Melina Perez
American professional wrestler and valet / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Melina Nava Perez[2] (born March 9, 1979) is an American professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her time with WWE under the ring name Melina. Outside of WWE, Perez most recently wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
| Melina Perez | |
|---|---|
 Perez in 2006 | |
| Birth name | Melina Nava Perez |
| Born | (1979-03-09) March 9, 1979 (age 45)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S.[2] |
| Partner | John Hennigan (2003–2015) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Melina[2] Melina Perez[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[3] |
| Billed weight | 121 lb (55 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Los Angeles, California[4] Hollywood, California[5] |
| Trained by | Jesse Hernandez[2] School of Hard Knocks[3] Fit Finlay |
| Debut | 2001[2] |
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]