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Melina made her WWE debut in 2004 and joined Monday Night RAW in 2006 after a memorable stint on SmackDown. Her run on the red brand even won led to two women's title reigns. She would continue to work for the sports and entertainment juggernaut up until her release in 2011.
Melina addressed her release from WWE during an appearance on Lillian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast in 2019. She said the WWE creative had nothing for her character, and that led to her parting ways with Vince McMahon's promotion.
“Creative had nothing for me,” Melina said. “I was relieved when I got let go. It's nothing against WWE. What happened was I was injured twice. I never really took real time off and throughout the things I been through, I needed to get my mind straight. I needed peace. I needed to take a break.” [H/T Wrestling News]
She would return to the promotion for one night on the July 22, 2019, episode of Monday Night RAW. Her RAW reunion appearance saw her officiate the 24/7 Championship match between Kelly Kelly, Candice Michelle, and Alundra Blayze.
Her final appearance for the company took place during the 2022 Royal Rumble premium live event. The veteran kicked off the women's Royal Rumble match with Sasha Banks. She would, however, get eliminated by Banks within a minute.
Monday Night RAW featured major callback to Melina's iconic moment
The main event of RAW this week saw Seth Rollins team up with AJ Styles to take on Finn Balor and Damian Priest of The Judgment Day. Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley were at ringside for the high-intensity match-up between the four stars.
At one point during the match, Rollins exited the ring to place her arms around Rhea Ripley. The spot was a callback to Melina's hilarious moment with Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 2006. Mami and Dom Dom were eventually forced out of ringside by the referee.
The match ended with Seth Rollins delivering a curb stomp on Damian Priest for the win. The Visionary celebrated the victory with The Phenomenal One, but it seems that his tryst with The Judgment Day may not be over.
Did you enjoy Monday Night RAW this week? Let us know in the comments section below!
