Landon Buford
Back In January, Lisa Marie Varon formally known for her time in the WWE Victoria & Impact Wrestling as Tara. Varon announced that she would be retiring from professional wrestling at the end of 2019. During her time in the WWE, Varon was a two-time Women’s Championship and one of the pioneers of their Women’s division. She was also one of the WWE’s go-to performers in the women’s division to helped work with up & coming talent during her tenure with the company.
Varon was a member of the WWE roster from 2001 to 2009 as took part in numerous storylines, which include feuds with Molly Holly, Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler, Lita, Gail Kim, Mickie James, Torrie Wilson, and Candace Michelle to name a few.
Since then she had a stent in Impact Wrestling and on the independent scene and has held numerous titles with several promotions.
We recently had the opportunity to speak with Lisa Marie Varon about her mentor Chyna receiving the Hall of Fame nod as a part of the faction D-Generation X. The event will happen on Friday, April 6, 2019, two nights before WrestleMania 35. In addition, her thoughts on women’s wrestling as a whole, and more.
WWE recently announced that DX will be inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame. What are your thoughts on Chyna finally, getting her Hall of Fame Nod?
I could not be happier. I’m so proud that she is finally getting inducted. It should have happened a long time ago. I’m hearing a lot of people talking about how she should also be inducted by herself because of all her contributions to women in this business, but at least she is being inducted. I’m super proud, and I did post congratulations to her on my Instagram. Chyna has done so much for women and helped them realize that it is ok to look different in terms of body shapes and sizes. All the women that came after Chyna, including me, would not be where they are today if she had not paved the way.
You credit Chyna for helping you get into the business. What was your favorite storyline in the attitude that involved Chyna?
I was one of the God Father’s Ho when she was paired with Eddie Guerrero and she saw footage of Mandy and myself in the locker room with Eddie. A week later, Chyna would find both of us in the locker and we would both apologize for hurting Chyna. She accepted our apology, then closed the door and beat both of us up off-screen. When the door opened up, we were both laid out. I never had a match with her, but I wish I did. I remember a day that I came to work, and she asked if I wanted to spare with her in the ring. All of the girls in the locker room at the time informed me that she has never asked any of them to work in the ring beforehand. So, I felt very honored, but she came back and told me that she had to do backstage taping would do it another day. Unfortunately, it never happened, and she ended up being released from the company shortly after that. That was one of my dream matches to get in the ring with her.
Will you be in attendance at this Year’s Hall of Fame to see her get inducted with DX?
Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement booked in Chicago on Wrestlemania weekend, and I won’t be able to attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I wish I would have known that she was going to be inducted before being booked. It was because of her blessing that I got into the business in the first place.
Mickie James named you as someone that she would like to tag with from the attitude era. What does that mean to you both on a friendship level and someone that is one of your contemporaries?
It is always flattering when your co-workers name you for “who do you want for matches, tag partners, and last matches” questions are brought up. In this business, we have our best matches with our best friends. We are very similar in personalities, and we have fun. When we wrestle, we have a great time, and it is not stressful. We used to joke with each other in between moves, she is amazing, and I’m so proud of her for still being in the industry because she is representing a lot of us.
If you could have one more match with Mickie James before you retire officially, what would you want the stipulation to be?
That would be difficult to say because what haven’t we done? Maybe a two out three falls match or Ironwomen match. She and I have such great chemistry. It would not necessarily have to be a stipulation attached to it. I would just love to get in the ring with her again, to be honest with you.
Where does being a part of Candace Michelle’s last match rank on career achievements?
Well, it is up there because it is her last showing. The respect level means a lot when someone wants their last match to be with you. I was always known as a team player, and I worked well with the rookies. My longevity can be credited to working with individuals who did not have any experience — helping to get them over in the ring and with the crowd. I started as a beginner, so I can always tell the deer in the headlights look. When they get lost a little bit, I used to make jokes to calm them down and help them focus on having a good match. It was a big honor for me to be a part of her final match.
What was one of your favorite matches or storylines with the WWE that doesn’t get talked about that often?
A lot of people don’t talk about the storyline with Candace Michelle, Torrie Wilson, and I. They remember it, but it is not talked about a lot, and we had a lot of fun during that storyline. We are all best friends, so we were able to be ourselves. I was also shocked when they gave me the spider as a part of my gimmick, but I thought it was cool and I felt very Jake “The Snake.” It helped me expand my audience during the storyline.
Would you be interested in joining the AEW Women’s division if Brandi Rhodes reached out?
Absolutely! I’m so proud of that promotion, and they are going to do spectacular. I would definitely consider it if Brandi reached out.
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ir=”ltr”>What are your thoughts on where Women’s wrestling is as a whole right now?
Wrestling has been and always will be one of the greatest accomplishments in my life, and犀利士5mg
has brought me so much joy. So you can imagine how excited I get now when I see how far it is has come and will continue to go. I want to see all women in wrestling succeed because we are getting the respect that we deserve and that is long overdue! Women are taking over the show, and people are more interested in the women’s storylines then the men from what I hear and I’m proud of that.
What do you want the wrestling community to remember the most about your time as a professional wrestler?
I want people to remember me as a “badass athlete” and a fantastic performer. Also, they were always entertained by my character and that I worked hard to get to where I was when I entered the business without any experience. Some people had doubts if I would make it or not, but I am pleased with what I was able to do in the 19 years I have been in the industry.
Originally posted on The Hype Magazine.
