Okay, so I have a soft spot for Melina. She’s still my favorite Diva, and I yearn for the day she returns to the WWE (make it happen, ‘E!). But to me, Melina was the total package, and there was no Diva who better defined the new era that the Divas Title ushered in. No Diva was better fit to hold that new belt.
Melina’s reigns were measly compared to the triple digit reigns Divas would later rack up, but as a babyface (which she was during both of her two reigns), Melina brought an exciting spark to the title. Every time she went to the ring to defend the belt, you knew it was going to be a special match, whether it called into play her dynamic move set or her jaw-dropping flexibility. No two matches were the same. Her bout against Michelle McCool at 2010’s Night of Champions brought her one step away from unifying the Women’s Title with her Divas Title, but she came up short, relinquishing the Divas Title so Michelle could hold it as the one true title of the Divas division.
Had Melina stayed with the WWE longer, there’s no doubt in my mind that she would hold the record for most Divas Title wins. It was just inevitable: as a babyface or a heel, Melina was magnetic, and although she wasn’t always in the main Diva feud, she never remained on the sidelines for long. You just couldn’t cage that kind of talent.
