Masses of WWE fans braved the frigid temperatures in New York City’s Times Square today to meet WWE Diva and Playboy cover girl Ashley. The SmackDown Diva autographed copies of the April issue of the magazine, which is set to hit newsstands Monday.

Around noon at the Virgin Megastore, Ashley descended on the escalator toward her waiting fans, as the crowd loudly chanted her name. Ashley, looking stunning in a short, black dress and heels, paused for several minutes to pose for a large group of press photographers. Then she donned a pink and white satin, baseball-style Playboy jacket and was seated at a stage where the endless line of lucky WWE fans approached her.

“This signing is so special to me because it is in New York – my hometown – and it happens to be the first one, coincidentally. So that’s awesome,” she told WWE.com.

“It’s nice to see the WWE fans’ positive reaction to Playboy. All kinds of fans came down – guys, chicks, girlfriends and boyfriends together. Everyone seemed just as excited as I was,” she said.

Keith Fradella of Long Island, N.Y., and his friend, Rick Cornock of Enfield, Conn., were first in line to meet Ashley.

“I’m a big fan. I’m a Divas guy. I was in line since 7 a.m.!” Fradella told WWE.com.

“I’ve been an Ashley fan since the beginning. I voted for her when she was the 2005 Diva Search winner. This is the first time I’ve met her in person. She’s very nice, outgoing, an awesome person. She’s great,” Cornock said.

Ashley was overjoyed at the fans’ reaction to the magazine, and she was pleased to see the huge crowd there just for her.

“I recognized some fans out there today. I have some die-hards, some superfans, who come to everything, and I got to see a bunch of them today,” Ashley explained. “Of all my signings I have, I guess this would be one of the more important ones, so they made sure they came down.”

One mom and dad promised their kids if they did well in school, they could come out and meet their favorite Diva. Alex, 9, and Roxane Gross, 7, of Long Beach, N.Y., greeted Ashley with wide smiles and a big bouquet of flowers.

“We’re here because No. 1, Ashley is our favorite Diva. No 2, we always wanted to get autographs from her. And No. 3, a lot of my friends said, ‘No way, its impossible,’ and I just wanted to shove it in their faces and say, ‘Oh yeah! I met Ashley!’ ” Alex smiled.

While the crowd was predominantly male, there were a few female Ashley fans waiting in line to meet the Playboy cover girl.

“I love Ashley, she has a great style. She brings a whole new experience to WWE Divas,” Jennifer Frank of New York City said. “I think it’s great she’s in Playboy. She looks really pretty. It’s wonderful.”

Ashley was particularly touched by one fan who came to see her – Eric Gaiser, of the U.S. Air Force. He’s being deployed overseas Monday as part of the military police, but insisted on meeting his favorite Diva before leaving.

“I’m hoping they let me take my Playboy with me – I’ll be pretty sad if they don’t, but I’ll try!” Gaiser told WWE.com. “Ashley told me to stay safe and that she appreciated me coming out here today.”

After the crowd dissipated, Ashley took a few minutes to reflect on her big day, now that she and some of her fans have seen her Playboy issue.

“I love it. The pictures are great,” she said, then paused for a moment. “I hate talking about myself! I think the pictures came out awesome, but I hate to sit here and talk about how great I am and hot and everything.”

“But when I sit back and look at it, I’m really pleased with the way it came out. I think it’s really sexy. It’s probably the best photo shoot I’ve ever done in my life, and I’m really happy with it, but I still feel uncomfortable talking about it!” Ashley laughed.
 
“This is the biggest year in my career, and pretty much my life. This is an exciting, exciting time for me. I’ve never been happier with the way things are going,” Ashley said with a beaming smile.

“Everything’s coming together. It couldn’t be better.”