After World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon (R) announced Wednesday that she will run for Senate in Connecticut, some of her primary opponents just couldn’t resist welcoming her to the ring by referencing her current profession.

“When I got into the race I knew it would be a fight, but I didn’t know I’d need to be prepared for smackdowns,— former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley said in a statement.

McMahon, who is rumored to be willing to put upward of $30 million into her campaign, joins several other Republicans, including Foley and former Rep. Rob Simmons, who are seeking the nomination to challenge Sen. Chris Dodd (D). The chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee is the most vulnerable Democratic Senator up for re-election in 2010.

“Washington is out of control, and sadly, Sen. Chris Dodd has lost his way and our trust,— McMahon said in making her announcement. Her campaign will limit personal contributions to $100 per person and will not accept contributions from political action committees.

This is not McMahon’s first foray into politics, although it is her first run for office. She has frequently donated to political candidates, including many Democrats, and was appointed by Gov. Jodi Rell (R) to the state education board earlier this year.

McMahon addressed her contributions to Democrats in a blog post on her campaign Web site on Wednesday.

“Although I’ve given more to Republican candidates than to Democrats, as the CEO and the public face of WWE, my contributions were consistent with the fact that WWE, like most businesses, is nonpartisan,— she wrote. “Make no mistake: I’m a Republican. And I believe I’m the one fiscally conservative Republican who can win the Republican primary, and more importantly, win a general election against Chris Dodd.—

In addition to McMahon, Simmons and Foley, who is personally wealthy and could self-fund part of his campaign, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri is also running for the GOP nomination. Businessman Peter Schiff (R), who also has personal resources that he could spend on a bid, is exploring a run for the seat.