Elektra (wrestling)

Donna Adamo (born November 12, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestling valet and professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Elektra. She is best known for her appearances with the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling from October 1999 until its closure in April 2001. She is also known for her appearances in The Sopranos as a "Bada Bing Girl".[7][8]

Elektra
Birth nameDonna Adamo[1]
Born (1970-11-12) November 12, 1970[2]
Brooklyn, New York, New York, United States[2]
Spouse(s)Big Dick Dudley (divorced)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Electra[3]
Elektra[2]
Billed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Billed weight112 lb (51 kg)[2]
Billed fromNew York City[4]
Trained byThe Fabulous Moolah[5]
Johnny Rodz[5]
Debut1999[4]
RetiredJune 26, 2002 (final match)[6]

Early life

Adamo grew up in New York City, where she worked as a child and adult model for Ford Models. Before deciding to become a professional wrestler, Adamo held a series of other jobs, including tending bar, working as a donut stuffer for Country Donuts, working as a booker for a modeling agency, working as a fitting model, performing as an oil wrestler at the strip clubs Billy Dean's and Goldfingers, and working as a booker for go go bars.[2]

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1999)

In the late 1990s, Adamo decided to become a professional wrestler. She was trained as a professional wrestler by The Fabulous Moolah in South Carolina and by Johnny Rodz in New York City.[5] She debuted in 1999 under the ring name "Elektra".[4]

Elektra appeared on the April 5, 1999 edition of WWF Raw is War, playing one of the Godfather's "hos" during his match with WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1999-2001)

Elektra debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in October 1999 at Re-enter the Sandman, with Cyrus the Virus presenting her to Danny Doring as a replacement for Miss Congeniality.[2][9][10] She went on to act as a valet for Doring and his tag team partner, Roadkill, interfering in their matches and fighting with opposing valets such as Francine.[11][12] Elektra became known for her ability to flex her pectoralis major muscles, which she would often do while delivering promos.[13]

At Living Dangerously on March 12, 2000, Elektra turned on Doring and Roadkill, costing them a match against Lou E. Dangerously's New Dangerous Alliance (C.W. Anderson and Bill Wiles) by unbalancing Roadkill while he stood on the top rope. Later that night, Elektra delivered a promo in which she revealed that she had joined the New Dangerous Alliance.[14] Elektra was subsequently nicknamed the "Director of Covert Operations" of the New Dangerous Alliance.[4] At Hardcore Heaven 2000 on May 14, the New Dangerous Alliance came to the ring with Elektra wearing a Mike Awesome T-shirt (Awesome had abruptly left ECW for World Championship Wrestling the prior month and was an unpopular figure with ECW fans as a result).[15] After Lou E. Dangerously described Elektra as "the toughest woman in wrestling today", Jazz attacked the New Dangerous Alliance and tore off Elektra's T-shirt, leaving her in a swimsuit.[16]

After the New Dangerous Alliance disbanded, Elektra aligned herself with EZ Money, Julio Dinero and Chris Hamrick (collectively known as Hot Commodity).[2] At Anarchy Rulz 2000 on October 1, Elektra accompanied EZ Money to the ring for his match with Kid Kash. Following the match, The Sandman caned the members of Hot Commodity before spitting beer over Elektra.[17] At Massacre on 34th Street on December 3, Elektra received a Kryptonite Krunch from Nova prior to his bout with Julio Dinero.[18]

At the final ECW pay-per-view, Guilty as Charged 2001 on January 7, 2001, Elektra accompanied EZ Money and Julio Dinero as they unsuccessfully challenged Doring and Roadkill for the ECW World Tag Team Championship.[19] ECW staged its final show six days later and filed for bankruptcy on April 4, 2001.[20][21]

Four years after the closure of ECW, Elektra (alongside C.W. Anderson and Chris Chetti) appeared in the front row of the audience of the World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view ECW One Night Stand on June 12, 2005, with The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer pouring beer on her chest and licking it off during their entrance.[22][23]

Elektra appeared as a playable character in the videogame ECW Anarchy Rulz, released for the PlayStation and the Dreamcast in August 2000.[24]

NWA: Total Nonstop Action (2002)

Elektra appeared on the inaugural NWA: Total Nonstop Action pay-per-view on 19 June 2002, with Ed Ferrera and Don West announcing that she would take part in a "lingerie battle royal" to crown the first "Miss TNA" the following week.[25] On the second weekly TNA pay-per-view, which aired on June 26, 2002, Elektra faced Alexis Laree, Erin Bray, Francine, Miss Joni, Miss Sasha, Shannon and Taylor Vaughn in the lingerie battle royal. The final two women left in the match were Elektra and Vaughn, with Vaughn eliminating Elektra to be crowned "Miss TNA".[6] This was Elektra's final appearance in TNA.

Satin Dolls and The Sopranos

Since retiring from professional wrestling in 2002, Elektra has worked as a booker for the Satin Dolls strip club in Lodi, New Jersey.[2][8][26]

During the 2000s, Elektra made uncredited appearances as an extra in multiple episodes of the television series The Sopranos as a stripper in the "Bada Bing" strip club, scenes for which were filmed in Satin Dolls.[7] Elektra and fellow "Bada Bing" strippers Justine Noelle, Kelly Madison Kole, Luiza Liccini, Marie Athanasiou, Nadine Marcelletti, Rosie Ciavolino and Sonia Ortega appeared in a photo spread in the August 2001 issue of Playboy magazine.[27] Elektra intentionally lost muscle mass for the photoshoot.[13] In June 2013, Elektra was interviewed by RTL Nieuws, expressing sadness at the sudden death of James Gandolfini, the actor who starred in The Sopranos.[26]

Personal life

Adamo was married to fellow wrestler Alex Rizzo, who she met while training under Johnny Rodz.[5] The couple divorced prior to Rizzo's death in May 2002. They also have a daughter together Alexandria Rizzo born in 1990.

Adamo is Italian American.[1]

Adamo studied gemology at the Gemological Institute of America.[2]

References
  1. Adamo, Donna (December 4, 2012). "The Other Woman". DonnaAdamo.com. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  2. "Elektra's Stats". ElektraECW.com (via Wayback Machine). December 6, 2000. Archived from the original on December 6, 2000. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  3. "ICW Results". ICWZone.com. Impact Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  4. Johnson, Michael K. (February 7, 2001). "Elektra Bio". ECWWrestling.com (via Wayback Machine). Extreme Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on February 7, 2001. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  5. Rod Siciliano (23 May 2002). "An interview with Elektra by Chairshots Radio". Chairshots Radio. Westerly, Rhode Island. WBLQ (88.1 FM). "(Elektra:) It's real funny actually on how we met. When I had come back from actually Moolah's camp in South Carolina. I really needed to learn to work like the American workers. Which would be off of the left because Moolah trains off to the right, more like to go to Japan or overseas, that's where there is more work for the women. So I started training at Johnny Rodz's school, which at the time was at the Galaxy Gym, it wasn't yet at Gleason's".
  6. Martin, Adam (2002-06-26). "Full NWA-TNA Pay Per View Results - 6/26". WrestleView. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  7. Genovese, Peter (June 30, 2001). "The Bada Bing Girls step out". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  8. "Locations where 'The Sopranos' filmed around North Jersey". NorthJersey.com. North Jersey Media Group. June 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-27. Satin Dolls dancers and employees poses with a shrine to James Gandolfini where scenes of The Sopranos where filmed. Diana LoMoro, back left on pole, and Elektra, far right, were featured in episodes of the show.
  9. Powell, Jason (December 21, 2004). "ECW TV 5 Yrs. Ago". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  10. Burgan, Derek (August 1, 2005). "DVD Review: Burgan reviews Extreme Fan Cam 10/23/99". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  11. Powell, Jason (January 10, 2005). "ECW TV 5 Yrs. Ago: Awesome vs. Tanaka, Justin Credible vs. Dreamer, Francine". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  12. Powell, Jason (January 24, 2005). "ECW on TNN TV 5 Yrs. Ago: Mike Awesome, RVD, Tajiri, Dreamer, Raven, Crazy". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  13. Leslie Gold (August 2001). "An interview with Elektra by The Radio Chick". The Radio Chick. New York, New York. WNEW-FM.
  14. Powell, John (March 13, 2000). "Living Dangerously boosts ECW". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  15. Black, Jake (May 2007). "Mike Awesome 1965 - 2007". The Wrestler. London Publishing. pp. 53–55. Volume 15, 2007.
  16. Powell, John (May 15, 2000). "Credible retains title at Hardcore Heaven". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  17. Powell, John (October 2, 2000). "Jerry Lynn new ECW champ". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  18. Powell, John (December 4, 2000). "Tag team bout steals Massacre show". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  19. Keller, Wade (January 7, 2011). "ECW PPV Flashback - 10 yrs. ago (01-07-01)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  20. Fritz, Brian; Murray, Christopher (2006). Between the Ropes: Wrestling's Greatest Triumphs and Failures. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-726-0.
  21. Loverro, Thom (2006). The Rise and Fall of ECW. Pocket Books. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-4165-1058-1.
  22. Gramlich, Chris (June 13, 2005). "One great Night of hardcore hostalgia". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  23. Keller, Wade (June 13, 2005). "WWE News: Matt Hardy responds to ECW PPV, more PPV notes, Paul Bearer signs with WWE". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  24. "ECW Anarchy Rulz". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  25. Keller, Wade (June 19, 2012). "PWTorch Flashback - TNA's first-ever show 10 years ago today (06-19-02)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
  26. "Amerika neemt afscheid van Tony Soprano". RTL Nieuws. June 20, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
  27. "Girls of Bada Bing!", Playboy, pp. 15–20, August 2001
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