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.
Prior to entering professional wrestling, Coates aspired to become a professional tennis player after watching Martina Navratilova.
1984
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.
1990
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.
1994
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.
1999
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.
After training at both Killer Kowalski's training school and Ultimate Pro Wrestling's Ultimate University.
2005
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.
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.
2007
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.
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.
2015
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.
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.
