Recently, Avenue 1 came across wrestling sensation Amy Vitale and was floored by her talents and class. The model, artist and wrestler has made a name for herself in the popular sport and never leaves any prisoners. Amy was introduced to the male dominated sport by her grandfather at the tender age of five years old. She was always in front of a camera and craved the spotlight. Amy was involved in many school activities, like plays and homecomings.

“When my grandfather introduced me to wrestling at the age of five, I was entertained by the wrestlers’ characters and story lines. But, I also saw the women that were involved such as Woman and Sherri Martel who were not only beautiful, but in some way, shape, or form, were masterminds behind the brawn. Their attire, their hair, their make-up, and their sense of control, what every little girl wants to be. I remember saying, “I want to do that”, and doing that is exactly what I did!”

When it came to choosing who she had admired growing up watching the sport, the name Ted DiBiase stood out. She enjoyed that fact that he was able to adapt to any character he portrayed. According to Amy he was a no nonsense wrestler who always got his job done. The DiBase family is still involved in the sport as Ted Jr. and Mike DiBiase carry positions within the industry.

Amy’s first step into the field was writing stories on the subject. At thirteen years old she decided to attack the industry in some way. Her first start was a newsletter entitled “The Wrestling Edge”. The column was called “Sealed With A Kiss” where she noted her opinions and news on the sport. Soon this led to her writing for other newsletters like “Piledriver” and “The Wrestling Chatterbox”. This led to her having a column in her high school newspaper. She was soon recognized as the youngest South Florida wrestling reporter.

Her ambitions only widened as she then went on to manage the school’s wrestling team. Her experience and knowledge of the sport was priceless when it came to managing the team. Amy’s new position was not always so rosy. Other female students use to give her dirty looks but that did not deter her from her task.
She soon graduated to working with wrestling promotion companies like Sunshine Wrestling Federation. The Federation was a key stepping stone for Amy where it prepared her with the tools of the trade.

“I had to learn the in’s and out’s of the wrestling business. There were no freebies! I wish a lot of wrestling promotions would take note of this because there are many “newbies” in the wrestling business who I feel haven’t paid their dues. They totally disrespect the business. This is my business, meaning it’s a part of me. I love this business! It means the world to me that it’s done right. Every time I’m out there. I give it my all, to the outfits I wear, how I look, and how I perform. I want to give the greatest show out there for the fans who pay their hard earned money to be entertained.”

Being in a business mostly dominated by men Amy never felt intimidated. The only opposition Amy ever came across was by what she called the “smarks”. They were people who called themselves smart fans of wrestling who said they knew everything about the business. These individuals were found on the Prodigy message boards. Amy would visit the site only to be told “You’re a nice girl, nice girls don’t last in wrestling.” There intimidation worked on her for a short period of time but she was persistent and proved them all wrong. Her relationship with her male counterparts is solid and pure in every facet. She has somewhat adopted them like brothers and values every moment with them.

Amy has also managed acts like Jerry Lynn and Alex Porteu. She had to work up the ladder to even get the opportunity to manage a wrestler. Amy had worked the door, the concession stand, merchandise table, set up the ring and be a ring girl before becoming a manager / valet. It was not a simple project she literally had to earn her respect among her peers. “After all, I was just a little girl coming into a mostly male dominated world. I mean, really, who was I? I was just another person trying to make it into the business. They’ve seen this many times before. I had to prove I was tough. The lazy people who wanted things handed to them didn’t last. I wasn’t lazy. I knew if I worked hard, kept a positive attitude, and had God by my side, I could do this. It took me months which felt like years. But, what a feeling it was when I finally made it out there! I was like “Whew!” “I finally made it” “I’m officially part of the wrestling business now”.

With Amy’s success she has garnered the attention of the press. Her most memorable interview was with Sid Rosenberg’s radio show called ‘The Ticket” and CW’s own “The Daily Buzz”. The interview was featured in Foxnews.com. It finally meant that all her hard work was paying off. Amy has enjoyed being apart of the wrestling world as a manager she was recently offered to join the roster of TNA. But she turned it down when she was asked to wrestle. Her modeling career would not exist if she were to step in the ring as a wrestler. Yet she would never turn down a managing position at TNA.

”I’m happy to say that I made my debut with FIP on October, 3rd in Crystal River, Florida. A tag team by the name of the Heartbreak Express presented me as a gift for a wrestler by the name of Rhett Titus, a ROH superstar, by the way. It was so much fun! The FIP people were great! The fans were great! The whole atmosphere was great! I loved every minute of it! I’m so happy to be part of the family!”

Amy comes from a family of talented individuals and supporters such as her two aunts who have become models. Her family has supported her every step of the way even though her grandfather who introduced her to the sport regretted it at one time. Amy recalled how one day her grandfather came out to say how he wished he never introduced her to the sport since it was a tough business. Yet she reassured him that she was just as tough as the next guy. Her mom who was a strong supported attended the shows until she unfortunately passed away of breast cancer. Yet she made sure her daughter was well taken care of. She went as far as acquiring the aid of Sunshine Wrestling Federation promoter Bill Brown to look after her. It worked out perfect.

Besides being involved in the wrestling world Amy is a big fan of the “Sopranos” and had incorporated the mob chic as one of her characters. She plays a mob gal character for wrestling promotions like Pro Wrestling Fusion, One Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Riot (where she hangs out with other Italians like Double Deuce Social Club- Francisco Ciatso, Big Pete Cannon, Heartbreak Express and Craig Classic). Amy has always found the “mob” life interesting. She is an avid fan of classic mobster films as well as The Godfather and Goodfellas.

“I followed those like Capone and Gotti. Their lavish lifestyles and what they had to achieve the lifestyle that they had. Yes, it wasn’t always in the best circumstances, but had they had the smarts to get away with it for so many years. Everything was just so…organized. Like their own little world. They weren’t pushovers. When bills didn’t get paid or somebody messed with one of their own, they had the guts to take care of it. When the “mafia” was created, the whole world copied. Hip Hop artists always talk about wanting to be a “Good Fella” or the next “John Gotti”. What person in their right mind can say that the movie “The Godfather” was not one of the best movies out there? And that’s what I want. I want to be talked about. I wanted to do something different. I never took “NO” for an answer. That’s why I brought a female version of “The Don” to wrestling. A woman that is not only beautiful, but smart, independent, and powerful. It is something
that every man finds mysterious but sexy, and that every woman would like to be. Besides, who doesn’t love a bad girl? I’m always the “good” girl all the time; it’s sometimes fun to be bad.”

Between her modeling career and wrestling Amy has very little time to build her own family. Yet when the time comes she would love to immerse herself into it. When asked if she would allow her children to be involved in wrestling what would she say, “If I have children, I would never discourage them from doing what they want to do, but, I would make sure that I would have somebody I trust to stand-by as an “uncle” just in case…