Late last year, former WWE Women’s and Divas Champion Melina was widely rumored to be the latest wrestler from the past to come back to the company for the first time in close to a decade.
That return has yet to take place, and in a recent interview, the 41-year-old ex-superstar clarified her status with the promotion. Speaking to WrestleTalk, she explained the reasons why she has not re-signed with WWE and providing some clarity behind the rumors that swirled months ago.
On Tuesday, WrestleTalk reported that it recently had an “exclusive” interview with Melina, where she revealed that there were indeed conversations between her and WWE but stressed that injuries are currently keeping her away from in-ring action.
"I was in talks with [WWE], but I never signed a contract, there was nothing going on,” she admitted. “Just ‘hey would you consider, would you be open?’. I’m like ‘hell yeah’. Well it turned out I have like a bad knee, and I can’t wrestle.”
In addition, Melina expressed that wrestling fans “made such a big deal” of the rumors of her return after they found out that it might be possible. She also mentioned that even if she wasn’t injured at the moment, she still isn’t sure whether WWE would really be interested in bringing her back to beef up its women’s division.
“Who knows if I didn’t have a bad knee if they would have signed me?” she asked.
In conclusion, the veteran grappler emphasized that nothing is guaranteed in the wrestling business.
Given her status as someone who won multiple titles during her time working for WWE, Melina has made a few one-off appearances in recent years. As reported by The Inquisitr, she showed up at Monday Night Raw’s “Raw Reunion” episode in July 2019, revealing that she had undergone referee training as she helped fellow legend Candice Michelle win the 24/7 Championship.
Melina also appeared on the red brand’s “Legends Night” special on January 4, where she took part in a backstage segment with Lucha House Party.
Melina was far from the only former WWE superstar to recently be rumored to be on her way back to the promotion after about a decade away. Her ex-boyfriend and former MNM stablemate, John Morrison, signed a multi-year contract with WWE toward the end of 2019 and remains a key part of the Monday Night Raw roster despite wrestling elsewhere for eight years prior to his return.
Additionally, Carlito — who was last signed to WWE in 2010 — was rumored this year to be making a full-time return, though he told Wrestling Inc. on Monday that he remains unsure of his status in the aftermath of his Royal Rumble cameo last month.
