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What's the story?
Former Women's Champion Candice Michelle wrestled her final match at House of Hardcore 36 this past Saturday night, which just happened to be the first match that the Playboy cover girl had wrestled since she was released from WWE back in 2009.
In case you didn't know..
Candice was released from WWE almost a decade ago after five years with the company, where she is a former Women's Champion. The Wisconsin native was signed to the company following the 2004 Diva Search, a competition that she didn't win, but did manage to turn the right heads and was offered a contract.
Michelle made an impact in WWE as part of Vince's Devils before her Playboy centrefold caused problems with her teammate and fellow cover girl, Torrie Wilson, back in 2006 which led to the duo wrestling in the first ever Playboy Pillow Fight at WrestleMania 22.
Candice was then pushed as a singles star and won her first Women's Championship at Vengence Night of Champions the following year. After 105 day reign, she dropped the Championship to Beth Phoenix before her injuries got the better of her and she was released from the company just over a year later.
The heart of the matter
Candice hasn't wrestled since 2009 and has instead been focused on her marriage and raising her three daughters. It seems that the former Champion decided to step into the ring for the first time in eight years and for the final time on Saturday night at House of Hardcore 36 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where she faced her former stablemate Lisa Marie Varon (Victoria).
Candice put on a fantastic show in front of her hometown crowd, she even managed to defeat Victoria and the duo then shared a moment in the middle of the ring. The show was said to have been electric, with the main event pitting Austin Aries up against Joey Mercury with Tommy Dreamer later coming out to be a special guest referee.
What's next?
Candice has a husband and three daughters and these are the ones who have been occupying her time over the past eight years and it is thought that now she has ended her wrestling career in the best of ways, she will focus on raising her family.
Candice will always be remembered as the first ever Diva Search contestant to win the Women's Championship and she did this because she fought to become a better wrestler and a woman that was worthy of the title.
Women's wrestling has turned a corner over the past few years, but Candice was still part of a division that helped to inspire the current crop of wrestlers and she deserved a moment like this to finalise her career.
Authors take
Candice hasn't wrestled in almost a decade so it wasn't going to be a show-stealing match, but it was nice for her hometown crowd to be able to see her wrestle her first and last Independent match. It was also a nice touch that the woman she made her wrestling debut with was also the woman that she had her final match against, it seems that Candice has been able to wrap her career up quite nicely. Is there a chance of a curtain call?
