 Ivory in 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lisa Mary Moretti (1961-11-26)November 26, 1961 (age 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Ivory[1] Lisa Moretti Nina Tina Ferrari Tina Moretti[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1][3] |
| Billed weight | 135 lb (61 kg) |
| Billed from | Seattle, Washington[1] |
| Trained by | Mando Guerrero[1] |
| Debut | 1986 |
| Retired | 2006 |
| Signature | |
 | |
Lisa Mary Moretti (born November 26, 1961) is an American retired professional wrestler, teacher and coach. She is best known for her tenure inWWE, where she is a three-timeWWE Women's Champion - twice in 1999 and once in 2000 - and she was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
Moretti began her career and first found national exposure in theindependent promotionGorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, where she performed asTina Ferrari from the mid-to-late-1980s. Moretti debuted in WWE in 1999 as themanager forD'Lo Brown &Mark Henry. She won theWWE Women's Championship twice, before becoming a part of thevillainousRight to Censor, a storyline stable of characters with harshlyconservative sociopolitical views. This led to her third Women's Championship victory.
In her later years with WWE, she wrestled only sporadically. Moretti co-hostedWWE Experience and served as one of the trainers onWWE Tough Enough. After she left WWE in 2005, she wrestled forWomen Superstars Uncensored, winning two other titles, and was also inducted into the WSU Hall of Fame. Moretti also began volunteering at her localanimal shelter, and in 2007 opened an animal care and grooming facility named Downtown Dog in her hometown.
In her youth, Moretti wrestled with her two brothers and sister.[2] Later, while attending theUniversity of Southern California (USC), Moretti was, in her own words, "dragged by a friend" (later confirmed to be Nadine Kadmiri) to an audition held by the newly formedLas Vegas, Nevada-basedGorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW).[2] She and Kadmiri were both successful in their audition and went on to train underMando Guerrero for six weeks,[2] before beginning to wrestle in GLOW under thering namesTina Ferrari and Ashley Cartier respectively,[2] also forming atag team known as T & A.[4] Ferrari defeated Colonel Ninotchka to win the vacant GLOW Championship, which was represented by acrown.[5] She later wrestled for thePowerful Women of Wrestling promotion and theLadies Professional Wrestling Association under the ring namesNina andTina Moretti, winning the POWW Championship.[2][4] On September 23, 1994, at UWF'sBlackjack Brawl, Moretti, under the name Tina Moretti, wrestled againstCandi Devine for the vacant UWF World Women's Championship in a losing effort. After UWF, Moretti took a hiatus from wrestling and was not seen in the public eye for five years.[citation needed]
In January 1999, after several years of absence, Moretti returned to wrestling, signing a contract with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF).[2] Her first appearance in WWF was accompanyingThe Godfather, a "pimp" character who was accompanied by various women dubbed the "hos", to the ring.[6] On the February 13, 1999 episode ofRaw, however, Moretti was introduced asIvory, the storyline love interest ofMark Henry.[6] Ivory acted as thefan favoritevalet for the tag team of Mark Henry andD'Lo Brown,[7] and made her televised WWF in-ring debut on the February 15 episode ofRaw, teaming with Brown to faceJeff Jarrett andDebra in anintergender tag team match that ended in ano contest.[4] Ivory faced Debra in asingles match on the March 1 episode ofRaw, defeating Debra by disqualification after she was attacked by thePretty Mean Sisters (Jacqueline Moore andTerri Runnels).[4] AtWrestleMania XV on March 28, Ivory accompanied D'Lo Brown andTest to the ring for theirWWF Tag Team Championship title match against Jarrett andOwen Hart.[8] Jarrett and Hart retained their titles following interference from Moore, Runnels, and Debra.[8]
During this time, the women in the WWF were known more for their physical appearances and"sex appeal" rather than their wrestling abilities,[9] and featuring women instrip matches or farcical "slop matches", a match that takes place in a pool of slop, were common.[2] Ivory, who was a trained wrestler, entered into a brief feud withSable, the current title holder, who subsequently dropped the title to Debra. Ivory finally won theWomen's Championship on June 14, by defeating Debra and went on to defend her title againstTori atSummerSlam on August 22.[10][11] Ivory turnedheel during her feud with Tori, which continued in the weeks following SummerSlam, defeating Tori in the first ever WWF women'shardcore match on September 6.[12] Ivory was then challenged byLuna Vachon, who Ivory defeated in a farcical hardcore match atUnforgiven on September 26.[13]SLAM! Wrestling called the match "pointless and senseless".[13] In October 1999, Ivory feuded withThe Fabulous Moolah, who defeated her for the Women's Championship on October 17, 1999, atNo Mercy, in what John Powell of SLAM! Wrestling called the "worst match I've ever seen".[14][15] She, however, defeated Moolah in a rematch on the October 25 episode ofRaw to win her second Women's Championship.[16] Her second title reign ended with a loss toMiss Kitty, an un-trained wrestler, in aFour CornersEvening Gownpool match, a match where a wrestler wins by stripping the evening gown off of her opponents, on December 12 atArmageddon.[17]
In late 1999, Ivory began portraying a moreconservative character. On January 23, 2000, at theRoyal Rumble, she grudgingly took part in the "Miss Royal Rumble"swimsuit contest, which was won byMae Young.[4][18][19] She challengedJacqueline for theWWF Women's Championship on March 9, but she was unsuccessful.[4] A few weeks later on an episode of Smackdown, she became the first woman to attempt to win theWWF Hardcore Championship, after unsuccessfully trying to pinCrash Holly backstage.[citation needed]
Following a period of absence, Ivory returned to WWF television in October 2000 as a member of a villainous alliance of conservative wrestlers known asRight to Censor.[4] The change in character saw her don less suggestive ring attire and more conservative hairstyles.[20][21] Group leaderStevie Richards would later state on his podcast that unlike the other Right to Censor members (notablyThe Goodfather) who privately hated being in the group, Ivorylegitimately felt the way the group felt on scantily clad women and that the focus needed to be on in-ring skills.[22] Richards also said that Ivory could have easily supplanted himself as the leader with how well she performed in the role, adding that it "was her best role in WWE".[22]
Ivory quickly began a rivalry with Women's ChampionLita, winning the Women's Championship for the third time by defeating Lita,Jacqueline, andTrish Stratus in aFatal Four-Way match.[23] She retained the title against Lita at theSurvivor Series on November 19, with the assistance of Right to Censor leaderSteven Richards, in a match thatSLAM! Wrestling claimed "illustrated to what heights women's wrestling is capable of reaching in North America if the right talent is permitted to strut their stuff in a wrestling ring and not a pit full of jello."[24] Ivory also retained her title in aTriple Threat match against Stratus andMolly Holly atArmageddon on December 10.[25]
Ivory and the Right to Censor began feuding withChyna after the latter posed forPlayboy in late 2000.[4][26] On the December 7 episode ofRaw, Ivory andVal Venis delivered adouble-team piledriver to Chyna which, in storyline, injured her neck.[4] Chyna challenged Ivory for the Women's Championship at theRoyal Rumble on January 21, 2001.[27] Ivory retained her title when she pinned Chyna, who had appeared to re-aggravate her neck injury.[27] Chyna challenged Ivory for the title once more atWrestleMania X-Seven on April 1 and defeated Ivory in a brief match, ending Ivory's third reign as Women's Champion.[28] The Right to Censor stable was finally disbanded on April 26, 2001.[29]
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Ivory returned to WWF television on the August 6 episode ofRaw, joiningThe Alliance duringThe Invasion, a storyline where the former wrestlers ofWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) andExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) formed an alliance and "invaded" the WWF.[30] Ivory formed an alliance with former WCW wrestlersTorrie Wilson andStacy Keibler after helping them defeatJacqueline in a handicap match, but later turned on Wilson due to her budding romance withTajiri. Ivory eventually became the valet forLance Storm.[29] AtNo Mercy, Ivory accompanied Storm andThe Hurricane to the ring, but theHardy Boyz defeated the two men to retain theirWCW World Tag Team Championship.[4][31] Ivory went on to compete in the women's division, and on November 18 at theSurvivor Series, she participated in a six-pack challenge for the vacantWomen's Championship, whichTrish Stratus won.[32]
In early 2002, Ivory served as a trainer in the second series ofTough Enough.[4][6][7] After the World Wrestling Federation was renamed "World Wrestling Entertainment" and the roster was split into two "brands",Raw andSmackDown!, Ivory wasdrafted to the SmackDown! brand.[33] Continuing to portray a villainess, Ivory engaged in a brief feud withTough Enough co-winnersLinda Miles andJackie Gayda, which led to her facing Miles on the June 8 episode ofVelocity. Ivory won the match after Gayda shoved Miles off the top rope and costing her the match. On the June 13 episode ofSmackDown!, Ivory teamed with Gayda in a losing effort against Miles and Trish Stratus. Along with several other SmackDown! wrestlers, Ivory was traded to Raw in exchange for TheBig Show in November 2002.[34] Throughout the remainder of 2002, she teamed withVictoria in tag team matches and feuded with Trish Stratus.[35] In November of that year, she was also part of the WWE Raw Tour inIndia, becoming the first female performer to tour the country, however only appeared in media events and signings, as she was not booked to compete.[citation needed]
In 2003, Ivory became aface and wrestled sporadically in the women's division. In June of that year, she had three pinfall victories over the WWE Women's Champion,Jazz, but never received a title match opportunity. Her onlypay-per-view appearance in the course of the year was on December 14 atArmageddon, where she unsuccessfully challengedMolly Holly for the Women's Championship, after Molly grabbed her tights for leverage, and managed to capture the victory.[36] She also served as a trainer on thethird season ofTough Enough, and did broadcasting duties at WWE events.[7][37][38] Ivory also spent eight weeks working as a trainer at WWE's then-developmental territory,Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and also made one televised appearance againstJillian Hall in a losing effort.[7][39] In May of that year, she andTodd Grisham began hostingThe WWE Experience, a weekly television show that recapped events fromRaw andSmackDown!.[6][40] On July 22, 2005, several weeks beforeWWE Experience ended in August 2005, WWE announced that Ivory had opted not to renew her contract with the company.[7]
After leaving WWE, Moretti began wrestling sporadically on theindependent circuit under her birth name. On November 19, 2005, inSpartanburg, South Carolina atA Tribute toStarrcade, she teamed with Bambi to defeatTeam Blondage (Krissy Vaine andAmber O'Neal) for the CCW Tag Team Championship.[4] On April 21, 2006, inSurrey, British Columbia, Moretti defeatedRebecca Knox forExtreme Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW)'sNWA SuperGirls Championship.[39] She also successfully retained her title in a match the following night.[39] Afterward, Moretti decided to stay with ECCW to help create a strong women's division.[39] She held the title for approximately five months before losing it toNattie Neidhart on October 8, 2006.[41]
On March 5, 2011, Moretti appeared at theWomen Superstars Uncensored (WSU) 4 Year Anniversary event, where she was inducted into the WSU Hall of Fame. She also appeared on the event, preventing Rick Cataldo from interfering successfully in theWSU Spirit Championship bout, hitting Cataldo with thePoison Ivory, betweenBrittney Savage andSassy Stephie. As a result, Stephie was able to win, capturing the championship and thanking Ivory for her help.[citation needed]
Ivory took part in theWrestleMania Axxessconvention fromWrestleMania 31 in March 2015 and later appeared onThe WWE List, a digital series that aired on WWE.com. On January 27, 2016, she appeared on theWWE Network programTable for 3, alongside fellow wrestlersAlundra Blayze andMolly Holly.[42]
On February 12, 2018, it was announced that Ivory would be inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame class of 2018.[43] At the ceremony on April 6, she was inducted by Molly Holly.[44] On April 8, she appeared alongside the2018 Hall of Fame class atWrestleMania 34.[45]Ivory made her in-ring return for WWE's first ever all-women's pay per view,WWE Evolution, to compete in abattle royal for a future title shot at theWWE Raw Women's Championship. She lasted longer than all of the returning female legends, placing fifth after being eliminated byAsuka.[46]In 2019, she was in attendance for the following year's WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in support of Torrie Wilson.[citation needed]
On January 29, 2022, Ivory returned to WWE in herRight To Censor gimmick, entering the2022 Women's Royal Rumble match at number 18. She started to cut a promo on her way to the ring and lasted an overall 25 seconds in the match, before being eliminated byRhea Ripley. At age 60, she became the oldest woman to enter the women's Royal Rumble, and the third oldest competitor in any Royal Rumble behindJerry Lawler at 62, andJimmy Snuka at 64.[citation needed]
Moretti was shown in the crowd on July 13, 2025, during theEvolution 2 event, being recognized as one of the pioneers of WWE's Women's Evolution alongside several female WWE Hall of Famers and legends.[47]
Moretti (as Ivory) has appeared in nineWWE video games. She made her in-game debut atWWF WrestleMania 2000 and appears inWWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role,WWF No Mercy,WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It,WWF Raw,WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth,WWE 2K17 (DLC),[48]WWE 2K18[49] andWWE 2K19.[50]
In 2012, Moretti appeared in the documentary,GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, which was directed by Brett Whitcomb and premiered atHot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.[51] The documentary served as the inspiration for the fictional television seriesGLOW onNetflix.[52]
Moretti has appeared in numerous San Juan Community Theatre productions, includingChicago as Velma Kelly.[53] She has also judged localdog shows and modelled in the annualcounty fair show, "Fashion Trashion".[54][55]
Moretti was born inLos Angeles, California and raised inInglewood, California[2] She has three siblings: two brothers and one sister.[2] She studiedpublic relations at theUniversity of Southern California (USC),[2][37] and she was acheerleader for theLos Angeles Express of theUnited States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s.[4] Prior to beginning her career in wrestling, Moretti worked as a make-up artist for the cosmetic brandRevlon.[3]
After leaving WWE, Moretti began working in thelandscaping industry.[56] Moretti also worked with her niece to help the pet population affected byHurricane Katrina.[3] In addition, Moretti volunteered for an organization called Best Friends Animal Society, which is ano-kill animal shelter (a shelter that does noteuthanize to control animal populations) inUtah.[3] She also worked with her local animal shelter onSan Juan Island in northwesternWashington,[3] where she has resided since 2000.[39] While working at the shelter, she met her eventual business partner Jessica Ray, with whom she opened Downtown Dog in 2007.[3] The facility is an animal daycare, as well as a training, grooming, and cat boarding company located inFriday Harbor, Washington.[3] In June 2007, they expanded the business to include veterinary care and later the Bow Wow Bus, which takes the dogs on outings.[3] Moretti has taken classes to learn how to groom animals and now grooms them as part of the business.[3]
One recent feud was with the wrestling group 'Right to Censor,'... . The group's conflict with Chyna focused on her posing inPlayboy and her 'flaunting' of her body...
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database
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