Melina Perez

Melina Perez
Perez in 2006
Birth nameMelina Nava Perez
Born (1979-03-09) March 9, 1979 (age 45)[1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.[2]
PartnerJohn Hennigan (2003–2015)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Melina[2]
Melina Perez[2]
Billed height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[3]
Billed weight121 lb (55 kg)[3]
Billed fromLos Angeles, California[4]
Hollywood, California[5]
Trained byJesse Hernandez[2]
School of Hard Knocks[3]
Fit Finlay
Debut2002
Retired2022

Melina Nava Perez[2] (born March 9, 1979) is an American model and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE under the ring name Melina. Perez most recently wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

In 2000, Perez began training to be a professional wrestler at Jesse Hernandez's School of Hard Knocks, and made her debut in 2001.[6] In late 2002, Perez auditioned for WWE's reality show Tough Enough III, but was eliminated in the first round,[4][7][8][9] and was inspired by Al Snow to continue pursuing her wrestling career.[10] In March 2004, Perez signed a contract with WWE, and was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's developmental territory,[2] where she began managing Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury, dubbed MNM, to three reigns as WWE Tag Team Champions,[11] as well as Nitro to two reigns as WWE Intercontinental Champion.[2][12][13]

Perez is a three-time WWE Women's Champion,[14][15] and a two-time WWE Divas Champion.[16][17] After winning her second WWE Divas Championship, Perez became the first woman in WWE history to become a multiple-time champion with both the Women's and Divas titles.[18]

Famed for her flexibility, utilized during her entrance and in her in-ring maneuvers, Perez was called "one of the best wrestlers in the world" by Bret Hart, and cited by WWE as having "perhaps the most impressive arsenal of offensive maneuvers in Diva history."[19]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference rbff was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Melina Perez - OWW profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference glory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Melina's WWE Alumni Profile". WWE. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  5. ^ "FWE – Melina". FWE. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012.
  6. ^ Perez, Melina (February 23, 2007). "Internet Confessions of a True Diva, No. 2". WWE. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved March 6, 2007.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference socal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Season Premier of WWE Tough Enough 3 Airs on MTV on Thursday, October 17th at 10 pm ET/PT". Business Wire. October 7, 2002.
  9. ^ "21 Semi-Finalists Are Whittled Down to the Final 13 Competitors Vying To Become the Next WWET Superstars". WWE. October 7, 2002. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2007. The 21 semi-finalists featured in the season premiere are:[...]Melina, 23 yrs old, Hesperia, CA
  10. ^ Gargiulo, Eric (March 14, 2008). "WWE Diva, Melina speaks to phillyBurbs.com". PhillyBurbs. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2008.
  11. ^ "WWE Tag Team Championship title history". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  12. ^ "Intercontinental Championship title history". WWE. Archived from the original on June 20, 2005. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  13. ^ Zerr, Scott (May 29, 2005). "Melina wants to do it all". Edmonton Sun. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ "Inside WWE > Title History > Women's > 20070424 – Melina". World WWE. Archived from the original on August 18, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
  15. ^ Adkins, Greg (January 25, 2009). "Viva Melina!". WWE. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  16. ^ Adkins, Greg (October 12, 2009). "Viper tension". WWE. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  17. ^ Meltzer, Dave (August 15, 2010). "WWE SummerSlam match-by-match coverage from Los Angeles". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  18. ^ "Top 25 Sexiest Female Wrestlers of All Time". Smart Mark Radio. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  19. ^ "Top 25 Most Impactful Women". WWE.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.