5 things you (maybe) didn't know about WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix

This Monday's WWE RAW ended on a stunner. Well, it ended on an RKO, actually. Unfortunately, it was WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix on the other end of it.

Beth was in Brooklyn for RAW to give all of us an update on the medical status of her husband, fellow WWE Hall of Famer Edge. Before she could get to, you know, the actual medical update, Randy Orton - the guy who attacked him with chairs the night after the Royal Rumble - came to the ring to move this current story along (and move it along really well - this angle is awesome).

There's no doubt we'll see Beth in action soon after this - she already was involved in a match at last year's WrestleMania and there's no reason to think she won't do something in Tampa this year. I think it's safe to say that The Glamazon - the mother to Lyric and Ruby and (no disrespect to Renee Young) the greatest female commentator WWE has ever had - will be an important part of this year's Show of Shows.

So, let's have some fun and talk about some stuff you may not have already known about native of Buffalo, NY. Or maybe you did. Aren't you special?

Here's five things you didn't (possibly) know about WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix.

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#5 Paul Heyman once called her the "future of women's wrestling"

Is that a *fly* up there? Oh, it is SO dead.

During his time between the ending of WWE's revamp of ECW and his return to the company Paul Heyman began a multimedia project/website in conjunction with The Sun UK called the "Heyman Hustle." It was - and still is - a smorgasbord of wrestling, MMA, and sports news with a healthy smattering of beautiful women in swimwear posing in, you know, said swimwear.

In 2008, while his client, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROCK LEEEEEESNAR, was dominating UFC, Lesnar posted an editorial in The Sun (and eventually reprinted on his Heyman Hustle website) about another very talented performer in the pro wrestling arena, Maria Kanellis. While it was a very glowing piece about an, admittedly, very talented performer, he saved the most glowing praise at the end for someone else. (Note, the article attached to the link contains photos that some may consider inappropriate for a work environment.

So, is Maria the future of women’s wrestling? No. That distinction belongs to Beth Phoenix.

That's pretty high praise from one of the most talented minds in the history of wrestling.

#4 Molly Holly paid for her wrestling training

Molly Holly spoke about this very topic on her Table For Three episode

Phoenix had been a fan of the business since the age of eleven. In fact, she loved it so much, that she worked hard enough to become the first female athlete to wrestling for Notre Dame High School's varsity wrestling team (bonus fact!) She contemplated getting training at Stu Hart's infamous Dungeon in Calgary, but eventually settled on somewhere more local to her, so she could attend college at the same time.

While training with Joey Knight and Robin Knightwing (who, themselves, were students of Stu Hart, so it's kind of like she trained there... I guess) in 1998, she sent a demo tape to one Nora Greenwald - who was then in the WWF going by the ring name Molly Holly. Greenwald was so impressed that she offered to pay for Phoenix's training herself.

It's a cool example of one generation of talent helping to bring along the next. But, Mighty Molly has always been awesome like that.

So, let's get her in the Hall of Fame already!

#3 She's only 5'5"

She and Natalya are nearly the same height

Beth Phoenix has been billed as a powerhouse since her debut, and rightfully so. You don't get nicknamed "The Glamazon" just for no reason. Even while wrestling in sporadic appearances today, she still showcases the kind of strength and power that made her a Hall of Fame legend to this day.

Interestingly enough, she's not actually that tall.

Billed at 5'7", she's actually two inches shorter than that in real life. Bet you never really noticed that, did you?

That's a testament to Beth's presence and attitude in the ring - she's so intimidating that you don't even realize just how tall she is - or, in this case, isn't. This, of course, isn't to imply she's short. She's about the same height - maybe even slightly taller - than the other female performers of her time. Also, she could totally beat me up, so I sure as heck wouldn't say that, anyway.

Still, with the way she carries herself in matches, you would think she's an absolute giant, and that's just a testament to how good she is.

#2 She broke her jaw in her first WWE singles match

This was the match

Beth had been tearing it up in Ohio Valley Wrestling (WWE's developmental brand at the time) before getting called up to wrestle in WWE proper. In 2006, she debuted as a face, helping Trish Stratus in her feud with Mickie James (still one of the greatest feuds in modern WWE history, in my opinion). After being involved in some tag matches, she had her first singles match, against Victoria, on the June 5, 2006 episode of RAW.

OK, brace yourselves.

During the match, Phoenix suffered a legitimately fractured mandible in which her jaw was entirely severed.

I'll give you a moment to stop screaming.

Phoenix still managed to finish the match, even winning, giving even more testament to her awesomeness. However, she was out for a whole year as she recovered from her injuries and surgeries.

Just kidding, she was out for two months. She went back to OVW for a while, and she still faced a year of surgeries and having a titanium plate put on her jaw, but she still worked during that time. I'll say that again - her jaw was nearly ripped off her face and she was only out for two months.

I... I just can't.... let's just move on to #1.

#1 She's the youngest person to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (at the time)

And well deserved, too

Beth Phoenix was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017 at the age of 36. She is also the fastest female inductee to go into the hall - five years after her retirement.

Interestingly, her husband, Edge, is the youngest male inductee to go into the Hall, as he was 39 at the time. They're also the only married couple to be in the Hall, as well, but that you probably knew.

When the Bella Twins are inducted this year, they'll tie Phoenix for the first record, as they will be both 36 at the time of the ceremony. I also admit that I spent five minutes trying to look up which Bella was the oldest until I realized that I am incredibly stupid. Don't tell anybody, OK?

None of this, of course, includes Warrior Award winners, who still certainly deserve recognition but, come on, I already wrote all these paragraphs.

What are your favorite facts and memories about Beth Phoenix? Lets us hear them in the comments below.