Melina
The
WWE has recently seen a spate of women hired on seemingly nothing more than
their looks. A first glance at Melina might suggest a similar thinking behind
her hiring and although this is a very real possibility, the fact remains
that unlike the rest of the newly-acquired women, Melina is actually being
used for a purpose and may well be going through a huge push to get her over
with the fans, with a view to make her go onto great things in the future.
But before we try and ponder Melina's future, it would be prudent to look
at her past and find out more about her background and where she's come from.
Melina hails from Hollywood,
California and thus her appearance on TV could be considered a cliché.
But Melina has worked hard to reach the position she is currently enjoying
and credit must be given where it is indeed due. Melina's father was a boxer
and athlete, and his active and sporty life engrained the values of physical
fitness upon Melina from a very early age. Her mum realised that her daughter
would grow to be naturally beautiful and therefore desirable, but did not
want her daughter to become disillusioned by the shallow sexual desires of
many of the men she would doubtless encounter. As a result she was keen to
instil the values of confidence, as well as a healthy dose of caution when
it 
came
to situations that appeared too good to be true. As Melina progressed through
life she realised that athleticism would be core to her existence and soon
she was attracting offers from advertisers and magazines interested in showcasing
her natural beauty. But Melina desired to be more than just another pretty
face and longed to prove that she had both style and substance. After winning
several beauty contests, most notably the Miss California Beauty Pageant,
Melina stumbled upon professional wrestling and saw it as the means by which
to prove that there was more to her than just a good body.
Melina joined Jesse Hernandez's School of Hard Knocks in 2001, and soon proved to the myriad of doubters who saw her as nothing more than a misguided beauty queen, that she had what it took to cut it in the ring. Promoters saw a unique package in Melina as she combined an unprecedented feistiness with irrefutable good looks. She gained credit and respect amongst her peers through choosing the more difficult and arduous route into wrestling, physically working her way to the top, rather than sleeping her way there.
Perhaps
Melina’s luckiest break was to have been a finalist on the WWF’s
Tough Enough 3. She drew praise from Al Snow, Ivory and WWF Scout Tom Pritchard
who all foresaw a future for her in the company. Melina’s WWE debut
occurred on SmackDown! when she accompanied the team of Johnny Nitro and Joey
Mercury to the ring. The team has been dubbed MNM and feels particularly reminiscent
of Trish’s WWF debut.
The team is currently receiving a huge push but the general consensus is that this is an attempt to establish a new worthwhile Diva in the company. Trish used the T&A tag team as a springboard which launched her WWF career, and there is no reason why Melina won’t follow a similar line by using MNM. The biggest factor in her favour however, is her previous in-ring training and the praise and demand she received whilst on the Indy circuit for her wrestling skills. Melina has the potential to be an incredible addition to the WWE roster and has both the looks and the in-ring skills to go far.
The WWE should perhaps spend more time on improving Christy Hemme’s wrestling skills, taking her away from active duty, and give Melina a chance to shine. Admittedly it is early days for Melina, but a surprise jump to RAW and a shot at the Women’s Title would be an incredible move and hopefully truly establish Melina as a WWE Diva.
How
they compare: |
|||
Melina |
Trish
Stratus |
Winner: |
|
| Height | 5'4" | 5'4" | Draw |
| Weight | 122 lbs - nippier | 130 lbs - more powerful | Draw |
| Prior wrestling experience to joining the WWE? | Yes - lots of it | None | Melina |
| Modelling experience? | Some, but relatively minor in comparison to her wrestling training | Internationally renowned fitness model | Trish |
| Debut details | Introduced the MNM tag team who won the WWE tag titles a week after their debut. | Introduced the T&A tag team and started a long feud with Stephanie McMahon. | Melina |
| Mic skills | Not too bad considering she's new to the WWE | A seasoned pro | Trish |
| Entrance | That ring entrance is mind-blowing! | Boring and unoriginal | Melina |
| Attitude | Energetic, motivated, keen, eager to prove herself | Cocky, bitchy, complacent | Melina |
| Wrestling ability | Yet to compete | Established and effective | Trish |
| T&A | Melina positively spills out of her tops and is eager to impress the fans with her incredible body. | She's been willing to show some skin in recent months, but nothing like the good ol' days of her early years. | Melina |
| Overall | Trish is an established WWE Diva, but a dose of new blood has long been needed in the Women's Division. If used to her full potential, Melina has the ability to revive flagging interest in WWE Women's wrestling. | Melina |
|
Why the WWE needs Melina wrestling on RAW now!
| Candice Michelle | Sure she's pretty, but she's never going to be a wrestler. |
| Maria | Just about passable on the microphone but hasn't shown any real interest in wrestling. |
| Stacy Keibler | Stacy's tried her hand at wrestling, but it's not for her. She should stick to gimmick matches and looking pretty. |
| Molly Holly | Molly's recent departure means there's a serious lack of real talent and competition in the Women's division currently. |
| Victoria | There's a chance that Victoria will get the boot soon, and WWE management seems reluctant to do anything particularly productive with her character, which is all the more shameful considering her obvious wrestling ability. |
| Lita | Lita's recent injury and controversial private life may mean she remains off-air for a little while yet. |
| Trish Stratus | Trish is more or less expected to hold the entire division together herself. She's worked her way to the top, but isn't quite good enough to job to or carry Christy Hemme yet. Trish needs some real competition of a similar quality to her. Melina appears to be the perfect solution to this problem. |
| Christy Hemme | Christy's desire to learn to wrestle is admirable, but she's still way too green to be out on RAW wrestling proper matches. A few solid months at OVW would help her immensely and when she's fully trained up and ready to return she could be a really exciting competitor. |
The WWE has taken the long overdue step of debuting Melina but she needs to be moved over to RAW and given the chance to apply her wrestling skills as soon as possible. Establishing her as a Diva first is wise, but she needs to avoid being sucked into endless gimmick matches against the likes of Torrie Wilson, Dawn Marie and Jackie Gayda. Although I'd love to see Melina in a T&A match against any of these women, I'd be far happier watching her apply her wrestling skills over on the other show. I personally believe that Melina's addition to the RAW roster and inevitable feud with Trish could be one for the ages. Here's hoping!