Jacqueline

 

Todays lesson is on Jacqueline who is a legend in her own right . She became first African American WWE Cruiserweight champion as well as being one of three women to hold the championship.

Jacqueline defeated Sable on Monday Night Raw to win the vacant WWF Women’s Championship – the first champion since the belt was infamously thrown in the trash by Madusa on WCW Nitro.

She began her career in World Class Championship Wrestling, but was well known in the United States Wrestling Association, where she was a fourteen-time USWA Women's Champion. She later moved to World Championship Wrestling, where she briefly managed the team Harlem Heat. In 1998, she joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later World Wrestling Entertainment). She began managing Marc Mero and had her first rivalry with Sable, which culminated in the re-establishment of the WWF Women's Championship, which Moore held twice during her time with the WWF. In 1999, she formed an all-female alliance with Terri Runnels and Ryan Shamrock called the Pretty Mean Sisters. In the early 2000s, Moore worked as both a referee and trainer for the WWF, and she also held the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, which was a title predominantly held by men. She was the third woman to accomplish the feat, but the only woman to do so under the WWE banner (following Madusa and Daffney in WCW). In 2004, she joined TNA, where she worked mostly as a manager and occasional wrestler.

Moore later moved on to the United States Wrestling Association in Memphis, where she was known as Miss Texas.[9] She made her debut as a Heel Valet to Eric Embry and Tom Prichard as part of team Texas during the Texas vs Tennessee feud. She was later involved in a feud with the Dirty White Girl Kim Anthony and was involved in a Mudpit Match and a Hair vs Hair match which Anthony won and in the latter Moore had her hair shaved off. She was the first ever USWA Women's Champion, winning the newly created title in a tournament on March 2, 1992. Between March 1992 and August 1996, Moore held the title a total of eight times, swapping it with Lauren Davenport, Luna Vachon, and Debbie Combs.  In 1993, Moore became the first female to be included in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500, detailing the top 500 professional wrestlers in the world. 

In 1995, Moore became involved in a feud with the valet of Reggie B. Fine and Don Bass, Sweet Georgia Brown. Brown was jealous of Texas after the USWA aired a music video of Moore, and they were involved in several catfights. Later in 1995, Moore feuded with Uptown Karen, the lover of Downtown Bruno. During the feud, Moore formed an alliance with former foe Sweet Georgia Brown. The Miss Texas/Uptown Karen feud culminated in a Hair vs. Hair match which was won by Texas. She also competed in Herb Abrams's Universal Wrestling Federation, winning the promotion's women's title in 1994. In late 1993, she appeared in a Jeff Jarrett promo for the WWF where Jarrett would be criticizing a young man's singing voice.

Through the WWF's partnership with the USWA Jacqueline was scheduled to debut in the WWF under the name Wynonna as a manager for Jeff Jarrett. Jackie filmed vignettes, but she left the WWF before debuting, due to an injury. She also appeared in the February 1994 edition of the then WWF Magazine.

Moore joined Smoky Mountain Wrestling in October 1995 under the name Sgt. Rock and joined Jim Cornette's Militia, which included Tommy Rich, Robert Gibson, Terry Gordy, and The Punisher. However, her stint in SMW didn't last, as the company folded at the end of November.

Moore began submitting pictures of herself to the Atlanta, Georgia-based World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and was eventually contacted by WCW employee J. J. Dillon, who offered her a contract. Jacqueline debuted in WCW as the manager of Kevin Sullivan, and she helped Sullivan by body slamming his opponents.She aided Sullivan in his feud with Chris Benoit and feuded with Sullivan's ex-wife, Woman. Her alliance with Sullivan came to an end at Bash at the Beach 1997, when she smashed a wooden chair over Sullivan's head causing him to lose a Loser Must Retire bout to Chris Benoit. At Road Wild on August 9, Jacqueline became the manager of Harlem Heat. She later engaged in a brief feud with Disco Inferno, whom she defeated at Halloween Havoc on October 26.

Moore rejoined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in mid-1998, debuting on the June 1 episode of Raw as the new on-screen girlfriend of Marc Mero  to later began a feud with the estranged wife of Mero, Sable.  Sable defeated Moore in a bikini contest on July 26, 1998, at Fully Loaded: In Your House after Sable removed her halter top to reveal a painted on bikini top.WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, however, disqualified Sable for not wearing a traditional bikini, and Moore was declared the winner.Moore and Mero were defeated by Sable and Edge on August 30 at SummerSlam. On the September 14, 1998, episode of Raw, she would also wrestle Sable in a controversial evening gown match which saw one of her breasts exposed.

In September with the revived WWF Women's Championship on the line (the Women's Championship had been abandoned in December 1995),Moore defeated Sable to become the new champion, and the first African-American Women's Champion. Two months later at Survivor Series, Sable defeated Moore to become the new champion.

 Dean Malenko for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, in which she was unsuccessful. In January 2001 during a match against Lita, both women attacked Right to Censor member Ivory, who was on commentary that night criticizing the women's division. Later on that year, Jacqueline starred in the first season of the WWF's reality show Tough Enough as a trainer alongside Al Snow, Tazz and Tori.

In late 2001, she took part in the Six Pack Challenge for the vacant WWF Women's Championship on November 18 at Survivor Series, which was won by Trish Stratus. Several weeks later, Moore challenged Stratus for the title at Vengeance. Stratus won the match after surprising Moore with a backslide pin

In 2002, Moore became a referee, with her debut match being a Women's Championship bout between Jazz and Trish Stratus at the Royal Rumble. In late 2002, she and Stratus began a feud with Victoria, leading to a Triple Threat match at Armageddon, in which Victoria retained the title. In 2003, the return of Jazz culminated in a Four-Way match for Jazz's title at Judgment Day on May 18, 2003, which Jazz won.

Moore seldom appeared throughout late 2003 and early 2004. On the May 6, 2004, episode of SmackDown!, WWE Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. issued an open challenge for anyone to face him for his title, and Moore defeated him to become the champion. She lost the championship back to Guerrero at Judgment Day in a match where his arm was tied behind his back.  The company released Moore in June 2004 when the creative team could not come up with any storylines for her character. 

In June 2005, she had a match with the Independent Association of Wrestling (IAW) against Vanessa Harding. On June 25, she defeated Harding and Crystal Carmichael to win the IAW Women's Championship. In March 2006, she also competed in Mexico.

Moore debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a babyface at the Victory Road pay-per-view on November 7, 2004, losing a singles match to the villainous Trinity.  She made a second appearance with TNA on December 5 at Turning Point, where she refereed a tag team match between Pat Kenney and Johnny B. Badd against Johnny Swinger and Glenn Gilberti. 

On June 13, 2011, Moore returned to TNA as ODB's new tag team partner at the tapings for the June 16 episode of Impact Wrestling, with the two promising to clean up the Knockouts division.Both of them were billed as not being under contract with TNA. The following week Jackie and ODB defeated Velvet Sky and Ms. Tessmacher in a tag team match.On June 28 at the tapings of the July 7 episode of Impact Wrestling, Sky defeated both Jackie and ODB in a two-on-one handicap match, forcing both of them out of TNA as per stipulation of the match.However, Jacqueline, along with ODB, returned to Impact Wrestling on July 21, once again attacking Velvet Sky prior to her match with Mickie James for the TNA Women's Knockout Championship. 

They would eventually be attacked by the returning Traci Brooks, before being escorted out of the arena by police officers.[46] On the August 18 edition of Impact Wrestling, Jacqueline and ODB changed their attitudes, abandoning their villainous antics, in order to first get contracts with the promotion. After several weeks of working as babyfaces, Jacqueline and ODB were signed to contracts by the new head of the Knockouts division, Karen Jarrett, on the August 25 episode of Impact Wrestling, and later teamed with Velvet Sky to defeat Angelina Love, Sarita and Rosita. However, Jacqueline would not make any more appearances, before announcing on November 28 that her TNA contract had expired.

Jacqueline returned to TNA on March 17, 2013, at one of their One Night Only pay-per-views, Knockouts Knockdown (which aired on September 6, 2013). Jacqueline began turning heel by trash-talking her opponent, Taryn Terrell, while defeating her to advance to the Gauntlet Battle Royal, where Jacqueline cemented her heel turn by attacking former partner ODB, who later eliminated Jacqueline. Two days later, the villainous Jacqueline faced off against ODB at Hardcore Justice 2 (which aired on July 5, 2013), in a Hardcore match, coming out on the losing end.

On March 14, 2016, it was announced that Moore would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2016. At the ceremony on April 2, she was inducted by The Dudley Boyz, and became the first black woman to be inducted.The next night at WrestleMania 32, she appeared while she was introduced as part of the 2016 Hall of Fame class.

On the January 22, 2018, episode of Raw, Jacqueline was honored being "one of the greatest female superstars in the history of WWE" and made a special appearance as part of the 25th anniversary of Raw along with fellow wrestlers and former co-workers; The Bella Twins, Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Lilian Garcia, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Terri Runnels, Maria Kanellis, and fellow Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. On January 28 at the Royal Rumble, Jacqueline made a surprise entrance at number 21 during the first women's Royal Rumble match, in which she was eliminated by Nia Jax. 

Jacqueline appeared at SummerSlam (2024) as a part of the WWE Legends Suite alongside other legends including Diamond Dallas Page and Kevin Nash. On September 6, 2024 it was revealed Jacqueline had signed a legends contract, making her an ambassador for WWE