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One Year Later: Meeting Melina

My personal story about how I actually met women's wrestling legend Melina Perez

By Clyde E. DawkinsPublished about a year ago 3 min read
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Presenting my autographed pic of Melina, which I received in December 2021

It's so hard to believe that on this day one year ago, I actually met my all time favorite in women's wrestling, Melina Perez! I've been a fan of Melina since her memorable WWE main roster debut on April 14, 2005, and I've been blessed to have seen Melina in action for 17 years. This is regardless of promotion; she was in WWE for six years, and it's been followed by stints in the indy circuit, NWA, Impact Wrestling, and even an appearance on Lucha Underground.

So how did this actually happen? I have two sources to thank. One, the people at The Asylum Wrestling Store, and secondly, a wonderful and awesomely close friend of over a decade. The latter sent me The Asylum's link to a virtual meet and greet with Melina, and I immediately swooped at the chance! This was about six months prior, I recall the meet and greet was actually set for that summer, but Melina actually had a prior commitment with NWA, so it was pushed back to November 26 of last year.

My meeting with Melina on November 26, 2021

So the day finally came, it was Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and I was excited. Excited, not nervous. Though I admit that last part was hard to believe. After all, I was meeting my all-time fave, yet despite this, I wasn't nervous at all. I actually knew what I was going to say to Melina; it was all in my mind. Finally, that Friday evening came, and there was Melina, in all her iconic glory. I loved her look, especially the shades, and I was all set to go. However, there was one problem. When it was my turn, I couldn't be seen. The reason: I was using my laptop, and my camera on it was kaput. It was not working well. Now I was actually nervous.

Thankfully, I had the idea to use my cellphone to enter the meet and greet, as that had a much better camera. Finally, it was my turn, and my first words were an expression of my fandom of Melina, mentioning her debut date and how she was showing out and continuing to do so for NWA. Melina's humorous response, "Thank you for not hating me," and that led me to tell Melina how great she is at being a heel, even voicing my longtime stance that she was the "undisputed queen of heels." I even mentioned her 2010 heel turn in WWE, and how I remembered that she had written a blog that would reveal her motive for turning heel, while also relishing over the possiblility of Melina actually playing a psychotic madwoman in contrast to the egotistical "diva" she had played as the centerpiece of MNM.

Part of the meet and greet included a signed autographed photo, and the one I selected had Melina holding up the Women's Championship. As I said directly to Melina, I had a reason for that: the greatest memory I had was the evening of February 19, 2007, which was the night that Melina won the Women's Championship for the first time. I still remember how happy I was for that moment, because I knew it was coming, and when I said that, Melina thanked me and actually complimented me on my memory. I was shown the autographed pic, and I even got a virtual hug!

It's been 365 days since then, and I still can't believe that I actually met Melina Perez, I'm still on Cloud Nine! I have The Asylum to thank, and I have my awesome friend to thank as well, as she made this possible for me. November 26, 2021 remains one of many dates etched into my memory, and I received the photo just a few weeks later! An absolutely amazing moment!

pop culture
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About the Creator

Clyde E. Dawkins

I am an avid fan of sports and wrestling, and I've been a fan of female villains since the age of eight. Also into film and TV, especially Simpsons and Family Guy.

Feel free to follow my social media:

Twitter - Facebook - Tiktok - Instagram

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  • Babs Iversonabout a year ago

    Awesome story!!! Loved it!!!💕😊💖💕

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