Former WWE Women's Champion Wrestles Final Match

By Joshua Gagnon

Last night in Waukesha, Wisconsin at House of Hardcore 36, former WWE Women's Champion, Candice Michelle, wrestled her final match. This was also the first match she had since being released from WWE, back in 2009. Michelle went up against someone she saw often during her WWE tenure, Lisa Marie Varon, also known as Victoria, who won the WWE Women's Championship on two occasions.

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Michelle began with the WWE through the Diva Search in 2004. Although not being picked as one of the final ten women, she was offered a contract to work for the company. Initially starting in the stable Vince's Devils (named after WWE Chairman Vince McMahon) with Torrie Wilson and Victoria, Michelle split off to singles competition in mid-2006.

In July of 2007 at Vengeance, she defeated Melina by pinfall victory to win the WWE Women's Championship. She held the title for 105 days before dropping it to Beth Phoenix. Along the way, injuries began to build up and cost Michelle a lot of TV time, in an interview with On Milwaukee before her retirement match, Michelle spoke about how the injuries led to the end of her WWE career.

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"We were coming back from a two-week European tour, and it was our last match in Nebraska before we got a break," Michelle said. "It was a big match with me and Beth Phoenix, and I went up to the top rope for a spot where she was gonna hit the rope and I was gonna eat it. But my boot caught, and I nose dived. So I was knocked out, on live TV. The next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance, and they said, 'Your husband's being flown in.' When you're in a neck brace, and you're in an ambulance, and they're flying your husband in, it's pretty scary. Thankfully, I just had a broken collar bone and a concussion. But the hardest part is it shelved me. I worked so hard to get that spot, and that recognition from my coworkers, and from the fans. And now I'm shelved for six months."

Wanting to get back in the ring sooner than she probably should have, Michelle spoke about how she "weaseled" her way into another match.

"I think most wrestlers have a very relentless mentality," Michelle recalled. "Somehow, I had to convince [Producer] Johnny Laurinaitis and the doctors there that my collarbone was not broken anymore, even though the X-rays show it was still. Somehow, I weaseled my way into a match, and the first drop kick, I shattered it. But, I finished the match. I was shelved another six months. Then I was coming back, and WrestleMania was coming up, just being in overdrive. I did a Superman punch, landed on my ankle and tore two ligaments. That was the final injury where I got the call to say, 'All right, kid. You're done.'"

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After training for a month and a half prior, in her final match Michelle picked up the victory and thanked Victoria for helping her when she first started in WWE. Below is a photo and video from the event, just a note, the audio is a bit difficult to hear.

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