melina: gorgeous grappling babe melina

GORGEOUS grappling babe Melina Perez has pleaded for WWE management and fans to see the federation’s women as more than eye candy.

Speaking to The Sun at the launch of the Smackdown vs RAW 2008 computer game in Washington, she said: “We’re not just people who stand there and look pretty – we can actually wrestle.”

Our latest Diva of the week is pretty damn good at both. She is a two-time women’s champion and, as you can see in our pictures, sizzles whenever the camera is on her. And Melina thinks the rest of the WWE women’s division has those qualities too.

She said: “I am so excited about the future. We have so much potential and talent, as well as lots of different styles and looks. “I love to see that variety – we can’t have all cookie cutter cutesy little girls.

It’s nice that Candice Michelle has been able to step a little bit on Raw and Beth Phoenix brings something extra. Then on Smackdown there is Michelle McCool and Victoria. I look at all the female wrestlers who came before and I want to be better.

I want to take everything I’ve learned and evolve. Instead of being told what to do I want to be able to create. On Raw, we’re starting to do things on the fly and react to what’s going on more. It may not look as pretty but we take pride that we did it ourselves.”

The Californian superstar added: “I still watch all the wrestling I can – whether it’s TNA, Japanese or Lucha Libre – because that's my art. We should look at how they present women and take a bit from all of them.”

Melina then paid tribute to Sensational Sherri, the legendary WWE wrestler and manager who died earlier this year from a drugs overdose.

“I think she is the greatest ever,” Melina insisted.

“Sherri was the complete package. “There is a lot you have to go through when you are a female in a man’s world, which wrestling is. I feel like I have to fight harder and work harder to play among the boys and show that I deserve to be here and am not just a girl who is going to be flirting around and acting cute.

Sensational Sherri went through all of that and I admire her so much. It kills me that we haven’t paid enough respect for the road she paved. I was distraught when she died. I know we’ve been losing a lot of wrestlers, but I don’t judge them for how they passed away – I just admire and respect them for what they achieved and how they touched my life. And Sensational Sherri really did touch my life.”

As a huge wrestling fan, it must be difficult for Melina to share a locker room with girls who may never have even heard of her heroine. Many of the WWE’s women are models and actresses, with no wrestling background, recruited through the annual Diva Search.

But the Raw star doesn’t begrudge them their place alongside her on the roster. She told us: “When I first got hired, it was with a bunch of models, so they automatically labelled me as one of the ‘Playboy girls’ and I was never taken seriously. I got to experience what that feels like so I never want to be treated like that or treat other people like that.

Melina’s big goal for 2008 is to once again be part of the women’s title match at WrestleMania, especially after having her championship match cut to just three minutes at this year’s extravaganza.

She revealed: “We had an insanely short amount of time. We almost didn’t even do the match. They were so tight for time, but luckily we were able to get on. I remember saying ‘thank you God.’ Now I want the chance to do it again.”