Undertaker Inducts Wife & First Divas Champion Michelle McCool Into WWE Hall Of Fame

By Miles Schneiderman
Michelle McCool slaps hands with the audience on her way to the ring Wwe/Getty Images

Michelle McCool is officially a WWE Hall of Famer after being inducted by her husband, Mark Calaway — known for his WWE career as The Undertaker — at this weekend's Hall of Fame ceremony, which began early Saturday morning for those in the Central and Eastern time zones. Calaway, who insisted he was there as his real self and not his character, praised McCool for her refusal to give up her WWE dreams and her influence on the modern women's division. McCool was the first-ever Divas Champion and as Calaway pointed out is heavily associated with that era, along with her tag team partner, Layla; the pair were "mean girls" in kayfabe and were often seen bullying other characters, including the infamous "Piggy James" angle.

Calaway told stories about her persistent pursuit of McCool during their time in WWE, which McCool confirmed during her own speech — though she also claimed he featured heavily in some WWE-inspired hallucinations she suffered while dealing with a serious illness. McCool shouted out former colleagues in the crowd, including Natalya and Stephanie McMahon, and teased a comeback for her act with Layla, fondly remembered as "Lay-Cool." Additionally, McCool spoke at length about overcoming fear of failure, using her own career as an example and at one point speaking directly to her children in the crowd. She also praised trainer and advocate Fit Finlay, mentioning that women during the Divas era only ever had three or four minutes in the ring from bell to bell.

McCool hasn't wrestled regularly in 14 years, with her last singles match coming at WWE Extreme Rules 2011 — she lost to Layla in a "loser leaves WWE" match. She's since returned to participate in the 2018, 2022 and 2023 women's Royal Rumble matches, as well as a battle royal at the all-woman 2018 event WWE Evolution.

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