by Darryl G

To pass her on the street, one might not give her too much of a second thought. Though stunningly beautiful to be sure, a quick glance at the 5'6" blonde might not appear out of the ordinary. "No one ever believes (I'm a wrestler), first of all," she says. "If they do believe me, they assume I mean that I am some sort of mud or oil wrestler. Next, they'll tell me I don't look at all like a wrestler."

To see her in the ring, likewise, might not inspire much deeper reflection about her. Brash, bold and extremely arrogant, she certainly doesn't appear to ever be holding anything back. "I... bring some old-school bad guy shenanigans to the ring with me," she agrees, "and am generally just a nasty, mean individual who will do anything it takes to win."

But don't be fooled. The Lovely Lacey is indeed a forceful persona who holds nothing back--both inside the ring and out of it.

She decided to become a wrestler at the tender of 15. "There weren't a ton of women wrestling at the time I was deciding to train," Lacey says. "But growing up, I remember watching Wendi Richter and Madusa. I really was influenced to train when I was a bit older and able to fully appreciate the combination of athleticism and entertainment provided by the sport. And at the time there weren't too many credible women competing in the ring on national television. So I made it my goal to become a valuable asset to the business as a woman."

It's safe to say she's making good on that score. That decision as a teenager to become a wrestler has led her all across North America and, more recently, Europe, and she's held a number of titles across the Midwest. She's also formed what she modestly describes as "the best tag team EVER," the Minnesota Homewrecking Crew, alongside Rain. History will be the final judge of that, but they are unquestionably one of the best and most formidable teams in the business today.

Despite the supreme confidence on display with that proclamation of the superiority of her partnership with Rain, Lacey admits to a certain amount of nervousness when she finally stepped foot in the ring for the first time. What she remembers most about that moment is, "How incredibly terrified I was. I nearly threw up before I went out there!" But despite the jitters and butterflies, the experience only reinforced her desire to enter the sport. "I knew I was hooked and I couldn't wait to get back in there."

"I am a strong, independent, honest individual," Lacey says of herself--although it's likely a number of her opponents might take issue with the last part of that assessment. "I am a perfectionist, and probably a little obsessive-compulsive at times. I cannot stand to be disorganized, and I am a bit of a neat freak. I'm definitely a pessimist...but I am constantly working on gaining a more positive disposition. I absolutely love school and learning--I'll probably be a life long student. I'm big into holistic health and nutrition.

"I dislike people who claim if you're really into nutrition you can't enjoy food. Food is one of the loves of my life, and I enjoy it to the fullest extent! Also, I want to sue McDonald's for its terrible conscience and extreme marketing to children. I hate the current state of our government. I hate our health care system. I hate our foreign policy. I hate how we just can't seem to figure out how to stop running cars on gasoline. I could go on... but I'd make this the longest (interview) ever."

When asked what one thing she would change about the business of professional wrestling for the better, she also holds nothing back--but her answer might be a little surprising to those who know only her as the ruthless, self-absorbed rulebreaker.

"CREATE A UNION," she replied forcefully. "This is the number one most important thing I would do. Professional wrestlers are both athletes and entertainers, and we should be treated with the same respect and receive the same benefits other workers have in both the sports industry and the entertainment industry. It boggles my mind how people can be so selfish and not think at all about the big picture or the future of this business and future generations of wrestlers. A union of some sort absolutely NEEDS to be created if we are to continue to grow this business and develop healthy, happy workers for years to come.

"Unfortunately, as it stands right now people are too self consumed, because no matter who you are, there will always be someone else waiting for your spot, who will take it happily without any benefits. We need to stick to together and stand up for ourselves as one large group, and demand the things we righfully deserve."

As for women in the sport, "I think it's fantastic! There are of course women in this business who do not do us any favors with their lack of respect for the business, but I have met a lot of females who love and respect this sport, and themselves. It's definitely not an easy business for women to survive in, let alone thrive in."

Unsurprisingly, the Lovely Lacey regrets nothing. "I wouldn't be who I am today if I had done things differently." But what might be surprising is what she says would make her happiest in life? Wealth? Fame? A plethora of championship belts? Not at all. No, Lacey's greatest wish is far more altruistic than one might expect, until one actually takes the time to know her.

"World peace," she says simply. "And free health care."

photos courtesy of Lovely Lacey