Melina Recalls Vince McMahon Interaction That Convinced Her Of Imminent WWE Release

In 2011, a Divas Championship #1 Contender's Battle Royal didn't go according to plan, with Impact Hall of Famer Gail Kim eliminating herself from the match and quitting WWE, much to the chagrin of then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. According to former WWE Divas Champion Melina Perez, a chance encounter at the next night's "WWE SmackDown" taping, McMahon used that ire to fire her.

"I was in Gorilla [Position] and Vince was passing by and he stopped and he turned and he looked at me and he said, 'You have a good night,'" Melina said on "Wrestling Shoot Interviews." The wrestlers around her that night were surprised and congratulated Melina on McMahon wishing her a good night, but Melina knew something was wrong. 

"I was like, 'Holy f***, I'm getting fired,'" Melina said, with Kim's outburst from the night before still fresh in her mind. "He just said 'f*** you' to me, but with a good night," Melina said. The former WWE Women's Champion believes that McMahon was in a firing mood and seeing her backstage put the crosshairs on her forehead. "As soon as he said, 'Have a good night,' I knew I was marked."

Sure enough, she was fired just days after the interaction. Melina has since appeared in WWE, competing in last year's Women's Royal Rumble. The return came after Melina had already turned the company down in 2020, as she felt that various offers for a return over the years had not been made in good faith.