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.
JAZZ
The Head Bitch
While most independent wrestlers work tirelessly to earn that big contract with WWE or TNA, Jazz has been there and done that. A former two-time Women’s Champion, ECW original and WrestleMania headliner, Jazz has traveled the world, rubbed shoulders with the biggest stars in the business, and performed in front of the biggest crowds. And now she’s back to where it all started: small, intimate independent shows.
It’s a rarity to see a former WWE star — particularly a female one — go back to the independent grind on a regular basis (many just appear for one or two shows for a big payday), but in 2012, this former WWE Diva re-emerged as one of the biggest female stars on the independent scene.
Since leaving WWE in 2004 (a brief stint when ECW was revived in 2006 not withstanding), Jazz has appeared at various independent events around the globe, most notably in WSU, where she headlined the first Internet pay per view with Mercedes Martinez. But her appearances were, at best, sporadic — and who can blame her with two young girls to take care of at home? Months would go by before our next Jazz sighting, but that changed thanks to a little promotion named SHINE.
Jazz has been integral to the success of SHINE, as its top main eventer, and in turn, SHINE has been integral to helping put Jazz back on the map. Just when people thought they’d heard the last of her, here she is headlining show after show against a veritable who’s who of top independent names including Sara Del Rey, Mercedes Martinez, and fellow Women of the Year runner-up, Saraya Knight.
In her own famous words, “The bitch is back”. And we hope she never leaves.
Check back tomorrow for another Women of the Year post.
More Women of the Year: Lita | Saraya Knight | Brooke Tessmacher
