About Beth Phoenix

Ties To Buffalo

Beth Kociański, better known as Beth Phoenix, was born on November 24th, 1980 in Elmira, NY. She attended Elmira Notre Dame High School and was the first female wrestler in the school’s history. She moved to Buffalo to attend Canisius College and earned her degree in criminal justice and public relations. As she attended college, she continued to train as a wrestler at a gym in Medina, NY.

Making Her Way to the Top

In 1999, Phoenix became the North-East freestyle women’s champion and also won at the New York State Fair Tournament the same year. As she was attending Canisius College, she was trained by the All Knighters, Joey Knight and Robin Knightwing. Her professional wrestling debut match was against Alexis Laree. She then worked for various independent promotions, including Cleveland All Pro Wrestling and Apocalypse Wrestling. In 2002, she was one of the first wrestlers in GLORY, an independent organization for women. She then joined Far North Wrestling and was the only female wrestler in the promotion.

Career in WWE

In May 2004, Phoenix was invited to a tryout with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and then relocated to Louisville, Kentucky to work for their then-developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). She signed a developmental contract with WWE on October 20, 2005. Phoenix debuted on WWE’s main roster on May 8, 2006. Phoenix suffered a jaw injury and returned to action back in the OVW on August 16, 2006.