Alex Marvez's weekly look at professional wrestling

PHOENIX -- World Wrestling Entertainment divas are supposed to be knockouts, not getting knocked out.Yet that is what legitimately happened to Candice Michelle during an October match on Monday Night Raw.WWE women's champion Beth Phoenix bumped into the ropes while Michelle was perched for a cross-body block. An off-balance Michelle crashed head first into the ring, fracturing her collarbone and suffering a concussion."I really don't remember much of anything until I was in the hospital," Michelle said during a recent interview I conducted with her on Sirius NFL Radio. "I was knocked out the whole time. I just count my blessings it's my collarbone, not my neck."Had she hurt her neck, Michelle would have potentially suffered even more damage because of how the situation was handled. The referee is responsible for stopping bouts when a participant is injured. But Mike Chioda allowed Phoenix to roughly lug an unresponsive Michelle into the middle of the ring to get pinned."It was a little controversial," said Michelle, who was ultimately taken backstage on a stretcher. "People can see when I was dragged, I was completely out. I didn't know anything until I was in the ambulance."Maybe a mistake was made. But regardless, it was my collarbone and nothing happened. We all learned from it, so we move on."Well, not quite yet. While WWE was touting her return with a video package on this week's Raw (9 p.m. Eastern, USA Network), Michelle admits she has taken longer than expected to recover and her collarbone probably won't be completely healed until the end of February.When she does come back, Michelle will resume one of the more improbable careers for a WWE performer. A former model, Michelle was struggling to find her WWE niche until being featured in a risqui GoDaddy.com commercial on Super Bowl XXXIX in February 2005. Michelle's profile skyrocketed and led to a larger WWE push."It was a huge turning point in my career," said Michelle, whose pre-Super Bowl XLII media appearances in Phoenix were tied into her latest GoDaddy.com commercial. "To be part of that Super Bowl and have people remember the commercial was phenomenal."But as evidenced by the steady turnover of WWE's female talent, a pretty face doesn't guarantee long-term success. So Michelle immersed herself in learning how to grapple."People said, 'Oh, you can't wrestle. You're the eye candy of the show,'" said the-29-year-old Michelle. "Don't tell me that. I can do anything I want to do, but I had to prove it. It was a rough road and it's a very hard sport to learn. Behind the scenes and in front, you've really got to build yourself."Michelle persevered and was rewarded for her efforts by winning the WWE women's title from Melina on last June's Vengeance pay-per-view show. Michelle became so emotional afterward that she broke into tears in the ring.Michelle may do the same if she can regain the belt from Phoenix."(WWE owner) Vince McMahon once told me, 'I've given you a platform to become a star,'" Michelle said. "You have to make yourself that star talent. It isn't handed to you. My job now is to come back from this injury bigger, better and stronger."Not to mention healthier.-- LESNAR DEBUTS: Despite losing, former WWE champion Brock Lesnar had an impressive Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on last Saturday's UFC 81 pay-per-view show. Competing in only his second mixed martial arts bout, Lesnar controlled former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir early before being forced to submit by a leg-lock.There's no word yet on when Lesnar will be fighting again.(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro wrestling column for Scripps-Howard News Service. Contact him at alex1marv@aol.com.)