Mighty mite Moore takes on all comers

Alex Marvez, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Friday, May 11, 2007

All Jacqueline Moore wants for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Sacrifice pay-per-view show Sunday is her two front teeth.

Well, at least some new ones.

Moore will appear on the card with replacement dentistry after having some choppers knocked out during a "street fight" match with Gail Kim on last week's episode of TNA Impact (7 p.m. Thursdays, Spike TV). Moore was wedged inside a metal garbage can when Kim began whacking it with a broomstick and accidentally struck her in the mouth.

"Instead of freaking out, I kind of looked down and saw my teeth on the mat," said Moore, who received dental implants and a root canal Tuesday because of nerve damage. "I just continued to wrestle instead of rolling out of the ring and saying I can't continue."

The fact that Moore finished the bout without skipping a beat further bolstered her reputation as the industry's toughest female performer.

"A lot of people have told me that if it would have been them, they would have just quit and started crying in the corner somewhere," Moore said. "I couldn't do that."

Despite her smallish standing, the 5-foot-3-inch, 130-pound Moore has regularly wrestled both women and men during an 18-year grappling career that began in her hometown of Dallas. A childhood fan of the Von Erich clan, Moore was able to break into the business after meeting acclaimed manager Skandar Akbar at a local gym.

"I was the only student in our group that made it out of there," Moore said. "A lot of them quit, and I was the only female out there."

After cutting her teeth in small promotions in Texas and Memphis for almost eight years, Moore received her big break as Kevin Sullivan's valet in World Championship Wrestling. Moore quickly established herself by body-slamming Sullivan's hapless opponents after they were tossed outside the ring.

Even bigger stardom followed in 1998 when she jumped to World Wrestling Entertainment and defeated Rena "Sable" Mero to become the first black women's world champion.

"I was shocked it took that long," said Moore, 42. "I didn't even know that was the case until someone told me about it. It's an honor and I'm so happy I made history."

Moore enjoyed two title reigns with the women's title and one as cruiserweight champion by defeating male opponent Chavo Guerrero before being released by WWE in June 2004. Moore landed full-time with TNA in January when the promotion began featuring more female performers with in-ring skill while WWE focused on pushing the looks of its "Divas."

"We've got better talent," said Moore, who has formed an alliance with "Cowboy" James Storm in a feud against Kim and "Wildcat" Chris Harris. "TNA lets the women wrestle and get (physically) involved. And we get a lot of TV time over here."

Sting vs. Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage headlines Sacrifice, which will emanate from Orlando. For more information, visit tnawrestling.com.

• The injury bug continues to plague top WWE performers, with Ken Kennedy (triceps) now sidelined along with the Undertaker (biceps), Paul "Triple H" Levesque (quadriceps), Rey Mysterio (knee) and Booker T (knee). The injuries prompted WWE to switch Adam "Edge" Copeland from its Raw roster to Smackdown, where he became world champion Tuesday night by defeating The Undertaker in the latter's last match before surgery to repair a torn biceps.

Question: Where is Bob Geigel? - Don Roach, Denver.

Answer: Retired for almost two decades, the 82-year-old Geigel received a lifetime achievement award last month from the Las Vegas-based Cauliflower Alley Club, which is a nonprofit group primarily composed of retired wrestlers. Geigel became a top talent after debuting in the 1950s but is better known for being a former National Wrestling Alliance president and part owner of the Kansas City-based Central States Wrestling promotion that he ran from 1958 to 1986.

Questions can be sent to Alex Marvez c/o the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33301, or e-mailed to amarvez@sun-sentinel.com. Include your full name and city of residence.