Sweet as Sugar, Tough as Nails – Uncovering the Darker Side of Molly Holly
February 2004
By: Anthony Call
On the outside, Molly Holly seems innocent, wholsome and pure, but deep inside beats the heart of a merciless tormentor, capable of snapping bones and ending careers.
The Molly Holly who debuted in 2000 has drastically changed. The once-golden curls of fairy-tale lore have been replaced with dark and shadowy locks. Her formerly naive, innocent expressions have become serious and determined, and those cheerful outfits she once sported have been substituted, usually with all-black attire. Even the way Molly walks seems to have undergone a metamorphosis.
Her startling transformation has not gone unnoticed. The changes in Molly are equivalent of a monarch butterfly turning into a black widow. Many believe that either something profound has happened to Molly during the past year, or she has been hiding this darker side and fooling her legions of fans for quite some time.
Just like Spike Dudley, practically everyone watching WWE fell in love with the cute country girl when she first appeared on WWE programming to help out her fighting cousins. Molly was everything any guy would want. She was shy, loyal, loving and fun, but also tough — something she quickly displayed when she joined the ultra-competitive women’s division.
Many realized that Molly — true to the Holly name — possessed a bad temper and was extremely prone to fighting, but few knew just how malicious she could be. Given her volatile nature, nobody should have been shocked to see Molly’s meaner side surface. In fact, if one were to examine her actiosn throughout the years, a number of clues appear that may signal Molly’s turn to the other side of the tracks.
First, Molly seemed relish causing friction between her family and the Dudley clan. She publicly flaunted her relationship with Spike and manipulated him to put himself at risk for her protection. On more than one occasion, the devious Diva caused Spike to suffer a brutal beatdown. Then, as if their relationship had meant nothing, Molly left Spike and found refuge in the arms of the Hurricane.
Re-christened as Mighty Molly, she was the sidekick of her superhero partner, but there was more to her alliance with The Hurricane than met the eye. Molly waited for the right moment to turn on her mentor and steal his glory. At Wrestlemania X-8, she blindsided The Hurricane and took away his newly won Hardcore title. She quickly lost it to Christian, but the double-cross made her a super-villain in The Hurricane’s eyes, and the two soon parted ways.
Once she went solo, the real Molly began to emerge. She dyed her hair dark brown to match her darker mood. She also focused on winning the WWE Women’s Championship. Within months, Molly accomplished her goal and successfully defeneded her title for three months by using any means necessary, including shortcuts that the old Molly never would have considered.
Rather than to align herself with solid citizens, Molly developed special relationships with some of WWE’s more reviled Superstars, such as William Regal and Christopher Nowinski. Also, fans began to learn of the special pleasure Molly derived out of maiming opponents and ruining their lives both personally and professionally.
Whether out of jealousy or spite, Molly targeted the most curvaceous and scantily clad women in the company, claiming that she was doing a public service by ridding WWE of its trash. Molly vehemently declared that Divas such as Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler and Terri Runnells were nothing but shameless trollops who had no purpose in sports-entertainment but to serve as unnecessary eye candy. Molly tried to convince fans that unlike the other Divas, she was a good role model for young women to follow.
As compelling as her diatribe may have been, there were other matters motivating Molly to destory her fellow Divas one by one. She terminated friendships and threatened WWE announcers, clearly showing that she was unstable and insecure, and felt a need to establish herself as the dominant female in sports-entertainment. In order to accomplish this, Molly set out to strike fear into the hearts of all potential contenders before they could become legitimate threats.
Molly even used supposed allies such as Jacqueline, Jazz and Victoria as pawns to help fight some of her battles. She quickly turned on them, however, as soon as an opportunity for gold was on the line. Then last summer, one of Molly’s biggest fears came true when Gail Kim arrived and won the Women’s title on her first Raw appearance. A short while later, Molly defeated the rookie sensation, but she realized that Kim would continue to be a problem. Molly concocted a plan she hoped would keep one of her biggest challengers at bay while allowing her to eliminate another.
Using her charm and powers of deception, Molly convinced Kim to join her and target Trish Stratus, who had accidentally kicked Kim in the mouth in a previous encounter. A team was born, and the two tormented Stratus every week. After a few rounds of attacks, Molly’s plan was foiled. Lita, sidelined for over a year following neck surgery, returned to help Stratus, and in no time at all, she was named No. 1 contender for Molly’s title. At Survivor Series, Lita received a title shot, but Molly was able to fend her off to retain her title.
As of late, Molly has formed a fast friendship with Raw’s co-General Manager Eric Bischoff. The alliance has countless advantages for Molly, and she has already used it on several occasions to outmaneuver foes. But anyone who knows the real Molly realizes that Bischoff may likely be her next victim — the latest in a long time to fall for her virtuous disguise.
To the naked eye, Molly may seem every bit as sweet as flowers, puppies and homemade apple pie, but people are beginning to realize that she is driven solely by power, glory and greed. Her obsession with being champion causes her to use anyone necessary in order to get or keep the title. But as long as she has everyone fooled, Molly will likely remain the most powerful and dominant female in WWE.