Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Kocianski ( November 24 , 1980 ) is an American professional wrestler , better known by her ring name Beth Phoenix . She is best known for her time in the WWE , where she wrestled on the Raw brand and is a former WWE Divas Champion & WWE Women ' s Champion . Kocianski had a successful amateur wrestling career in high school , before being trained by the All Knighters . After her debut in May 2001 , she wrestled for numerous independent promotions , and was the inaugural GLORY Champion . She also appeared at the inaugural Shimmer shows . In 2004 , she began working for Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) , and signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) in October 2005 . She debuted on WWE ' s Raw brand in May 2006 , but suffered a legitimate broken jaw the following month . As a result , she had numerous surgeries and returned to OVW for further training . While there , she twice won the OVW Women ' s Championship , although her second reign is not officially recognized . She returned to the Raw brand in July 2007 , and was heavily pushed , dominating the other WWE Diva s and gaining the nickname , " The Glamazon " . She won her first WWE Women ' s Championship at the No Mercy pay - per - view in October , and held it for six months . She then developed an on - screen relationship with Santino Marella , dubbed " Glamarella " , and won the Women ' s Championship for a second time in August 2008 , although she lost it in January 2009 . In January 2010 , at the Royal Rumble she became the second woman in history to enter the Royal Rumble match , and went on to win the Women ' s Championship for the third time in April , holding it for a month . In October 2011 , Phoenix won the WWE Divas Championship for the first time and lost it in April 2012 . Amateur wrestling career . Kocianski began wrestling on the Elmira , New York Notre Dame High School scholastic wrestling team . She was the first female varsity wrestler in her high school ' s history . She became the North - East freestyle women ' s champion ( 72 kg weight class ) in 1999 . She also became the women ' s champion ( 72 kg weight class ) at the New York State Fair Tournament in 1999 . At the time she was also a member of USA Wrestling , a freestyle wrestling association . Her life goal was , according to her , to become a professional wrestler , and she believed that having a solid amateur background would help her reach it . Professional wrestling career . Training . After graduating from high school in 1998 , she enrolled in both a professional wrestling school and Canisius College in Buffalo , New York . Her first choice for wrestling school was Stu Hart ' s Dungeon , but because of the location , she decided on a more local school . At the school , she was trained by the All Knighters ( Joey Knight and Robin Knightwing ) , who themselves had trained in the Hart Dungeon . Her professional wrestling debut match was against Alexis Laree . She then competed with various independent promotions , including Cleveland All Pro Wrestling and Apocalypse Wrestling , against both male and female wrestlers , using the name " Phoenix " . In 2002 , she was one of the first wrestlers in GLORY , an independent organization for women , and was the inaugural champion . She then joined Far North Wrestling ( FNW ) , and was the only female wrestler in the promotion . She defeated Joey Knight and Kevin Grace in 2003 to become the FNW Cruiserweight Champion . Later in 2003 she took part in World Xtreme Wrestling ' s annual Women ' s Elite 8 tournament where she made it to the final , before losing to April Hunter . She returned two years later and defeated Nikki Roxx but was bested in the second round by eventual winner Alicia . The following month , Phoenix appeared at the inaugural taping for the Ring of Honor sister promotion Shimmer Women Athletes ; during " Volume 1 " she was pinned by Shimmer founder Allison Danger but scored an upset victory in a non - title match against NWA Midwest Women ' s Champion MsChif . Ohio Valley Wrestling ( 2004 – 2007 ) . She was invited to a tryout with World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) in May 2004 , and then relocated to Louisville , Kentucky to work for their developmental territory , Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) . She debuted on OVW television in July 2004 , having expanded her ring name to " Beth Phoenix " , and became the on - screen girlfriend and valet of Chris Masters . The storyline was short lived , and the following month Phoenix was repackaged as the manager of Aaron " The Idol " Stevens . She signed a developmental contract with WWE on October 20 , 2005 , the same month that she broke her hand . The duo was then joined by Shelly Martinez who Beth soon feuded with in early 2006 . Phoenix then stopped appearing regularly on OVW after debuting on WWE ' s " Raw " television show . On August 16 , 2006 , Phoenix returned to action in OVW , defeating Serena . Phoenix began regularly competing for the OVW Women ' s Championship , unsuccessfully challenging the champion ODB in a battle royal and a four - way match , which was won by Serena . At the October 4 , 2006 OVW television tapings , however , Phoenix defeated Serena to win the championship . She lost the championship to Victoria Crawford in a gauntlet match on October 20 , and won it back the next day ; however , Crawford ' s title reign is not officially recognised , and as a result , neither is Phoenix ' s second reign . Phoenix officially dropped the championship in a gauntlet match at the November 1 television taping , after she was eliminated by Lea , who eventually won the match . On the November 6 episode of OVW , Phoenix came out with her own championship , and claimed to still be the women ' s champion . As a result , a ladder match was set up , where the winner would become the undisputed OVW Women ' s Champion . Lea won the match and was presented with the title belt on the first show of 2007 . Throughout 2007 , Phoenix continued to wrestle in numerous women ' s matches in OVW . Beth made her last appearance in OVW at their August 15 , 2007 TV tapings where she lost to Lea in a number one contenders match . World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE . Trish Stratus ' s ally ( 2006 ) . Phoenix debuted on the May 8 , 2006 episode of " Raw " as a fan favorite by attacking Mickie James while James was assaulting Trish Stratus . After this incident , James berated Phoenix for " ruining everything " and questioned why she even showed up in the first place . A week later , Phoenix was formally introduced by Stratus and then battered a distracted James on Stratus ' s behalf . When James finally escaped , Phoenix claimed that James had ruined her life and would not let her get away with it , before calling her a " psycho " . On the following episode of " Raw " , Phoenix attacked James after her match with Torrie Wilson . Then , on the May 29 , 2006 episode of " Raw " , Phoenix and Wilson ( with Stratus in their corner ) teamed together to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria , who had James in their corner . During the June 5 , 2006 episode of " Raw " , Phoenix suffered a legitimately fractured mandible during a match with Victoria , but was able to continue the match , and ended up victorious despite the injury . She spent a year having surgeries and recovering , including getting a titanium plate and nine screws placed in her jaw , but she was only out of action for two months , as she returned to action in OVW instead of on the main roster . The Glamazon ( 2007 – 2008 ) . On the July 9 , 2007 episode of " Raw " , Phoenix returned as a villainess when Melina claimed to be injured . Phoenix replaced Melina in a tag team as Jillian Hall ' s partner , and the two lost to Candice Michelle and Mickie James . At the SummerSlam pay - per - view , Phoenix won the Interpromotional Divas battle royal to become the number one contender for Michelle ' s WWE Women ' s Championship . Phoenix was then pushed as a dominating Diva , calling herself a " Glamazon " and attacking Mickie James , Jillian Hall and Michelle on the September 10 episode of " Raw " . At Unforgiven , however , she failed to capture the Women ' s Championship from Candice Michelle . Their storyline rivalry continued when Phoenix pinned Michelle during a non - title mixed tag team match on " Raw " on September 24 . At the No Mercy pay - per - view in October , Phoenix defeated Michelle to win her first WWE Women ' s Championship . She retained her belt on the October 22 " Raw " in a two out of three falls match , in which Candice Michelle was injured by Phoenix shaking the rope , causing her to fall off the top turnbuckle and legitimately break her clavicle . During a 10 - Diva Tag match at Survivor Series , Phoenix ' s team lost after Melina was pinned by Mickie James . On the November 26 episode of " Raw " , James defeated Melina in a number one contenders match for Phoenix ' s Women ' s Championship , setting up a title match between the two at Armageddon , a match in which Phoenix successfully defended her Women ' s title . On New Year ' s Eve 2007 , Phoenix successfully defended her title in a Triple Threat match against Melina and James , after pinning Melina . Phoenix , along with then - ally Melina , took part in the " Playboy " BunnyMania Lumberjack match at WrestleMania XXIV where she defeated Ashley and Maria by pinfall . On April 14 , Phoenix faced Mickie James with her Women ' s Championship on the line and lost , ending her reign as champion . Phoenix also had a rematch on the May 5 episode of " Raw " but lost after Melina unintentionally hit her in the face with her boot . On the May 12 episode of " Raw " , Phoenix and Melina partnered up to go against James and Maria . During the match , Melina unintentionally knocked Phoenix off of the ring apron , resulting in Phoenix abandoning Melina and James and Maria picking up the win . Later that night , in a backstage segment , Melina and Phoenix fought with one another , ending their alliance . At Judgment Day , Phoenix failed to regain the Women ' s Championship in a Triple Threat match after James pinned Melina to retain the title . At One Night Stand Phoenix defeated Melina in the first ever Divas " I Quit " match . The next night on " Raw " , Phoenix teamed with Katie Lea Burchill to defeat Melina and James in a tag team match . She , however , was pinned by James one week later in a non - title match and was once again attacked by Melina post - match . Glamarella ( 2008 – 2009 ) . After little over a month off television , Phoenix returned on the July 14 edition of " Raw " , where she defeated Santino Marella after he issued an open challenge to any WWE Superstar backstage , pinning him with a roll - up . The storyline continued the following week after Marella lost to the returning D - Lo Brown . Phoenix confronted Marella after the match , and they briefly grappled with each other before unexpectedly sharing a kiss , to which both expressed considerable confusion . The two then became an onscreen supercouple , and the pairing of The Glamazon and Marella later became known by the portmanteau Glamarella . Within the team she acted as the " straight - woman " of sorts , berating Marella or reacting in disbelief to his over the top , embarrassing antics . At SummerSlam , they defeated Kofi Kingston and Mickie James in an intergender tag team match . Phoenix pinned James , winning the Women ' s Championship , while Marella won Kingston ' s Intercontinental Championship . She successfully defended the Women ' s Championship against Candice Michelle at No Mercy . On December 8 , 2008 , she received the " Slammy Award " for Diva of the Year . Phoenix then began feuding with Melina , who returned from injury in November 2008 . This storyline included the debut of Rosa Mendes , who was introduced as Phoenix ' s superfan . At the Royal Rumble in January 2009 , Phoenix lost the Women ' s Championship to Melina . At WrestleMania XXV , Phoenix competed in the 25 Diva battle royal , but was eliminated by Marella , who competed in drag , claiming to be his twin sister " Santina " . After WrestleMania , Glamarella split as Phoenix was unhappy with Santino pretending to be his twin sister ' Santina ' . Phoenix had a brief scripted rivalry with both ' Santina ' and Marella , and challenged ' Santina ' for the " Miss WrestleMania " title , but was unsuccessful . After a brief hiatus , Phoenix returned on the July 27 episode of " Raw " , teaming with Alicia Fox and Rosa Mendes in a losing effort to Mickie James , Gail Kim , and Kelly Kelly . Phoenix had her first opportunity for the WWE Divas Championship being narrowly defeated by the defending champion , Mickie James , on the August 31 episode of " Raw " , after winning a number one contenders battle royal that same night . Feud with LayCool ( 2009 – 2011 ) . On the October 12 episode of " Raw " , it was announced that Phoenix had been traded to the SmackDown brand for the first time in her career . Phoenix made her in - ring debut for the brand on the October 30 episode of " SmackDown " , defeating Jenny Brooks , an " enhancement talent " . In January 2010 , at the Royal Rumble , she entered the Royal Rumble match , eliminating The Great Khali , before she was eliminated by CM Punk . With her entry , she became only the second woman in history to enter the Royal Rumble match , with the first being Chyna . After being told by Vickie Guerrero , the SmackDown consultant , that she would not be receiving a championship opportunity Phoenix saved Tiffany from an attack by Guerrero , Michelle McCool and Layla on the March 12 episode of " SmackDown " , in doing so becoming a face Diva . She then went on to defeat Michelle McCool and Layla in a tag team match involving Tiffany . The feud with McCool continued at WrestleMania XXVI , where they were on opposing teams in a 10 - Diva tag team match , which Phoenix ' s team lost , although they won a rematch the following night on " Raw " . Phoenix received a match for the Women ' s Championship against McCool at the Extreme Rules pay - per - view in April , and defeated McCool in an " Extreme Makeover " match to win her third Women ' s Championship . On the May 6 episode of " WWE Superstars " , Phoenix tore her ACL in a match against Rosa Mendes , and as a result , one week later on SmackDown , McCool invoked her rematch clause to face Phoenix in a two - on - one handicap match along with Layla . Layla pinned Phoenix to become the new WWE Women ' s Champion . She returned from her injury at November ' s Survivor Series pay - per - view , and attacked the former co - Champions Michelle McCool and Layla , after they lost the Divas Championship to Natalya . Phoenix and Natalya then formed an alliance and at the pay - per - view in December , Phoenix and Natalya defeated Lay - Cool in the first Diva ' s Tag Team Tables match in WWE history . Divas of Doom and Divas Champion ( 2011 – 2012 ) . As part of the 2011 supplemental draft on April 26 , 2011 , Phoenix returned to the Raw brand . On the August 1 edition of " Raw " , Phoenix won a battle royal to become the # 1 Contender for the Divas Championship , and later attacked then - Divas Champion Kelly Kelly after the match , turning Phoenix heel . She later declared she was tired of the " perky bimbos " that comprised the rest of the Divas Division , and went on a mission to mock them . Just four days later , Phoenix was joined by Natalya to form a tag team known as the Divas of Doom . She ended up losing to Kelly Kelly at SummerSlam in a Divas Championship match . In September , she feuded with Kelly and Eve Torres on Raw and The Chickbusters ( Kaitlyn and AJ Lee ) on SmackDown . Phoenix again challenged for the title at Night of Champions but again was unsuccessful . On the September 26 edition of " Raw " , Beth pinned Kelly in a tag team match earning herself a Divas Championship Match at Hell in a Cell . At Hell in a Cell in October , Phoenix defeated Kelly to win the Divas Championship for the first time with help from Natalya . In a rematch on the October 14 episode of " SmackDown " , Phoenix successfully retained the championship against Kelly , ending the feud . At the Vengeance pay - per - view , Phoenix successfully defended the championship against Torres . Phoenix successfully retained her championship against Torres again at the Survivor Series pay - per - view on November 20 in a Lumberjill match , and against Kelly at on December 18 . On the December 19 edition of " Raw " , after losing to Alicia Fox in a singles match , Phoenix received a minor injury . Phoenix returned to action on the January 26 , 2012 episode of " WWE Superstars " , defeating Brie Bella . At the Royal Rumble , Phoenix teamed up with Natalya and The Bella Twins to defeat Kelly Kelly , Eve , Alicia Fox and Tamina in a eight diva tag team match . On the January 30 episode of " Raw " , Beth Phoenix successfully defended her Divas Championship against Eve . She then began complaining that she had no competition and that she would be Divas Champion forever . At Elimination Chamber , Phoenix successfully retained her title against Tamina Snuka . Afterwards , Beth was rarely seen on television , competing sporadically on " WWE Superstars " , defeating several Divas such as Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox in singles matches . At WrestleMania XXVIII , Beth and Eve lost to Kelly and Maria Menounos in a tag team match . On the April 6 edition of " SmackDown " , Nikki Bella defeated Beth Phoenix in a non - title match after interference of Kelly Kelly , thus earning a title opportunity . On the April 23 episode of " Raw " , Phoenix lost her Divas Championship to Nikki Bella in a lumberjill match , after suffering an ankle injury ( kayfabe ) , thus ending her 204 - day reign . At Extreme Rules , Phoenix was scheduled to face Nikki in a rematch for the Divas Championship , however she was not medically cleared to compete and was replaced by the returning Layla , who ended up winning the title . On the May 14 episode of " Raw " , Beth entered in a feud with Layla after Phoenix proceed to attack Alicia Fox after their match but was stopped by Layla . Phoenix made two unsuccessful attempts at regaining the Divas Championship from Layla , first at Over the Limit in May and second at No Way Out in June . Various Feuds and Departure ( 2012 ) . On the September 10 episode of " Raw " , Beth , Natalya and Alicia Fox lost in a tag team match against Eve , Layla and Kaitlyn . On the September 14 episode of " SmackDown " , Beth lost to Kaitlyn . On the September 17 episode of " Raw " , Eve defeated Beth . On the September 24 episode of " Raw " , Beth teamed up with Eve to defeat Layla and Alicia Fox in a tag team match after Eve pinned Alicia . After the match , Kaitlyn ( who was injured at the Night of Champions pay - per - view returned and announced that her attacker was a blonde , leaving Beth to be suspicious . Eve would go onto attack Beth , leaving Beth in the process of a face turn . On the September 28 episode of " SmackDown " , Beth defeated Natalya in her home town of Buffalo , New York , officially showing her face turn . Immediately subsequent to the match , Eve suspended Beth , pending investigation of Kaitlyn ' s attack . Minutes later , SmackDown General Manager Booker T reversed Beth ' s suspension with apologies , much to the dismay of Eve . On the following " Raw " , Eve defeated Beth Phoenix with her finishing move . On the October 18 edition of " Superstars " , Beth turned heel once again while competing in a losing effort against Kaitlyn in a singles match . During the match , the villainous Beth snarled at Kaitlyn for not believing that she didn ' t attack her at Night of Champions , and also demanded respect from Kaitlyn . On the October 29 edition of " Raw " , Beth was defeated by AJ Lee in a singles match , but after the match was restarted by Vickie Guerrero , Beth defeated AJ . Later in the program , Beth was fired by Vickie after she could not defeat AJ fast enough on Raw . However , her firing was part of a storyline since her WWE contract had expired . Other media . Phoenix , along with Candice Michelle and Layla El , appeared in the February 2009 issue of " FLEX Magazine " . Personal life . Kocianski was raised in Elmira , New York . When she was eleven years old , she won a coloring contest with a prize of tickets to a television taping for World Wrestling Federation . Kocianski credits this as when she fell in love with professional wrestling . She cites Owen Hart and Ted DiBiase as her favorite wrestlers . As well as wrestling , Kocianski played tennis and ran track in high school . Kocianski is a graduate from Canisius College with a bachelor ' s degree in criminal justice . While wrestling in OVW , Kocianski also worked as a waitress at a local restaurant . It was rumored that she was married to Joey Knight of the All Knighters , however , she has since denied being married . She now resides in Asheville , North Carolina with husband Adam Copeland ( aka Edge ) and 2 daughters ( Lyric and Ruby ) .