Michelle McCool was a focal point of women’s wrestling during the diva era in WWE. First appearing during 2004’s Diva Search and later becoming the inaugural Diva’s Champion in 2008.
At Extreme Rules In 2011, McCool competed in a “Loser Leaves WWE” match against her former partner in Laycool, Layla. In a recent appearance on Lillian Garcia’s “Chasing The Glory” podcast she revealed the reasoning behind her departure.
“Leaving was tough because it got to a point where — I was dealing with so much, mostly being Undertaker’s girlfriend while I was on TV. There was even a writer who threw the papers up one day and said, ‘Why don’t we just call it the Michelle McCool and Undertaker show.’ I went to Vince [McMahon] on numerous occasions and said, ‘I don’t want to hate something that I grew up loving so much. The longer I stay, the more I get this sour taste in my mouth.'”
Michelle McCool and The Undertaker got married in 2010. After retiring the couple had their first child together in 2012. Recently, McCool has made sporadic appearances since retiring, most notably in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble in 2018 and at WWE Evolution.
(h/t to Fightful)
