Michelle McCool has been revealed as the second inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025. She joins Triple H in the Class of 2025.
McCool held both the WWE Women’s Championship and Divas Championship twice during a seven-year full-time career.
She first entered the world of sports entertainment as part of the 2004 Divas Search. McCool was inspired to join the industry after seeing Dusty Rhodes compete at a live show when she was six.
Despite not winning the reality season, McCool showed enough to be offered a contract on the SmackDown brand.
McCool Early Days
WWE didn’t ask her to step outside her comfort zone in her early days. The former teacher initially portrayed a scantily-clad teacher.
McCool’s PPV debut came in a four-way Bra & Panties match at the Great American Bash in 2006.
She managed the tag team of Idol Stevens (Damian Sandow) and KC James known as the Teachers’ Pets. The tag team was anything but model students and failed to gain any success under McCool.
First-Ever Divas Champion
Two years after she was a bit part in the objectifying Bra & Panties match, McCool had her breakout moment.
At The Great American Bash 2008, McCool became the first-ever Divas Champion when she beat Natalya. As champion McCool turned a corner. She was no longer eye candy for the fans and revelled as the brash, nasty and dominating champion.
Her reign ended at 155 days, just a few weeks before the end of 2008.
McCool continued her legacy with the Great American Bash when she won the WWE Women’s Championship at the 2009 event. This edition of The Great American Bash was simply called The Bash for absolutely no reason at all.
But it wasn’t any less historic than previous Great American Bash shows. McCool winning at The Bash made her the first women to hold both the Women’s Championship and the Divas Championship.
Lay-Cool
McCool formed an alliance with Layla. Lay-Cool was born and they ran roughshod over the women’s division. Lay-Cool played an integral part in the history of WWE SmackDown. They were presented as strong, confident and helped move Divas away from being purely sex symbols.
Lay-Cool entered an extremely nasty feud with Mickie James. James was accused of resembling a pig by the two mean girls of WWE.
James got one over McCool when she ended her 217-day Women’s Championship reign at the Royal Rumble. But just one month later, McCool won the gold back.
At the Night of Champions 2010, McCool unified the WWE Women’s and Divas Championship when she bested Melina.
Lay-Cool also had the WWE’s first-ever tag team table match when they fought Natalya and Beth Phoenix. Of course, taking place in 2010, WWE made the tables pink!
Lay-Cool Implodes, WrestleMania & Exit
Natalya eventually took the championship from McCool and Layla, who had carried half the belt each, at Survivor Series 2010.
This put the wheels in motion for an eventual disbanding of Lay-Cool. Lay-Cool was humiliated by Jersey Shore star Snooki at WrestleMania XXVII. This led to a loser leaves town match at WWE Extreme Rules 2011.
McCool lost the contest and – good as her word – hasn’t returned to full-time competition since. McCool has made a couple of popular cameo appearances in the 2018, 2022 and 2023 Royal Rumble matches.
She also appeared in the 20-women battle royal at WWE Evolution.
Outside the ring, McCool managed to warm the icy dead heart of “The Deadman” The Undertaker. The two married in 2010 and McCool featured in The Undertaker: The Last Ride documentary series.
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