Velvet Sky on How the Allure Plans to Add Sizzle to Ring of Honor’s Women of Honor Division
Preview
More than a decade ago, Velvet Sky and partner Angelina Love made pro wrestling fans take notice forming the mean girl group the Beautiful People. The two helped put the TNA Impact Wrestling women’s division on the map as a dominant faction. Now the two have entered a new chapter in their respective careers in Ring of Honor with The Allure, which also includes company mainstay Mandy Leon.
“Everyone keeps comparing The Allure to the Beautiful People,” Sky said. “…It’s not the same concept. Adding Mandy to the group, she is a perfect fit. She looks great. She can definitely hold her own in the ring.We’re not doing the Beautiful People 2.0 without Madison [Rayne], which seems to be the consensus that is out there among certain people in the business and wrestling fans as well.
“That’s fine, but nobody has seen what we are capable of doing yet because there hasn’t been a match yet. There has been no in-ring action yet. You’ve kind of seen The Allure show up here and there randomly throughout Women of Honor matches to make our mark on the division. We’ve announced our presence. We are a strong, dominant, female, kick ass type of team that is definitely going to make an impact in Ring of Honor and shake up the Women of Honor division.”
The Allure are (left to right) Mandy Leon, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky (Credit: Ring of Honor/Zia Hiltey)
Sky may have retired from in-ring competition, the former champion still loves the business and can contribute in other ways. She describes her role as managerial, the mouthpiece while Love and Leon take care of business when the bell rings.
Sky recalls the seeds for her and Love joining the company being planted last summer. She was at a Smashing Pumpkins concert in Madison Square Garden with her tag team life partner Bully Ray. Interestingly enough, the “World’s Most Famous Arena” served as the place The Allure first appeared during ROH’s biggest night G1 Supercard. A truly surreal moment for the Northeasterner. The response was admittedly mixed.
“Lots of haters, subtweeters, group texting, shade thrown our way, jealousy we’ve seen,” Sky said. “It’s funny because it doesn’t matter to us. It doesn’t trigger us at all. We just sit back and say, ‘Wow, look at the powerful buzz the three of us have created just by joining forces together’ It just makes sense.
“…You know as well as I do that division was on life support. We are breathing much needed life into the Women of Honor. Wrestling fans from Ring of Honor are like night and day from what we are used to at Impact Wrestling.
“Ring of Honor fans seem to be strictly about wrestling and in-ring action and physicality, which is fine because it is a wrestling company after all. But it’s not all wrestling all the time when you need to have a little bit of sizzle with your steak. The steak is already there. We’re just here to add some sizzle to it.”
The Allure name came out of a brainstorming session. They liked the definition of Allure meaning powerfully, mysteriously attractive or fascinating.
“That describes the three of us to a tee,” Sky said. “We’re not just all about looks. That will be proven when Mandy and Angelina get in the ring, which they will be doing sooner than later. Having a match and showing the Women of Honor what they are capable of.
“Angelina and myself come to Ring of Honor, and we have quite the resume of championships and accomplishments under our belts. We come to not only kick ass but add some excitement and incorporate some much-needed storyline. Make a lot of people very angry in the process.”
The added bonus of joining ROH is traveling once again with Ray. For the veteran performer, it’s comforting to know the one who loves and supports you unconditionally isn’t far away.
“If I have him with me, I feel like home is with me on the road,” she said. “We both get to do what we love all these years, and do it together is really cool…We’ve seen a lot of jibber jabber saying, ‘Well, the only reason you’re in Ring of Honor is because of Bubba [Ray].’ That’s not true. I was in the wrestling business making a name for myself, paying my dues long before Bubba and I ever got together.
“So, the fact that he is there has nothing to do with the reason I’m in Ring of Honor. It’s not like they hired me to appease him. The gimmick, with Angelina, Mandy and myself, we fit the mold for what Ring of Honor was looking to create in a new women’s faction. Whether Bubba was there or not, this would still be unfolding the way it is.”
Credit Ring of Honor/Bruno Silveira
Sky is starting to feel at home in ROH thanks to the warm reception from the locker room. Whether the fans follow suit or not, it’s too early to tell.
“We aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. That’s fine,” she said. “We’re not there so everyone can like us. The Ring of Honor fan base is much different than the Impact fan base because the Impact fan base appreciates that extra entertainment. They are not all about strictly in-ring action. I’m not saying that’s bad. To each their own, everybody has their likes, dislikes, flavors.
“Maybe it won’t take any time at all. Or maybe the Ring of Honor fan base won’t warm up to us. That’s totally fine because we are not there to make friends with the fan base. We’re there to make a statement on Women of Honor, at the top and eventually get that Women of Honor championship in The Allure.”
The have already made their intentions known to current title holder Kelly Klein. And they’re ready to stand atop the mountain of the division. Sky saw ROH as an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. Despite finding success in personal training and finishing her associate degree in marketing, the driven star can’t seem to get wrestling out of her system. The adrenaline rush of a live crowd and satisfaction of showing others not to judge a book by its cover keeps her motivated. Sky’s indeed the limit.
Credit: Ring of Honor/Bruno Silveira
“They aren’t used to the ‘hair and makeup girls,’ which is what we are referred to as. They aren’t used to seeing that. They are used to the strong style women’s wrestling physicality, no direction or storyline. They are not used to our flavor Oreo,” Sky said, using a favorite snack for an analogy.
“There are some fans who do appreciate what we bring to the table. The thing is for me personally, I grew up in the ‘Attitude Era.’ I grew up with the Torrie Wilson’s, the Sable’s. The glitz and the glamour girls, which is what inspired me and was my first taste of wrestling.
“They were the ‘hair and makeup’ girls. Then they got in the ring and were able to mix it up and not just look good. It’s the same thing with The Allure. Just because these are attractive women doesn’t mean we aren’t going to be able to go out there and kick ass.
ROH is wrapping up its War of the Worlds events available for live streaming and later viewing through HonorClub and the FITE service. For more information, visit www.ROHWrestling.com.
Catch episodes of the weekly TV show weekends on Sinclair stations, Sundays 10/9c on Charge!, Mondays 7/6c on FITE TV and via HonorClub.
