naomi Banks
, and Angel Orsini
. In July 2008, she returned to the LLF in Mexico.
In early 2009, Ricci debuted for Wrestlicious
, a women's wrestling organization owned by Jay Vargas and Jimmy Hart
, under the name Glory. On the April 7, 2010 episode of Wrestlicious Takedown, Glory alongside Felony, were the last two girls standing in a 20-girl "Hoedown Throwdown" Battle Royal to determine the top two contenders for the Wrestlicious Championship. On the May 24 episode of Wrestlicious Takedown, Glory defeated Felony to win the Wrestlicious Championship, becoming the inaugural champion.
, where she knew fellow professional wrestler, Ted DiBiase, Jr.
, after meeting him at a Sunday school
class. It was through DiBiase Jr. that she became a fan of professional wrestling and his father, "the Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
. Mathis cites DiBiase, Dynamite Kid
, Bret Hart
, Eddie Guerrero
and Chris Benoit
as her favorite wrestlers. She was also a fan of Eddie Gilbert.
Mathis began bodybuilding
when she was 17, and plans on competing in bodybuilding competitions, and doing fitness modelling
. Mathis graduated from college with a Bachelor of Business
in 2004, and completed her Master's degree
in Business in 2007. In addition to pursuing an active wrestling schedule on the independent circuit, she recently formed her own production company, Posh Productions.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
better known by her ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
s, Christie Ricci and Glory. She is the current and inaugural Wrestlicious Champion.
After being trained by Leilani Kai
Leilani Kai
Patricia Schroeder , better known by her stage name Leilani Kai, is a semi-retired professional wrestler. She began training with The Fabulous Moolah right after finishing high school...
, Ricci made her debut in June 2002, and began competing on the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
. She won both the LLF Championship and the XWF Women's Championship, before being sidelined with a knee injury in 2004. After her return, Ricci continued to wrestle on the independent circuit, competing in All Pro Wrestling
All Pro Wrestling
All Pro Wrestling Gym Wars is a professional wrestling television program produced by APW which originally aired weekly on Saturday mornings on KFTY Channel 50 in the San Francisco Bay Area, beginning December 5, 2009. The series features the professional wrestlers of All Pro Wrestling competing in...
's first ChickFight
ChickFight
ChickFight is an all-female professional wrestling promotion based in San Francisco, California. It is cited as the home promotion of female professional wrestler, Cheerleader Melissa.-History:...
tournament, and on October 8, 2005, she won the NWA World Women's Championship
NWA World Women's Championship
The NWA World Women's Championship is the National Wrestling Alliance's women's singles professional wrestling title. It is descended from the original Women's World Championship won by Mildred Burke in 1935 from Clara Mortensen. June Byers was then recognized as the succeeding champion after her...
, which she held until January 2007. She also appeared at Shimmer
SHIMMER Women Athletes
Shimmer Women Athletes is an American, Chicago based female independent professional wrestling promotion which held its first event on November 6, 2005...
's first shows in November 2005. She currently works for the Wrestlicious
Wrestlicious
Wrestlicious is an American all-female professional wrestling promotion based in Tampa, Florida. The company was founded by Jonathan Vargas, who won a Powerball jackpot of $35.3 million in 2008...
promotion as Glory, and was the inaugural champion.
Professional wrestling career
After completing two years of college, Mathis decided to transfer colleges to Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, so that she could attend a wrestling school in Atlanta. Weeks before she was to move to Atlanta, however, she met Leilani Kai
Leilani Kai
Patricia Schroeder , better known by her stage name Leilani Kai, is a semi-retired professional wrestler. She began training with The Fabulous Moolah right after finishing high school...
, and instead decided to stay in Nashville to train with Kai.
After being trained by Kai, she debuted as a wrestler in June 2002 using the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Christie Ricci. That year, she was named Rookie of the Year by the Professional Girl Wrestling Association
Professional Girl Wrestling Association
The Professional Girl Wrestling Association was founded in 1992. The aim of the PGWA is to preserve and promote "Old School" women's pro wrestling. Based in North Carolina, the organization frequently sponsors matches and whole cards in the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-South states, as well as in Mexico...
. For the next two years, Ricci competed for numerous independent
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
promotions
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, and won both the Mexican's promtion Lucha Libre Femenil (LLF)'s LLF Championship, by defeating Miss Janeth
Miss Janeth
Janet Fragoso Alonso is a Mexican professional wrestler, known by her ringname Miss Janeth, who is a longtime ruda for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración. She has also competed in the Universal Wrestling Association and won the UWA World Women's Championship following its revival in 2001...
, and the Xcitement Wrestling Federation's Women's Championship.
In February 2004, Ricci reaggravated a previous knee injury in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and underwent surgery. She was briefly sidelined while recuperating. She returned to Mexico in July and August 2004. In October 2004, Ricci competed in at All Pro Wrestling
All Pro Wrestling
All Pro Wrestling Gym Wars is a professional wrestling television program produced by APW which originally aired weekly on Saturday mornings on KFTY Channel 50 in the San Francisco Bay Area, beginning December 5, 2009. The series features the professional wrestlers of All Pro Wrestling competing in...
(APW)'s Halloween Hell Night 1 show, in which she participated in the "ChickFight
ChickFight
ChickFight is an all-female professional wrestling promotion based in San Francisco, California. It is cited as the home promotion of female professional wrestler, Cheerleader Melissa.-History:...
Tournament". She defeated Tiffany in the first round, but lost to Cheerleader Melissa in Round Two. She competed for APW at Halloween Hell Night 2 the following night as well, defeating Hailey Hatred, Candace LaRae and Nikki Roxx
Nicole Raczynski
Nicole Raczynski is an American professional wrestler, best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Roxxi...
in a four-way elimination match.
In early 2005, Ricci competed for New Breed Wrestling (NWS) and Top Rope Wrestling (TRW). On February 18, Ricci competed in a gauntlet match in NBW; the match was won by Daizee Haze
Daizee Haze
Daizee Haze is an American professional wrestler. Whilst wrestling for many companies Daizee Haze is also the head trainer for the Shimmer Women Athletes promotion.-Training and Gateway Championship Wrestling:...
, and also contained Josie, ODB
Jessica Kresa
Jessica Kresa is an American professional wrestler and actress better known as ODB , currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she is a former three–time TNA Women's Knockout Champion....
, and Tracy Brooks
Tracy Brookshaw
Tracy Brookshaw is a Canadian professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and professional wrestling referee, better known by her ring name Traci Brooks. She is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she has spent most of her career.-Early life:Brookshaw grew up on a...
. On May 24, Ricci was defeated by Lollipop
Jaime Lynne
Jaime Lynne is a former American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Lollipop. Lynne is perhaps best known for her appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a cage dancer.-Early career:...
at a TRW show. From August 14 to August 31, 2005, Ricci travelled to the US army bases in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for Armed Forces Entertainment
Armed Forces Entertainment
Armed Forces Entertainment is the official United States Department of Defense agency for providing entertainment to U.S. military personnel overseas. Armed Forces Entertainment hosts over 1,200 shows around the world each year, reaching over 500,000 personnel at 355 military installations...
. On October 8, 2005, Ricci won the NWA World Women's Championship
NWA World Women's Championship
The NWA World Women's Championship is the National Wrestling Alliance's women's singles professional wrestling title. It is descended from the original Women's World Championship won by Mildred Burke in 1935 from Clara Mortensen. June Byers was then recognized as the succeeding champion after her...
by defeating the reigning champion, Lexie Fyfe
Lexie Fyfe
Mary Beth Bentley , is an American professional wrestler. She has wrestled in various independent wrestling promotions, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes and has had tryouts for both WWE and WCW.-Early life:...
and Tasha Simone in a three-way match at the NWA 57th Anniversary Show. She appeared on the first two DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
volumes of Shimmer Women Athletes
SHIMMER Women Athletes
Shimmer Women Athletes is an American, Chicago based female independent professional wrestling promotion which held its first event on November 6, 2005...
. The first volume was taped on November 6, 2005, and she lost to Lexie Fyfe. The second volume was taped the same day, and Ricci defeated Amber O'Neal
Amber O'Neal
Kimberly Dawn Davis is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Amber O'Neal.-Early career :...
.
Throughout 2006 and 2007, Ricci continued to competed for independent promotions, including USA Championship Wrestling, CWA Championship Wrestling and Memphis Wrestling
Memphis Wrestling
Memphis Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:Memphis Wrestling evolved from an earlier short-lived promotion called Memphis Championship Wrestling.-Television:...
. After holding the NWA World Women's Championship for over a year, Ricci eventually dropped it to MsChif
MsChif
Rachel Collins is an American professional wrestler who is better known by her ring name MsChif. She has been wrestling since 2001 and in that time has worked for several independent promotions across the United States, with guest matches in England and Japan...
on January 27, 2007. In mid-2007, Ricci began competing regularly for Women's Extreme Wrestling
Women's Extreme Wrestling
Women's Extreme Wrestling , also known as Women's Erotic Wrestling, is an all woman professional wrestling promotion based in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with offices in New York City, New York. They are notable because their storylines usually are filled with erotic and sexual themes...
(WEW). Her first appearance for WEW was on May 5, when she competed in two matches, losing to Talia Madison
Velvet Sky
Jamie Szantyr is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former TNA Women's Knockout Champion and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with her former Beautiful People partners Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich...
in the first and Jazz
Carlene Begnaud
Carlene Denise Moore-Begnaud is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored under the ring name Jazz...
in the second. She also began competing for Southern All-Star Wrestling, defeating Lollipop in her first match for the promotion. She continued competing for both promotions throughout 2008, wrestling people including Cindy Rogers
Cindy Rogers
Cindy Rogers is a retired American professional wrestler. She is known for performing on the independent circuit for World Xtreme Wrestling and Shimmer Women Athletes, among others.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Naomi Banks
Trenesha Biggers
Trenesha Biggers is a model and professional wrestler who worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Rhaka Khan. She was in the final top 25 in the 2005 WWE Diva Search.-Professional wrestling career:...
, and Angel Orsini
Angel Orsini
Angel Orsini is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and former mixed martial arts fighter, best known by her ring name Riptide...
. In July 2008, she returned to the LLF in Mexico.
In early 2009, Ricci debuted for Wrestlicious
Wrestlicious
Wrestlicious is an American all-female professional wrestling promotion based in Tampa, Florida. The company was founded by Jonathan Vargas, who won a Powerball jackpot of $35.3 million in 2008...
, a women's wrestling organization owned by Jay Vargas and Jimmy Hart
Jimmy Hart
James "Jimmy" Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under his nickname "The Mouth of the South." He has managed many professional...
, under the name Glory. On the April 7, 2010 episode of Wrestlicious Takedown, Glory alongside Felony, were the last two girls standing in a 20-girl "Hoedown Throwdown" Battle Royal to determine the top two contenders for the Wrestlicious Championship. On the May 24 episode of Wrestlicious Takedown, Glory defeated Felony to win the Wrestlicious Championship, becoming the inaugural champion.
Personal life
Mathis grew up in Clinton, MississippiClinton, Mississippi
Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 23,347 at the 2000 United States Census.-History:...
, where she knew fellow professional wrestler, Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
, after meeting him at a Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
class. It was through DiBiase Jr. that she became a fan of professional wrestling and his father, "the Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
. Mathis cites DiBiase, Dynamite Kid
Dynamite Kid
Thomas Wilton Billington , best known by the ring name Dynamite Kid, is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation, Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid- to late-1980s...
, Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
, Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
and Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
as her favorite wrestlers. She was also a fan of Eddie Gilbert.
Mathis began bodybuilding
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
when she was 17, and plans on competing in bodybuilding competitions, and doing fitness modelling
Fitness and figure competition
Fitness and Figure competition is a class of physique-exhibition events for women. While bearing a close resemblance to female bodybuilding, they emphasizes muscle tone over muscle size.-Overview:...
. Mathis graduated from college with a Bachelor of Business
Bachelor of Business
A Bachelor of Business is a three or four year business degree offered by traditional and newer universities from the post-Dawkins era in Australia and New Zealand...
in 2004, and completed her Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Business in 2007. In addition to pursuing an active wrestling schedule on the independent circuit, she recently formed her own production company, Posh Productions.
In wrestling
- Signature moves
- Flying armbar
- Modified Indian deathlock
- Short leg scissors
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "The Total Package"
- "Mississippi Queen"
Championships and accomplishments
- Lucha Libre Femenil
- LLF Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA World Women's ChampionshipNWA World Women's ChampionshipThe NWA World Women's Championship is the National Wrestling Alliance's women's singles professional wrestling title. It is descended from the original Women's World Championship won by Mildred Burke in 1935 from Clara Mortensen. June Byers was then recognized as the succeeding champion after her...
(1 time)
- NWA World Women's Championship
- Professional Girl Wrestling AssociationProfessional Girl Wrestling AssociationThe Professional Girl Wrestling Association was founded in 1992. The aim of the PGWA is to preserve and promote "Old School" women's pro wrestling. Based in North Carolina, the organization frequently sponsors matches and whole cards in the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-South states, as well as in Mexico...
- Rookie of the Year (2002)
- WrestliciousWrestliciousWrestlicious is an American all-female professional wrestling promotion based in Tampa, Florida. The company was founded by Jonathan Vargas, who won a Powerball jackpot of $35.3 million in 2008...
- Wrestlicious Championship (1 time, current)
- Xcitement Wrestling Federation
- XWF Women's Championship (1 time)