Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that professional female wrestlers have only started to receive the acclaim they truly deserve over the past couple of decades. However, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Mr. McMahon,’ this has sadly not always translated to them being respected either in or out of the ring owing to the old ways of them primarily being used as props. That’s not to say there haven’t been some incredible divas to have since come to light, yet those like Ashley Marie Massaro did, unfortunately, face more than their fair share of issues.
Ashley Massaro Always Had a Connection With Wrestling
Although not many details regarding Ashley’s early years are publicly available, the New York native did reportedly develop a passion for wrestling at a relatively young age, thanks to family. After all, whether it be her brother, father, or uncle, they all competed in this sport at an amateur level, driving her to decide she wished to pursue a full-fledged career around the same. Nevertheless, for a more stable future, she enrolled at the State University of New York upon graduating in 1997, where she eventually completed her studies with a Bachelor’s in Communication.
Little did Ashley know this would actually work out in her favor as she was subsequently able to step into the entertainment industry armed with some small yet encouraging real-life experiences. She did so not only as an aspiring athlete, bodybuilding enthusiast, model, as well as pageant participant but also as someone who could embrace any opportunity to come her way. That’s how she came across a WWE casting director during a swimsuit pageant and learned about their 2005 Raw Diva Search, only to later win their $250,000 plus a one-year performing contract.
Ashley was evidently able to make her mark quite quickly with the audience thanks to her alluring personality, resulting in her gradually rising to the top and evolving into a brand in herself. Whether it be ‘Raw’ or ‘SmackDown!’ she conquered everywhere, all the while also grappling with injuries, serving as a contestant on CBS’s ‘Survivor: China’ in 2007, and taking up other jobs. In the end, by the time July 2008 rolled around, this ‘Playboy’ cover model, as well as a guest television actress, knew it was time for her to hang her boots, so she officially retired that summer.
Before Accusing Vince McMahon of Assault, Ashley Had Filed a Lawsuit Against WWE
It was in 2016 when Ashley joined a class action against WWE, claiming the company concealed details that could negatively impact business, even if it came at the cost of employee well-being. According to records, she had allegedly been sexually assaulted by a man posing as a military doctor while on a WWE tour to the army base in Kuwait, just for her ensuing complaints to be ignored. She asserted she had informed her supervisors and executive of the assault, but they reportedly simply told her they were sorry before adding they hoped she didn’t plan on going to the police as they did not want this to mess up their relationship with the military.
The WWE later came forward to state they had never actually been informed of the allegations because if they were, they would have taken immediate action to protect her and others. In the end, this suit was dismissed in 2018, six years before Ashley’s lawyers alleged she had also been a victim of sexual harassment at the hands of once WWE CEO Vince McMahon. As per the attorney, this wrestling executive had reportedly made explicit advances towards Ashley, only to then use his position to sabotage her career because she said no. In fact, per records, her latter storylines were all rather degrading and humiliating, that is, until she eventually decided to move on from this profession for good.
Ashley Massaro Allegedly Died by Suicide in 2019
Ashley was purportedly leading a good life by the time the late 2010s rolled around, especially since she had found her calling as a radio jockey at the Long Island station WWSK-FM in 2018. She had actually even been promoted right at the start of the summer of 2019, resulting in her proudly hosting the Wednesday evening shows all by herself, that is, until she failed to show up on May 15. It later came to light she had been found dead in her Smithtown home in the early hours of May 16, less than 24 hours after she had finished writing handwritten reply letters to fan mail. The authorities have never revealed the cause of her death in order to respect her and her family’s privacy, yet USA Today has reported this 39-year-old died from an apparent suicide.
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