Wrestling / Velvet Sky

"Holler!"

Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American retired professional wrestler from Waterbury, Connecticut, trained by Jason Knight in his House Of Pain Dojo.

She best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She, along with Angelina Love were the founding members of The Beautiful People. She is a former two time TNA Women's Knockout Champion and is a former TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion (with Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich), with the group defending the title under the Freebird rule. Later she appeared in Ring of Honor as the manager for The Allure (w/ stablemates Angelina Love and Mandy Leon), the spiritual successor to TBP.

She retired from in-ring competiton in 2020, and currently serves as color commentator in the NWA.

She previously wrestled as Talia Madison, a World Xtreme Wrestling Women's Champion, two time Women's Extreme Wrestling tag team champion^note with Tiffany Madison and April Hunter, a one time WEW World Champion, a Defiant Pro Wrestling Women's Champion and a Universal Wrestling Association Women's Tag Team Champion^note with Ariel.

"BEAUTIFUL TROPES":

• Affectionate Nickname: Vel-Vel by her Beautiful People teammates. It's even in her Twitter handle.
• Alternate Company Equivalent
  • A blonde bombshell who was formerly a member of a stable consisting of Ms. Fanservices, better known for her looks than her talent, first target of any heel, and divides the wrestling community on whether or not she's a competent wrestler. Are we talking about Velvet Sky or Kelly Kelly?
  • Or maybe Torrie Wilson? Especially since Kelly herself was considered Torrie's Spiritual Successor.
• Arch-Enemy
  • In Glory she stated "Anyone who crosses me." and "Haters"
  • In TNA: Taylor Wilde, Sarita, Roxxi, Gail Kim, Taryn Terrell, and Mickie James.
• The Artifact
  • Her modified pedigree finisher comes from her time with Tiffany, the two being spoiled brats from West Palm Beach Florida whose family stuck silver spoons in the mouths of at birth. It did get a new name in TNA though.
  • For awhile, Velvet was the only one still doing the general-plate Beautiful People gimmick. She did this while wrestling as a face.
• Bash Brothers: April Hunter, Shane Helms, Tiffany Madison, Nick Berk, Kevin Matthews, Luscious Lily, Lacey Von Erich, Cute Kip, "The Portuguese Princess" Ariel
• The Beautiful Elite: A self proclaimed example.
• Beta Bitch: To Angelina Love following Velvet-Love Entertainment's heel turn into The Beautiful People. To Madison Rayne after winning the Knockouts Tag Team titles.
• Big Applesauce: She's billed from "The Big Apple." She once did a photo shoot where she was lying face down nude with only a New York Yankees baseball cap covering her butt.
• Break the Cutie: She admitted to finding 'rookie' Knockout Brittany pretty, in contrast to The Beautiful People's usual campaign against the ugly. That didn't result in them treating her with any kindness. No, they were usually around to laugh at her misfortunes, if they weren't the cause of them.
• By the Hair: Choked Angelina Love with Love's own hair.
• Cassandra Truth: The first person to point out Angelina's "fan" Winter was going to be trouble. Angelina ignored this and Winter then turned her against Velvet Sky against her will.
• Comedic Spanking: Traded them with Melina in WWC around the 2012 Aniversario, after Melina mimed a bad smell when entering the ring, causing Velvet repeat her usual entrance spot.
• The Corrupter
  • After Madison Rayne had turned face but continued to lose friends and alienate people, she and Love couldn't help but take note of and laugh at their lasting bad influences.
  • Angel Williams and Ashley Lane's appearances in Ring of Honor initially had nothing in common with or related to The Beautiful People whatsoever. But a freelancing Velvet Sky took a look at the Women Of Honor division and saw a grand opportunity in Mandy Leon. Women Of Honor, which had previously been a general branding, largely became a division onto itself because of Leon, but she was a rookie who was eventually overshadowed by everyone who appeared regularly and had been a non factor in the title picture once a championship belt was created. Sky made her ROH debut, made a b line to her old friends, and while Lane didn't get involved, Leon never be the same.
• Create Your Own Villain: She and Angelina Love eventually admitted almost everything wrong with Madison Rayne was their fault...after she Madison and Brittany started having "problems".
• Crossover: One of the TNA wrestlers appearing on MTV's "Made" and represented the Knockouts on "Family Feud".
• Determinator: During the last few weeks of her second Knockouts Title reign, Velvet wrestled (and won) title matches through a knee injury, which was at least partially legit.
• Dude, She's Like in a Coma: Inverted - Planted one (ok, several) on Niya Barela after Angelina and Velvet defeated Niya in a tag team match. Considering Velvet had just pinned Niya, and was taunting her in-between kisses, this is likely less of a parting gift and more of a show of dominance on Velvet's part.
• Dumb Blonde
  • She and Angelina were dumb enough to believe that Sarah Palin was interested in them. She wasn't.
  • She also didn't know what horse dung was.
  Angelina: "It's horse shit, Velvet! HORSE SHIT!"
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Debuted in TNA using her indies name and her hair was more bleach blonde instead of brown with blonde highlights.
• Enemy Mine: Reunited with Madison Rayne as "The Beautiful People" in response to Gail Kim getting a body guard in Lei'D Tapa and Tapa getting a partner in Alpha Female. When Love came back and joined them, Rayne deserted them. Sky and Love returned to their Rayne bullying and we were full circle.
• Everyone Loves Blondes: As a face.
• Finishing Move
  • Talia picked up a blockbuster from April Hunter.(Though April did it from behind and Talia called it "blonde ambition" or "diva drop" rather than "headhunter") Re-Talia-tion (Straight jacket sitout rear mat slam)
  • Velvet Sky's was In Yo' Face, a sitout Pedigree. Re-Talia-tion was redubbed "Sky liner".
  • In her 2015 return to TNA, she began using the Stunner as a new finisher, complete with a reworked gimmick.
• Friendly Enemy: From her own point of view: Krissy Vaine, Amber O'Neal, Alere Little Feather, Big Unit (Alicia&Cindy Rogers) and Mercedes Martinez. It's questionable if any of them feel the same way. She triple teamed the latter with Tammy Lynn Sytch and Nick Berk, to give one an idea of how Talia viewed "friendly" competition. It was mutual with April Hunter though.
• Gay Bravado: Talia Madison and April Hunter didn't just tease the straight male audience members, they also appealed heavily to lesbian fans. They admitted to being straight when questioned (and Hunter was the bigger 'victim' of the two, in more ways than one).
• Genius Bruiser: Under her real name, she is a licensed physical therapist.

• Girly Bruiser: Not a single on of her gimmicks would suggest "tough woman", yet she's held gold from two different national promotions.
• Girls Behind Bars: T&A were a part of Wet Wrestling - The Shawskank Redemption, a show about convicts forced to wrestle.
• Good Is Not Nice: Velvet as a face would be sweet and gracious to her fans - and loyal friends. But if she was antagonized at least once, she would fire back just as hard.
• Groin Attack: Has become victim of this more than once.
• Heel–Face Turn:
  • Turned Face in 2011 after Angelina Love returned and Madison Rayne's power had gone to her head.
  • Returned on Impact Wrestling as a face after getting fired and finding out how False Friend Angelina Love had revelled in it.
• Informed Ability: For some, Velvet's "wrestling ability" is one of these. (she botched a lot early on in TNA, particularly in the lead up to the crowning of the first knockout champion)
• Jobber: On Sunday Night Heat.
• Loser Leaves Town: Defeated Jacqueline and ODB in a handicap match to send them out of TNA. However, they were only gone two weeks and went right back after her.
• Ms. Fanservice: Between her blonde hair, brown eyes, tan skin, oversized breast implants, revealing attire, and rump shaking, it's very difficult not to notice her.
• Mud Wrestling: Kevin Nash paid her to wrestle Lacey Von Erich in mud while the Main Even Mafia ran Impact.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Essentially what her "Leather And Lace" match was. An earlier lock box challenge had awarded Velvet Sky a match with anyone she wanted under any stipulation she wanted. The person was former partner Angelina Love and the stipulations were Love wears handcuffs and the match only ends when she wants it to. Love could have just quit at the first bell, since Sky neglected to mention her Knockouts Title Belt, but she didn't.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Okay, Talia's kind of dumb, but the whole subtext thing she did with April Hunter was just to throw off their opponents. In fact, a good deal of Talia's antics aim to give a false sense of security, which is why it can only be said she's "kind of".
• Power Stable: "Reality Check" in the Pro Wrestling Syndicate.
• Power Trio: "The Allure" in ROH with Angelina Love and Mandy Leon.
• Put on a Bus: Out of TNA by her own choice. The Bus Came Back in December 2012. The Bus Left Again when she was (kayfabe) fired for looking in Robbie E's "feast or fired" briefcase in January 2015. In reality, her contract had expired. She came back months later.
• Recycled Soundtrack: Velvet's first entrance theme was later used by ODB.
• The Rival
  • The Amber O'Neal and Lolipop incarnation of Team Blondage when she teamed with April Hunter. Sometimes Krissy Vaine when Lolipop was absent, although Talia Madison and O'Neal did briefly team up as Pink Express.
  • She's feuded with Angelina Love and Madison Rayne almost as much as she's teamed up with them.
  • Shared quite a few locker rooms with ODB and has locked up with her more than a few times. Did not team up too often but they did a few times in TNA. ODB and Jacqueline once thanks to Las Primas and Winter.
  • Sarita in TNA specifically. First in tag team matches with Taylor Wilde, then an individual feud leading a strap match, then in tag team matches with Rosita.
• Shaking the Rump: Does this very often on the ring apron. April Hunter and the Beautiful People even worked most of their entrances around this habit of hers. As Taz would say "Let the pigeons loose!"
• She's Back: Returned to wrestling in Ring of Honor with Mandy Leon and Angelina Love as The Allüre.
• Signature Move: Formerly a "reverse bulldog", triangle choke and northern Lights suplex. Later, an octopus stretch (biting optional), reverse curb stomp, beauty mark (lung blower) and Beauty-T, a snap DDT.
• Squash Match: Pinned multiple times in rapid succession by Taylor Wilde. Sky kept getting rematches until she was finally able to put some offense together.
• Tag Team
  • The Madison Girls with Tiffany Madison.
  • T&A with April Hunter.
  • Velvet-Love Entertainment with Angelina Love, prior to becoming The Beautiful People.
• Take That!: Proving she belonged in TNA, after being rejected from the Raw Diva Search, she aimed one at the contestants. Namely, that none of the finalist had even been to a wrestling school, yet claimed it was their dream job.
• The Tease: Talia Madison had "Tease" printed on the back side of her tights.
• Took a Level in Badass: After the Beautiful People split. And then again after her return. She is a two-time Knockouts Champion after all.
• Useless Accessory: Played with regarding her fingerless gloves, which range from actual athletic apparel to ones that are so unbelievably tacky they must have been custom-made for or by Velvet.
• Tweener: In 2014, Velvet Sky started getting cheered in TNA when not doing anything to harass the "good girls". Before the voting was in for the much hyped "Knockouts Calender", the fans in the Impact Zone had already made it clear they wanted Sky to win, to Angelina Love's annoyance.
• We Used to Be Friends
  • Back in LLF when Dark Angel wore her first mask, she was friends with Talia Madison.
  • Prior to becoming The Beautiful People, Velvet-Love Entertainment were Gail Kim's frequent supporters. Then there is Roxxi Laveaux, whose perceived ingratitude kicked off their campaign against "the ugly" in the first place.
  • Mickie James stopped being her friend after winning the Knockouts Title from Velvet and denying her a rematch.
• The Worf Effect: Madison Rayne may have been the Butt-Monkey of the Beautiful People, but when a newer knockout went against them, Sky was usually the one to take the fall. Most notably to Taylor Wilde, Sarita, and Havok. The most obvious cases though were getting pinned by Rosita after a fresh tag and being beaten by Reby Sky, who was only contracted to appear for a single show!
• Wrestling Doesn't Pay: The name "Velvet Sky" was taken from a porn star, which was her gimmick. It didn't come up too much though because Vince Russo didn't get to turn TNA into the adult show he had intended (which oddly enough resulted in TNA being able to get cable TV deals with family-friendly Fox Sports Net, somewhat more mature Spike TV, and then Destination America and Pop TV, both of which are somewhere in the middle).
• You Have Failed Me: Angelina Love lost the Knockouts Title to ODB as a result of Cody Deaner pinning Velvet Sky.(It Makes Sense in Context, we promise.) So revenge was vowed...on Madison Rayne.