Michelle McCool

Michelle Leigh Calaway (née McCool; born January 25, 1980) is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with 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. In her initial on-screen appearances, she utilized the character of a personal trainer, before changing it to that of a teacher. 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. 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 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 State 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.