WWE diva and Playboy covergirl Ashley Massaro is a fan favorite around here, so we by no means want to jump the gun in spreading nasty rumors about her. However, it bears mentioning that the self-proclaimed Dirty Diva is on the hot seat today as reports surface of her alleged involvement with a pricey Los Angeles escort service.

A recent FBI investigation turned up emails linking Ashley Massaro and other female celebs to a high-end call girl ring, according to an article in the May 15, 2008 issue of Rolling Stone. The email messages allegedly contain travel arrangements for Massaro made by the ring leader, a woman named Michelle Braun who also goes by “Nici.”

The article also fingers other celebrity women, including Playboy and Maxim models and adult film stars, who pulled in up to $25,000 a night for their service to famous athletes, TV stars, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Among those named are Playboy models Tishara Cousino and Tina Jordan, adult star Krystal Steal, and Penthouse Pet Lanny Barby.

The Rolling Stone article not only names Ashley Massaro as one of Braun’s escorts, but includes a photo of her as well (check page 52.)

Braun claims that she merely facilitated introductions between her escorts and wealthy men, offering them a chance for companionship and nothing more. The Rolling Stone piece alleges that Ashley Massaro was one such “companion,” but gives no concrete evidence that her work was of a sexual nature.

Ashley denied the allegations in a brief post on her MySpace blog this afternoon:

False False False

Just got buzzed on some BS that is going around. Dont believe it for a second.
Getting in touch with my lawyer as we speak.
No post song because I’m beyond upset.

As Ashley’s fans rally around her with supportive MySpace comments and advice, the story continues to unfold. RedHotDivas has a partial scan of the Rolling Stone article. TMZ is awaiting comment from the WWE, and Dave Meltzer has proposed a plausible explanation: Rolling Stone may have mistaken a Las Vegas bikini model with the same name for Raw diva Ashley Massaro.

Ouch … if that’s true and Rolling Stone really dropped the ball on doing their homework, Ashley Massaro won’t need to work escort gigs to fund a lavish lifestyle for the rest of her years. Rolling Stone will be footing the bill.

Update, 5/5/2008: A ProWrestling.net reader dug up an archived copy of a profile page for Ashley Massaro that appeared on the site of the alleged escort service, Bella Models.   The profile is for an Ashley Massaro located in New York City.  Unfortunately, the accompanying photographs were not archived, so while this new information doesn’t necessarily implicate Ashley Massaro, it also fails to exonerate her.   Although WWE management have declined to comment on the Rolling Stone article, pwinsider.com says the author of the article is standing by her story.  (Warning: visit pwinsider.com at your own risk if you have a slow computer without a good popup blocker.)

Stay tuned for more updates.