WCW Nitro had a lot of things going for it during the Monday Night Wars, and while the company ultimately fell by the wayside, there is no doubt that it came up with some great ideas. One such innovative concept was the introduction of a dancing troupe called The Nitro Girls, who became one of the most popular acts on Monday Nitro.

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The cheerleaders would entertain crowds the world over during commercial breaks, also helping keep fans in the live crowd firmly glued to their seats. Soon after, they would be added to storylines, and while they eventually disbanded, the girls left their mark on the business. Here are some facts about this team that fans may not know/remember.

10 Eric Bischoff's Brainchild

Eric Bischoff WCW

It was WCW head Eric Bischoff who came up with the idea of a dancing group of girls to keep crowds entertained and get more eyes on the product. He soon approached Kimberly Page with this thought and asked her to form the team.

The then-wife of Diamond Dallas Page, one of the company's biggest stars, then set about recruiting the girls best-suited to the role. She was soon joined by AC Jazz, Chae, Fyre, Spice, Tayo, and Whisper as the originals of the group.

9 Stacy Keibler Joins

WCW Nitro Girls Stacy Keibler

Not many fans may know, but Stacy Keibler was not one of the original Nitro Girls, although her fame might lead them to believe so. In fact, she only became part of the troupe after thinking it would be fun to enter a contest to find the next Nitro Girl.

Luckily for wrestling fans and the former cheerleader, she went on to win the nationwide event, thus becoming the newest member of the group. Keibler would soon become a manager and wrestler.

8 Appearing On Ready To Rumble

Nitro Girls Ready to Rumble

The Nitro Girls had become quite popular within a few weeks of debuting, and it would make sense that they would feature heavily in promotional materials for WCW. This also extended to any kind of entertainment medium the company entered.

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As a result, The Nitro Girls made appearances at WCW promotional events and also featured in the WCW-produced movie, Ready to Rumble. While the movie received lukewarm responses, it was more high-level exposure for the girls.

7 Never Officially Broke Up

Nitro Girls

As with many things WCW towards the end of its existence, The Nitro Girls also did not ever break up, per se. Their fame obviously opened other avenues for them within the organization, meaning many of the girls dabbled in managing and wrestling as well.

However, despite all the breaks and roster changes, the group never really did disband or officially call it quits. It all just ended when WCW was bought by Vince McMahon and WWE, with the various members also going and coming during its existence.

6 Various Intra Feuds

spice nitro girls

As is par for the course in the pro wrestling industry, no group can go without feuding within and among each other. The Nitro Girls was no different, as its members would fight for various reasons.

One big example was when Kimberly Page left the group, opening a slot for the leader's role, Spice had a feud with AC Jazz over the position, eventually winning the role. There was also the feud between Spice and Tygress that the latter won after the new leader was injured in the eye.

5 Diversity 5

Diversity 5's I Promise cover
bvmbshelled, YT

Once WCW went out of business, and the members were free from their duties as The Nitro Girls, they went their separate ways. However, there was an attempt by a few of the women to band together and form the pop music group, Diversity 5.

The band consisted of Fyre, Spice, Storm, Chae, and Vanessa Sanchez, and they even released a one CD single, I Promise/Shake Me Up, in 2001. The girls even popped up on the Fox reality show 30 Seconds to Fame a year later but were quickly voted off.

4 Kimberly Page Acting

Kimberly Page And DDP

Kimberly Page was no doubt one of the faces of The Nitro Girls, and its original creator and leader. Of course, her marriage to Diamond Dallas Page helped give her a bigger voice and more say backstage.

However, once done with the group, like the other members, she dabbled in wrestling and managing. Most interestingly, though, she also tried her hand at acting, racking up a decent portfolio, including a memorable appearance in the 2005 movie, The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

3 Klimaszewski Twins

The Klimaszewski twins
Wikipedia

The Bella twins may be known as perhaps the most famous wrestling twins today, but they weren't the first. "Twin Magic" was first made famous by the Klimaszewski Twins, Diane and Elaine, who would also be part of The Nitro Girls.

The two aspiring models/actresses were even signed up by WWE later, appearing as The Power Twins in UPW. Also, like Kimberly Page, they, too, have tried to enter Hollywood, appearing in a few shows.

2 Dancing Queen

Sharmell/Storm as Paisley in WCW

King Booker's better half was also a former Nitro Girl. In fact, that is how she got her start in the business. The former beauty queen joined WCW in 1999 as Storm and immediately became a member of The Nitro Girls.

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She may be better known for her time in WWE as Queen Sharmell, but Storm did quite well for herself as part of the dancing troupe. Sharmell even managed The Artist and Kwee Wee after leaving the group and changing her name to Paisley.

1 Whisper And Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels Wife Rebecca Nitro Girl

Again, a perhaps overlooked fact is that Shawn Michaels first laid eyes on his future wife when she was turning out for the bitter rivals as one of The Nitro Girls, Whisper. As HBK has said himself, it was love at first sight for him.

Wrestling fans have much to thank Whisper for, considering it was her support and care that helped Shawn become clean and save himself from his personal demons. This also allowed the legendary wrestler to return to WWE for a mythical second run.