In 1996, the WWF signed former Playboy Playmate Ashley Allen, anticipating a bright future for her in the company. However, these plans ultimately led to very little. Today, we revisit the brief and unremarkable WWF career of this elusive diva.
When reflecting on the beautiful women of the mid-1990s WWF, names like Sunny, Sable, The Funkettes (Tracy and Nadine), and Marlena come to mind. These women were prominently featured on WWF programming, serving more as “eye candy” than skilled in-ring performers. Among them was Ashley Allen, who was expected to be a standout.
In 1996, the WWF was beginning to face competition from World Championship Wrestling, which had launched Monday Nitro in September 1995, targeting WWF’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW. As WCW gained momentum, the WWF sought ways to counter this threat.
Vince McMahon’s strategy included showcasing the attractive women on his roster and adding new faces like Ashley Allen. Despite being a former Playboy Playmate from August 1992, Allen was not given a significant role, a new name, or a compelling storyline.
Ashley Allen made her WWF debut on the January 1, 1996, episode of Monday Night RAW, themed ‘The Raw Bowl,’ where she appeared as Miss RAW Bowl ’96. Her role was limited to walking down the ramp, waving to fans, and sitting at the announcer’s table while Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler admired her, foreshadowing his behavior during the Attitude Era.
The most ambitious plan for Allen was to pair her with the returning ‘Brother Love’ as his wife, ‘Sister Love,’ with the intention of creating a televangelist scandal storyline. However, this idea was scrapped, possibly because it was deemed too risqué for that time, or McMahon had other plans for Allen.
For several months, Allen remained inactive. According to the Wrestling Observer, she filmed vignettes with Hunter Hearst Helmsley, aiming to become his valet. Although she appeared alongside Triple H in a yellow bikini at SummerSlam 1996, this angle was also dropped as Chyna later took on the role of his valet/bodyguard.
Ashley Allen eventually left the WWF to pursue other opportunities, including low-budget movies and television pilots, before fading from the spotlight. Once considered a potential star as Sister Love or Triple H’s valet, she became an afterthought, leaving us to wonder what might have been.
Was she ahead of her time in the WWF’s transition from the cartoonish era to the Attitude Era? Could she have achieved the same popularity as Sunny or Sable? We will never know.
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