“Sorry to see @evemarietorres depart WWE but she’s happily married to a Gracie of the legendary MMA Gracie family and will be entering into the family business as an instructor while building her own body of work in that field. Eve is a lovely young lady who is extremely athletic. She was raised right and was never an issue while in WWE as best that I know. I wish her well.”

Diva Dirt presents its annual selection of women who have been most newsworthy and talked about in 2012. The 12 women selected have embodied the zeitgeist of the year by hitting the headlines, breaking boundaries, stopping the show, and becoming trending topics. The Diva Dirt editors and contributors have picked one woman as the Diva Dirt Woman of the Year, as well as 11 runners-up who have helped define 2012. Join us as we count down our runners-up before unveiling the Woman of the Year on December 31st.

EVE TORRES
The Golden Bad Girl

2012 has truly been a year that Divas Champion, Eve Torres, will likely not soon forget. From rejuvenating her character as the deceitful bad girl who didn’t mind making out with a guy or two, or abusing her position of power as an authority figure, all the way to winning NBC reality series “Stars Earn Stripes” and announcing her engagement to a longtime boyfriend, Eve has certainly lived the American dream in the last 12 months.

She started off the year as the “girlfriend” of Zack Ryder… or so he thought. Eve quickly set her eyes on a bigger prize, in John Cena. When Cena saved her from being taken away in the ambulance of deranged monster, Kane, she proceeded to leap onto him and engage in a kiss. Call it the heat of the moment, but to Zack Ryder, it was the moment that broke his wheelchair bound heart.

Throughout the following month or two, Eve began to show a more cunning side to her that we had never seen before. She wanted the attention to be on her after previously playing second fiddle to the likes of Kelly Kelly, and, yes, even Zack Ryder. Eve joined forces with Beth Phoenix for a brief few weeks, as they did battle against K2 and celebrity partner Maria Menounos at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, Florida. While the match didn’t end the way Eve would’ve liked, she wasn’t quite finished with the SunLife Stadium just yet.

As a 12 man tag team match took place later on to determine whether John Laurinaitis or Teddy Long would control both Raw and SmackDown, Eve ran down to “help” Zack Ryder. Unfortunately, she ended up distracting him long enough for The Miz to put him away and claim victory for big Johnny. After that, Eve looked to be apologizing to her broski, but she then revealed her true colors with her very own ‘Mania moment and kicked Zack right in his Woo-Woo-Woo-You-Know-What.

Following an impressive moment that helped Johnny attain victory, Eve was appointed to be his right hand woman on the job. She would appear pretty consistently until a few weeks went by without any sighting. Many wondered what was going on, but just as they were about to raise a red flag, Torres was revealed to take part in an NBC reality series, Stars Earn Stripes, which involved a group of celebrities, alongside current and former members of the United States Armed Forces and law enforcement, competing in different challenges for charity based off actual training exercises used by the U.S. military. Eve certainly knew what she was getting into, and went in with her game face on, as she left taking home the ultimate grand prize of $100,000 for her charity, the USO, and helped fight cliched opinions of wrestlers as unintelligent, with her quick wit, aptitude and can-do attitude.

Eve returned to form, taking part in a brief feud with AJ on Raw which was ultimately cut short by her decision to go for the position of being Booker T’s assistant on SmackDown. She competed against Kaitlyn for the role, which she ended up winning by defeating the Houston native in a match on SmackDown. After a few months of continued beef between the two, Kaitlyn ended up being assaulted before her first crack at the Divas Championship. It was Eve who stepped up and took her place, going on to defeat champion, Layla, for the title at September pay per view, Night of Champions. Ever since that date, Eve Torres has continued to reign supreme as holder of the butterfly emblazoned belt, and she wears it with pride every time she appears on TV.

From her star-making year in WWE, to making her mark on the entertainment world, Eve has been one of 2012′s biggest revelations.

Beautiful, smart and at times downright vile,
Eve will tear out your still-beating heart with a smile.
Just ask Zack Ryder, who succumbed to her charm,
And “Woo Woo Woo’d” his way right into harm.

At WrestleMania, Zack fought on the side of Team Teddy,
To celebrate in Miami, Zack was probably ready.
But the temptress betrayed Zack, she was playing a trick,
Crushing Ryder (and his “Broskis”) with a painful kick.

Attention Eve craved, she was always persistent,
And would somehow become Booker T’s assistant.
She abused her power, you’ll probably remember,
to become Divas Champion back in September.

From hobbling Kaitlyn to bending the rules,
Eve never stops plotting — she takes us for fools!
But in casting your votes, you can all do the mocking,
Ensuring Eve gets loads of coal in her stocking!

Final verdict: NAUGHTY

Before entering the ring, WWE wrestlers are doused in self-tanner, perfectly coifed, and layered inch-deep in HD foundation—and that’s just the dudes. The WWE Divas have an exaggerated femininity, performing while wearing Nicki Minaj lashes and beauty-pageant hair. We recently sat down with reigning WWE Divas Champion Eve Torres, who, incidentally, wears less makeup and acts a lot nicer off the mat. “I’m a really evil person on TV!” she admits with laugh. “It’s way more fun to be the bad guy.” We asked Torres about dolling up to throw down.

The Divas have such a hyperfeminine look that seems to contrast with the brutality of the sport. “Yes! That’s actually what drew me to it to begin with—the idea that you can combine femininity and sexiness with butt-kicking and being a powerful, strong woman. I think that’s why the Divas are a popular part of WWE.”

What makeup do you wear in the ring? “For our televised events, we have a makeup artist, and they’ll always use some sort of HD foundation. But for live, non-televised events, I do my own makeup, and I use a brand called Graphtobian. It’s still stage makeup but it’s like the lightest, best coverage. We do a full face. And obviously this comes with the territory—a lot of bronzer and self-tanner, too. Everything is amped up, a little darker. We have 10,000,15,000 people in these arenas and one ring in the middle. Everything is more over-the-top.”

Do you immediately take your makeup off after a match? “Yes, I’ll definitely use a Yes to Cucumbers face wipe and make sure I bring good moisturizer to use after that. When I get home at night, then it’s time for the real cleansing deal. I go to town either with the Clarisonic or ProActiv. Between the sweating and the full stage makeup and all of the stuff on the mat, like other people’s sweatiness….”

You have a nice manicure now. Is that going to be destroyed after your fight? “I always keep a good manicure because these are acrylics. They’re the safest because your real nails are actually sharper than acrylics.”

Have you ever lost one in the ring? “No, but I have very strong nail beds. We have a lot of little casualties like that, though. But it beats the big stuff!”

If you want to see Torres in action, check her out tonight on Monday Night Raw and catch her on the special WWE Tribute to the Troops on Wednesday, December 19th, both on the USA Network.

(Source)

I recently spoke with WWE Divas Champion Eve Torres, who discussed her wrestling career and her involvement with The COMBOS Files web series. You can check out the full interview below.

WrestlingINC: You’ve been with WWE over five years now. How did you first find out about the Diva Search?

Eve Torres: Well, the Diva Search was broadcast on WWE every year for the past four years before I had started. So, it was something that I knew about and I knew it was a way for women that were kind of out of the wrestling world per se to have an opportunity to work with the WWE. I just thought it would be kind of right up my alley since I was very competitive.

WrestlingINC: Were you a wrestling fan growing up?

Eve: I would consider myself a casual fan growing up because obviously wrestling was such a huge part of pop culture, and still is. I was a fan as much as it was a part of pop culture. The huge names, I was obviously very familiar with. But, I didn’t really watch much TV growing up to be honest.

WrestlingINC: You’re the only diva to win the title three times. Do you have a favorite title reign?

Eve: I’d probably have to say that it was this current title reign right now, for sure. I think every time you win the title, it means more. You think that the first time that it means the most, but it really doesn’t. I think the first time that you win the title — you just don’t know how to make the most out of your title reign until you’ve had one and then you’ve lost it. Once you lose something, you know how much more it means to you.

So, third times a charm for me. Obviously, I’ve taken a bit of a turn in terms of my character and I’ve had a lot of fun with that with this title reign.

WrestlingINC: Yeah, I think a lot of people feel that you’ve been the best female heel in a long time. Are there people that you watched in the past that have modeled your character after, or is it just something you’ve come up with?

Eve: I’m having a lot of fun with it. I draw from personal experiences, I think I’ve known real terrible people in my life. [Laughs.] I hate to say it, but everyone has experiences with people that you just can’t stand or have certain characteristics that just irk you, and it really serves for good ammunition with these kind of characters.

You have to create your own character and you can base it off of either people you know or previous characters that have done similar things. But, it also has to feel real to you. It has to feel like something that is believable in your own mind in terms of the character you would play. So, I’ve really had a fun time finding out who she is with the help of obviously Vince, Hunter and some of the other divas as well.

WrestlingINC: You won the final Diva Search and the competition did bring in a lot of talent. Do you think that the Diva Search is something that could work in today’s environment?

Eve: Absolutely. I think the Diva Search was a great way to find women who might have been intimidated to get into the WWE world on their own. It’s kind of a way to say ‘Oh, let’s just try it out,’ without too much commitment in the beginning and just feeling it out and seeing if WWE likes them. As somebody that has the look or the marketability or whatever that they’re looking for, that sparkle that they’re trying to find in the divas.

It’s a great way to do that, I think it’s great. We’ve had a lot of really great talent come in through the Diva Search and I hope to see us doing another one very soon. Word on the street is that there is one going on, but it’s always kind of confusing. We never really know what’s going on. [Laughs.] So, hopefully, there will be another influx of a great group of women.

WrestlingINC: Yeah. You’re also the head instructor for the Gracie Women Empowered Self-Defense Program. How is that going?

Eve: It’s amazing. This program started in January and we had our first group receive what we call their pink belts. Basically, they’ve gone through the entire program, they’ve mastered the entire program and they’ve developed these incredible reflexes. They’ve really put in time and effort and energy and they just earned their pink belts that go along with the program.

This is a program that we’re continuing to refine and develop and offer everywhere in the world. So, right now I teach and the Gracie Academy. But, I’ve taught at the Air Force, I’ve taught corporate women before. It’s kind of going to be a program that moves. In my opinion, I think every woman in the world needs to learn this stuff because it’s such an effective program.

It’s all-encompassing, it’s not just a few aggressive tactics. It’s the entire picture. What happens if someone takes you to the ground. It’s also what happens if the attacker is actually somebody that you actually know. Because, you’ll have different tactics and different strategies if the sexual assault is a date-rape situation which is actually the most common. About 78% of the sexual assaults are by people you know.

So, it’s important to be mentally prepared for how to react for those situations and not always think that sexual assault is going to be somebody that jumps out from an alley or is in a dark parking lot and is somebody that you may not know.

WrestlingINC: Have you been teaching these techniques to anyone at WWE?

Eve: I actually have. There’s been a few times that we’ve been in the ring and I’ll just show them a few little techniques here and there. But, it’s so important. That’s why I started learning. I’m on the road five days a week in a different city every day. Some times, I have to check out at a hotel at 4 AM in the morning in a city that I don’t live in by myself. And I have to go to my car and there’s no other way to go about that. There really isn’t.

All of us have to do that and it’s really important for me to feel like I knew how to handle those situations in the very best way and reduce my risk as much as possible if I have to be in a dangerous situation like that.

WrestlingINC: You and C.M. Punk recently did The COMBOS Files: The Haba-Sabi Challenge (watch the video). What was that experience like?

Eve: It was so much fun. The COMBOS Files is basically like an interactive web series that COMBOS created involving other celebrities including myself and C.M. Punk. We basically went to their test kitchen and we had celebrity chef Graham Elliot and he basically creates these flavors that fans have submitted on the COMBOS Facebook page. And also flavors that myself and C.M. Punk came up with.

So, we got to taste some of the flavors that some of the fans came up with and submitted and graded them. And they also created our flavors like I said. So, we had a face-off in terms of who’s flavor was better at the test kitchen. It was a lot of fun.

But, I think the most popular video now is the Haba-Sabi Challenge which is a COMBOS flavor that is combining habanero and wasabi. So, it’s really hot and spicy. So, the challenge was me and C.M. Punk and we both had to eat the COMBOS and see which one could take as much of the heat as possible. The first person to break and have to drink milk loses. So, if you want to see that video, you can log onto their Facebook. I won’t give away any spoilers. [Laughs.]

WrestlingINC: How can fans submit their flavors and recipes?

Eve: Well, the COMBOS Facebook page is really their interactive site where fans come up with their own crazy flavors, see these videos and then also see where they have coupons available some times. So, that’s where everybody would go and kind of put their own ideas out there and see if they continue to do The COMBOS Files, who’s flavor would they choose.

WrestlingINC: Just a couple of final questions before you have to go. If you could wrestle anyone past or present, who would that be?

Eve: I always had this fantasy about facing Lita. Right now, I’d love to wrestle Natalya Neidhart. I’ve pretty much beat everybody in the divas division right now except her. I haven’t wrestled her in probably about four years. So, in the current divas division, I’d love to face here. I actually think fans would want to see that.

WrestlingINC: Finally, congratulations for getting engaged to Rener Gracie. Any updates on when you might be tying the knot?

Eve: Absolutely not. [Laughs.] It’s like, ‘OK, cool. We’re getting married. Some day we will.’ We haven’t even decided a year yet, let alone a day. But, the good news it that we knows it’s going to happen. So, we just feel that we can really take our time with it and just enjoy engagement.

(Source)

Eve Torres sits atop the WWE Divas division, butterfly-emblazoned championship title across her waist, giving fans her patented parade wave. I recently had the opportunity to speak with the now three-time Divas champ, Eve, about a variety of topics. Eve earned her spot with WWE after winning the 2007 Diva Search and has since become one of the company’s better characters, a powerful woman and a star on an upward path. In our interview, she spoke about dream matches she’d love to have, the Gracie Women Empowered Self-Defense Program, her life outside the ring and who may be her biggest challenger inside of it.

Eve’s stardom is growing beyond the ropes. Aside from winning NBC’s Stars Earn Stripes reality show, Eve has appeared on The Soup, Deal or No Deal and Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. Eve said that these opportunities outside the ring are not only fun, but let “people know who Eve Torres really is.” She said that she loves the character she portrays on-screen, but being asked to do these television shows and commercials allows her and other Divas to, as she puts it, show “who we really are and what matters to us.” Being on live television weekly for WWE has helped prepare her for working in Hollywood and for having to perform in a variety of settings. She’s experienced people being surprised how professionally and how well WWE Divas and Superstars thrive in these types of roles. Her explanation is that, “we do it every week. Every week is a crazy, hectic, live televised show. We’re used to the pressure, and we’re just to kind of getting it done, making it good on the first try.”

The renowned Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy runs a women’s self-defense program that Eve is actively involved in as an instructor. “I’m very passionate about it because it changed my life in many ways,” she said. She talked about the confidence it has given her on a daily basis and touted the power of the program. She stated flat-out, “Every woman in the world needs to know this program.” Beyond the physical techniques of the jiu-jitsu elements, the Gracie Women Empowered program “encompasses everything” including the necessary “mindset and the awareness principles.” It also includes what one should do if their assailant is someone they know. Eve laid out several important aspects of the program in an article in Cosmopolitan magazine. The Gracie program and jiu-jitsu itself work with leverage, allowing someone to defend themselves against a larger opponent, especially when “you are at the bottom of the fight.” The Divas champ, who has trained in jiu-jitsu for about five years, told me, “As women, we have to accept that our opponent is going to be much bigger than us.” Male attackers “want to get us to the ground and eventually between our legs and we have to know what to do in that position.” Not every woman can be as powerful and athletic as Eve, but they don’t need to be. The program she is so proud of can help teach women how to escape and how to protect themselves even before an assault. Eve said she’d happy if young girls look up to her because of her work with WWE. One thing she wants them to know and understand is that “it’s really important to take your own personal safety into your own hands.” Her involvement with the Gracie program is an example of Eve using her star power to better her world, something she’s made a habit of doing with charities like Feed the Homeless and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

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Eve Torres is an engineer-turned-professional wrestler whose talents include solving Rubik’s Cubes, weathering broken noses, and applying her own fake lashes. Still, the WWE Divas champ found herself vulnerable when a group of guys ganged up on her at a gas station while she was on the road solo. She’s since learned to protect herself through Jiu-Jitsu-based techniques and is sharing her self-defense tips to help keep you safe.

Embrace Girl Power: “You don’t have to be a tomboy to defend yourself. You can be feminine and wear heels, dresses, and makeup, and still be a powerful woman—physically, mentally, emotionally. My WWE Divas championship belt is pink and sparkly, but it doesn’t mean I’m a princess. It means girls can kick butt!”

Know Your Enemy: “Having the right mentality is a huge part of self-defense. We need to understand our predators. We always think it’s the guy lurking in the alley or the parking lot. What we don’t always think about is 78 percent of sexual assaults are actually by people we know.

Don’t Phone It In: “A lot of us have a radar when we’re in dark alleys or walking alone, but it should be common practice. Look over your shoulder. Get off your phone. Predators look for those who are unsuspecting and if you’re involved in your text message conversation, you’re probably not thinking about who’s approaching you.”

Help a Sister Out: “If you see a woman who is struggling with bags or looks struggling in general, help her. Don’t leave her vulnerable to someone else.”

Shout It Out: “If someone is scaring you, don’t hesitate to make yourself known. The second you feel unsafe, put up your hands and say ‘Stop!’ If they were just going to ask you the time, the worst that can happen is they’ll be like, ‘Sorry lady, I didn’t mean to scare you.’ If you say ‘stop’ and they keep going, now you have some warning.”

Scream, Kick, Punch: “If a predator tries to get a hold of you, yell, kick, and punch. Do all of the typical self-defense measures you’ve heard of—eye-gouging, knee to the crotch. Anything you can do to cause a scene. A predator will want to isolate you and get you to the ground or a surface. Anything you can do to avoid that and get home is great.”

Don’t Panic: “If someone gets you to the ground, all of the chaos has to calm down. This is something to really learn in self-defense training: Conserve your energy and you let them exhaust theirs. Hold someone so close so that they can’t punch you. When they shift from focusing energy on subduing you to attempting a sexual assault, the second they start to loosen up, act on your escape opportunity right away.”

Go on the Offensive: “If you cannot break free from a predator, there are many techniques you can learn in self-defense that focus on leveraging your body to defeat someone stronger than you. One of the most powerful positions we teach is to choke a man when he’s between your legs. You can render him unconscious.”

(Source)

WWE.com has put together ‘The 50 most beautiful people in Sports Entertainment.’ It’s no surprise Eve made the list, she even beat out former diva’s like Candice, Maria, Bella Twins, Kelly Kelly, Maryse, Torrie Wilson and Stacy. Well let’s just say the only two diva’s that beat her are Trish and Miss Elizabeth.

Looks aren’t everything. That’s what our parents told us anyway. Of course, if all you needed to get by in this world was a positive attitude and a “can do” spirit than there would be a lot more potbellies in the WWE locker room.

So allow us to be shallow for a second. It’s hard to deny that the Superstars and Divas of sports-entertainment are some of the most perfect specimens on the planet. But who were the best looking of the bunch? WWE Classics separates the good from the bad and the ugly in this list of the 50 most beautiful people in wrestling history.

#4

The striking Eve certainly adds credence to the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Sure, the 2007 Diva Search winner is a bombshell, but she is also one of the most accomplished Divas in WWE history. Eve is a three-time WWE Divas Champion, a student of the legendary Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, a former member of the Los Angeles Clippers’ dance team and a graduate of USC with a degree in industrial and systems engineering. Make no mistake about it, Eve has the athleticism, killer body and serious smarts to put her in the running for the title of the most perfect WWE Diva. Just don’t turn your back on her. — K.P.

To vote on the most beautiful (Eve’s included) click here.

WWE, USA Network and NBC will honor the United States Armed Forces with its 10th annual holiday special, WWE Tribute to the Troops presented by Slim Jim. The 10th anniversary holiday extravaganza will air as a two-hour television special on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 9/8 p.m. CT on USA Network and as a one-hour television special on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 9/8 p.m. CT on NBC.

WWE Tribute to the Troops has become a holiday tradition and is considered TV’s most patriotic and heartwarming show. In the grand tradition of Bob Hope, the holiday special will feature performances by Grammy Award–nominated, international superstars Kid Rock and Flo Rida, and WWE’s biggest Superstars and Divas for thousands of military personnel and their families at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. The show will also feature appearances by Disney’s The Muppets, Access Hollywood and NBC Sports’ Michelle Beadle and more. Kid Rock and Flo Rida join a renowned list of legendary performers who have entertained at WWE Tribute to the Troops including Mary J. Blige, Nickelback, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ group Diddy-Dirty Money and Trace Adkins.

WWE is proud to have worked jointly with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell in selecting Navy installations in the Norfolk area for this annual celebration.

“We are excited to host WWE Tribute to the Troops in the Norfolk and Hampton Roads area,” McDonnell said. “Virginia has long been committed to supporting our troops and this is another opportunity to thank them for their service. We are home to 125,000 active duty members, 830,000 veterans and so many military families. Naval Station Norfolk is the crown jewel of the United States Navy and it’s important to pay tribute to and salute the brave men and women of the military and their families who serve our country. It’s great to see WWE has chosen Virginia as the place to continue this holiday tradition.”

“This is a proud moment for WWE to once again recognize America’s servicemen and women as part of the 10th anniversary of WWE Tribute to the Troops,” WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon said. “We are honored to bring our unique brand of family-friendly entertainment to those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”

This trip marks the 10th consecutive year WWE will bring its one-of-a-kind entertainment to our servicemen and women to thank them for their commitment to the country and recognition of their sacrifices. WWE Superstars and Divas will spend the weekend doing activities designed to give back to sailors and their families including a be a STAR anti-bullying rally and hospital visits as well as spending time with our servicemen and women.

WWE Tribute to the Troops will also chronicle WWE’s goodwill visit to our troops overseas. McMahon, WWE Superstars The Miz and R-Truth and WWE Divas Eve and Layla will travel overseas to spread some much needed holiday cheer to the men and women serving our country far from home during the holiday season.