Trivia / Beth Phoenix

• Actor-Inspired Element: The pairing with Santino Marella - where they were called 'Glamarella' - was Beth's idea. She felt burnt out after losing the Women's title to Mickie James (and Melina's injury had cut their feud short). After she saw the movie Norbit, she thought of the idea and chose Santino to be her partner.
• Creator Backlash:
  • It's been hinted that Beth didn't really like the feud she had with LayCool in 2010. It was notably ended quite quickly and Beth given the title pretty soon for a two-month feud. Even before she got injured they had already transitioned LayCool to feud with Kelly Kelly instead.
  • She's mentioned that a lot of the 'Diva' things such as bikini photoshoots and Bra & Panties matches she "didn't really want to do" - but maintained a professional attitude and tried to make such segments somewhat entertaining.
• Dye Hard: She had dyed her normally blonde hair brown by 2018 but reverted to blonde for the women's Royal Rumble.
• Hostility on the Set: Downplayed but there was tension between Beth and Michelle McCool. The heat stemmed from a match in 2008 where Beth gave Michelle a concussion by not unhooking her arms at the right time during a Glam Slam. Beth had not said anything afterwards, and Michelle assumed she didn't realise - only to discover ages later that Beth did know. Their feud in 2010 was apparently marked by Beth appealing to the office to have some of the segments changed. She did however thank Michelle in her Hall of Fame induction speech.
• Paying Their Dues: Maria Kanellis revealed that Beth had to work as a waitress while she was training at OVW to make ends meet.
• Promoted Fangirl: Won a coloring contest to earn two tickets to a WWE event and earned a tryout match at OVW after showing Molly Holly a tape at a Fan Axxess event.
• Real Life Writes the Plot:
  • She was another opponent for La Felina to beat in Apocalypse, but WWE was interested in an Asian woman at the time, so Felina took that opportunity and left Phoenix a clear path to AWF's women's title.
  • Beth broke her jaw in a match against Victoria, resulting in her going back down to developmental and her planned storyline with Mickie James being scrapped.
  • She was always billed from Buffalo where she went to college, rather than her actual hometown of Elmira. The main reason? WWE taped shows in Buffalo but not Elmira.
  • Her feud with Melina, which had escalated into a surprisingly intense I Quit match and Heel–Face Turn for the latter, had to be cut short after Melina injured her ankle. They did however resume feuding when Melina returned, as Beth was now Women's Champion again (failing to regain her title had begun their feud in the first place).
  • Shortly after her third Women's Championship win in 2010, she tore her ACL in a match with Rosa Mendes. As a result she had to drop the belt to Layla. This also wrote her return storyline - where she teamed with Natalya to face Michelle and Layla in the first ever Divas tables match.
• Real Song Theme Tune:
  • (in SHIMMER): Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love"
  • (in OVW): No Doubt's "Hey Baby"
• Reality Subtext: In most of Beth's tirades against Kelly Kelly during her heel run, Beth will make at least one reference to Kelly being a Barbie doll Diva. Kelly Kelly's real name is Barbara Jean Blank. She often goes by 'Barbie.'
• Romance on the Set: She was previously married to her coach Joey Knight but they divorced. She also dated CM Punk on the road for a while. Subverted with her and Edge — their relationship, now a marriage that's produced two girls, didn't begin until after they both left WWE.
• Shrug of God: She has no idea what her storyline history with Mickie James was supposed to be in 2006.
• Throw It In!: Having been taken off TV weeks into her initial main roster call-up, Beth was well aware that TV time for the women was not guaranteed. So she had the word 'Glamazon' sewed into her gear, and opted to wear a headband to at least look distinctive out there.
• Wag the Director: Beth revealed that the infamous top rope Glam Slam in a match against Eve Torres they were told not to do - allegedly because of safety concerns (but this was also WWE's biggest period of Chickification amongst the Divas). Beth however decided to "take the flack" and do it anyway to make the match memorable - as it was in Madison Square Garden.
• What Could Have Been
  • Gail Kim confirmed in her shoot interview that a planned program was for Kharma to feud with Beth, before the former got pregnant. Another rumor was that Kelly Kelly would turn heel and recruit Kharma as a bodyguard to feud with Beth over the Divas' Championship. Freddie Prinze Jr., who was part of the WWE creative team at the time, later confirmed that the end goal was for Beth to wrestle Kharma at WrestleMania 28.
  • When the WWE Network was first announced, a Divas reality show focusing on Beth, Kelly Kelly, Eve, Alicia Fox and Natalya was pitched. Fans even voted on what the name would be. When plans for the network fell through, the idea was dropped. It would later be retooled into Total Divas - by which point Beth had already left the company.
  • Beth was among many former Divas rumoured to have been offered a deal to return to WWE in 2013 along with Kelly Kelly, Maryse and the Bella Twins. The Bellas came back and Maryse eventually did too, Total Divas confirming that they at least were offered deals at the same time.
  • Nowadays, with a Women's division several degrees stronger across the board (and that may be an understatement), a common refrain heard by fans of hers is, "if only Beth had been able to stick around for a few more years..." And those people are right; given her wrestling acumen and ability to work Face or Heel effectively, the possibilities would have been endless. Beth vs. Sasha. Beth vs. Charlotte. Beth vs. Becky Lynch. Beth vs. Alexa Bliss. People are still hoping that she, like Trish Stratus, steps back into the ring once or twice more for a one-off against one of the new wave of WWE women. Fans eventually got their wish in 2019!