RIP Ashley Massaro

RIP to a real one
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Ashley Massaro, former WWE wrestler, Playboy model and Survivor contestant, died yesterday. She was 39 years old. The cause of death has not been released yet, although police do not have a cause of death, they are classifying it as "non-criminal." The Blast reported that a rescue call came from her home in Smithtown, NY at 5:23 AM yesterday morning (May 16). She died at the hospital. She is survived by her daughter, Alexa.

Massaro's WWE career began by winning Diva Search in 2005. She found a niche with a punk rock aesthetic that differentiated herself from the pack. However, she was a victim of the era, entered into WWE too late to wrestle men and too early to have been part of the "women's revolution." As such, one of her big angles involved her Playboy spread, which in and of itself isn't bad, but given how much worse WWE was at objectifying women even 12 years ago than it is today, well, it wasn't a good look. She would leave WWE in 2008 to care for her sick daughter. Massaro's entertainment career also involved a guest spot on the CW show Smallville, a stint on Survivor: China, and spots in two music videos.

Two years ago, Massaro joined a class action lawsuit against WWE for its negligence towards brain trauma from repeated bumps by its performers. Additionally, Massaro alleged that she was sexually assaulted at a military base in Kuwait during the 2006 Tribute to the Troops. The WWE doctor at the time told her it was probably best not to report it to authorities. Both of those things combined might be enough to make someone swear off wrestling or at least WWE, and it once again paints an awful portrait of what receiving medical "care" in the company looks like. Regardless, Massaro stayed away from wrestling for nearly a decade before returning to a one-off indie appearance with Jillian Hall in 2017. According to former WWE wrestler Bull James (Bull Dempsey), Massaro was in training to return to the ring at the New York Wrestling Connection school.

Even though her run in WWE wasn't critically acclaimed, she was still a performer that brought happiness to a lot of people for whatever reason. Any analysis of her time in WWE cannot be done without examining the climate in which she performed, and even thusly, no one should die before the age of 40. She touched a lot of people, whether her coworkers or her fans or especially her daughter. Ashley Massaro will be missed. Rest in peace.