"If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory!"

"If fear is cultivated, it will become stronger. If faith is cultivated, it will become mastery!"

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season...I know I did! I wanted to start with one of my newest "all-time favorite" pictures. The picture taken with the legendary Mae Young was taken just a few weeks ago. Not only was I blessed to have her on my side that night, but was able to spend some extra time with her in the airport and on the flight out to tv. Mae has not lost one ounce of her fire and passion for this business and boy is that refreshing?!! It gives me chills just thinking about it. I'm going to start my blog now, but will get back to Mae in a bit.....

Let me start by saying that YES, I do read all the comments (good, bad & ugly) that you guys send. Just the way all of you have/voice your opinions (which I do respect), I've decided to do the same. I may offend some, make some laugh, make some smile, make some cry, but....this blog is all about you guys. You ask, you demand, you demean and I am going to respond. So, from here on out in this blog, I'm going to continue as "Michelle McCool outside the ropes" & "Michelle McCool inside the ropes!" I think you can determine the difference!

McCool outside the ropes....

Thanks, as always, for all of the kind comments that you guys have sent. Losing my championship has been bitter sweet for me and your encouraging words keep me going. I haven't changed (for those of you who have been so concerned) and will never compromise my morals, beliefs and/or values. My motto remains the same: faith to fight the good fight, heart to believe and soul to search within! Losing the title just means that I have to fight that much harder and keep my eye on the prize. As the new year begins, remember to dream big! Don't let anyone discourage you to not follow your heart. Go after your goals....follow your dreams and LIVE your passion!

McCool inside the ropes (warning - attitude changes here :) ).... 

I've gotten lots of questions/comments/concerns and most of them seem to revolve around the same few things, so I'll try to take care of them all. One of my favorite era's of wrestling was the 'Attitude Era!' This new year has brought out a new attitude for me, and for those of you that don't like it, I'm sorry. 

Maria: Yes, I beat the heck out of her and, in my mind, deservingly so. I don't get why everyone likes her so much. She tries to play the innocent card and is constantly getting distracted and screwing things up. That's exactly what she did to cost me the title. Did you see her taking that long to count for Maryse? No, didn't think so. It was that one split second when I had enough, that Maryse capitalized and caught me with a mean kick to the head. I give Maryse credit...I'd of done the exact same thing and taken advantage of the opportunity. Had Maria been counting like any normal ref, I would still be Divas Champion and she might not be hurting so bad! Next topic of concern....

Moveset: For those of you who love to hate me (which I now embrace, so thank you), I'm sorry if this is going to sound blunt. I truly find if humorous how many of you are so mad about my new finish, using the chick kick, etc... You must not be true wrestling fans or else you would be complaining in cyber space about every single move out there. At some point in time, someone used and/or created everything you currently see. Let me just mention a few moves that have been "stolen" by current divas that you guys conveniently seem to forget.

Mae Young: elbow drop, first lady to drop kick, bronco buster

Gory Guerrero: camel clutch

Too many superstars past and present to name: DDT

Brisco Brothers: Sunset flip out of corner

Molly Holly: springboard elbow

Torrie Wilson: face buster

Lou Thez: Lou Thez press

The list goes on and on and on....So, for those of you who are apparently so knowledgable about my move set and want to whine and complain about who may have used them in the past, why don't you do just a little bit of research. You might find that there are many divas, and other superstars for that matter, who are using/utilizing moves that you may have seen before. Before you know it, I'm sure you'll be complaining about using a headlock. But hey, whatever makes you happy......

Wow, didn't realize that would be so long. For those of you who have made it this far in the blog, I'm going to save the rest for a later date. I'm going to finish with "Michelle McCool outside the ropes!" (I kind of like being able to give you both sides....kind of like the best of both worlds - you can pick and choose which parts, if not all, of the blog you want to read! :)

I hope you all have a great night and wake up with a smile on your face. Remember to cherish each day as if it were your last. You can do absolutely anything you put your mind to. Stay positive and stay true to yourself. Make it a point to make someone else smile each day....you'll be amazed at just how good it makes you feel! Keepin' the faith!

Love you all! MM