Whoever thought wrestling was a man’s sport never saw Melina Perez do her thing on WWE. Melina is a WWE Diva but she’s not just a pretty face or a hot body, she’s an ambitious and intelligent woman with some hardcore moves. The former model went from being eliminated from WWE’s reality show Tough Enough to becoming a two-time Women’s Champion. Melina talks to Excite about her experience in the wrestling industry and how much fun it is to be a heel (a bad guy, for the wrestling-lingo-challenged) on national TV.

Interview by: Shakeitta M.

Excite Magazine: So I did a little background, you started off as a model?

Melina: Yes, I was an athletic model for Nike, and I won a Miss California beauty contest.

EM: What made you want to get into wrestling?

Melina: After talking to some friends I was encouraged to pursue wrestling professionally. I had enrolled in Hard Knocks wrestling school to train.

EM: So, you got your start with WWE on its reality wrestling competition Tough Enough 3. What was that experience like?

Melina: It was a blast. I made the top 21 but was eliminated. It kind of got me ready even more because I was determined to do this and now I’m a former two-time Women’s Champion and I made it to WWE without the TV show. My real life ex-boyfriend and best friend who won the TE3 competition (Johnny Nitro aka John Morrison) was an extra bonus, we met at the auditions & we’ve been close ever since.

EM: Prior to TE3 had you been very athletic or had you ever engaged in physical activity of that caliber?

Melina: Yes actually, my father was a boxer and he’s kept me active….but I haven’t been in any form of physicality like this before, but I’ve always been active. It’s a rush!

EM: You made your debut on WWE as the wrestling valet of Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury, what is that, a wrestling valet?

Melina: A valet is just another word for manager. I helped them to receive three consecutive title wins in the tag team division. I've helped Johnny Nitro to two Intercontinental championship wins.

(Melina with Ex-boyfriend and wrestler, Johnny Nitro)

EM: You guys made your debut as these complete heels, the bad guys. How much say did you all have in that?

Melina: WWE superstars have a great amount of say in how your character is developed. An ex wrestler Molly Holly (whom I had a chance of wrestling) had a match where she shaved her head bald after losing a match. This was something she brought to the chairman that she wanted to do to include in a storyline. We thought that coming in as heels would have the audience wondering if we could back up our cockiness…and when that was settled they secretly liked us and we gained respect in the locker room.

EM: Do you enjoy being the bad guy?

Melina: Yes it’s a thrill! You can do so much more when you’re the evil person in wrestling. You don’t have to play by the rules all the time, you always break them and it’s fun to step outside of yourself and do that.

EM: Are you anything like the Melina on WWE in your everyday life?

Melina: I will say that me and my character are very alike and different. I am a much more shy and quiet person and the character Melina is loud and obnoxious. We both never give up on what we want, but the difference is that the "character" Melina will sleep around to get her way if it comes down to that… but that’s not me.

EM: So you’re one of the WWE Divas, and big part of your role is the sex appeal but at the same time you can really put a hurting on somebody. Do you feel like you have something to prove being a female wrestler?

Melina: Yes, as a woman you’ve got to prove yourself. I can do the photo shoots, wrestle, speak on the mic and be a manager. I enjoy being able to do everything and I don't think people want to see someone who's just good at one thing. I want to be able to do more than just be a pretty face. I can do the Diva stuff and I think there's probably some interest in seeing me do that but I want to show people something new. I can do both and kind of tease to the fact of doing either one and making them want it more.

EM: You girls are really in shape. What is your training/ workout like?

Melina: I train maybe 3-4 times a week, its actually very relaxing and stimulating. I trained myself like this before I even got into the wrestling business which is why my friends convinced me to try out!

EM: Do you get to choose how you workout or is there a set routine that WWE dictates?

Melina: No, I get to choose my own workout regimen and it really works for me.

EM: Who are some of your favorite wrestlers? Wrestlers that you really admire?

Melina: I admire all the female wrestlers so I can’t pick one. Chris Jericho, Big Poppa Pump, and the number one person is Rey Mysterio.

EM: Some other women in the WWE have had the opportunity to kind of branch out and do other things. Lillian Garcia is releasing an album, Stacy Keibler was able to try some acting out. Is there anything that you’d like the opportunity to go into?

Melina: It would always be fun to do other things like acting amongst other stuff and I will keep my eyes open. Life is full of possibilities! But I am really more into wrestling right now.

Check Melina out on WWE’s Monday night RAW on USA 9/8 CT.