Wrestler down for count
Jury tosses hulking female's harassment claim vs. WWE
By JOHN MARZULLI
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Bodybuilder Nicole Bass took the verdict like a man.
The hulking failed grappler didn't blink or shed a tear after a Brooklyn jury drop-kicked her sexual harassment lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment out of federal court yesterday.
Bass kept her chin up, hugged her lawyer and told reporters outside the courtroom she still felt like a winner.
"I'm a little person, I'm not a big corporation," said the 6-foot-2, 230-pound former Miss Olympia contestant. "I stood up for my rights and the rights of women. I'm really glad I did what I did."
Bass, whose physique has gained her notice, said her dream of working for WWE turned into a nightmare. She claimed she was subjected to "sexual indignities" and was sexually assaulted by former wrestler Steve Lombardi on an airplane.
WWE officials countered she was a klutz who couldn't cut it in the world of fake violence.
The jury of six men and two women rejected her claims after deliberating less than five hours. Lombardi's wife cried when the verdict was announced and applauded the jurors as they were dismissed.
"It was like a fabrication," said juror Jim Singletary, 63, of Queens, of Bass' suit.
"She just wanted money," added juror Cliff Hasey, 44, of Long Island, who conceded he is a wrestling fan and got Lombardi's autograph on his juror pass yesterday.
Another juror, Pete Sutich, 39, said there probably were instances of male WWE employees entering the women's locker room, as Bass claimed.
But ultimately the jurors concluded the intrusions did not rise to the level of offensive behavior. "It was never proven whether they were announced or unannounced," Sutich said. "On many occasions they were invited in."
The colorful trial had called into question whether the hijinks of WWE story lines had melted over to backstage.
WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt summoned a parade of wrestlers, managers and senior executives to counter Bass' portrayal of their workplace and depict her as a disgruntled employee who wasn't up to the rigors of the job.
WWE czar Vince McMahon testified Bass had "two left feet."
McDevitt blasted Bass' assertion that she was a defender of women's rights. "Nicole's just trying to put lipstick on a corpse," McDevitt said. "This was a money-grabbing publicity stunt from day one."
Lombardi was asked if his reputation was tarnished by Bass' accusation that he groped her.
"Look who made the allegations," said the former wrestler known as the Brooklyn Brawler. "If it was a respectable person, I could be tarnished. I never felt tarnished for one second."
As for what's next for Bass, she said she was headed home to wash off her makeup and resume training.
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