Velvet Sky: From TNA Knockouts Champion To NWA Commentator
Discover Velvet Sky's journey from her early days on the indie scene to becoming a TNA Knockouts Champion and NWA commentator. Learn about her tag team success, title wins, and lasting impact on women’s wrestling.
Jul 26, 202531.5K Shares463.6K Views
Jamie Lynn Szantyr was born on June 2, 1981, in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. She grew up in a working-class family with Polish and Italian heritage. She was raised in Waterbury, Connecticut, where she attended high school. During her school years, she was active in several sports. She played softball, ran track and cross-country, and was also involved in cheerleading and flag football. Her athletic background helped build her physical strength and discipline from a young age.
After finishing high school, she developed an interest in professional wrestling. She decided to begin training seriously and enrolled at the House of Pain Pro Wrestling Dojoin New Britain, Connecticut. There, she was trained by former ECW wrestler Jason Knight and later worked with Kevin Landry, another experienced wrestling trainer. Her training focused on basic wrestling skills, safety, and building in-ring confidence. Jamie later began wrestling on small independent circuits using ring names such as Miss Talia, Talia Doll, and Talia Madisonbefore adopting the name Velvet Skylater in her wrestling career.
Professional Wrestling Career
Independent Circuit And Early Start (2003–2007)
Velvet Sky began her wrestling career in 2003 after training at the House of Pain Pro Wrestling Dojo in New Britain, Connecticut. She first used ring names like Miss Talia, Talia Doll, and Talia Madison. In the early years, she wrestled for independent promotions across the United States.
She worked in Women’s Extreme Wrestling (WEW)and formed a tag team called T&Awith April Hunter. Together, they won the WEW Tag Team Championship. Velvet later became the WEW World Women’s Championin 2007, proving herself as a strong singles wrestler.
She also wrestled in World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW)and won the WXW Women’s Championshipby winning a battle royal on May 29, 2004. During this period, she gained more experience by wrestling in promotions like Independent Wrestling Federation (IWF)and New England Wrestling.
TNA Debut And Rise With The Beautiful People (2007–2010)
Velvet Sky made her debut in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)in October 2007. She teamed up with Angelina Loveto form a heel (villain) team known as The Beautiful People. This group later added Madison Rayneand briefly Lacey Von Erich, and became one of the most popular and dominant women’s factions in TNA history.
The Beautiful People were known for their arrogant characters and strong teamwork. In 2009, they won the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship, using the “Freebird Rule,” which allowed any two of the group members to defend the titles.
During this time, Velvet often wrestled in tag team matches and was involved in long feuds with other Knockouts like Gail Kim, Awesome Kong, Taylor Wilde, and Tara.
First Knockouts Championship Win (2011)
Velvet Sky won her first TNA Knockouts Championshipon October 16, 2011, at Bound for Gloryby defeating Madison Rayne, Mickie James, and Winter in a four-way match. This win was a big moment in her career, as she had been with the company for years before earning a singles title.
She had a strong fan following, and her title win was celebrated by both fans and fellow wrestlers. However, she lost the title shortly afterward due to storyline developments.
Second Knockouts Title Run And Injury (2012–2013)
After a brief departure, Velvet Sky returned to TNA in late 2012. On January 13, 2013, at Genesis, she became the number one contender by winning a gauntlet match. She then defeated Tara to win the Knockouts Championshipfor a second time at Impact Wrestlingon January 17, 2013.
Velvet successfully defended her title at Lockdownagainst Gail Kim, even while dealing with a real-life knee injury. She held the title for around four months before losing it to Mickie Jameson May 23, 2013.
Independent Appearances And Final TNA Run (2013–2016)
From 2013 to 2015, Velvet wrestled on the independent circuit. She reunited with Angelina Love in promotions like Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE), Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW), and Northeast Wrestling (NEW). The Beautiful People continued their act outside TNA and remained crowd favorites.
She returned to TNA again in 2015. During this time, she was involved in storylines against Angelina Love and Madison Rayne. However, in April 2016, Velvet lost a match to Sienna in which the stipulation stated she would be fired if she lost. After this match, she officially left TNA.
Ring Of Honor And NWA (2019–Present)
In 2019, Velvet Sky appeared in Ring of Honor (ROH)and helped form a new faction called The Allürewith Angelina Love and Mandy Leon. The group was presented as a heel group and had multiple rivalries with other women wrestlers in ROH.
In 2021, Velvet joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)as a commentator. She currently serves as a color commentator on the NWA’s weekly program, NWA USA, helping call matches and giving her expert insights on wrestling.
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