FACTOIDS
Full Name: Dawn Marie
Nickname: Daen
Birthday: November 3, 1970
Height: 5' 7"
Hometown: Rahway, New Jersey, USA
Sports: Wrestling
BIOGRAPHY
In her youth, Dawn Marie was a fan of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), admiring wrestlers such as Bob Backlund, Jimmy Snuka, and Roddy Piper. She graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business at the age of 23 and went on to work for a real estate consultancy firm in Manhattan, New York, reaching the position of Director of International Real Estate.
After meeting an ex-boyfriend who had aspired to play football professionally and finding out that he had been signed by the Chicago Bears, Dawn Marie decided that she would pursue a career in entertainment. She resigned from the firm and moved into the entertainment industry with the goal of becoming either a model or an actress.
While signing modeling posters for Jonathan Gold, a talent agent and professional wrestling promoter, Dawn jokingly told Gold that she would be interested in pursuing a career in wrestling. Gold took her comment at face value and later contacted Dawn Marie, informing her that she was scheduled to appear at a wrestling show in New Jersey. With some trepidation, Dawn Marie went to the show and managed Tony Atlas in his match against Jimmy Snuka. Following the event, Dawn Marie stopped modeling and began appearing on the independent circuit, managing and learning from wrestlers such as Devon Storm, Buddy Landell, Snuka, Tom Brandi, Steve Corino, and Spanish Angel. She made her professional wrestling debut in January 1995.
