From lowly origins as a $10,000 prize winner of a contest to find a new Nitro Girl to an internationally famous relationship with George Clooney, Stacy Kiebler certainly went on a journey during and after her career in wrestling.
It was in 1999 that Stacy defeated over 300other entrants to become the new member of the Nitro Girls and by the following year her charisma and character led to offers from the company to expand her role, which she gladly accepted, and she was re-introduced to our screens as Miss Hancock/Handcock. Her one action may have been to dress in a business suit and dance seductively on top of the announcers table, but it certainly was enough to cement her appeal in the eyes of many male fans.
In case of life imitating art (or vice versa) she was paired on-screen with off-screen boyfriend David Flair and had her first official feud with Daffney, which culminated in a Wedding Gown match between the pair which Stacy lost when she removed her own outfit. The gimmick matches continued as Kiebler and Flair battled the Misfits in Action, where Kiebler clashed with Major Gunns, most memorably in a mud wrestling match at New Blood Rising. During this match she suffered a “stomach injury” then revealed that she was pregnant with David’s child. As this was Vince Russo territory it is thought that either Ric Flair or Russo himself would be revealed as the real father (naturally, Russo started an angle not knowing where it was leading) but she revealed it was false and broke up with David.
The WWE were only too happy to pick up Kiebler’s contract as part of the WCW purchase and her debut at the side of Shane McMahon showed they had high hopes for her. At Invasion 2001 Kiebler teamed up with fellow WCW star Torrie Wilson to lose a Bra & Panties tag match to WWE stars Trish Stratus and Lita. The WCW girls status as non-workers caused friction with the WWE girls, especially Lita who took offence to some of their actions away from the ring and was quick to challenge them.
Stacy then memorably joined forces with the Dudley Boyz as the Duchess of Dudleyville. It seemed an incongruous pairing at the time but was undeniably a successful union for a good number of months before the inevitable parting when D-Von and Buh Buh put her through a table.
Stacy challenged for the Women’s Title against Trish Stratus at Judgment Day 2001 but was never really taken seriously as a wrestler; she challenged for the title more than once during this period but never defeated Stratus. When she was subsequently drafted to Smackdown as Vince McMahon’s personal assistant any thoughts of her being portrayed as a “proper” wrestler were forgotten.
After a bizarre feud with Dawn Marie over the affections of Vince, Kiebler returned to Raw where she eventually managed Test and Scott Steiner and introduced the world to the phenomenon that was Test calling his fans “The Testicles”. A convoluted storyline followed where Test then Steiner turned heel, both men siding with her then turning on her before “sharing” her services.
By WrestleMania XX Kiebler was battling Playboy Cover girls Torrie Wilson and Sable in a Tag Team Evening Gown Match before “hosting” part of the 2004 Diva Search competition. Later in that year she had another semi-serious run as a wrestler, winning a number of upset victories, including one over Trish Stratus. However when the title was on the line, Kiebler never could get the 1-2-3. A brief alliance with Randy Orton was swiftly cut short before Kiebler became “Super Stacy”, a superhero along with Hurricane Helms and Rosey. A return to Smackdown followed but when Kiebler committed the mortal sin of asking for time off to appear on non-WWE programming (Dancing With The Stars) her days were numbered and apart from a brief spot on the 2011 Tough Enough series Kiebler never returned to the WWE.
After wrestling, Kiebler continued to model and had guest appearances in TV shows such as What About Brian, How I Met Your Mother, Chuck and Psych. Her relationship with George Clooney brought her acres of press coverage but their relationship ended in July 2013.
Stacy Kiebler was never a “worker”. Her only contribution to the in-ring side of things was a parade of gimmick matches which inevitably saw her either wearing, or ending up wearing, very little clothing. That said, she was a personable character whose enthusiasm as a wresting fan shone through in every appearance. And she was over…boy, was she over.
TITLES HELD: WWE Diva Of The Year 2004.
“RECCOMENDED” MATCHES: & Torrie Wilson Vs Lita & Trish Stratus (Invasion 2001), Vs Trish Stratus (Raw , October 11 2004)
– By Matthew Roberts