Five years long, five years strong! As MichelleMcCool.Net celebrates it’s 5th Anniversary, Michelle McCool keeps with the tradition and grants us another exclusive interview. As always, we ask the questions that haven’t been asked before! Completely original, and answered from the heart! We personally believe that this is Michelle’s best interview with the site; so good, that we’ve divided the special into two parts! WWE and “Beyond the Ropes.” In this WWE edition of the exclusive, Michelle discusses Shawn Michaels’ retirement and the influence he’s left behind, what future WWE Superstars and Divas should know before becoming a wrestler, her debut match with notorious stiff-worker, Dawn Marie, the legacy left behind by Trish, Lita and Chyna, what she’s looking to accomplish before she retires, and so much more! We’ve asked the questions, now you read Michelle McCool’s answers – exclusively apart of MichelleMcCool.Net’s 5th Anniversary!

Check back Thursday, as we post part-two of our exclusive interview, where we take the questions from “Beyond the Ropes!”

MichelleMcCool.Net: Shawn Michaels was very open about his faith and having been a born again Christian, as are you with your faith and Christian upbringing. With his recent departure, how did it affect you? Did you share thoughts on the good book?

Michelle McCool: Wow….what a touching farewell. There weren’t many dry eyes that night (including myself)! Shawn is such a class act, the best in the business, the man you can’t take your eyes off of when he’s on TV. He will be missed by all – fans, friends…..You can’t even say enough about Shawn for what he’s done for this business. Without a doubt, he left a legacy many years ago that will never be forgotten!

MM.NET: Which WWE Diva(s) would you really like to have a storyline/feud with that you hadn’t already worked with? And of all of your feuds, which would you say was… Your least favorite!

McCOOL: Hmmm….good question! I’m really having fun right now with Vickie and Layla! I think it’d be fun to work with pretty much anyone right now. I’m quite certain we could find a lot of things wrong with ALL the other girls! :) Least favorite feud – IDK….don’t really want to answer that b/c I’m sure it’ll just start some unnecessary rumors. You know how that goes! It wasn’t my least favorite by any means, but I was completely green when I worked with Dawn Marie. I wish I could’ve worked with her now b/c I think we could’ve done some good stuff together!

MM.NET: Anyone who has access to YouTube and takes a peek at some of your early work with WWE can see just how far along you’ve come since first stepping in the ring with Dawn Marie. For awhile, she was regarded as someone who was a bit stiff worker, and judging from the hair pulls and elbow drops she put on you, we wouldn’t doubt it. Did her “warm welcoming” make you think twice about becoming a wrestler?

McCOOL: Not at all…I just wish I’d have been more experienced when I had the opportunity to work with her. If anything, it made me want it that much more!

MM.NET: You’ve started training in DSW so many years ago, then moved on to OVW, and finally WWE. If you had the opportunity to visit FCW as a trainer, would you? What advice would you give to the guys and girls who are currently training?

McCOOL: I’d love to do that. The facility FCW has is amazing and the resources they have there are truly like none other! There’s a lot of things that I wish I would have learned in developmental that I would want to share…..respect of the business and those who are in it/have been it, how to tell a story & connect with the fans through a match would also be crucial. So many times, we are limited with the time were given which means we have to figure out how to make sense of things in a very short period of time! This can be very tricky, but it can also be learned!

MM.NET: With Lilian Garcia, Maria and Mickie James having recently left WWE, you are now the longest active Diva on the current roster (excluding Stephanie McMahon and noting Gail Kim’s 2004 departure). You’ve been regarded as someone that is a locker room leader. What are some of Ms. McCool’s locker room laws that one should abided by?

McCOOL: No laws…I think the most important things ‘should’ be common sense. Wendi Richter said it best. It’s all about respect! Not everyone gives it and not everyone earns it…I think that is something everyone should do as a human being! It’d make this world a much better place! :)

MM.NET: The releases of Maria, Mickie James and Katie Lea all came as a huge shock to wrestling fans. How did you feel when you first heard the news? Have you talked to any of them since the releases?

McCOOL: I, like I think most people, was VERY shocked!!!! I don’t think you can ever prepare yourself once people start getting released. 99% of the time, you grow very close to the ones we work with (since we are together more with each other than with our own families) & it makes it that much harder!

MM.NET: Some of the Divas have been quite open/vocal over the years about their fellow colleagues that may have rubbed them the wrong way, which in turn, creates a lot of InterWeb Wars and a plethora of rumors. You’re no stranger to the dirt sheets that have reported conflict between you and other Divas as well, and yet, you’ve never “aired your dirty laundry.” With that said, what is your reaction when “backstage conflict” hits the Internet?

McCOOL: I don’t know. It’s kind of silly, frustrating & amusing all at the same time. I’d say 99.8% of the time, the information is false…..at times, absolutely ridiculous!:)

MM.NET: There are a lot of talented ladies in the WWE right now, yourself included! If you had to choose any three women in the company, aside from Layla and Vickie Guerrero, to create a stable with, who would you choose and why? Also, what would you call yourselves?

McCOOL: This question isn’t even fair!!!:) There are no other two divas I’d rather have in a stable, because there are definitely no other flawless girls!! And I can’t choose a guy?? If so, it’d be Chavo….all Guerreros are flawless!:) If I had to have other divas, I think I’d have to go out and recruit!!

MM.NET: You inspire a wide range of dreams in a million and one ways. From becoming a future WWE Star to someone that just needs that extra bit of encouragement, of your peers, who inspires you?

McCOOL: Wow, thank you! I have a lot of people who inspire me. My parents have been great role models my entire life. The fans….the ones who love me, and the ones who hate me. I’ve said before, the ones who love me guide me and the ones who hate me motivate me! The students I taught, my peers and colleagues, the list goes on. I think we just have to dig inside ourselves, especially when things are tough, and look at the big picture. You can always find a reason to smile, a reason to turn fear into hope and anger into joy!

MM.NET: Many Divas of the past have their own legacy, so to speak. Trish is considered the ultimate diva with 7 Women’s Championship title reigns. Lita was the high flier with an extreme attitude. Chyna was a dominant competitor that even beat the men. What do you most want you want to be remembered for?

McCOOL: Not giving up on the Diva’s division, fighting to bring in a Diva’s Championship title for years and bringing recognition (whether you think it’s good or bad) back to the Women’s & Diva’s Championships!

MM.NET: Not many females are inducted in the Hall of Fame, and the ones who are, it took them a long time to get in there. Do you ever see yourself as a future Hall of Famer? Surely with all your accomplishments and history making moments, you’d be a lock!

McCOOL: Wow….I don’t know about that but what an honor for all of the current and future Hall of Famers! The WWE Hall of Fame is extremely prestigious! I think there are definitely several females before me that should be inducted for paving the way. Being a female in the industry is definitely an uphill battle….but it’s a battle well worth it!

MM.NET: You’ve won the WWE Divas championship. You’ve won the WWE Women’s championship. You’ve wrestled on the grandest stage of them all, regarded as one of the most-talented WWE performers on the roster, and have been both cheered and booed by the WWE Universe. What else is there that you that want to achieve in this already storybook career?

McCOOL: Respect! :) I want people to know that this is genuinely a business I absolutely adore! A business that, at times, drives me crazy because of how much I love it! That, no matter what anyone might say, they can not take away the fact that I work hard in the ring, out of the ring (creatively), pitching ideas right & left, fighting for the divas, wanting more, never being satisfied, always striving to climb a little more, trying to put together the best possible match with whomever I’m in the ring with, etc…. I just want the divas division to always continue to flourish and not just “settle!”