Ex-WWE star Melina nearly broke character when Mick Foley joined Vince McMahon’s ‘Kiss My Ass Club’

The former champion was moved by the scenes and meaning behind them (Pictures: WWE)

Former WWE superstar Melina admits she was overwhelmed and nearly broke character live on air when Mick Foley joined Vince McMahon’s Kiss My Ass Club.

The former Women’s and Divas Champion, who can now be seen working for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), has reflected on one of the more shocking moments of her career when Foley offered himself in her place to join McMahon’s bizarre on-screen club before she turned on him and revealed he was fired from the company.

It was a shocking turn for Melina in 2006, and a rare chance for her to work on-screen with a long-time friend and supporter who has praised her a lot over the years.

Reflecting on the moment, she exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘Mindblowing! I’m telling you, I’m watching it all unfold and I’m trying to keep a serious – “OK, I’ve gotta keep a serious face, sell the moment”.

‘But in my head, it’s all the thoughts, “Oh my goodness, he’s doing this for me, this is how much he believes in me!” ‘

Melina carved out her own legacy in the business, and her journey saw her working with some true wrestling greats, while learning from the best.

‘Getting to work with [Mick], Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, all these incredible people. I’m so lucky I was able to work with these people, all these freakin’ legends,’ she beamed.

‘And with Sherri Martel and have Sherri Martel praise me and take the time to try to teach me little deals. Oh my goodness, I’m the luckiest human being on the planet.’

However, her current work as a veteran herself alongside some of the most exciting rising stars in the industry is equally as inspiring for someone who values every opportunity she is given.

‘I’m so blessed and thankful to be able to work with legends like that, greats like that, and then also the future talent too,’ she added.

‘I’m in this beautiful in between where it’s like, some people only get to work with the past but I got to work with the past and the future. I’m so grateful for this entire ride in my existence and I’ll keep on enjoying every moment and being thankful.’

Now, Melina gets to work with this generation’s rising stars (Picture: NWA)

For Melina, there is definitely a very emotional and overwhelming undercurrent to it all, as she grew up feeling like she didn’t belong – a feeling which carried on into her wrestling career until some of the greats made her realise there was a place for her.

‘Where do I fit in? People will think, maybe I fit in I felt like I didn’t fit in. I was too much of a tomboy when I was younger, but then I’m not tomboy enough for the tomboys, I wasn’t girly enough for the girly girls,’ she explained.

‘I was this weird combination that didn’t make sense to anybody, and everybody tried to categorise me to try to understand who I was and why I was. I didn’t fit in everywhere but then I got on well with different groups because I was a little bit of everybody.

‘But I never was able to fit in like, “I’m one of everybody” because I was too much of a little bit of something so I never belonged. In wrestling, I feel like I’ll still never belong but I’ll still always be unique. I’m grateful that the greats were able to appreciate my uniqueness.’

Bret has always had high praise for Melina (Picture: WWE)

From working with names like Foley to getting praise from his fellow Hall of Famer Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, Melina will forever these experiences close to her heart.

‘Whatever small or big or however anybody sees it, whatever I was able to contribute, I’ve got these people I looked up to and still do – and I will cherish forever – that they were able to see something that meaningful about my work,’ she said, getting choked up.

‘God bless them – or whatever you believe in. I’m so thankful for them, for what they’ve given to wrestling and what they’ve given to me in my heart.’

When it comes to the moment with Foley, it’s the kind of experience Melina strives for in wrestling, when the story is paramount above all else – which makes NWA a perfect fit.

‘It’s not about gimmicks, it really isn’t. That’s not what I feel about wrestling. It’s not about the gimmick of the matches where it’s like, let’s hardcore this and do this or that,’ she said.

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‘That’s really cool, but for me it’s the story of – what are you fighting for? For me, there’s nothing harder in this life – I’ve fought matches, I’ve done this, I’ve done that. The hardest thing to fight for is life.’

She suggested this is the perfect story to tell on screen and in the ring, to connect to an audience by giving them something relatable in whatever form it takes.

‘That’s the way I feel about life. Beat me down. If it’s in you – and I feel like there’s no way I could possibly every get up from this, and sometimes you feel like giving up but then you find it in your heart that, no, I’m not ready to get up. I’m not ready to say goodbye,’ she passionately said.

‘And if you lose or you lost giving everything you got, that’s the story I always wanna tell no matter what gimmick gets put into it. I will never give up. Whether it’s for love, whether it’s for life, whether it’s for my family, whether it’s for wrestling. That’s the story I love.’

*NWA Powerrr airs Tuesdays at 10.05pm on Fite TV.

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