Line #37 Wrestling/BethPhoenix


1	[[quoteright:321:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/668066559.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:321:Gorgeous, smart and [[Wrestling/CMPunk can lift a man across her shoulders]]]]
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4	Elizabeth Kocianski-Copeland (born on November 24, 1980 in Elmira, New York), also known as Beth Phoenix, is a female professional wrestler who worked for Wrestling/{{WWE}}, and unique among them for her power-beauty glamazon gimmick and being one of the few who trained to be a wrestler from the beginning, going as far as being [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome the first woman varsity wrestler in her high school.]]
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6	With her amateur wrestling skill and physical strength, she quickly developed in one of the best female wrestlers in business while working for a multitude of promotions such as Cleveland All Pro Wrestling, Apocalypse Wrestling Federation (women's champion), GLORY (first champion), [[Wrestling/{{Chikara}} Kiryoku Pro]] and Far North Wrestling (cruiser weight champion). It earned her a contract with Ohio Valley Wrestling, an invitation to Wrestling/{{SHIMMER}} and eventually the WWE Women's Championship three times and the Divas championship once. On the October 29, 2012 edition of Raw, she was [[{{Kayfabe}} fired]] by Wrestling/VickieGuerrero, ending her six-year tenure with the company. She was inducted into the Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame in 2017, and is married to Adam "Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}}" Copeland. She made a return in 2018 to participate in the first Women's Wrestling/RoyalRumble, giving her the distinction of being the first WWE Superstar to compete in both a Men's and a Women's Royal Rumble. On the March 18 2019 edition of RAW, Beth announced that she was coming out of retirement to team with old friend Wrestling/NatalyaNeidhart in order to challenge Wrestling/{{Bayley}} and Wrestling/SashaBanks for the WWE Womens Tag Team Championship at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 35.''
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8	!! "[=Glamazonian=] Tropes":
9	* AbortedArc
10	** In 2006, there were plans to reveal the [[HoYay history between the Glamazon and Mickie James]], but they were canceled when Beth broke her jaw in a match with [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron Victoria]].
11	** The Divas of Doom tag team with Natalya was abruptly ended out of nowhere.
12	* AbhorrentAdmirer: She really was not pleased with Jacob Duncan's attempted courtship OVW
13	* AntiClimax
14	** Jenny Brooks, a new face on Smackdown waiting for Beth Phoenix's entrance, has her history and training run down by Matt Striker, noting among other things that she actually beat Beth back in high school and hyping up the reunion of old rivals. Beth wins in a total {{Squash\| Match}}. However, it was very likely Matt Striker's commentary that made the match an AntiClimax. He was quite infamous for making up back stories for [[{{Jobber}} jobbers]] to drum up interest in matches (he was truthful about her athletic background, but there is a good chance she did not meet Beth in competition, being from another country).
15	** Beth being accused of attacking Kaitlyn is abruptly dropped when Eve defeats her on Raw and she disappears from that storyline.
16	* ArchEnemy
17	** At various times: Wrestling/MickieJames (Alexis Laree was her first professional wrestling opponent), Wrestling/{{Melina}}, Candice Michelle, Maria Kanellis, Wrestling/KellyKelly, Wrestling/EveTorres, Wrestling/{{LayCool}}, and Creator/MariaMenounos.
18	** Yet to encounter them in WWE but Psycho({{B\|owdlerization}}itch) in World Xtreme Wrestling, Wrestling/RecklessYouth and Lucious Lilly elsewhere.
19	* BadassBookWorm: She wasn't just the high school Prom Queen, she got a bachelor's degree in criminal science and became a champion collegiate wrestler before all her pro wrestling belts.
20	* BashBrothers: The All Knighters, whom she often managed. Also, Kevin Grace, although she had to knock off him and Joey Knight in order take the Far North cruiser weight belt.
21	* BattleCouple: With her husband Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}}, as Wrestling/TheMiz and Wrestling/{{Maryse}} found out the hard way.
22	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: She zig-zags through it. Like the rest of the Divas, their hair and makeup will stay roughly in place after a match. However, after a botched somersault leg drop from Wrestling/AliciaFox, she showed off a [[http://yfrog.com/oeuxruaj nasty looking welt on her cheek.]] Though she was taken off TV for five weeks, thus enforcing the trope.
23	** When she broke her jaw, which was clean through and even dislocated, but there was no indication other than a little blood from her mouth.
24	** Averted in the ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble 2020'', where banging her head off the ring post during the titular match busted her open and shed enough blood to turn most of her blonde hair a dark shade of red.
25	* BloodFromTheMouth: When she broke her jaw, there was just a little bit of blood making it's way out of her mouth.
26	* BreakTheHaughty: [[BrawnHilda Psycho]] gave her a power bomb and two splashes ''[[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown after]]'' defeating Phoenix. Even when Phoenix beat Psycho in the 2003 WXW Elite Eight she [[PyrrhicVictory sustained an injury]] that played a key part in not winning it. Even at her most cocky any reminders of the saga make Phoenix take a depressed tone.
27	* TheBully: The worst sort, [[HeroicWannabe a bully who thinks she's a good role model]].
28	* TheBusCameBack: In 2018 she made a return in the 2018 Royal Rumble and a few commentary guest spots. In 2019 she announced an in-ring return.
29	* CatchPhrase: Hashtag actually is #ding Glam Slam Ding. "The perfect combination of strength and beauty." Was her old catch phrase.
30	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower
31	** Most notable female example since Wrestling/{{Chyna}}, she gave both Serena Deeb and ODB a Samoan drop at the same time during a fatal four way for ODB's title. She also casually pressed [[Wrestling/DLoBrown D'Lo Brown]]. Yes, he countered whatever she was trying but that's besides the point.
32	** Picked up both Wrestling/MichelleMcCool and Wrestling/{{Layla}} El on her shoulders at the same time, while she had a torn [=ACL=]. She did it again to them in their tables match and has also done the same thing to Wrestling/GailKim, Wrestling/KellyKelly, Melina and Mickie James. This was also how she won the Battle Royal for her 2011 title shot, eliminating both of the Bella Twins at the same time.
33	** At the 2018 Wrestling/RoyalRumble she managed to lift Wrestling/NiaJax! Again, Jax countered whatever Phoenix was going to do from there.
34	* {{Chickification}}
35	** Many WWE fans were displeased when Beth eliminated The Great Khali from the 2010 Royal Rumble Match. No, they weren't upset with the fact that she was able to do it; it was the ''way'' she did it, leaning back against the ropes and grabbing Khali's face, ''passionately embracing and kissing him'', and then leaning backward a little more so that Khali fell over her and out of the ring. Some {{Smark}}s commented that the ploy never even would have worked if Khali weren't such a clumsy oaf who was in the middle of his [[LovableSexManiac Punjabi Playboy]] phase. Most segments with him ended up with him kissing some "lucky" lady, or trying to run away from a beast of a woman. This angle in turn came about when the WWE realized that Khali wasn't only [[MightyGlacier kind of slow,]] but there was a relative inflexibility of his arms and legs and [[TheGiant his movelist basically consisted of a chop, a clumsy kick, and shoving/throwing people.]]
36	** Her FaceHeelTurn against Kelly Kelly is due to her and [[Wrestling/NatalyaNeidhart Natalya]] both being fed up with how prevalent this trope is in the WWE, and swearing to put an end to it.
37	* TheComicallySerious: Altered between being upset by Santino's antics [[StraightMan to passively encouraging them]] while they were dating. She had just a minimal tolerance for Wrestling/JillianHall's delusions though, giving [[Wrestling/KatarinaWaters Katie Lea]] a DeathGlare for daring to dance to Jillian's "music".
38	* CuteBruiser: Yes, she can [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl be as girlish as any other Diva]].
39	* DarkActionGirl: Even as a face.
40	* DarkhorseVictory: While she never got far enough to win the title, Phoenix did score a pin fall on NWA Midwest women's champion Wrestling/MsChif, which no one saw coming. Despite proving capable of beating her though, Beth was never happy to get in the ring with her again, especially when she heard [[OhNoNotAgain "Repined Bastard Nation" play in SHIMMER]].
41	* DemotedToExtra: Like many of her Divas counterparts (with the exception of Wrestling/VickieGuerrero, Wrestling/AJLee, and Wrestling/EveTorres), Phoenix had been relegated to competing on ''Wrestling/WWESuperstars''.
42	* EnemyMine: Phoenix is a lot less friendly when Alexis Laree/Mickie James is not around to serve as a common enemy. Passion, Laycool and Trish Stratus learned this the hard way.
43	* FinishingMove: First a Michinoku Driver variant called "Down In Flames". Then a fisherman's suplex. Then a [[Wrestling/CarleneMoore Bitch Clamp]] to [[Wrestling/LondonAndKendrick waffle face]] combo she calls the Glam Slam, followed by either a Sienna Duvall diva dam type submission or a float over into a pin.
44	* FleetingDemographicRule: Her feud in 2011 with Kelly Kelly was quite similar to her 2007 one with Candice Michelle - Beth as monster heel, Kelly as glamorous underdog babyface. Itself a repeat of Jazz vs Trish Stratus, and Bull Nakano vs Alundra Blayze.
45	* GameBreakingInjury: In kayfabe, she torqued her ankle during a match with Nikki Bella and as such lost the Divas Championship to the latter via a roll-up after dominating the division for the better part of a year.
46	** In reality, her broken jaw which ended her first run in the company before it even began.
47	* GentleGiant: Is known to be one of the sweetest, most accessible WWE stars.
48	* [[AmazonianBeauty [=Glamazonian=] Beauty]]: That's her bread-and-butter right there. She's muscular but that can add to the appeal, and if not... it most likely doesn't detract from it. (In fact, her nickname is one of the alternative titles for the trope in question.) She's dubbed it "Pinup Strong" and has a running Twitter gag of finding fun examples, oh and her head band reminds people of Franchise/WonderWoman.
49	* TheGiant: Averted. Her pure strength could easily put her in this position among the WWE Divas but she backs it up with technical skill. She also gets knocked around a surprising bit. She did the whole immovability thing after her first Raw heel run against Maria, Ashley, Layla and Candice but Mickie James and Santino proved more than capable of budging her, forcing Phoenix back to technical wrestling.
50	* GimmickMatches
51	** On the losing side of a tug of war in Ohio Valley despite having fellow power house Jennifer Mae(Thomas) and a 250 lbs man(Dewey) on her team ''and'' a five to four advantage.
52	** She won a series of leg wrestling matches in Ohio Valley, beating Jennifer Thomas, She Nay Nay and "Sinnderella"([[DisguisedInDrag Nick Sinn in drag]]).
53	** Then there was the ladder match that decided an official OVW Women's Champion once and for all after Phoenix created her own belt to contest the reign of Katie Lea(Katie won)
54	* GirlishPigtails: Prior to her "Glamazon" phase
55	* HiddenDepths: Kayfabe example when she and Natalya found each other on opposing teams on ''Superstars'', Beth (who was the heel) didn't want to hit her. Nattie had other ideas...
56	* {{Hypocrite}}
57	** She and Natalya (as the heel Divas of Doom) claim that they strive to prove that women can be real wrestlers, but they can't seem to win without cheating and are total {{Sore Loser}}s when they lose.
58	** She was incredibly offended when Wrestling/{{Kaitlyn}} suspected her of attacking her at Night of Champions. Considering Beth's track record, she was indeed a likely suspect.
59	** There was also the time she gave Triple H a vote of no confidence by claiming that the Divas couldn't defend themselves in chaos because "Hunter, we're girls," while she and Natalya were responsible for the ongoing chaos in the Divas division at the time. Coming from a woman who entered the ''Royal Freaking Rumble'', that's even more hypocritical.
60	* ImportantHaircut: She's gone brunette as of March 2015.
61	* ImprobableAge: On the other end of the scale. She became the youngest inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame at the age of 37. She was also the quickest female to be inducted after retirement - as she'd only left the company five years previously.
62	* ItsAllAboutMe: This is how Phoenix started before being forced to eat several slices of humble pie. Started to show again in several tag-team Divas matches she's participated in, tagging herself in rather forcefully to hit her [[FinishingMove Glam Slam]] and take the victory for herself. Then, to top it all off, she doesn't interact with her teammate(s) much at all, leaving them in the ring wondering what the hell the problem was.
63	* KickTheDog: During her Divas of Doom heel run with Natalya, Beth was very fond of announcing that it was "cry time" for some unfortunate face diva (especially Wrestling/AJLee, Wrestling/KellyKelly and Wrestling/EveTorres), locking her in a painful-looking submission hold while Natalya held the microphone to her face so the crowd could hear her scream.
64	* KneelBeforeZod: In WWE, her plans for Wrestling/CandiceMichelle was to make her get down on her knees and "Worship the Glamazon". This never happened, [[RealLifeWritesThePlot as Beth ended up settling for injuring Candice.]]
65	* LadyOfWar: In contrast with Natalya, who's a fellow powerhouse but more of a brute, Beth is a little more elegant with her offense. ''Website/DivaDirt'' even [[http://www.diva-dirt.com/introducing-a-londoners-eye-issue-1-beth-phoenix-a-lady-amongst-divas/ wrote an article]] titled ''Beth Phoenix: A Lady Amongst Divas'':
66	--> "Beth has made her character come across elegant — even though she slams girls into the mat — and you’d never dream to hear the word ‘whore’ come out of this Diva’s mouth."
67	* LoonyFan[=/=]PsychoSupporter: Had one in Wrestling/RosaMendes. ''Had''. With Beth's complete lack of hesitation in attacking her despite Rosa not doing anything at all to hinder Beth even in battle royals it's a wonder she did not break away sooner.
68	* LovelyAngels: With Natalya. First as faces when Beth returned from injury in 2010, and then as heels the next year - calling themselves 'Divas of Doom'.
69	* MadeOfIron: When she broke her jaw, she gave no indication anything was wrong, and in fact thought she had simply had a tooth knocked out. It was only when everyone checking on her in medical gave a MassOhCrap that she realized that she was injured more seriously than she thought.
70	* MakeAnExampleOfThem: Did this to Melina once during a triple threat match for Beth's championship, when Beth, instead of pinning an already unconscious Melina, hit her with Beth's fisherman's suplex finisher instead, for the sole reason of humiliating her. Might count as BreakTheHaughty as, at the time, Melina was an incredibly arrogant character who assumed she was the top Diva.
71	* PerkyFemaleMinion: First to "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters, then to [[Wrestling/DamienSandow Aaron "The Idol" Stevens]] in OVW.
72	* ProgressivelyPrettier: From a borderline BrawnHilda on her first WWE appearance in 2006, she's now become just as beautiful as any other woman on the WWE roster. They don't call her "The Glamazon" for nothing.
73	* PutOnABus: Had her last match on October 29, 2012, [[{{Kayfabe}} and was then fired by]] Wrestling/VickieGuerrero, as she wanted to take a break from wrestling.
74	** When she broke her jaw, she was sent back to OVW for a year before being brought back up.
75	* RealWomenDontWearDresses: She's targeted "plastic excuses for women" since day one, though this attitude faded in OVW. Then it returned full force in her Raw feud with Kelly Kelly.
76	* RedBaron: The Glamazon. In her indy days as Phoenix, she was "The Fabulous Firebird."
77	* TheRival: Traci Brooks (ally turned rival), The Canadian Hard Body [[Wrestling/AngelinaLove Angel Williams]] (enemy turned {{worthy opponent}}), [[Wrestling/JillianHall Macaela Mercedes]], Shelly Martinez (who feuded regarding Idol Stevens but worked together against Alexis Laree, then terrorized Phoenix after Kevin Thorn turned her into the vampire, Ariel), alternated between EvilVersusEvil and VillainTeamup with [[Wrestling/KatarinaWaters Katie Lea]].
78	* RunTheGauntlet: The match where she lost ODB's Women's title. Beth got pretty far through luck and treachery (attacking Kelly Kelly before the match started, Roni Jona before she got in the ring, a lucky shot on Ariel,Jenny Mae knocked Beth around but was pinned after a missed missile dropkick and then Beth rolled up ODB and [[EasilyDistractedReferee put her feet on the ropes]]...simply {{squash\| match}}ing Melody) but her streak was ended by [[Wrestling/KatarinaWaters Katie Lea]], who went on to win the whole thing when Beth hit Serena Deeb with the belt.
79	* ShipperOnDeck: A HUGE one for Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis, in contrast to Wrestling/WadeBarrett who's a ShippingTorpedo.
80	* SignatureMove: Early on, a Texas Cloverleaf and a missile dropkick. Later, a suplex assisted by the top rope. She and Natalya later employed what could be called an upside down surfboard in attempts to make people cry. Beth also likes the military press.
81	* SlasherSmile: As a heel, Beth had a [[http://www.divaswrestlers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Beth-Phoenix-Smile.jpg pretty effective one.]] It doesn't seem right that a woman that gorgeous can look that sinister.
82	* SmurfettePrinciple: Laree stopped by but didn't stay, leaving Phoenix the only woman in FNW. She eventually won their cruiserweight title belt.
83	* StartMyOwn
84	** ODB declared herself the best wrestler in OVW and made her own title belt to defend...which she lost to Serena Deeb, which she lost to Beth Phoenix, which she lost to Katie Lea. Unconvinced that she actually lost, Beth made her own title and called it the real one, which caused management to relent and give Beth and Katie Lea a shot for an official OVW belt. (Which Katie won but OVW decided to be nice and leave everyone else's "reign" on record...[[CanonDiscontinuity except]] [[Wrestling/AliciaFox Victoria Crawford's]])
85	** "Pin-up Strong Illustrated", started by herself and Natalya in protest to Kelly Kelly being featured in Maxim Magazine.
86	* StockingFiller: Sometimes sports fishnet stockings as part of her attire.
87	* TeacherStudentRomance: Her first husband was her wrestling coach, Joey Knight.
88	* TemptingFate: In the 2018 Women's Royal Rumble, Wrestling/NiaJax dominated and commentators wondered if there was anyone who could stand with her. Cue Beth's music playing as soon as the countdown finished.
89	* TinyGuyHugeGirl: The Glamarella storyline. Not too much taller, but obviously stronger and more skilled.
90	* UrExample: Besides being the first GLORY champion, Phoenix claims to be the first female to win a battle royal in Ontario, Canada. She had to outlast 14 guys to do so.
91	* VillainousCheekbones: The primary reason Allison Danger wanted WWE to pick up Phoenix, because no other woman they employed at the time had a comparable look. Despite these features, Phoenix tended to debut innocently enough in most places before sliding into "villainy". Allison Danger's SHIMMER would not be one of those promotions though, as Phoenix wasted no time using Danger to set an example of how cruel she could be and [[TakeThatKiss tauntingly kissed]] the referee trying to stop her.
92	* VillainTeamUp: With Passion in OVW. With Natalya to form the [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Divas of Doom.]]
93	* WardrobeMalfunction
94	** On the 10-21-11 episode of Smackdown, after a bit of trash talking with Wrestling/EveTorres, she begins to provoke her. Eve gives Beth a good hard shove, sending her head over heels to the mat. Beth, in a very billowy dress, accidentally flashes her underpants to half of Mexico City, and she came perilously close to flashing the other half with her... other assets.
95	** Beth often wears a kilt-like flared skirt as part of her "warrior" persona, and it whooshes up quite a bit when she is jumping or executing moves, so seeing her undies is pretty much business as usual these days.
96	* WildCard
97	** When she was first moved to ''[=SmackDown=]'' and got in a three-way feud with Michelle [=McCool=] and Mickie James. She started off most interested in winning Michelle's championship but as time went on increasingly focused on attacking Mickie James, until Beth joined forces with Laycool and willingly helped them {{force feed\|ing}} her cake and punch in a "going away party".
98	** After her turning on Kelly Kelly, Beth still had a sympathetic point of view and Beth was given hometown advantage against Kelly in Buffalo New York. Beth's partner, Natalya, became more of a full blown heel.
99	* WorthyOpponent: Nia Jax. The two of them faced off at the 2018 Women's Royal Rumble, where they quickly proved to be each other's equals in terms of physical strength and endurance. They fought each other to a standstill, and in the end neither eliminated the other.[[note]]Beth knocked Nia out of the arena, but she went ''through'' the ring ropes rather than over them so it didn't constitute an elimination, and even that required the help of Wrestling/{{Natalya\|Neidhart}} -- who eliminated Beth shortly after, long before Jax made it back to the ring.[[/note]] Ever since, Beth has not hesitated to speak enthusiastically about how much of a threat Nia is when on commentary in a match she's a part of.
100	* WrestlingDoesntPay: While not her gimmick in WWE, it is the source of the waitress uniforms she had an abundance of after her heel turn around Summer Slam. She did work as a waitress while at OVW.

Context Wrestling / BethPhoenix