Dawn Marie debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on August 28, 1998 as the manager of Lance Storm, feuding with Chris Candido and his manager, Tammy Lynn Sytch.
Storm and Dawn Marie feuded with Candido and Sytch for several months, during which time Dawn was renamed "Tammy Lynn Bytch" to spite Candido and his manager. After the respective feuds ended, she used the ring name "Dawn Marie Bytch," which was eventually shortened to simply Dawn Marie. After Storm formed a tag team with Justin Credible known as the Impact Players in the summer of 1999, she managed both men, helping them win the ECW Tag Team Championship on two occasions. She continued to manage Storm until he left ECW in May 2000.
After Storm departed ECW, Dawn Marie became a color commentator on ECW pay-per-views and the television series ECW on TNN. On December 3, 2000, at the Massacre on 34th Street pay-per-view, as part of a new angle, she announced that she would become the manager of the winner of the opening match pitting Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger against Christian York and Joey Matthews. Although York and Matthews won the bout, Dawn opted to join forces with Diamond and Swinger, whom she managed until ECW declared bankruptcy in April 2001.
Dawn Marie made her World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) television debut on the May 30, 2002 episode of SmackDown! as Vince McMahon's legal assistant. She debuted with the name Dawn Marie Rinaldi although it was quickly shortened to the original Dawn Marie. In her initial storyline, she briefly feuded with Stacy Keibler over McMahon's affections until McMahon turned over the General Manager position to his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, which was followed shortly by Keibler's departure for the Raw brand.
Dawn Marie would begin a controversial feud with Torrie Wilson in 2002. On the October 17 episode of SmackDown!, Marie picked up her first victory when she teamed up with Matt Hardy to defeat Rikishi and Torrie Wilson. In the angle, she developed a relationship with Wilson's real-life father Al Wilson. On the November 7 edition of SmackDown!, Dawn became engaged to Al. In December, she would attempt to bribe Wilson by inviting her to a hotel one night; if she arrived, she would break off the engagement. Footage of the event would later be shown at the Armageddon pay-per-view. Despite this, as part of the angle, the couple remained engaged, and the two got married on the January 2, 2003 episode of SmackDown!. Al then, in storyline, died from a heart attack after having rigorous sex numerous times in succession on their honeymoon. In response, Wilson defeated Dawn at No Mercy in October. She defeated Dawn Marie again at the Royal Rumble in 2003 in what was billed as a Stepmother vs. Stepdaughter match.
In May 2004, Dawn began a second feud with Wilson. As part of the feud, the two had a match with Wilson's career on the line when the SmackDown! General Manager at the time, Kurt Angle, made the stipulation for the match at Judgment Day, which Wilson won.
After a hiatus from SmackDown! programming, Dawn Marie returned in September and began a new storyline with Miss Jackie, involving whether she and Jackie's fiancée, Charlie Haas, had an affair. This angle led up to a match between the two at Armageddon, with Haas as the guest referee. Dawn Marie won the match, but afterward, Haas confirmed their affair and broke off both relationships.
At the No Way Out pay-per-view on February 20, 2005, Dawn Marie entered a feud with Michelle McCool after McCool attacked Marie during the Divas Contest where Marie and Torrie Wilson co-hosted the contest. On the March 3 episode of SmackDown!, Marie teamed up with Rene Dupree in losing effort to Big Show and McCool in a mixed tag team match. On the March 24 episode of SmackDown!, Dawn Marie pinned McCool by using the ropes for leverage. On the April 14 episode of SmackDown!, Dawn Marie was defeated by Torrie Wilson in a match; this would turn out to be Marie's last match.
Her last appearance with the company was at ECW One Night Stand, managing Lance Storm for his match against Chris Jericho. Afterward, she was released from her WWE contract on July 6, 2005.
At NXT Halloween Havoc on October 27, 2024, NXT general manager Ava announced that Marie would make her return to WWE as a special guest referee for a hardcore match between Jaida Parker and Lola Vice at NXT 2300, marking her first appearance in WWE since her departure in 2005 and her first appearance on the NXT brand.