Professional Bodybuilder And WWF Wrestling Personality Marianna Komlos Passes Away At 35
Several muscle & fitness websites are reporting that Marianna Komlos passed away on September 26, 2004 after a long battle with breast cancer. It's a very sad story as she appeared to have beaten her cancer, only to have come back fatal. She was only 35 years old.
She has been featured in dozens of muscle & fitness magazines. She has competed and won several competitions in bodybuilding. Many WWF / WWE fans will remember her back in 1999 as the mother of Beaver Cleavage and later the "girlfriend" of Chaz. (Remeber the "GTV" angles backstage? She was the one that was shown on GTV that she faked being beat up by Chaz.)
We offer our condolences to her family and friends. 35 is way too soon for anyone to pass away.
If you are a regular visitor of fitness websites, you will see that up until recently she continued to bust her ass doing what she loved to do. In case you aren't familiar with Marianna, here is a great interview Flex Magazine had with her about a year ago.
From Ironlife.com:
Iron Life Online Magazine is proud to bring you Marianna Komlos. Former WWF personality and body building competitor. Thank you for taking time out of you schedule, we are honored to have an athlete of your experience to do an interview with us.
Where were you born? age?
I was born in Kitimat BC, but grew up in Terrace BC, a very small north western town in Canada. I just turned 34 on September 3rd.
Stats?
I'm 5'4", 130 lbs. I don't take measurements........I don't even know what they are to be honest....
Are you married? children?
I'm divorced, and I have a 16 year old daughter.
How did your get your start as a fitness competitor?
I was never a Fitness competitor, I was a Bodybuilder....it's funny, but when I was competing, everyone thought I was doing Fitness. But I competed once in 1993 and then again in 1996 at the Gator's Classic in Vancouver B.C.. I won the lightweights and over all that show. Then I did the Provincials in 1997 and won the middle weights there. The next show that year was the Women's Extravaganza in New Jersey, where I won the middle weights there. I stopped competing after that and was trying to pursue other things.
What childhood role models inspired you to compete?
Well, I would have to say the Women of Iron who really paved the way for future competitors like myself, and who truly inspired me, were, Kay Baxter, Rachel McLish, Dianna Dennis, Cory Everson, and of course Jackie Paisley’s condition......there were so many....I starting first lifting when I was 10, so I had an early start...I thought women with muscles were not only tough, but courageous to look that way dispite of what people may say. They were all hero's to me...
I have seen you on a few body building magazine covers, can you tell our readers which ones?
I did a layout called Power and Sizzle for Flex magazine in November of '97, I did the cover of Muscle and Fitness in September of '97, I did the cover of Women's Physique World, Fighting Females, and a did a lot of pics for these and other mags as well.....I was also in RAW magazine and was featured in an annual wrestling album for ECW/WWF/WCW. I was also in Ironman, and a few others.
How did you land a role as Mrs. Cleavage/Marianna, with the then WWF, now WWE?
Well they say timing is everything...I was sending promo to WWF for quite a while in 1998. I must phoned Bruce Pritchard every few days. I would go to some shows and would go say hi to The Rock, whom I met while competing in NJ. So they got to know me as The Rocks friend. That helped of course. I never wrestled before, but was very trainable to them. I worked with Dr. Tom Pritchard who is really amazing. They had the gimmick and storyline, and needed a Mrs. Cleavage, I just happened to be there at the right time. And it helped that at the time I had big breasts....haha
What are you most notable story line working for Vince McMahon and Vince Russo?
I would say that was it, Mrs. Cleavage. I only had two gimmicks and only stayed with WWF for a year.
What is your relationship like with the WWE these days?
Well I don't really have one....It was a good parting, and no hard feelings. WWF was going through some big changes regarding story angles for the women and they didn't have much for me at the time. They asked me to stick it out, I really didn't want to. I really didn’t feel it was my calling. My sister had just found out she had breast cancer and I flew back to Vancouver to be with her.
Would you ever consider making a come back?
No, I think maybe a guest appearance would be more like it. It’s not what I want to do. I like having full control over how the public sees me. When you’re with the WWE, they own you, and it’s far worse for the females. I have a lot of respect for the workers, they work damn hard, but I really don’t like where the WWE has gone. The story lines are getting worse and worse.
Did you ever experience any sort of sexual harassment through your career?
Oh God no! You get bugged a lot, but it’s all in fun. It makes me laugh when I hear about the sexual harassment claims. Consider the industry and what you’re portraying there, and then tell me how mad you get how people percieve you. Sable is a prime example. What an idiot. She goes out to the ring, doesn’t wear anything but dental floss and laytex paint, and then gets mad when comments are made. She chose to do the gimmicks. And I have never witnessed any sexual harassment the whole time I was there. Vince runs a tight ship, he doesn’t put up with much.
Besides modeling what else are you doing these days?
Well, the last few years have been absolute craziness. When I found out my sister had breast cancer, I didn’t know I had it too, freaky hey? This was in mid 2000. Mine went unnoticed until early 2002. By the time they found it, it had traveled and was in a stage 4. Two more months without starting treatment would of killed me. I’m lucky to be here, and I’m very grateful. I had to get surgery immediately followed by 6 ½ months of chemotherapy, then surgery again, and one month radiation. I lost both breasts, but just started the reconstruction surgery to rebuild them. The surgeon is one of the best and when it’s done, they’ll look better than they did. So I’m happy. Who would of guessed that Mrs. Cleavage would get breast cancer and lose them? There’s an irony there. LOL
Do you have a set weekly training schedule?
I am boxing now, and plan on competing. It’s my focal point. So all my training revolves around that. Since I just started reconstruction surgery, I have to move a little slower and let myself heal. But I’m just starting back and will be training 5 days a week and cardio twice a day. I’m not focused on weight training, so I don’t see the gym too much. My body wants to hang on to the muscle anyway, which is a good thing.
What other sports do you train?
I do plan on doing some kickboxing to maintain lower body conditioning. I used to do some muay thai before, but I really like boxing.
Are you a fan of the mixed martial arts?
Oh hell yeah! I would love to do more training in that area, but I can only do one thing at a time. LOL I forget that sometimes. I get so gung ho with things and realize I don’t wear a cape. LOL
I read an article titled, "That's My Opinion. What's Yours? where you voice your feelings about the life of professional competitors trying to make a living, can you explain this?
Well, as many know, I hate how the IFBB treats its athletes. I have also been very vocal about how I feel about Wayne Demilia. I can’t stand that idiot. He has managed to bleed the athletes and collect their blood, sweat and tears. It’s sad when you’re called a Professional athlete and hold a Pro card, yet spend more money competing than receiving in winnings. Yet the IFBB Pres. is taking home most of the revenue. Many of the women are doing things like “apartment wrestling” and “sexual worship sessions” with steady cliental we call schmoes. I mean, you have the right to do what ever you want, but when this shit is advertised at shows that are supposed to represent the industry and athletes like myself, that’s not cool. Do what ever the hell you want, but if you bring it into my back yard, I will be very vocal about it. Not sure if you have seen Muscle Elegance, but that’s an example of what happens when one thing turns into another. It started out as sexy, and now is pretty much porn. That’s fine if that’s what they want to do, but the sad part is, you can’t go to an exhibit at a show, like the Arnold’s Classic, and not see that shit at Denise’s booth. The two have nothing to do with each other, and now everyone has to swallow the shit that goes with it. It’s f**ked up. How do you take a sport seriously that has revolved around sex and drugs? Many women don’t make a lot of money bodybuilding, so they turn to this, and that is their own business. But now you can’t even go to a show and not get approached by these assholes who wanna get off at your expense. Like I said, do what you want, but you bring it to my back yard, and you’re gonna hear about it.
What are your views on steroids in bodybuilding and sports in general?
Well, you heard how I feel about one aspect of bodybuilding. I love the sport, it’s just in a lot of trouble and needs to be turned around. How big can you get before you spontaneously combust? I think taking gear is a personal choice, and everyone knows it’s widely used in the industry, so if you don’t like it, don’t do it. But don’t bitch about it. That’s why there are Natural shows.
Do you feel athletes are almost pressured into taking more drugs to meet a certain criteria?
Oh of course. But you’re only as pressured as you let yourself be. You can’t be at a Pro level and not be using. But you know that as you compete, I knew that too when I was competing. I decided that I wasn’t willing to do more drugs than I was doing and get that big. It was my personal choice and that was that. I now feel I don’t ever need to do it again, nor do I want to.
I also hear you are writing a book, can you tell us what we can expect to see and when it will be out on the stands?
Yes I am. It’s taking a little longer than I thought, but I want it done right. I was hoping to have it done by January, but it looks like a little longer. You can bet I’m gonna be blunt in what I have to say. It’s got pretty much everything in it regarding my life. Some insights on bodybuilding, wrestling, and even some mma. It will be a good read.
Where do you see your career in 5 years?
I see myself as a published author and Pro boxer. When I see something in front of me that I want to do, I do it. I do it the best I can and the best to my abilities. I wanna shake shit up. LOL
What suggestions do you have for aspiring models and competitors?
Be true to yourself. Don’t do something to get ahead if it costs you your dignity or self respect. Do things for the right reasons. Love what you do and the rewards are there. Be persistant, and don’t give up. Quitters never win and winners never quit. I always told myself that if you don’t get what you want, you don’t want it bad enough.
Thanks for reading.
Anthony DeBlasi
3e6r.net Webmaster
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