The wrestling career of Melina has taken many different turns throughout her two decades in the industry. Melina chased her dream of being a wrestler at a time when WWE mostly looked to hire models from other fields. WWE still had Melina on their radar and made her a fixture on the roster for many years.
Different characters or slight twists to her gimmick would lead to Melina having some versions standing out more than others. Melina thrived in certain roles that became attached to her career. However, there were also some negative changes that didn’t connect in the bigger picture. Find out which versions of Melina stood tallest in her wrestling life.
8 Returning WWE Legend
There were rumors of Melina having heat with WWE over how her first run with the company ended. However, time would heal those wounds when Melina made a couple of appearances when WWE brought back legends for special themed nights.
Melina wore a referee uniform to count the fall for Candice Michelle to win the 24/7 Championship backstage. Another appearance came for the 2021 Raw Legends Night with dozens of other legends. Melina reportedly had an agreement to return as a wrestler, but injuries changed WWE’s mind to go through with it.
7 Forgotten Alliance With Mick Foley
Mick Foley had a reputation for trying to help put over new wrestlers during his sporadic appearances as a legend. Names like Randy Orton and Edge moved to the next level in their careers after working with Foley. WWE saw Foley pitching the idea of having an angle with Melina since he believed in her talent.
Melina was placed into various segments with Foley utilizing their friendship from real-life on television. Fans were confused about Melina being a face with Foley but a heel in other segments. Things ended predictably when Melina turned on Foley during a segment with Vince McMahon.
6 NWA Run
The current role of Melina in wrestling sees her wrestling for Billy Corgan’s NWA promotion. Melina is arguably the biggest name in the women’s division. Corgan is trying to turn NWA into a bigger brand with more free agents coming over.
Melina looked good in her appearances working with Thunder Rosa. The flexibility of the role has seen Melina managing Rosa and wrestling matches. Thunder leaving NWA will see Melina moving forward on her own for what may be the final chapter of her career.
5 Final WWE Face Work
Melina dealt with a few injuries towards the end of her WWE run in the late 2000s and early 2010s. A return would see her winning the Divas Championship from Jillian Hall. Fans loved Melina as one of the few established top stars left in the division around this time.
WWE didn’t give the women many relevant segments or longer television time, which limited her best moments. Melina still did her best, looking for more opportunities and connecting with the fans, even if the company didn’t necessarily appreciate it.
4 Relationship With Johnny Nitro
The introduction of Melina as the manager for MNM would see her and Johnny Nitro moving forward on their own. WWE split up the team when Joey Mercury was punished for violating the company’s wellness policy.
Melina and Nitro moved into an act together with romantic implications. Instead of Melina strictly being a manager, she and Nitro had a few romantic moments together. Nitro won the Intercontinental Championship with Melina at his side, and she started to have more matches.
3 Face Turn Vs. Beth Phoenix
The first major face run for Melina in WWE came in a feud with Beth Phoenix for the Women’s Championship. Melina and Phoenix were initially teaming up as heels to feud with Ashley Massaro and Maria Kanellis over their Playboy cover shoots.
Miscommunication caused Beth to turn on Melina. Fans eventually started supporting Melina for changing her heel ways and standing up to Phoenix. The duo had a couple of great matches against each other, including a wild “I Quit” match won by Beth.
2 MNM
WWE found the perfect act to introduce the trio of Melina, Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury. MNM thrived as the top heel tag team on the SmackDown brand. A huge moment defeating Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Tag Team Championships made them a force in the division.
Melina did most of the talking for Nitro and Mercury as an impressive heel promo. All three wrestlers benefited from having each other to build a reputation together. Melina might have been the most valuable part of the act to start things off, due to how many other teams failed at the time.
1 First Singles Run As Dominant Women's Champion
The peak of Melina’s career came when dominating the women’s division as a singles heel. Melina started working on her own after the pairing with Johnny Nitro ended, as WWE wanted to rebrand him in ECW as John Morrison.
The singles run of Melina instantly clicked due to her established heel personality and fans finally getting to fully see her in-ring skills. Melina won the Women’s Championship to have tremendous rivalries against Mickie James and Candice Michelle. There were a couple of years where Melina was the best overall performer in the WWE women’s division.