Former Women's Champion Melina on what it would take for her to re-sign with WWE: "It's not about the money"
Melina Perez was signed to WWE from 2004 to 2011. This era is often looked at as a weak period for the women's division. Despite that, she stood out from the rest of the pack for both her in-ring talents as well as her character work.
She worked on-screen as a valet for MNM, a tag team consisting of Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury. Eventually, Melina won the Women's and Divas Title in WWE. She is a five-time world champion. Her last appearance for the Stamford-based promotion to date happened at Royal Rumble 2022, where she competed in the titular bout as a surprise entrant.
Speaking on MuscleManMalcolm, Melina Perez discussed possibly signing a WWE Legends deal, which appears to be what a lot of the past wrestlers are doing at this stage in their careers. Beyond the payment, though, her priority is the freedom to explore what she wishes to do as a performer:
"It’s not about the money. It’s about being able to be free to do what I want with what I was blessed with in wrestling," she said.
Regarding a potential WWE return, the 45-year-old admitted that she does not have her hopes up. However, she expects to travel in the coming months.
Melina is interested in teaming up with WWE Superstar Zelina Vega
Latino World Order's Zelina Vega has previously opened up about being a huge fan of Melina and expressing a desire to work with the legend.
Speaking in the aforementioned podcast regarding Vega, the former Women's Champion revealed that she has a desire to chase the tag titles with the LWO star. This is in large part due to the fact that the belts were introduced after she left the company:
"I wish I could be a part of a tag team," she stated. "I wish I was younger. I wish this was all happening when I was younger because I would love to go after some tag team titles. [...] "I keep saying Zelina."
During the Women's Royal Rumble 2022, Perez got a rapturous reception from the live crowd, which was proof of her popularity among the WWE Universe. Whether she ultimately returns to the company bears watching.
If you use any of the quotes, please credit MuscleManMaloclm and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.