WCW's Ms. Hancock Talks About Unemployment and Life Away from Wrestling
By Alex Marvez / South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Stacy Keibler is thin.

This will surprise any World Championship Wrestling fan who believes Keibler should be seven- to eight-months pregnant by now.

But like many of the storylines that went nowhere in the Vince Russo matchmaking regime, Keibler's pregnancy and character were forgotten about after a WCW management switch. Keibler was "showing" when appearing on a WCW Thunder telecast in late November and hasn't appeared on television since. "I haven't been at work for a month-and-a-half or so," said Keibler, who also worked under the name Ms. Hancock. "I don't really know a lot except for what I read on the Internet and what people there have told me.

"I think they're just figuring things out with the storylines and what they want me to do. I think everybody needs a little break. I've gotten mine, so I'm ready to work." WCW, though, will have plenty of explaining to do when Keibler does return.

Keibler and David Flair were set to have a shotgun wedding until she was forced to admit that he wasn't the father of the baby. A list of potential suspects was introduced during later telecasts, including Russo, Marcus Bagwell and David's father, Ric. At one point, David Flair was collecting DNA samples from other wrestlers in his personal search. Despite the tasteless nature of the angle, Keibler said she didn't object when asked by Russo for her participation.

"His ideas were very good," said Keibler, who was plucked from the ranks of the Nitro Girls and repackaged as a valet during Russo's tenure. "If he could have played it out the way he wanted, it would have been a very good angle and story to tell. But things just went haywire and it never worked out." Keibler said she wasn't sure who would eventually be exposed as the father.

"I don't know all the final things," Keibler said. "I can say that because we were owned by (Ted) Turner, I couldn't have had an abortion or a miscarriage. It would have went somewhere with either having a kid or me being a liar. It would have led to more problems and more stories."

WCW's new ownership (Fusient Media Ventures) isn't holding the botched ending to the pregnancy storyline against Keibler. On Feb. 2, WCW terminated the contracts of five female performers (Major Guns, Daffney, Paisley, Tygress and Leia Meow), but decided to keep Keibler in the fold.

When her wrestling career temporarily slowed down, Keibler re-enrolled as a part-time student at Towson State in Maryland. Keibler also found time to attend Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa to cheer on the Baltimore Ravens. Keibler, 21, was a Ravens cheerleader before being chosen the winner of a $10,000 contest to join the Nitro Girls in the fall of 1999.

"It could be good for me being off TV, because people could be like, ãWhere's she at?"' said Keibler, whose short skirts and dance routines on the announcing table helped establish her wrestling character. "Then when I do come back, I'll have a whole new thing going on that will be better than when I was there before. Hopefully, it doesn't last too much longer, because I love what I do and I want to be back on the road."