Melina Perez
| Melina Perez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 9, 1979 (Age 28) Los Angeles, California |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Melina Kyra Melanie Little Deer |
| Billed height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) |
| Billed weight | 122 lb (55kg) |
| Trained by | Jesse Hernandez Lance Storm Dave Finlay Ultimate Pro Wrestling OVW |
| Debut | 2000 |
Melina Perez (born March 9, 1979) better known simply as Melina, is a Mexican-American professional wrestler and manager, currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment working and wrestling on its RAW brand, where she is the reigning WWE Women's Champion.
Melina is also known for her ring entrance, which is a display of her flexibility. Standing beside the ring, she lifts her right leg onto the apron, then lifts her left leg, performing the splits, and then bends her upper body under the bottom rope. On RAW, she added another variation to this entrance where she stands on the apron before performing the splits and sliding under the bottom rope.
Career
Prior to her professional wrestling career, Perez was a model. In 2000, after talking to Mike Henderson, she decided to become a professional wrestler and enrolled in Jesse Hernandez's School of Hard Knocks to train.[1] Perez's pro-wrestling debut came in 2002 on a tour of the independent wrestling scene. She joined a number of California-based promotions, such as the Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF), where she wrestled for four years under the name Kyra, where she was well known for her high flying, and submission wrestling styles. Many EWF officials stated that Melina had the most natural ability of any woman who came through their school.[2] Melina Perez tried out for the WWE's reality show Tough Enough III, she made the final 25, but was eliminated from competition in the final cut of the first episode.
World Wrestling Entertainment
Perez debuted in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) "farm territory" Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in March 2004 when Matt Cappotelli (kayfabe) brought her in as a way to taunt her ex-boyfriend Johnny Nitro. Melina, however, turned on Cappotelli and aligned herself with Nitro. Soon after, Nitro began teaming with Joey Matthews, later known as Joey Mercury. On November 10 the trio, now known as MNM, won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. During this time, she had her first ever pro-wrestling match versus now ECW Vixen Ariel.
While in OVW, Melina made occasional appearances on WWE television. On a Thanksgiving episode of SmackDown! in 2003, Melina dressed up as a Native American and was shown serving food and drinks.
Melina made her first RAW appearance on November 24, 2004 when Randy Orton was the guest General Manager and hosted a diva lingerie fashion show. Melina made more RAW appearances in late 2004, including a limbo contest in December 2004, but she ultimately returned to Ohio Valley Wrestling and MNM.
SmackDown!
MNM debuted on SmackDown! on April 14, 2005. The team debuted by interrupting the first ever "Carlito's Cabana" interview segment, where one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions Rey Mysterio was a guest. Melina insulted Mysterio and had Mercury and Nitro attack him, leading to MNM's in-ring debut the next week on SmackDown! in a title match. Melina lead the team to victory over Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero. This was MNM's first title reign. It was during this feud that Melina was the last person to be frogsplashed by Guerrero before his death.
While managing the tag-team champions, Melina feuded with and attacked many of her fellow Divas, proclaiming herself to be "the most dominant diva in WWE". Her first feud was with Michelle McCool, after Melina insulted McCool's friend Heidenreich, in which Perez made her WWE in ring debut, a victory over McCool on SmackDown!.
In June of 2005, Melina feuded with Torrie Wilson, in which Perez won her first pay-per-view match, a victory over Wilson in a Bra and Panties match at the Great American Bash 2005. Also at the Bash, MNM lost their championship, prompting Melina to bring in Jillian Hall, a "fixer" to assist Melina in feuds with the other WWE Divas.
Around October 2005, Melina feuded with Christy Hemme and in the process, Christy joined forces with the Legion of Doom, and feuded with all of MNM. At No Mercy 2005 on October 9, 2005, Hemme and the Legion of Doom, defeated MNM in a six-person intergender tag team match. Melina's feud with Christy continued into November, with Melina defeating Hemme in two televised singles bouts.
On the Eddie Guerrero Tribute edition of RAW, Melina won an interpromotional Divas battle royal by eliminating RAW's Women's Champion Trish Stratus. This match lead to an interpromotional feud with SmackDown!'s Melina getting a shot at the Women's Championship at Survivor Series 2005, a match that was proclaimed the "The Divas Match of the Year" by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Melina's first WWE Women's Title match ended in her first singles WWE loss because of a timely interference by Mickie James.
During this time, MNM was set to defend their Tag Titles at Armageddon 2005 in a match against The Mexicools, but before the event, they first had to defend their titles against Rey Mysterio and the World Heavyweight Champion Batista. In an attempt to get Batista to call off the match, Melina visited Batista in his locker room and seductively suggested that it would be "worth his while" to skip the match and allow MNM time to prepare for their match at Armageddon. Batista, who seemed very receptive to the idea, allowed Melina to (kayfabe) engage in sexual acts. He then simply thanked Melina for the "warmup" before leaving to take part in the match, where he and Mysterio won the tag titles.
On the last SmackDown! of 2005, MNM envoked their rematch clause for a match against Batista and Rey Mysterio. However, before the match took place, Melina, accompanied by a lawyer, held a press conference in the ring where she claimed that Batista had sexually harassed her. During the tag team match, Mark Henry (making his WWE return) aided MNM in winning back their WWE Tag Team Champions.
On the first SmackDown! of 2006, Melina announced that Mark Henry was there for her personal protection against Batista. Henry accompanied Melina and aided the other members of MNM in matches against Batista and Mysterio. MNM and Henry also feuded with Kurt Angle and were soon joined by Daivari, to whom Melina later gave Henry's contract.
On the April 28, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, Melina began a feud with Jillian Hall after getting into a catfight backstage. This led to a match between the two at Judgment Day 2006. At Judgment Day MNM lost their WWE Tag Team Championships to Paul London and Brian Kendrick and the trio imploded, with Melina and Nitro attacking Mercury, blaming him for the loss. Later that night, Melina lost her match with Hall and after slapping General Manager Theodore Long in anger, she and Johnny Nitro were fired from SmackDown!.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Charging spinning facebuster
- Reverse DDT
- California Dream / KyraPractor (Muta lock) [1]
- Extreme Makeover (Spinning springboard facebuster)
- Frog splash - Independent circuit
- Signature moves
- Divastator (Kicking combination)
- Kyranium Buster (Flying neckbreaker)
- Hair-pull curb stomp
- Back mounted crossfaces
- Bite of the Dragon
- Camel clutch
- Corner foot choke
- Flying double axe handle
- Pendulum backbreaker submission
- Modified bow and arrow submission
- Standing victory roll into a pin to a kneeling opponent
- Modified surfboard submission
- Standing headscissor takedown into a Twisting neck scissors submission
- Reverse DDT
- Double team signature moves
- Double hair-pull mat slam - with Victoria
- Tree of woe (Victoria) into a running senton (Melina)
- Bite of the Dragon (Melina) into a Savate kick (Victoria)
- Wrestlers Managed
Championships and accomplishments
Personal life
She has one sibling, a brother named PJ.[citation needed] She is a graduate of Hesperia High School in Hesperia, California.[citation needed] Perez speaks four languages including English and Spanish.[citation needed]
Melina has had her teeth knocked out by female wrestlers, and dislocated her kneecap.[5]
She is currently dating Johnny Nitro.[6]
Notes
- ^ a b Melina (WWE) (February 24, 2007). "Internet Confessions of a True Diva, No. 2".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Steven Bryant (January 7, 2004). "WWE signs Melina Perez (Kyra) to a developmental contract".
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{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Zerr, Scott (2005-05-29). "Melina wants to do it all". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved January 1.
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