Black Widow
08-15-2008, 02:26 PM
SoCal Val is a modern day version of Miss Elizabeth -- the looks, the legs, the wholesome goodness. She also stands along side her own Macho Man -- Black Machismo Jay Lethal in TNA.
''I would never compare myself to Miss Elizabeth,'' said Val, whose middle name is Elizabeth. ``I try to always stress the fact that I'm not trying to be the next Miss Elizabeth, because there will never be another Miss Elizabeth, and that's the way it should be.
``But I do love the fact that we're trying to honor her in that way, and I hope that people understand there's no way any of us could take her place. Still, I do want to honor her legacy and show there can be that kind of classy, emotional, sweet character in wrestling. I'm really honored to be in that spot.''
Starting at a young age, SoCal Val, 22, spent a number of years and shows on the Florida indie circuit as a valet/manager, after her family moved to Orlando from Southern California. Whether a good girl or bad, the name always remained SoCal Val.
''I started in California, but I really had most of my experiences through Florida independent wrestling,'' she said. ``I started when I was barely 16 in Florida, and I've been doing shows ever since.
``I learned a lot through federations like NWA-Florida. I learned probably the most from FIP as far as promo work. I've been lucky to have worked in Southern California and Florida because I've seen the best of both worlds.''
Born in Southern California (So Cal), she considers herself a Florida wrestling girl.
''I was 15 when I went to my first few independent shows,'' she said. ``I was just a fan of watching it on television. Then, I learned you can actually go to see live events.
'When I did that, there were some people in Southern California on a message board, and they said, 'Who's that girl who keeps coming to the shows? Who's that chick with the legs?' That started a little bit of a buzz, and the promoter then asked me to work.
``When I moved to Florida, mainly the Orlando area, I kept getting more shows to do in Florida. They kept the SoCal Val name, but really it's funny because I'm more from Florida.''
SoCal Val (Valerie Elizabeth Wyndham) began working in TNA as a ring girl when TNA started taping television shows at Universal Studios Orlando -- just minutes from her home.
''TNA was right here in my lap which was a Blessing in disguise, and I ended up coming to all the shows as a fan,'' she said, ``but I always had tapes and résumés with me. I knew a few of the wrestlers, but I really didn't know any people in charge of hiring.
'So I just spoke with whoever I could speak with and told them, `Hey, I'm here. I've been in wrestling. If you ever need anything, just let me know.' They ended up having me do ring girl for a long time, and that was a really, really good way to be seen and get experience in TNA.''
SoCal Val ended up doing a TNA photo shoot.
''It was an honor,'' she said, ``because I think they were trying to turn me into a TNA Knockout, when I really wasn't on the show and featured as prominently as the other girls.
``I saw my first photo shoot as a really big opportunity to get seen. Therefore, I really tried to do as many photo shoots as I could, and Lee South, our photographer here, is awesome.
``I knew doing photo shoots was a really good way to get great feedback from the fans. They could say, `Who is this girl? I don't see her much on the show, but I'd like to see more of her.'''
It worked.
''Fan feedback was a big part of that,'' she said. ``I think they realized I was in it for the right reasons. I was showing up and really eager to just do anything on the show that I could. I was trying to be really professional and eager to learn. I took every step I could, and eventually it led to me managing which is my favorite part of wrestling.''
The TNA Knockouts Division is the best women's division is pro wrestling.
''I'm blown away,'' she said. ``These girls, the athleticism just shocks me. I wrestle a little bit, but I really don't have any aspirations of being a TNA Knockout women's champion right now.
``Just to watch it and know these girls personally, it can be really emotional when they are injured. It's scary watching all our friends in there in dangerous situations, but I think they just prove they can get in there and mix it up just as well as the guys, if not better.
``The ratings proved that a lot of the times the Knockouts are the ones people are tuning in to see.''
Val is in the middle of a love triangle between former friends Sonjay Dutt and Lethal. She was marrying Lethal in the ring when Dutt caused havoc.
''It's stressful because you have two people who you really care about,'' she said. ``When Sonjay and Jay were friends, people noticed that Sonjay and I were hanging out, but that's what happens when you date somebody, you become friends with their friends.
``Sonjay ruined our wedding, and he's made a lot of stress in Jay and my life. I'm just trying to work through it. I think there's still good in Sonjay, and I think Sonjay and Jay could still maybe one day be friends again. I just want to put it all behind us and just move on.''
Val hopes to wed at some point.
''I'm still engaged,'' she said. ``I would like to try the wedding again. I know we're having some problems. Every girl dreams of a wedding, and that certainly wasn't my dream to have my wedding ruined on pay-per-view. I'd life for Jay and Sonjay to make up and be friends. I'd like for all of us to be friends again. That's all I can hope for.''
Val grew up with some impressive role models.
''My favorites were Miss Elizabeth, she was a big favorite, Missy Hyatt, Francine,'' she said. ``I actually got to work with Francine over the years, and I learned a lot from her. Dawn Marie, Sunny and a lot of the women who were really active at ringside and carried themselves well and were really believable. For that reason, I'm glad I started as a fan so I could see those who came before me and learned from them.''
Quite different from the TNA version, Val developed the character SoCal Val, a wealthy, petulant, ruthless bad girl on the indie circuit.
''If you meet me, I'm a very happy, perky person,'' she said, ``but there's always that side that is a lot more fun and gets a lot more stress out. Everyone's got some demons. Why not bring them out.''
How about brining out Val's wrestling side.
''I see myself trying it, and I do see myself improving,'' she said, ``but I don't really believe that in a few or several years I'd be like a Gail Kim or somebody who is seen as a wrestler.
'People say, `Oh, why are you afraid?' It's a choice, and I've always been an advocate of managers coming back into wrestling that if I were to become a wrestler, never say never, that would be great, and I would like to wrestle more and learn more, but at the same time, I'm really creatively challenged more by managing and mic work, and that's what I want to be remembered as, as a manager.''
Val appeared with WWE, modeling a John Cena T-shirt on WWE.com. She also worked a spot on WWE SmackDown! in a vignette featuring Luther Reigns.
She made her debut in Golden State Championship Wrestling in March 2002 in Southern California. Touring the indie scene, coast to coast, she's also worked for Ring Divas and Women's Extreme Wrestling.
Val joined TNA in July 2005. She has served as a TNA ring girl, spokes model and merchandise model, valet and manager. She also was an interviewer on the now defunct TNA Global Impact!
Val took her lumps in TNA and abroad -- dragged around the ring by Kurt Angle, injured (accidentally) by Abyss, embarrassed by having to kiss Francine's foot and forced to wrestle TNA original Traci Brooks.
''There are times when you're nervous,'' Val said. ``There are times when I'm nervous now. There were times when I was nervous when I first started. It depends on your feelings that day.
``Speaking in front of the camera is my favorite part of it. I've studied so many tapes of promo work and mic work. That's where I feel I can really shine as opposed to the wrestling side.
``It's not really a nerve-wracking thing, if you've done it as much as I have. There were shows in Florida, FIP for example, where I had six promos in one night. That's prepares me to get to where I am now with mic work and convey emotions. For that reason, that's why it's important to become involved with independent wrestling before you get on a bigger scale like this in TNA on Spike TV.''
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''I would never compare myself to Miss Elizabeth,'' said Val, whose middle name is Elizabeth. ``I try to always stress the fact that I'm not trying to be the next Miss Elizabeth, because there will never be another Miss Elizabeth, and that's the way it should be.
``But I do love the fact that we're trying to honor her in that way, and I hope that people understand there's no way any of us could take her place. Still, I do want to honor her legacy and show there can be that kind of classy, emotional, sweet character in wrestling. I'm really honored to be in that spot.''
Starting at a young age, SoCal Val, 22, spent a number of years and shows on the Florida indie circuit as a valet/manager, after her family moved to Orlando from Southern California. Whether a good girl or bad, the name always remained SoCal Val.
''I started in California, but I really had most of my experiences through Florida independent wrestling,'' she said. ``I started when I was barely 16 in Florida, and I've been doing shows ever since.
``I learned a lot through federations like NWA-Florida. I learned probably the most from FIP as far as promo work. I've been lucky to have worked in Southern California and Florida because I've seen the best of both worlds.''
Born in Southern California (So Cal), she considers herself a Florida wrestling girl.
''I was 15 when I went to my first few independent shows,'' she said. ``I was just a fan of watching it on television. Then, I learned you can actually go to see live events.
'When I did that, there were some people in Southern California on a message board, and they said, 'Who's that girl who keeps coming to the shows? Who's that chick with the legs?' That started a little bit of a buzz, and the promoter then asked me to work.
``When I moved to Florida, mainly the Orlando area, I kept getting more shows to do in Florida. They kept the SoCal Val name, but really it's funny because I'm more from Florida.''
SoCal Val (Valerie Elizabeth Wyndham) began working in TNA as a ring girl when TNA started taping television shows at Universal Studios Orlando -- just minutes from her home.
''TNA was right here in my lap which was a Blessing in disguise, and I ended up coming to all the shows as a fan,'' she said, ``but I always had tapes and résumés with me. I knew a few of the wrestlers, but I really didn't know any people in charge of hiring.
'So I just spoke with whoever I could speak with and told them, `Hey, I'm here. I've been in wrestling. If you ever need anything, just let me know.' They ended up having me do ring girl for a long time, and that was a really, really good way to be seen and get experience in TNA.''
SoCal Val ended up doing a TNA photo shoot.
''It was an honor,'' she said, ``because I think they were trying to turn me into a TNA Knockout, when I really wasn't on the show and featured as prominently as the other girls.
``I saw my first photo shoot as a really big opportunity to get seen. Therefore, I really tried to do as many photo shoots as I could, and Lee South, our photographer here, is awesome.
``I knew doing photo shoots was a really good way to get great feedback from the fans. They could say, `Who is this girl? I don't see her much on the show, but I'd like to see more of her.'''
It worked.
''Fan feedback was a big part of that,'' she said. ``I think they realized I was in it for the right reasons. I was showing up and really eager to just do anything on the show that I could. I was trying to be really professional and eager to learn. I took every step I could, and eventually it led to me managing which is my favorite part of wrestling.''
The TNA Knockouts Division is the best women's division is pro wrestling.
''I'm blown away,'' she said. ``These girls, the athleticism just shocks me. I wrestle a little bit, but I really don't have any aspirations of being a TNA Knockout women's champion right now.
``Just to watch it and know these girls personally, it can be really emotional when they are injured. It's scary watching all our friends in there in dangerous situations, but I think they just prove they can get in there and mix it up just as well as the guys, if not better.
``The ratings proved that a lot of the times the Knockouts are the ones people are tuning in to see.''
Val is in the middle of a love triangle between former friends Sonjay Dutt and Lethal. She was marrying Lethal in the ring when Dutt caused havoc.
''It's stressful because you have two people who you really care about,'' she said. ``When Sonjay and Jay were friends, people noticed that Sonjay and I were hanging out, but that's what happens when you date somebody, you become friends with their friends.
``Sonjay ruined our wedding, and he's made a lot of stress in Jay and my life. I'm just trying to work through it. I think there's still good in Sonjay, and I think Sonjay and Jay could still maybe one day be friends again. I just want to put it all behind us and just move on.''
Val hopes to wed at some point.
''I'm still engaged,'' she said. ``I would like to try the wedding again. I know we're having some problems. Every girl dreams of a wedding, and that certainly wasn't my dream to have my wedding ruined on pay-per-view. I'd life for Jay and Sonjay to make up and be friends. I'd like for all of us to be friends again. That's all I can hope for.''
Val grew up with some impressive role models.
''My favorites were Miss Elizabeth, she was a big favorite, Missy Hyatt, Francine,'' she said. ``I actually got to work with Francine over the years, and I learned a lot from her. Dawn Marie, Sunny and a lot of the women who were really active at ringside and carried themselves well and were really believable. For that reason, I'm glad I started as a fan so I could see those who came before me and learned from them.''
Quite different from the TNA version, Val developed the character SoCal Val, a wealthy, petulant, ruthless bad girl on the indie circuit.
''If you meet me, I'm a very happy, perky person,'' she said, ``but there's always that side that is a lot more fun and gets a lot more stress out. Everyone's got some demons. Why not bring them out.''
How about brining out Val's wrestling side.
''I see myself trying it, and I do see myself improving,'' she said, ``but I don't really believe that in a few or several years I'd be like a Gail Kim or somebody who is seen as a wrestler.
'People say, `Oh, why are you afraid?' It's a choice, and I've always been an advocate of managers coming back into wrestling that if I were to become a wrestler, never say never, that would be great, and I would like to wrestle more and learn more, but at the same time, I'm really creatively challenged more by managing and mic work, and that's what I want to be remembered as, as a manager.''
Val appeared with WWE, modeling a John Cena T-shirt on WWE.com. She also worked a spot on WWE SmackDown! in a vignette featuring Luther Reigns.
She made her debut in Golden State Championship Wrestling in March 2002 in Southern California. Touring the indie scene, coast to coast, she's also worked for Ring Divas and Women's Extreme Wrestling.
Val joined TNA in July 2005. She has served as a TNA ring girl, spokes model and merchandise model, valet and manager. She also was an interviewer on the now defunct TNA Global Impact!
Val took her lumps in TNA and abroad -- dragged around the ring by Kurt Angle, injured (accidentally) by Abyss, embarrassed by having to kiss Francine's foot and forced to wrestle TNA original Traci Brooks.
''There are times when you're nervous,'' Val said. ``There are times when I'm nervous now. There were times when I was nervous when I first started. It depends on your feelings that day.
``Speaking in front of the camera is my favorite part of it. I've studied so many tapes of promo work and mic work. That's where I feel I can really shine as opposed to the wrestling side.
``It's not really a nerve-wracking thing, if you've done it as much as I have. There were shows in Florida, FIP for example, where I had six promos in one night. That's prepares me to get to where I am now with mic work and convey emotions. For that reason, that's why it's important to become involved with independent wrestling before you get on a bigger scale like this in TNA on Spike TV.''
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