Michelle McCool

Michelle Leigh Calaway ( McCool; born January 25, 1980) is an American professional wrestler.

She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she is a former two-time WWE Divas Champion and a two-time WWE Women's Champion.

McCool originally worked as a middle school teacher in Palatka, Florida.

She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the WWE Diva Search.

McCool first came to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as a competitor in the 2004 WWE Diva Search, losing to Christy Hemme.

Although she was eliminated, WWE signed her to a three-year deal in November.

She quickly began appearing in backstage segments on SmackDown! portraying a fitness trainer and teaching various wrestlers stretches.

From 2005 to 2007, she utilized the character of a personal trainer, before changing it to that of a teacher.

She wrestled in her first SmackDown! match, teaming with Big Show to defeat Dawn Marie and René Duprée on March 3, 2005.

McCool made her singles debut match on March 24, losing to Marie.

A few months later, McCool became a part of the feud between MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) and Heidenreich when she defended Heidenreich against MNM's manager Melina's verbal attacks.

In a match on June 30, Melina defeated McCool by pinning her with the illegal aid of the ring ropes as leverage.

McCool was then sent to WWE's developmental facility, Deep South Wrestling (DSW), where she wrestled, performed interviews, hosted segments, and provided color commentary.

While in DSW, she was hospitalized after having an allergic reaction to a prescribed medication and was temporarily sidelined to recover.

Eventually, she started to train in WWE's other developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).

While in OVW, she began managing the duo of Amish Roadkill and K.C. James.

McCool returned to SmackDown! on June 2, 2006, this time as a heel with a "sexy teacher" gimmick, playing on her real life experiences as a teacher.

Upon her arrival, she aligned with Kristal Marshall to feud with Jillian Hall and Ashley Massaro.

This feud led to a Fatal Four-Way Bra and Panties match at The Great American Bash, which Massaro won.

She won her first singles match on the July 28 episode of SmackDown!, defeating Hall by illegally using the ropes as leverage.

Soon after, she began acting as valet for the team of K.C. James and Idol Stevens, who, because of her association with them, were nicknamed The Teacher's Pets.

The trio began feuding with Paul London and Brian Kendrick, and their valet Massaro, for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but never won the title.

The feud ended when London and Kendrick won a match against them at No Mercy in October.

On November 28, McCool was hospitalized with an enlarged kidney, a broken sternum, and an electrolyte imbalance.

She was released from the hospital on December 2.

McCool returned on the March 30, 2007, episode of SmackDown!, where she participated in a 10-Diva tag team match.

On the April 13 episode of SmackDown!, McCool became a fan favorite again, when she came to the aid of Ashley after she was attacked by Jillian Hall backstage.

At The Great American Bash in 2008, McCool became the inaugural WWE Divas Champion, holding the title for approximately five months.

She then won the WWE Women's Championship at The Bash in 2009, becoming the first female wrestler to have held both titles.

At Night of Champions in 2010, she unified both titles becoming the first and only WWE Unified Divas Champion.

McCool held both titles on two occasions, which makes her a four-time champion overall.

In November 2010, she was ranked number one in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50, and she retired the following year.

Since 2018, McCool has made occasional appearances in WWE, including participating in matches.

Both of McCool's parents work in education; her mother, Jenny, is a teacher and her father, Terry, is a superintendent.

She has an older brother who played football at the University of Cincinnati.

Growing up, McCool was an avid professional wrestling fan, going as far as knowing how to do Ric Flair's signature maneuver, the figure-four leglock, by age seven.

Before and during high school, McCool played softball, basketball and volleyball.

She also played first base at Pasco-Hernando Community College.

McCool later received her Master's degree in Educational leadership from Florida State University, and taught seventh grade science for four years in her hometown of Palatka, Florida.

She also competed in National Physique Committee fitness contests, taught gymnastics and kickboxing, and worked as a personal trainer.