Stacy Keibler created a memorable legacy in the wrestling business with a relatively short career. It felt like Keibler had a long run in wrestling, but she only spent about seven years in the unique industry. WCW signed Stacy in 1999 and started pushing her in a relevant role in 2000. Many pundits named Keibler as a rare positive from WCW’s abysmal final year.

Related
Stacy Keibler: Age, Height, Husband & More To Know
Stacy Keibler was one of the most popular stars in the business. It's no surprise fans want to know fun facts like her age & relationship status.

WWE made Stacy one of the important additions to the roster after purchasing WCW and picking which talents they felt could thrive there. Keibler was instantly over in WWE with various roles from wrestler to manager to love interest in storylines until her departure in 2006. Without further ado, let's find out more about life behind the scenes with the most surprising backstage stories about Stacy.

UPDATE: 2024/03/18 14:30 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

When she joined WWE in 2000, Stacy Keibler showed everything it took to become a major star in WWE. From being a manager for the Dudley Boyz to her Super Stacy gimmick, she became a fan favorite quickly. After leaving WWE, she pursued a career in acting, which did see her achieve some success. In 2019, she returned to WWE to induct Torrie Wilson into the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2023, the roles were reversed as Wilson and Mick Foley inducted her into the Hall of Fame. Let's take a look at some of stories about Keibler from both inside and outside the ring.

Management First Mentioned Stacy Keibler When Vince Asked About WCW Talent

Bruce Pichard Told The Story Of How It Happened

  • Bruce Prichard was a prominent backstage name in WWE.
  • Stacy Keibler joined WWE during the Invasion storyline.
  • During a meeting, she was one of the most brought up names.

Bruce Prichard was Vince McMahon’s right-hand man during the Invasion storyline to have great accounts of what happened during that controversial time. Vince had his team talk with the WCW talents that came over for the Invasion storyline before asking for updates.

The weekly podcast of Prichard featured him revealing that McMahon asked Bruce and the rest of the team which WCW talents stood out. Stacy Keibler was the name everyone pitched to Vince, since they knew he’d love her and there was star potential there.

Related
Stacy Keibler: 10 Best Moments In A Hall Of Fame Career
Stacy Keibler is entering the WWE Hall of Fame in 2023. Take a look back at the 10 greatest moments of Stacy's career.

She Received Heat For Taking A Beach Trip Over Early House Show Tour

Keibler Went On Pre-Planned Vacation

Stacy Keibler Jillian Hall
  • WCW talents had to adjust to the house show schedule when they arrived to WWE.
  • Keibler had planned a vacation and mentioned it to Jim Ross.
  • Talent were not happy with Keibler for not going to the house shows.

The backstage world of WWE can see talents getting heat at any time. Stacy Keibler learned that the hard way when she first joined WWE. It was a last-minute change when WCW talents joined the WWE house show schedule during the Invasion storyline.

Keibler had plans already booked for a beach vacation with friends and mentioned it to Jim Ross as Head of Talent Relations. Ross told her to continue her plans since the house show loop was not a huge priority that first week. Keibler received enough heat that she made a public statement explaining the situation.

She Helped Set Up Triple H For A Punk'd Prank

It Was On The Season 5, Episode 8 Edition Of The Show

  • Punk'd aired on MTV from 2003-2012.
  • Triple H was the target of the prank.
  • The episode also featured Avril Lavigne and Shaquille O'Neal.

The MTV reality show Punk’d featured popular actor Ashton Kutcher playing elaborate pranks on celebrities through the help of mutual friends. Stacy Keibler was already on the show from getting pranked herself, but she returned to be on the other side.

Triple H was the WWE target of Kutcher when Keibler and Stephanie McMahon helped set up a prank of him unintentionally ruining a wedding. Keibler was sitting with Kutcher as they instructed ways to make the prank better and further infuriate Triple H before the reveal.

Mick Foley Argued With Jonathan Coachman For Burying Her

He Stood Up For Her At A Time When Keibler Was Trying To Expand Her Career

Mick Foley Christmas Room
  • Keibler appeared on Dancing with the Stars Season 2.
  • She was partnered with Tony Dovolani.
  • Foley spoke up about the struggles that many female talents faced in WWE.

Mick Foley recently shared a story on his podcast about his one argument with Jonathan Coachman involving Stacy Keibler. Coachman was making negative comments about Keibler when she was on her hiatus filming Dancing with the Stars.

It became common knowledge that Stacy was trying to use that platform to expand her acting career outside of wrestling. Coachman was one of many WWE people throwing shade at Keibler’s decision. Foley decided to speak up about the other difficulties female talents had at the time and that she should be respected for her decision.

She Didn't Want A Women's Championship Run

She Was Rumored To Defeat Trish Stratus For The Title

Stacy Keibler wrestling

  • Keibler never won any championships in her professional wrestling career.
  • She wanted to focus on her character over being a champion.
  • Keibler was floated around as a name to become WWE Women's Champion at WrestleMania 21.

The goal of most wrestlers is to win the top championship in their company. Stacy Keibler was among the few wrestlers who didn’t feel they should have a title run. Both Torrie Wilson and Keibler preferred the character work over matches in their careers.

There were rumors of Stacy being the one considered to defeat Trish Stratus for the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 21. Keibler never cared for that aspect of wrestling and Christy Hemme received the spot instead. WWE used Stacy as part of the build for Randy Orton vs The Undertaker instead.

Quietly Left WWE After Getting Famous On Dancing With The Stars

She Appeared On The 2nd Season Of The Show

  • It was Keibler's first break into mainstream pop culture.
  • She was released from WWE in July 2006.
  • Keibler pursued acting after appearing on the show.

Stacy Keibler was the breakout star when appearing on the reality show Dancing with the Stars. There was already interest in branching out to Hollywood as she approached the end of her WWE contract.

WWE did promote her appearances on the show, but it started to slow down the further she’d advance. Stacy wanted this fame to lead to success outside the sport. WWE removed Keibler from the roster without any fanfare.

Keibler Left Wrestling With The Belief She'd Have A Huge Acting Career

She Appeared On A Few Television Shows After Leaving WWE

Stacy Keibler George Lopez Show
  • She appeared in two episodes of George Lopez.
  • Keibler played Karina in How I Met Your Mother.
  • She also appeared as herself on The View, Fashion Police, Project Runway, Hollywood Game Night, and Supermarket Superstar.

The opportunities coming for Stacy Keibler saw her leaving WWE behind her. Keibler’s buzz from Dancing with the Stars created the connections most need to get any roles in relevant films or television shows.

George Lopez was a top ABC sitcom at the time and made Keibler part of the recurring cast since she was finding success on the network already. She would also make a one-off appearance on How I Met Your Mother, but Keibler didn’t receive many other long-term roles and joined a sitcom towards the end of its run.

Related
Why Stacy Keibler Retired From WWE, Explained
Stacy Keibler was a popular figure in WWE, but walked away from pro wrestling altogether in 2006.

WWE Didn't Want Her To Return As Raw Celebrity Guest Host

The WWE Guest Host Era Took From 2009-2010

Stacy Keibler Cutting A Promo
  • The guest host era featured different celebrities as the host of Monday Night Raw.
  • Notable names included Snoop Dogg, Cedric the Entertainer, Jesse Ventura, and Seth Green.
  • She did not return to WWE until 2019 at the WWE Hall of Fmae to induct Torrie Wilson.

There was a belief that WWE had heat with Stacy Keibler for not giving them more of a warning before ending her wrestling career. Keibler made some public comments expressing interest in returning as a celebrity guest host during that era of WWE.

The company didn’t view her as big enough of a celebrity and still had the tension from her departure. Keibler did not return to WWE until 2019 when she made a surprise appearance to induct her best friend Torrie Wilson into the Hall of Fame.

A Prior Relationship Convinced Her To Try Out For Nitro Girls

She Got Into Professional Wrestling Because Of An Ex-Boyfriend

Nitro Girls Cropped
  • She dated someone who was a big WCW fan.
  • She entered The Nitro Girl Search.
  • She won the contest, but was only with WCW for a brief amount of time.

Stacy Keibler discovered wrestling when dating someone who was a big fan of WCW. Fans discovered her in the crowd at a few shows when watching them back today. The Nitro Girl Search contest to add a new dancer to the team piqued Keibler’s interest.

WCW saw Stacy joining the roster when winning the contest, but she had a very short run with the Nitro Girls. The potential of Keibler saw her placed into storylines as the Miss Hancock character to make the most of her upside.

WWE Wanted Her To Salvage Scott Steiner's Run

Steiner Was Struggling Early-On In His Second Return To WWE

Scott Steiner And Stacy Kiebler
  • Steiner resigned with WWE in 2002.
  • He challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship twice.
  • Keibler began to manage Steiner in 2003.

Scott Steiner was one of the biggest WWE free agent signings of the early 2000s. The first few months went poorly when he was having horrible matches for the World Heavyweight Championship and suffered an injury, which made him miss television time.

WWE placed Steiner into a storyline against Test when saving Stacy Keibler from his wrath. The hope was that Keibler would increase the fan interest in Steiner to make him a valuable asset again. Steiner couldn’t build back his momentum and turned heel to team with Test.

A Real Relationship With David Flair Inspired WCW Angle

The Two Dated In 2000

Stacy Keibler WCW Wedding
  • The two entered a storyline based on their real lives.
  • WCW was trying to build up David Flair as a star.
  • It did not succeed in it's goal.

David Flair entered a storyline with Stacy Keibler based on the reality of them being together romantically. Keibler ended David’s run teaming with Daffney and Crowbar by stealing him away from Daffney in the angle.

WCW was trying everything to make fans care about David after a rough start to his career. The lack of experience prevented him from making the most of his huge push as Ric Flair’s son. Keibler was placed with him to build interest, but nothing worked.

Related
WCW: Stacy Keibler's Relationship With Ric Flair's Son, Explained
When Stacy Keibler and David Flair began dating in real life, it led to WCW and Vince Russo turning their relationship into a storyline.

Vince Russo Tried To Book Himself Into Romantic Angle With Her

The Storyline Never Took Place

Miss Hancock Stacy Keibler WCW
  • Keibler and Flair were involved in a soap opera-type story.
  • Vince Russo was allegedly supposed to be the fatjer.
  • Shawn Stasiak ended up taking Russo's place.

The relationship between David Flair and Stacy Keibler featured a major storyline of Stacy claiming she was pregnant. WCW went all in with the soap opera style by having her claim it wasn’t David’s child to set up anticipation for a big reveal.

Rumors suggested Vince Russo wanted himself in the role as the expecting father, but he was fired before it could play out. Shawn Stasiak ended up getting the spot with the big swerve coming that Stacy was never actually pregnant.

She Turned Down A WWE Playboy Deal

Many WWE Superstars Had Posed For Playboy In The Past

Stacy Keibler Laughing WWE
  • Keibler did not feel it was the right choice for her.
  • Trish Stratus and Lita also turned it down.
  • Chyna, Torrie Wilson, Maria, and more all posed for PlayBoy.

WWE’s relationship with Playboy magazine in the late ‘90s and early 2000s saw both companies benefiting from it. Playboy sold a lot more magazines with the star power of female WWE superstars and WWE got the bump from the media attention.

Eric Bischoff on his podcast 83 Weeks revealed that Stacy Keibler was among the bigger names to turn it down, with he being the one to advise her not to do it:

I was like, ‘OK, how’s your dad gonna to handle it? It ain’t gonna bother you at all, but how’s your dad gonna handle it? Because he still goes to work every day.’ And then she went, ‘Oh yeah, you’re right.’

Playboy wanted Stacy to do one shoot on her own and one with her best friend Torrie Wilson, but she didn’t feel it was the right choice for her.

Bubba Ray Dudley Was Upset With Her As The Dudley Boyz Manager

He Did Not Want Keibler To Act Like A Babyface

Stacy Keibler with the Dudley Boyz
  • Keibler managed The Dudley Boyz during the Invasion storyline.
  • She was known as the "Duchess of Dudleyville."
  • She was put through a table by The Dudley Boyz after costing them a tag team match in 2002.

Bubba Ray Dudley has shared more details about his career since becoming a podcaster and radio host. The run Stacy Keibler had managing The Dudley Boyz was a memorable chapter of her career, but it wasn’t without issues.

Keibler often played to the crowd since she received huge ovations. Bubba was upset about this since The Dudley Boyz were the top heels of the tag division. The conversation basically entailed Bubba telling her to stop doing face actions that took away from the act and matches.