'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro is no more. Earlier today, it was reported that the 2005 WWE Diva Search winner had died of causes that are still unknown.
Her untimely death at the age of 39 has left the world of professional wrestling in utter shock. As of now, there hasn't been any update on what was the cause of Massaro's death, but Suffolk County police have stated that Ashley died of "non-criminal causes".
Ashley came into the WWE in 2005, after winning that year's WWE Diva Search competition and winning a sum of $250,000, plus a one-year contract with the company.
After a three-year WWE career, Ashley left the company and was later featured in the CBS show "Survivor: China", in its 15th season. She also appeared on an episode of CW's Smallville alongside WWE Superstar Kane. Although her WWE stint didn't last long, she had her fair share of memorable moments. Let's take a look at 5 best moments of Ashley Massaro's career.
#5 Ashley debuts on Monday Night Raw
Thanks to Ashley's victory in the 2005 edition of WWE Diva Search, she bagged a one-year contract with WWE and headed over to the flagship show, Monday Night Raw.
Upon her arrival on the red show, Ashley was attacked by "Vince's Devils", consisting of Candice Michelle and Torrie Wilson. On the August 29th episode of Raw, Ashley lost her debut match in WWE to the third member of Vince's Devils, Victoria. The villains hounded her for weeks until Ashley brought in some help in the form of WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus, who turned babyface in the process.
Although Ashley's debut didn't go as she had planned, she managed to hold her own in the coming weeks, and teamed up with Trish Stratus to defeat Victoria and Torrie Wilson at Unforgiven 2005.
#4 Bunnymania with Snoop Dogg
At WrestleMania 24, Ashley teamed up with Maria to take on the duo of Beth Phoenix and Melina, who were accompanied to the ring by Santino Marella. Snoop Dogg, the popular rapper, was made the "Master of Ceremonies" for the contest.
The lights at the Citrus Bowl went out for a while during the match, as a result of some technical difficulties. The babyfaces almost secured a win but Marella's interference prevented that from happening. This led to Jerry Lawler leaving his desk and punching Santino to a sea of cheers. Unfortunately for Maria and Ashley, a Fisherman Suplex from Phoenix was enough to pin Maria, giving the win to the villains.
Post-match, Snoop Dogg laid down a thunderous Clothesline on Santino Marella and left the ring alongside Maria and Ashley. This was one of Ashley's two major 'Mania appearances.
#3 Ashley sacrifices her WWE career for her daughter
The April 28th, 2008 edition of Monday Night Raw saw Ashley compete in a WWE ring for the last time. The 12-woman match pitted Ashley, Michelle McCool, Maria, Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, and Cherry, taking on Layla, Melina, Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall, Victoria, and Natalya.
2 months later, Ashley was released from her WWE contract on July 9th. As her release date approached, she revealed that the reason for her WWE departure was that she wanted to tend to her daughter, who was sick. Ashley was just 28-years old when she left the promotion, and sacrificed her career to take care of her loved one.
Upon Ashley's death, fans flocked in on social media, talking about how she was one of the kindest wrestlers they have ever met. Some even went on to post screenshots of their wholesome chats with Ashley, which further cements the fact that she was a genuinely good person who cared for her fans, and was someone who wouldn't flinch one bit while sacrificing her career for her family.
#2 Ashley competes for the Women's Title at WrestleMania 23
Quite possibly the biggest moment of Ashley's career came at WrestleMania 23 when she got to compete for the Women's Title on The Grandest Stage Of Them All.
Several Superstars and Hall of Famers have stated in the past that appearing and competing at a WrestleMania was the highlight of their careers. It wasn't any different for Ashley. On the road to WrestleMania 23, she got into a feud with WWE Women's Champion Melina. The inaugural edition of Miz TV on the March 9th episode of SmackDown saw the two engage in a fight.
After going at each other's throats for weeks on end, the two women met inside the squared circle in a LumberJill match in front of a white-hot crowd of 80,000 roaring fans. Unfortunately for Ashley, she lost the match and was later turned into a valet for the WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick.
#1 Ashley wins WWE Diva Search 2005
This is where it all began for Ashley Massaro.
Way before signing with WWE, Ashley appeared in a swimsuit pageant. There, she met a casting director who worked for WWE and found out about the WWE Diva Search 2005. She decided to try her hand at the competition.
Eight finalists were chosen to appear on Monday Night Raw on the June 7th edition. As weeks passed by, the WWE Universe saw one contestant get eliminated every week. On the August 15th edition of Monday Night Raw, Ashley Massaro was declared the winner of the 2005 WWE Diva Search. Ashley had revealed that her family was involved in amateur wrestling and that she wanted to train to wrestle in WWE. The victory came with a cash prize of $250,000 and a one-year contract with WWE, which was later extended and Ashley spent three years with the company.
