Beth Phoenix is interviewed in the latest issue of WWE Magazine and she discussed her difficult ACL injury earlier this year, the changing face of the WWE Divas, which former Diva she’d like to see return, and much more.
Regarding her ACL injury in May, she commented: “The weird thing was, when I got hurt, I felt fine. I was walking around and running, and I shrugged it off thinking it was just a tweak. But then my doctor told me I tore my ACL and I’d be out for six months. All I could think was, “I just won the title! Taking six months off isn’t even a possibility right now!” I had the option to wrap my knee and risk tearing it completely or have surgery. But I was a defending champion and wasn’t backing down or handing over my title without a fight.
“The Glamazon” was asked if she thinks she was instrumental in initiating the change to the Divas division becoming more athletic than ever.
“I would love to take credit for something as wonderful as that, but I think it’s a credit to the company for valuing women who are not only beautiful, but also athletic and smart,” she responded. “Take Eve, for example. She has a background in Judo. Then there’s Michelle, who has a college degree and a great head on her shoulders. Young girls can really look up to and emulate the Divas. I think I can take some of the credit, though, for introducing more voluptuous girls to WWE. I was one of the first Divas to prove that you didn’t have to be model-thin to be successful, that you could have muscles and still be beautiful.
Finally, she noted that she would like to see former WWE Women’s Champion Lita make a comeback in 2011.
“I’d love to have a match with her,” she said. “I never had the chance.”
