With the Divas Battle Royal at WrestleMania 25 quickly approaching, Diva Dirt has decided to take a closer look at each of the known and rumored participants in the matchup and assess their odds of winning as being High, Moderate, or Low. The winner, of course, will be crowned the first ever “Miss WrestleMania.†This is a new feature that will take place right up until the big day in Houston, TX on April 5th, 2009 and will be covered by yours truly, the “Mouth of the South,†Hassan! I will save my prediction for the winner as the very last WrestleMania Spotlight profile I do. Be sure to leave your opinion in the comments! Let’s get right into it… enter the world of SmackDown Diva Michelle McCool!
Diva: Michelle McCool
Real Name:Â Michelle Leigh McCool
Hometown: Palatka, Florida
Birthday: January 25, 1980
Brand: SmackDown
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 127 lbs.
Finisher: Faith Breaker (Belly to Back Inverted Mat Slam), MADT – Make A Diva Tap (Heel Hook)
WWE Debut: 2004 Diva Search, November 18, 2004 edition of SmackDown
Career Highlights: WWE Divas Champion (First Ever), ranked #9 of the 50 best female wrestlers of 2008 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, 2008 SmackDown Top Diva Competition Winner, appeared in January 2009 issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine, Project Runway, Family Feud, and The Best Damn Sports Show Period
“Did You Know?†Fact: On November 28, 2006, Michelle was hospitalized and nearly died due to a broken sternum, enlarged kidney, and an electrolyte imbalance which came as a result of an eating disorder she was suffering from at the time. Before entering professional wrestling, Michelle was a 6th grade teacher and is currently dating Mark Calloway, aka The Undertaker
Michelle McCool entered the wrestling industry through the 2004 Diva Search. Although she was the fourth participant eliminated, the WWE signed her right after her elimination to a 3 year deal. Her first match came on March 3, 2005 where she teamed with The Big Show to take on Renee Dupree and Dawn Marie, which Michelle and Big Show won. Following the debut of MNM, Michelle came to the aid of Heidenreich who was the recipient of attacks by MNM. This led to Michelle taking on Melina in Melina’s debut match, which Michelle lost. MNM delivered a Snapshot to Michelle McCool soon after and she left WWE television for the next year.
Michelle was then sent to DSW and later OVW to continue training and manage her “Teachers Pets.” She came back to SmackDown in June of 2006, where she worked her teacher gimmick as a heel, feuding with faces Jillian and Ashley. However, in November of the same year, Michelle faced a life threatening illness and went off WWE TV again.
March 30, 2007 saw the re-re-return of Michelle McCool to SmackDown, where she went back to feuding with Jillian. Michelle also has some Battle Royal experience, as she participated in the Memorial Day Bikini Beach Splash Battle Royal on May 28, 2007, which she won. Following this, Michelle feuded with Victoria briefly before entering a storyline with Chuck Palumbo and Jamie Noble. Once this storyline was finished, there was a “Top Diva” contest on SmackDown, involving Michelle, Eve, Maryse, Cherry, and Victoria. Michelle would go on to win this, and during her celebration, Natalya Neidhart made her debut, attacking Michelle. It was announced that a Divas Championship was being created and Michelle would go on to defeat Natalya at the Great American Bash to win the Championship. After defending her title against Maryse, Victoria, and even Maria, Michelle McCool would make a heel turn following her loss of the Championship to Maryse on December 26, 2008, where Michelle blamed Maria (the guest referee) for losing the match.
For me, as much as I don’t particularly think it would be a good move, I think Michelle McCool’s odds of winning this match are very high. She has been talking about WrestleMania a lot, especially on her blogs, saying that it’s time to start a WrestleMania winning streak of her own. This is her first WrestleMania match, but I think a win here would keep Michelle right at the top of the SmackDown Divas division. She is definitely going to be seeking retribution against Gail Kim for ruining her title match and beating her and Maryse this past SmackDown, so look for Michelle to possibly be the one to eliminate Gail. I think it would be very wise to let one of the “Present” WWE Divas win the match, and having Michelle go on to win would definitely boost her character. Michelle is definitely turning up the wow-factor on her offense, and I was pretty amazed at her work in the tag match with Maryse against Gail and Maria. She is also really working on her character development as a heel and I think it’s really getting better. WWE is obviously very keen of Michelle and she would definitely be made into the ultimate egotistical heel if she won this match, so I think it’s a great possibility Michelle will walk out the winner.
Michelle McCool’s Odds of Winning On The Hassan-O-Meter: HighÂ
