Quick Links

While wrestling as a whole might not be as popular as it had once been in the past, nobody can argue that women's wrestling is in a better state right now than it has ever been in history. Today, WWE stars like Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, and Sasha Banks are legitimate main event players, while someone like Alexa Bliss is one of the biggest merchandise sellers in the business.

Women's wrestling has risen to the point where we have seen them main event WrestleMania on multiple occasions. Of course, this was not always the case. Something like that would have been unthinkable not too long ago and them main eventing even Raw or SmackDown would have been viewed as a huge deal.

The state of women's wrestling was very different in the mid-to-late 2000s. With Lita and Trish Stratus leaving, there was a dearth of legitimate top names in the division. That, combined with the fact that we were set to enter the 'Divas' era, meant that women's wrestling was reduced to two-minute matches and soap opera feuds. There were still a few shining lights amidst the darkness though, and one of them was Melina Perez.

RELATED: 10 Things WWE Fans Forget About Melina's Career

Melina's Beginnings As The Manager Of MNM

Ohio Valley Wrestling has gone on to become legendary for the wrestlers that it trained who went onto become legends of the business. While not quite at the level of John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, or Batista, one of the best acts to come out of there were MNM, the team of Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury, who were managed by none other than Melina.

MNM established themselves as one of the most over acts in OVW, and it was not long before they were called up to the main roster. With the red carpet and the 'paparazzi' accompanying them to the ring, MNM had one of the best entrances and were pushed to the moon from the get go, winning the Tag Team titles from Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero in their debut match at Madison Square Garden.

The Break-Up Of MNM And Melina's Rise As A Singles Competitor

MNM would go on to become one of the most memorable tag teams of the mid-2000s, a period which did not produce many of them. Nitro and Mercury would enjoy three separate runs with the belts. It was pretty clear though that it was Nitro who had the potential of being a singles star.

After a run on the main roster that lasted a little over a year and had them as the champions for the majority of that time, MNM was broken up when Nitro and Melina attacked Mercury. Soon, Melina and Nitro found themselves on Raw, where they continued to be a pair. It was not long though before Melina would get a singles push of her own.

RELATED: 10 Backstage Stories About Melina We Can't Believe

Melina Became One Of The Most Memorable Women's Wrestlers Of Her Era

Melina would ultimately go on to establish herself as one of the best women's wrestlers of her era. Her singles push began in early 2007, as she went on to beat Mickie James for the Women's Championship. She would go on to lose, and then win back the belt. Overall, she spent quite a while as champion before losing the title to Candice Michelle, one of the women who was not known for her wrestling ability, and who many view as the one who laid the foundation of the Divas era in WWE.

Melina Women's Champion

Melina would get another solid five month run with the belt in 2009. She would also go on to have a couple of reigns with the Divas Championship, making her a five-time world champion. She spent most of her singles career in or around the main event picture before being released in 2011.

Why Was Melina Released By WWE?

WWE would go on to release Melina in 2011. While talking on Lilian Garcia's "Chasing Glory" podcast, and as reported by WrestlingNews.co, Melina revealed that creative had nothing for her but admitted that she was relieved when let go as she needed time away from the business.

Since leaving the WWE in 2011, Melina has never been a full-time wrestler ever again, although she has made sporadic appearances in the ring in promotions like Impact and NWA. She was also an entrant in the Royal Rumble earlier this year. At the end of the day, Melina was one of the most prominent women's wrestlers of her era, a memorable character as well, and it was a shame that she did not have a longer career.