User blog:CEDJunior/Candice Michelle: Face or Heel?

With the NFL season underway, I decided that the subject of this week's "Face or Heel?" blog should be a former WWE Diva who has a small NFL connection. She is best known for being the original GoDaddy girl; appearing in the ads on Super Bowl Sunday for six years, and she's a die-hard Cheesehead. She is also a former Diva Search contestant and a former WWE Women's Champion as well. This week's subject is none other than one of my favorite Divas, Candice Michelle.

Face Candice:  Naturally, Candice started as a babyface after being eliminated from the Diva Search in 2004, but her first run wasn't a real proper run. She sparsely competed in actual matches and mainly participated in various contests, and also switched from Raw to SmackDown in the early summer of 2005. Candice's second babyface run had much more depth, as she was already established as an in-ring competitor. The best part of her run came in 2007, when she received a slow and steady push towards the Women's Championship by gaining victory over victory over titleholder Melina. It was at Vengeance: Night of Champions that Candice defeated Melina to capture the Women's Championship; becoming the first Diva Search alum to win a title. Michelle McCool, Maryse, Layla, and Eve Torres would join the list of Diva Search contestants who would go on to become champions.

Candice would later feud with the villainous Beth Phoenix for several weeks, and it would lead to Candice losing the title to Beth at No Mercy. Unfortunately, Candice would suffer her devastating clavicle injury in her rematch on Raw 15 days later, and she would never fully recover from that; no matter how many times she came back.

Heel Candice:  If Candice is best known for anything in WWE, it was her 11 months as a heel between 2005 and 2006. Candice turned into a villainess on August 22, 2005 when she and Torrie Wilson were traded to Raw. The heel turn came when Torrie made her own villainous turn by attacking Diva Search winner Ashley Massaro after both women pretended to congratulate her on her success. Candice and Torrie aligned with Victoria (who turned heel just three months prior) to form the trio known as Vince's Devils, and they would feud with not only Ashley, but the returning Trish Stratus and the debuting Mickie James as well. Like with any trio, each of the women had their different traits or gimmicks. Torrie was the leader, Victoria was the enforcer, and Candice was the evil seductress.

It was during Candice's stint as a heel that she was chosen as the featured Diva to pose for Playboy; during a stretch where Playboy and WWE were joined at the proverbial hip. Just like Sable did in 1999, Candice became more arrogant as a result of her latest exposure, and she and Victoria both turned against Torrie in a cover unveiling segment on Raw. It would lead to a match between Candice and Torrie at WrestleMania 22; a Playboy Pillow Fight, to be more specific. Even in defeat, Candice really looked like the sexy villainess she portrayed at the event. Candice continued portraying a heel after WM22, with her last appearance as a villain taking place on the July 11 edition of the new-look ECW. In one of my favorite moments, the evil Candice appeared to seduce Kelly Kelly before both of them performed on an edition of ''Kelly's Exposé. ''Before Candice was released in 2009, it was reported that she was working as a heel in house shows, but she wouldn't make the complete transition.

As to the titular question, I definitely prefer Heel Candice over Face Candice. During that 11 month stretch, Candice truly showed that being evil really suited her. She was provocative, she was wicked, and she was very, very seductive. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Candice had stuck around and turned heel in 2009. I think that WWE would have made her a much different villainess than she was during her run as one of Vince's Devils; less cutesy and more dark and twisted. I do miss seeing Candice on TV, and it breaks my heart that she is officially retired from wrestling. Candice will turn 36 later this month--hard to believe, but it's true--and there are a few women older than her who are still competing in the ring. But I imagine with the injury problems that plagued the end of her WWE career, and now that she has a family of her own, retirement was the best decision for Candice.

Face Candice or Heel Candice? Which do you prefer?