Melina Perez
Born	(1979-03-09) March 9, 1979 (age 45) Los Angeles, California
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Melina Kyra
Billed height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Billed weight	[undue weight? – discuss]
Billed from	Los Angeles, California
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 professional wrestler and manager, currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its RAW brand.

Melina is well known for her ring entrance, which is a display of her uncanny 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. Michael Cole and Tazz were quick to label this the best ring entrance in the history of sports entertainment." In addition to her outstanding managerial capabilities, Melina is well known for her the level of aggression she brings to her matches, which earned her the nickname "The Barracuda" from WWE announcer Jim Ross, as well as an exceptionally loud scream while managing (nicknamed "The Banshee scream").

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 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 former 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 when Chris Jericho was General Manager for the night, but she ultimately returned to Ohio Valley Wrestling and MNM.

2005

MNM debuted as heels 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 PPV, 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 Championships.

2006

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!.

Melina and Johnny Nitro made their way to the RAW brand from there, together on May 29, 2006, with a Nitro loss to WWE Champion John Cena. The following week, Melina faked a sprained ankle, allowing Nitro to roll up Charlie Haas for his first RAW win.

Melina continued to manage Nitro during his successful hunt for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, while rekindling her feud with Trish Stratus. The feud turned into a Tag Team feud when Carlito joined forces with Trish to take on Melina and Nitro. Their feud continued to Saturday Night's Main Event, where Nitro and Melina lost to Carlito and Trish in a mixed tag team match.

With her arrival on RAW, came Mick Foley making mentions of her in promos (playing on the (real) friendship they'd forged and he'd talked about in his WWE.com columns) and they soon formed an on-screen friendship. At SummerSlam, Melina caused Foley to lose an "I Quit" match when Flair was going to hit Melina with a barbed wired bat and Foley "quit" to prevent Flair's striking her. On the August 21, 2006 edition of RAW, her career was (kayfabe) endangered when Foley was offered the chance to either join Vince McMahon's Kiss My Ass club or have Melina fired. After begging Foley not to go through with it, Foley "joined the club" to save Melina's job, only to have her suddenly turn on him, delivering a low blow and, "firing" him at the behest of McMahon.

At the same time she entered a tournament to crown a new Women's Champion, defeating Torrie Wilson in the opening round in a lumberjill match on the October 9, 2006 edition of RAW before losing to Mickie James in the semi-finals two weeks later.

2007

In early 2007, Melina would begin a small feud with Maria. Melina would also form an alliance with Victoria, defeating the team of Mickie James and Maria in their first match as a tag team when she hit Maria with a new finisher known as Extreme Makeover.

On the January 26 episode of SmackDown!, Melina wrestled in her first SmackDown! match since May 2006, which resulted in a win for MNM over London, Kendrick and Ashley in a mixed tag team match.

Following the Royal Rumble, Melina would become the #1 contender for the WWE Women's Championship, as well as introducing her KyraPractor finisher to WWE fans, under the new name California Dream. On February 5, Melina lost a Women's Championship match against Women's Champion Mickie James. The following week on RAW, Melina pinned the Women's Champion in a mixed tag team match and then challenged James for the title for the next week on RAW. In a back and forth battle, Melina eventually pinned Mickie James to capture her first WWE Women's Championship. In continuation of their feud, Melina won the first ever Women's Falls Count Anywhere Match in WWE history, by pinning James after a blocked hurricanrana to retain her WWE Women's Championship.

In March 2007, Melina would show jealousy towards SmackDown! Diva Ashley, due to her burst of popularity and attention towards her appearance in Playboy. She also feuded with former Playboy cover girls Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle during this time. On an episode of SmackDown!, the rivalry was taken to the next level when a catfight broke out between the feisty Divas on the inaugural edition of Miz TV. At WrestleMania 23, Melina pinned Ashley in a LumberJill Match to retain her Women's Championship in her first WrestleMania match.

After WrestleMania, Mickie James interrupted Melina's photo shoot with the Women's Championship, resulting in yet another feud between the two Divas. On April 24 at a house show in Paris, France, Melina lost the WWE Women's Championship to Mickie James in a triple threat match that also involved 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. On April 29, at WWE Backlash 2007 Melina retained the WWE Women's Championship by using an Inverted DDT on Mickie James.

Melina then began a feud with Candice Michelle. Candice began picking up wins against Melina in various tag team matches, as well as in a non-title bouts. At Vengeance 2007, Candice Michelle defeated Melina for the Women's Championship.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • California Dream / KyraPractor (Muta Lock) ^[1]
  • Extreme Makeover (Spinning hair-pull facebuster)
  • Inverted split-leg drop bulldog

• Signature moves
  • Divastator (Kicking combination)
  • Kyranium Buster (Flying neckbreaker)
  • Inverted DDT
  • Hair-pull curb stomp
  • Modified Rope hung Boston crab
  • Back mounted crossfaces
  • Bite of the Dragon
  • Camel clutch
  • Leg choke
  • Snap suplex
  • Corner foot choke
  • Crossface chickenwing
  • 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
  • Mat backbreaker
  • Top rope choke into a clothesline with the top rope
  • Standing headscissor takedown variations

• Double team signature moves
  • Double hair-pull mat slam - with Victoria
  • Tree of woe (Victoria) followed by a running senton (Melina)
  • Bite of the Dragon (Melina) followed by a Savate kick (Victoria)
  • Wheelbarrow hold (Jillian Hall) followed by a spinning hair-pull facebuster (Melina)

Championships and accomplishments

• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Women's Championship (2 times)

Personal life

Melina has had her teeth knocked in by female wrestlers, and dislocated her kneecap.^[3]

She is currently dating John Hennigan who used to also play her on-screen boyfriend, Johnny Nitro.^[4]

Notes

External links

• WWE Profile
• G.L.O.R.Y. Profile