Real name: Melina Perez
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 122 lbs
Date of birth: March 9, 1979
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Pro debut: 2002
Melina Nava Perez[6] (born March 9, 1979), better known simply as Melina, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestling on its Raw brand.
After becoming interested in wrestling, Melina joined the independent professional wrestling circuit before ultimately joining WWE in 2004.[1][2][7] Initially, she was pushed as a manager for the tag team of MNM.[8] She managed them to a record three reigns as WWE Tag Team Champions,[9] as well as managed former boyfriend and MNM member Johnny Nitro to two reigns as WWE Intercontinental Champion.[10][11]
Melina made her WWE singles debut in 2005. She is a two-time former WWE Women's Champion, winning the belt twice in 2007.Perez began her career as a model. She won a Miss California beauty contest and also modeled athletic wear for Nike.[11] She decided to become a professional wrestler after talking to Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF) superstar Mike Henderson in 2000.[1][7][13] Perez started training at Jesse Hernandez's School of Hard Knocks in San Bernardino, California and made her professional debut in April 2002.[14][15] She joined a number of California-based promotions such as the EWF, where she wrestled under the ring name Kyra, and CRUSH, as Melanie Little Deer.[2] Many EWF officials stated that she had the most natural ability of any woman who came through their school.[16] In late 2002 Perez auditioned for World Wrestling Entertainment's reality show Tough Enough III, making it through to the final 21 before being eliminated from the competition in the final cut of the first episode.[4][16][17][18] After being eliminated from the contest, trainer Al Snow pulled Perez aside and encouraged her to keep trying to pursue her dream as a wrestler.
Perez debuted in WWE's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in March 2004, being placed in an angle as John Hennigan's ex-girlfriend. The storyline had Matt Cappotelli introduce her to the ring as a way to taunt Hennigan.[5] Melina, however, turned on Cappotelli and aligned herself with Hennigan, who later changed his ring name to Johnny Nitro.[5] Soon after, Melina and Nitro began teaming with Joey Matthews, later known as Joey Mercury.[5] The trio became known as MNM and on November 10, Melina managed Mercury and Nitro to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.[8] During her time in OVW, Melina, Nitro, and Steven Adkins came up with Melina's trademark split ring entrance.[20]
While in OVW, Melina made occasional appearances on WWE television. On a Thanksgiving episode of SmackDown! in 2003, she dressed up as a Native American and was shown serving food and drinks.[21] Melina made her first Raw appearance on November 29, 2004 when Randy Orton was the guest General Manager and hosted a diva lingerie fashion show.[22] She made another Raw appearance in December, participating in a limbo contest when Chris Jericho was General Manager for the night.On January 29, 2007, Melina became the number 1 contender for the WWE Women's Championship, as well as introduced her finisher from the independent circuit, the Kyrapractor, to WWE under the new name California Dream.[54] On February 5 Melina lost a title match against Mickie James.[55] The following week on Raw, Melina pinned James in a mixed tag team match and then challenged James again for the title.[56] On February 19, as part of her first major singles push, Melina successfully pinned James, making her the only former Tough Enough contestant to have won the WWE Women's Championship. In continuation of their storyline feud, retained the title in a rematch during the first ever Women's Falls Count Anywhere match in WWE history.[57][58]
In March, Melina was placed in an angle where she became jealous of SmackDown! Diva Ashley Massaro, who was receiving attention because of her appearance in Playboy.[59] The angle had Melina claim in her blogs that no Playboy cover models were capable of fighting her.[60] This resulted in scheduled matches against former Playboy cover girls Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle, with both women losing to Melina.[61][62] The storyline came to a close at WrestleMania 23, where Melina pinned Ashley in a Lumberjill match to retain her Women's Championship.[63]
After WrestleMania, Melina organized a photo op with the Women's Title belt in the ring but was interrupted by Mickie James, resulting in another storyline feud between the two Divas.[64] On April 24 at a house show in Paris, France, Melina lost the Women's Championship in a Triple Threat match to James when James pinned Victoria, but on the orders of Jonathan Coachman she was entitled to a rematch on the same night, where she pinned James to regain the title and become a two-time WWE Women's Champion.[65]
On May 7 Melina was defeated in a tag team match when she was pinned by Candice Michelle.[66] Melina was scripted to lose to Candice in various tag team matches, as well as in non-title bouts over the next few weeks.[67][68][69] At Vengeance, Melina dropped the Women's Championship to Candice, and failed to recapture the title at The Great American BashMelina, along with then ally Beth Phoenix, defeated Maria and Ashley at WrestleMania 24.[72] After Phoenix lost the Women's Championship to Mickie James, she began a feud with Melina when she accidentally hit Phoenix with her boot in a lumberjack match against James. The following week on Raw, Phoenix walked out on Melina during a tag match against James and Maria when Melina accidentally bumped Phoenix off the apron. Melina then attacked Phoenix after doing commentary on her match, thus turning her face. At One Night Stand, Melina competed in a losing effort against Phoenix in the first ever women's "I Quit" match. On June 23, 2008 Perez legitimately injured her ankle when she fell from the turnbuckle in a match where she and Mickie James took on Natalya and Victoria
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