Melissa Coates

Biography

Melissa Lavinia Coates (June 18, 1969 – June 23, 2021) was a Canadian professional wrestler, bodybuilder, fitness model, and actress. She was best known for appearing in the first two seasons of the Game Show Network show Extreme Dodgeball. In professional wrestling, she was known for her appearances in World Wrestling Entertainment's developmental territories Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling, NWA Anarchy, and Women Superstars Uncensored. On the independent circuit, she was the valet of Sabu, under the ring name Super Genie.

== Bodybuilding == Prior to entering professional wrestling, Coates aspired to become a professional tennis player after watching Martina Navratilova. To train for tennis, Coates began weightlifting at 15, At that time she entered her first tennis competition in 1984, where she remained until the finals. She re-entered the following year and won the Mid-Canada Junior Girls Championship. She soon began to shift her attention from tennis to bodybuilding. She entered her first contest in the early 1990s, where she won the overall lightweight category of the Windsor Physique Contest. After gaining prominence, Coates moved to Los Angeles and worked for two gyms and two bars to support herself. After earning pro status by winning her class at the 1994 Canadian Championships, she won the Jan Tana Classic in 1996, which was her professional bodybuilding debut. In 1999, she took a leave from bodybuilding and subsequently began working as a model. Coates competed in the first two seasons of Extreme Dodgeball on the Game Show Network. Her team, the Barbell Mafia team, qualified for the playoffs in the first season, but failed to qualify the next year.

== Professional wrestling career ==

=== Early career (2002–2006) === After training at both Killer Kowalski's training school and Ultimate Pro Wrestling's Ultimate University. In 2005, Coates made an appearance in the Naked Women's Wrestling League (NWWL), hosted by Carmen Electra. Coates wrestled April Hunter, in which both wrestlers appeared completely nude.

=== WWE developmental system (2005–2007) === Coates moved down to Louisville, Kentucky to begin training in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling. Coates then made an appearance at WWE's Backlash, taking part in Chris Masters' "Master Lock Challenge" segment, where he offered $3,000 to anyone who could break his Master Lock, which she failed to do. She was then placed in OVW as an official trainee and became the "head of security" for Kenny Bolin's stable "Bolin's Services". Soon after, however, Coates left both OVW and WWE and went to work for World Xtreme Wrestling. Coates returned to OVW, albeit not under a WWE developmental contract. Upon resuming, she soon began facing off with several of the OVW Divas, including Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Melina Perez. Coates later turned heel and began managing the OVW Southern Tag Team Champions Blonde Bombers (Tank and Chad Toland), as well as becoming Jillian Hall's bodyguard and went on a spree of blinding people with rubbing alcohol in storyline. After training in OVW, Coates then moved over to Deep South Wrestling and debuted for the territory as The Bag Lady, a homeless woman who became the love interest and eventually the valet of The Freakin' Deacon. On February 22, 2007, the Bag Lady debuted a new Diva-esque look and defeated Angel Williams in their subsequent match. The Bag Lady then began feuding with both Williams and Krissy Vaine. On the April 5 episode of DSW TV Tapings, The Bag Lady accompanied Nattie Neidhart to the ring where she lost to Krissy Vaine after the distraction by Williams followed by Vaine using the heel of a shoe. In March 2015, Devon Nicholson described an incident from 2006 that Bill DeMott was involved with while he was head trainer for the WWE's Deep South Wrestling developmental territory. Nicholson described an incident where Drew Hankinson was completely naked in the ring for a long period of time and gave naked stinkfaces to Coates and Matt Cardona while DeMott held jelly donuts over their faces. The wrestlers agreed to do this (with the other talent encouraging them) to get out of regular training for that day. DeMott refuted the notion that it was his idea, stating that the other trainees came up with it because they wanted to skip the session.

=== NWA Anarchy (2007–2008) ===

In her first appearances on the indy circuit after leaving DSW, Coates made her debut for Great Championship Wrestling on May 29 and defeated Daffney to win the NWA/GCW Women's Championship, her first professional wrestling championship. Coates continued to remain champion until the title was seemingly forgotten and then deactivated in late 2007. Coates also made several appearances for other Georgia-based wrestling promotions in both a wrestling and managerial role. On July 7, she made her debut for NWA Anarchy as a heel, challenging and defeating several male wrestlers in intergender matches. At NWA Anarchy's Fright Night event, Coates teamed up with fellow DSW alumnus Tony Santarelli to defeat Todd Sexton and referee Wes Grissom, the latter of whom Coates was feuding with. On December 15, Coates began an angle with Don Matthews after Coates attacked Matthews and his tag team partner Brodie Chase. All three were then entered into an Anarchy Battle Royal to determine the number one contender for the Television Championship, but both Coates and Matthews were simultaneously eliminated and Matthews began showing affection towards her. On December 29, Matthews publicly declared his affection towards Coates before she struck him in response. The angle between the two continued until Matthews' tag team partner Brodie Chase revealed that he and Coates were together, turning Chase heel in the process. On May 31, 2008, Chase defeated Matthews while having Coates in his corner. While working outside of NWA Anarchy, Coates took on a managerial role in April 2008. Using the ring name Mile High Melissa, Coates adopted a flight attendant gimmick and joined "Captain" Mike Flyte, with the pair collectively known as The Flight Crew. In July 2008, they were joined by "Captain" Jason Static, though Static left the stable after a few months before Coates left NWA Anarchy.

=== Women Superstars Uncensored (2008–2010) === On August 23, 2008, Coates made her debut in Women Superstars Uncensored as a villainess and defeated Autumn Breeze in her debut match. Beginning in October, she formed a tag team called the Badass Beauties with Trixxie Lynn. The team made its debut on October 10 in a victory over Annie Social and Sean Hanson pinning Hanson. The following day, the Badass Beauties lost to the Beatdown Betties (Roxxie Cotton and Annie Social) in the first round of a tournament for the vacant Tag Team Championship. After winning a number of singles matches throughout 2009, Coates gained a title match with the WSU Champion Mercedes Martinez April 3, 2010, but was unsuccessful in winning the title. On November 6, Coates wrestled in a six-person gauntlet match for the company's unsanctioned All Guts, No Glory Championship, but was unsuccessful as Angel Orsini, the title's creator and holder, retained the title. Coates left the company shortly after.