It is with deep sadness to announce that former WWE developmental talent, Melissa Coates, best known in recent years as “Super Genie” alongside Sabu at various wrestling events around the world has passed away at the age of 50.

Coates, who celebrated her 50th birthday just several days ago, originally aspired to become a professional tennis player after watching Martina Navratilova and began weightlifting at the age of 15, entering her first tennis competition that same year and making it to the finals.

Coates re-entered the following year, winning the Mid-Canada Juniot Girls Championship, however she then began to change her mindset from tennis to bodybuilding, winning the 1991 Windsor Physique in the Lightweight Class, the 1992 Eastern Ontario in the Middleweight Class, the 1993 Ontario in the Middleweight Class, the 1994 Canadian Championships in the Middleweight Class and the 1996 Jan Tana Classic (Overall). Coates finished 9th at the 1996 IFBB Ms. Olympia, 6th at the 1997 IFBB Ms. International, 11th at the 1997 IFBB Ms. Olympia and 13th at the 1999 IFBB Ms. International. Coates also competed in the first two seasons of Extreme Dodgeball on The Game Show Network, qualifying for the playoffs with her team, The Barbell Mafia, in the first season, but failing to qualify in the second season.

Coates began her professional wrestling training at Killer Kowalski’s training school and the Ultimate Pro Wrestling Ultimate University before signing with the WWE in 2005. During her time in WWE’s Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling developmental systems at the time, Coates made an appearance at the 2005 WWE Backlash pay-per-view, failing to break out of the “Master Lock Challenge”, of which Chris Masters had offered $3,000 for anyone who could do so. Coates left the WWE developmental system officially in 2007 and began to make appearances for NWA Anarchy, Women Superstars Uncensored and other promotions over the years, before becoming the manager for Sabu in 2014.

During her professional wrestling career, Coates was a one-time Brew City Wrestling Women’s Champion, one-time Dragon Con Women’s Champion, one-time Funking Conservatory Women’s Tag Team Champion alongside Claudia Reiff, a one-time NWA: Great Championship Wrestling Women’s Champion, a one-time Indiana Universal Wrestling Association Divas Champion and one-time Michigan Championship Wrestling Association Bombshells Champion. Coates was also ranked #41 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Female 50 in 2010.

Late last year, Coates began to experience pain in her left leg and was quickly admitted to a local medical center in Las Vegas. While undergoing testing, doctors had observed several blood clots in Coates’ leg and despite attempts to save the leg, found that the clots were spreading and life-threatening, leaving them with no choice but to amputate from above the knee.

On behalf of Wrestling-News.Net, we would like to extend our condolences to the family, friends and fans of “Super Genie” Melissa Coates.