Former WWE Star Torrie Wilson Discusses Getting Her Start In WCW

Before signing on to WWE in 2001, Torrie Wilson spent the first two years of her wrestling career in WCW, where served as a valet and in-ring performer. During a recent appearance on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," Wilson opened up about how she landed a contract with WCW, despite having no prior wrestling background.

While Wilson initially set out to be a dietician, her heart led her to the entertainment industry, specifically within the realm of fitness and modeling. To further advance this career, Wilson later decided to move from Boise, Idaho to Los Angeles, California alongside her boyfriend, who was a massive professional wrestling fan. In early 1999, a friend at Gold's Gym then provided Wilson and her boyfriend with free tickets to attend a local WCW show. Thanks to his preexisting connections to many of the WCW talents, this friend also invited Wilson and her boyfriend to come backstage, allowing them to meet the likes of Goldberg, Rey Mysterio, and Kevin Nash, the latter of whom recognized Wilson from a previous photoshoot she did.

"I met Kevin Nash, and he had remembered seeing me in a green bikini in a fitness magazine and had asked me if I'd be interested in doing this little three-month storyline that they had – this idea for Ric Flair and his son David Flair," Wilson recalled. "And I was like, 'Sure.' I actually started working with an agent that was also Hulk Hogan's agent, so there was like a little bit of a tie-in right there. So he kind of knew the rope ... At first I was kind of like, 'I don't know, I want to be an actress.' I was broke, and this opportunity came and I was like, 'Shoot, I could travel a little bit.' That's all I really wanted to do growing up, was see the world. That thing just kind of snowballed so fast."

Wilson made her WCW debut in February 1999, soon being introduced as the valet for David Flair. In the months following, Wilson turned on Flair, aligning herself with the Filthy Animals stable. Wilson's in-ring debut took place later that November. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight With Chris Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.