Michelle did get a lot of heat when she was around from the IWC because of her status with Taker. To be honest, looking back it does seem unjustified. When you are young and new and hot and you get with an icon like Taker (who was very married to Sara before) and you get a push people are going to assume the worst of you and that's just how it is. The fact that Michelle and Mark were/are always so private about their relationship didn't help. It just created more of a free for all. She may have had preferential treatment from creative but after listening to her interviews and seeing what kind of person she is I honestly don't believe she or Taker politicked for her to be on top at all. The girl improved TREMENDOUSLY in her time, she was a total workhouse, extremely athletic, bumped like a champ, and really learned to cut a promo. IMO probably one of the best heel divas of all time. I haven't really heard any of the divas past or present say anything negative about her in shoot interviews. She comes off as extremely sweet, genuine, religious in interviews and never has a negative thing to say about anyone.
The rumors of her ruining Taker's marriage aren't true. Michelle and her first husband were divorced in 2006, and Taker and Sara were separated in 2006 (before Taker and Michelle started dating). Taker and Michelle got together by chance when she got sick and was hospitalized in Dec. '06 from injury and eating disorder. He saw her in horrible condition and helped her to hospital. It took off from there. They were said to never hang out backstage or interact at all when working. Michelle walked away from wwe at the height of her push and position to retire and be with Taker and have a baby with him, and she's basically his stay-at-home wife now. Not too much the career-hungry, gold-digger she was made out to be. She helps raise his daughters from marriage to Sara (Taker has part custody) and has just begun to open up a little more about her private life on instagram, although she never shows her baby daughter's face. She's been extremely protective of Undertaker man and character and has never revealed a single personal thing about him in the whole time they've been together.
So yeah, much of the heat was more hype and gossip (and probably some resentment from fellow divas) than reality. TBH I think her thick southern accent held her back some from completely taking off with fans and she'd probably have made more connection without it. But she definitely wasn't there because of Taker. She was talented and I thought added quite a bit to divas division when she was there.
