Last night’s Raw saw Rosa Mendes finally get a match of her own and WWE marked the occasion by giving her an entrance theme to call her own & by taking off the Glamazon-shaped training wheels, as we saw Rosa send her mentor, Beth Phoenix to the back rather than accompany her to the ring. Rosa faced off against Mickie James, with Maryse at ringside. Check it out below:
I joked on our Twitter page and in my audio bulletin, that it was weird that WWE gave Rosa the spot against Mickie because it seemed very much a ‘Job to Mickie’ match, and matches of that sort tend to be right up Jillian’s alley. I immediately thought, “Something’s going to happen to Jillian.” We’ll see.
But anyway, Rosa – in her tacky skirt ensemble – gets her first singles opportunity on Raw, and it was interesting to see Maryse at ringside during this match. Three years ago, these two started their careers out at the same time in 2006 Diva Search and while Maryse is very much one of the company’s top Divas, Rosa seems to be falling into Jillian territory.
Another interesting dynamic was the way Rosa sent Beth to the back, I have to wonder if they are going somewhere with Rosa & Beth finally, after all this time. It just seemed like an unnecessary skit to add in if it didn’t mean something, why not just have Rosa come out to the ring by herself in the first place? So we’ll see if they do anything with those two. PS: Rosa’s music is so annoying.
In the ring, Rosa manages to get a head start on Mickie clubbing her across the back, but Mickie fights back and Rosa flees the ring. When she gets back in, she does hit a nice neckbreaker but that is about it for the rest of the match, she checks out from there and it’s left to Mickie to carry her to the end mark. Gotta admit, I thought maybe if she had a singles match, Rosa may show some flare in the ring, but she hasn’t much like SmackDown’s Eve. There’s nothing impressive in their moveset, it seems like the basic moves they teach you in FCW. She hasn’t impressed me, I find her blah in the ring. Perhaps that’s a good thing, because she did have an okay match with Mickie, but not a memorable one. I could go to sleep tonight and forget it ever happened.
After the match though, we get a nice exchange between Mickie and Maryse. I really liked it, because it shows just how narcissistic Maryse’s character is. Getting up on the apron to do the hairflip could easily provoke Mickie to knock her right off, but still she does it anyway – she just can’t help it, she has to do something to piss Mickie off. In that sense, I think Maryse is the perfect heel. Nicely done and more memorable than the match prior.
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June 16, 2009 at 4:44 pm
i know it’s just probably wishful thinking, but maybe they’re prepping for a jillian push? keep her off for a lil bit, let rosa do the jobbing, let mickie win the title, then boom! jillian attack! probably not a good chance that it’ll happen, but you never know
June 16, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Maybe Jillian requested vacation time and got it?
Rosa did a solid job in her first singles match. I thought Eve really dragged down her match on Friday and was expecting Rosa to do that to some degree, but I don”t think she did. It was a decent perfomance. In some of her matches in developmental she has shown a temper, so I’d like to see her become more of a hothead in the ring, in contrast to the cool and calm Beth.
I’m thinking Mickie vs. Maryse still won’t make it onto PPV, for the third show in a row. There’s no good reason for WWE to not have announced a Divas title match last night if one was in the plans for The Bash. Their angle will be almost 3 months old by the time of the July 26 PPV (it started on May 4th).
June 16, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Rosa:
I HATE her music. It’s so cheesy, low budget happy salsa. And she’s suppose to be a heel? Rosa has such a tight sexy body, but looks so fragile I wonder how she can take any bumps in the ring. Can she even bodyslam? She definitely needs more work down in FCW, but I’d keep her on Raw and send her down during her off-days to continue training. Rosa was basically playing Alicia’s part when Alicia jobbed to Melina. Use the newbie to get top face over. I thought it was a nice touch by Rosa telling Beth she could handle Mickie on her own.
Mickie:
So-so match. Not much she could do as she had to carry Rosa through the match. I still can’t stand her obsession with caps. I like how she kept one eye on Maryse during the match. It’s setting up to be a fun battle for the Divas championship…..hopefully at The Bash.
Maryse:
Take note Mickie, THAT is how you dress to sit ringside. Maryse OWNED that outfit. Maybe it’s for a photoshoot (can’t wait for it, if so). She is such a great narcissistic heel. The taunts, the hand gestures, the hairwhip, she knows how to sell. She even got a name check from The Miz during his promo.
The DDT:
Too many women are using the DDT as their finisher. While I personally love Maryse’s the best as it works better with her hairwhip taunt and looks cooler, this should solely be Mickie’s move. Mickie’s been around longer and has been using it longer. Though I think it’s time she come up with a new move. What Maryse should use is her French TKO. Whenever she does it, it looks so sick. Guys aren’t even using this move. Maryse could so own this kick much like HBK’s Sweet Chin Music.
Kelly Kelly & The Bellas:
At least they’re being used, even if it was a backstage segment. Kelly I knew would be on TV in some capacity. Good to see the Bellas too, and even given some lines to say. I had no problems with the three not wrestling because of all the major championship matches and the Trump segments. It’s not like the girls have any current storyline anyway. Maybe next week, especially with Beth finally free.
Jillian:
Haven’t seen her in a long time. Hmmmm, maybe she failed Wellness. Or not. But her future with the company sure doesn’t look good right now.
June 16, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Rosa Mendes is just awful. Seriously, I went in with an open mind and she closed it. It was like watching Ashley…without botches. It was just, eh. Mickie did all she could for the match and for that, I thank her.
Maryse and Mickie’s exchange, it bothered me. It just seems like, the same shit that’s been happening. Stare downs and Maryse re-treating. They’re losing their spark. Hopefully, we get a Divas match or Women’s match… or both at The Great American Bash, I refuse to call it the bash.
June 16, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I personally love Rosa and liked her new music, haha. I thought the match was pretty good for what it was.
Still don’t like Rosa’s attire, but thought it looked much better when it’s all shiny lol. I also hated what Maryse was wearing, mostly because of the dress. It just looked tacky and weird on her. I liked the jacket, though.
June 16, 2009 at 6:24 pm
To be honest, this match to me was a blow over. When i saw Rosa last week on WWE Superstars, I thought wow shes kinda good and I started to like her. But now looks like she needs to spend just a little more time with the Glamazon. When Mickie did her DDT, the kick before was like Did Mickie Kick her? cuz she didn’t seem to flinch and then she landed awkwardly. She needs just a little more time to improve.
I want Mickie to attack Maryse! Doing this will create loads of fan responses and get the fans more into the fued that seems to be crumbling apart.
I would like to see a backstage brawl between Mickie and Maryse, then a huge fight in the ring and then an announcement for a Divas Championship Match at “The Bash”. Could have Mickie get her revenge on Maryse and Bash (no pun intended) the Divas Champ to see sense that she no longer is RAW’s top Diva!
June 16, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I used to like Rosa before she was “Rosa” but she just continues to dissapoint me. She’s ok I just expect more from her. Anyways Maryse looked mind-blowing, she’s the best diva IMO right now.
But yea Maryse and Mickie never did interest me. They just don’t mesh well like Maryse does with Michelle. I mean idk, I don’t like Mickie the way I did when she fueded with Trish. Raw just needs to step it up overall storyline wise because this is just blah. At least SD! keeps my attention. I can’t wait to see Melina vs Michelle!!
June 16, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Rosa is just one big fail!
for me she does nothing at all, she is sooo borring to watch i rather watch Maria then Rosa
how long is this Rosa/Beth thing going on? quite a while now, but its going nowere… it looks like Rosa is just Beth’s accessorie….
Hmm it kinda looked like she had a flat tummy last night,
no offence, i never thought she was fat or whatever…
Maryse looked awesome, i like her but i dont like how people are worshipping her and overrating her like she is
the best diva today or ever stepped foot in the ring, she isnt THAT great in the ring, she is only great when someone carry’s her trough a match, if she has a singles match with someone unexperienced she looks bad… she has the same moveset from last year….
I’m rooting for Mickie vs Maryse! i cant wait to finally see those 2 have a title match, but on The Bash i prefer seeing Michelle vs Melina for the title i dont know but they have this great chemistry
June 16, 2009 at 7:20 pm
oh the flat tummy part is about Mickie…
June 16, 2009 at 7:38 pm
That match was just sad.I mean, it wasn’t horrible, but with that amount of time, the Smackdown divas would have put on a great match.Just look at Melina vs Alicia!They had the same, or maybe even less, time in the ring and they had a great match.I think the Raw divas need to take note on how the Smackdown divas do things.I don’t know if it’s edited or what, but I’m loving the amount of cheers my favorite diva Melina is getting!Anyways, Rosa’s music was ok, and Maryse did’nt look too bad.She is the perfect heel, she’s third to 1.Bitchy Melina, and 2.Bitchy Trish.I’m not really feeling the Mickie-Maryse fued.I don’t know, there’s just something, …..”off” about their fued.I would much rather see Melina vs Michelle at the Bash.I don’t want to see Michelle pick up the title though, because the bottom line is, becoming the FIRST EVER double-champion is too big of an HONOR for her.I want Melina, Gail, or Natalya (In the future) to have that honor.
June 16, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Aye yah aye..Rosahh Mendes I prefer your over the top broken Spanish speaking FCW self. But when she’s on RAW it’s like does anyone really care. The outfit is fugly as hell, her generic Latin diva entrance music seems like a shittier version of that song Eve Torres use to have. Much like Rosa Mendes would say in her matches..Pobrecita Chiquita!
The Maryse and Mickie confrontation was nice, i like that. I just wish they’d do more things to sort of add more to this feud other then Mickie having two victories over maryse. Lol and i have to say the Bella twins our official the new dead diva weight at least Rosa gets matches and that’s not saying much.
June 16, 2009 at 8:23 pm
i know this is off subject but here is a new fcw match, mixed tag between angela and beverly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVH945eOSqg&eurl
Angela was fucking awsome in this match.
June 16, 2009 at 8:43 pm
“Maryse looked awesome, i like her but i dont like how people are worshipping her and overrating her like she is
the best diva today or ever stepped foot in the ring, she isnt THAT great in the ring, she is only great when someone carry’s her trough a match, if she has a singles match with someone unexperienced she looks bad… she has the same moveset from last year….”
I think her opponents are the issue, considering Maryse has the rep for doing the same things every match. Really, if you watch her wrestle Michelle, then Eve or Mickie, then Kelly Kelly, did Maryse suddenly look like a completely different wrestler from one match to the next or are Michelle and Mickie just better wrestlers than Eve and Kelly? I think Maryse can keep up easily and can be dragged down easily.
The praise for Maryse is due to her huge amount of charisma (not just for a Diva but in general) and being a natural at her act. I would say she’s not acting at all if not for the fact that I doubt WWE would put up with her if she was really that conceited and treated people so badly.
June 16, 2009 at 9:11 pm
The match was really boring, in my opinion. I just didnt think there was anything memorable, nothing stood out it was just plain. Rosa has been a complete flop since joining Raw. Shes been there since the start of the year and I cant remember one decent thing shes done, waste of space if you ask me. I dont really think the in-ring work is Raw’s problem, I think the problem is a lot of the Raw girls dont have chemistry with eachother, and I think Mickie-Maryse is a prime example. I have not enjoyed the feud and I think a Beth-Maryse feud is needed. During the Survivor Series match, for the little time they had, I thought Beth and Maryse shared great chemistry and I think that feud is just what Raw needs to rival Smackdown which is on fire at the moment, although Id like to see more Gail Kim.
June 16, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Maryse only seems to do well in matches when it’s her opponents that are carrying her.michelle/maryse fued was only good because Michelle was carrying maryse.Gail kim/maryse fued was only good because Gail was carrying Maryse.Now if you put Maryse in a match with divas that can’t wrestler like kelly kelly,the match is going to be an EPIC fail.Maryse and Kelly have faced each other like 5 times now and each match has been one disaster after another
Maryse thinks that just because she has a title on her shoulder,she doesn’t have to work hard,once she loses the title,trust me,Maryse skills might improve
as for Rosa mendez,yeah,she plain out sucks,i have no idea why WWE hired her because I know it wasn’t for her wrestling skills but what else is new when it comes to WWE divas,half of them are hired and they can’t wrestler
Mickie is awesome but her DDT move has bored me now,the move is nto even the same anymore.Before,Mickie use to fly all around the ring and then nail the DDT,now she just jumps up and goes down,BORING,no one will ever sell Mickies DDT like Victoria did
i agree with trishrocks up there,maybe Jillian is taking a break and when mickie wins the divas title,BAM,Jillian returns and gets her well deserved push
overall,raw divas have no direction whats so ever and they need guidence and more talent,you have Natayla and katie lea on ECW wasting there talent,theres your talent
June 16, 2009 at 10:45 pm
i think main issue with mickies ddt is maryse and rosa do not have the strength to get her high enough, its nt tht she makes it look bad, its others who are literally not carrying her enough
June 16, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Rosa is all around bad right now. Her in-ring skills need work. Her look right now isn’t really doing it for me either, but she still has so much potential. The dirty blonde hair isn’t working for her and neither are those bella-inspired tops. She needs to pull an Amy Winehouse and go “back to black.” She was so fierce during the ’06 Diva Search and really rocked a great look with the black hair. I loved her temper tantrums in FCW. I agree that she is a great hothead and should incorporate that into her character more often. I love her, but she just needs a lot of work right now.
I hated Maryse’s dress. It looked so tacky; it was definitely stolen from Velvet Sky’s closet (not that she’s copying TBP, just that it’s trashy). I loved the jacket and the hair though!
Mickie did the best with what she was given. The blatant stare at Maryse during the pin was definitely a nice touch.
June 17, 2009 at 1:31 am
saritafan you have to understand Rosa & Mayrse cant carry mickie’s weight on the count of they probably dont work out.NOt saying the dont. Of course Victoria is the best Seller when it comes to Mickie’s DDT. Victoria is a power house diva she had muscles,just like Beth when Mickie ddt her at Backlash 08 it was perfect b cuz sh ecan carry mickie’s weight.So can Melina
June 17, 2009 at 4:26 am
Jillian is away because shes getting married/on her honeymoon i hope.. *crosses fingers*
June 17, 2009 at 6:17 am
“Maryse only seems to do well in matches when it’s her opponents that are carrying her.michelle/maryse fued was only good because Michelle was carrying maryse.Gail kim/maryse fued was only good because Gail was carrying Maryse.Now if you put Maryse in a match with divas that can’t wrestler like kelly kelly,the match is going to be an EPIC fail.Maryse and Kelly have faced each other like 5 times now and each match has been one disaster after another”
I disagree. As I said before, given Maryse’s rep for repeating her favorite spots, the difference in quality is more due to her opponents. Really, did Maryse do much differently when wrestling Gail Kim then she did wrestling Maria or is Gail just a much better opponent?
June 17, 2009 at 11:07 am
I have a strong inclination towards Maryse as she is already amongst my favorite Divas of all time, but the thing about Maryse is, before her injury, she showed some real promise. (That seems to be the general consensus, right?) Well, she was really improving and most people were very pleased to see her take the title off of McCool. However, her move to RAW seemed to halt that momentum quite a bit. I can only speak for myself when I say that I don’t see her wrestling as much to her full potential. As Michelle McCool once put it aptly, “When all else fails, she flips her hair.” She’s right about that, as much as it pains me to admit it. For me, at least, Maryse has gotten stale. She has an interesting personality that shines onscreen, but that seems to be her only redeeming factor. Whereas Melina is seemingly trying her best to improve and prosper on Smackdown. She’s now incorporating moves we’ve haven’t seen Divas do in awhile or for a long time (i.e. Trish’s matrix move). Maryse is limited in the ring, relies on her charisma, and doesn’t seem to be trying very hard.
I only bring this up because the particular exchange between her and Mickie brought this to mind. Maryse has a notable personality. That is what she’s known for, it’s what she gets the big bucks for (amongst other things) but I feel she relies on it too much. The prime example being the ‘hair flip’ on the apron. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved Maryse’s entrance, but seeing it over and over, sometimes more than twice in one match has forced it to begin to lose its luster. It’s come to the point where you begin to anticipate it, which takes the fun out of it. Which is sad, considering Maryse brought so much attitude, flair, mannerisms, and fire we haven’t seen since heel Melina, in my opinion. And now, it’s become commonplace. When she loses all the flair that initially set her apart, all we have left to focus on is her limited in-ring ability (compared to the likes of some of the other Divas). Bottom line is, she has room to improve and feel she can do that. And I believe an all-out match against Mickie could bring that fire out of her once again.
Now, as for Rosa, I don’t know…I try to keep an open mind towards new talent, but I haven’t been too impressed with Rosa since she stepped foot on RAW, and the only memorable moments to me regarding her have been in OVW when she was still regarded as ‘Roucka.’ I’m not going to rag on her too much, as she is in the same playing field right now as Alicia and Tiffany (though Alicia clearly is the most promising of the three). However, I will say this. That attire and music just have to go, and maybe the hair. Yeah, the hair too. It’s just all too much. I appreciate that WWE makes the effort to be diverse, but ‘ethnic’ Divas can make it in the business without being hokey and stereotypical (just look at Melina). It all started with the phony name, ‘Rosa Mendes’ and seemed to go downhill from there.
Ah, well, that is just my two cents on the RAW Diva fiasco.
Sorry, didn’t mean to write a novel. I’ve just been out of the loop as of late, and just needed to get it all out in one sitting. Whew…I feel better now!
June 17, 2009 at 1:31 pm
chrisP, you can’t blame her opponents, because when maryse
cant be carried she is just a Maria 2.0 without the spastic moves in the ring
maybe with a better moveset, but still Maryse has a lot of training to do
i actually think that Alicia will be owning Maryse at the end of this year,
ever since she recovered from her injury she hasn’t done anything improving
for that I think she is an undeserving champion, she is lucky she has sooo much
charisma and a great heel but without that she would just be another pretty face
trying to wrestle…
June 19, 2009 at 9:36 am
Afca, I’m not “blaming” anyone. My point was I didn’t think Maryse performed her offensive moves any better when wrestling Michelle, Gail, and Mickie or performed them any worse when wrestling Maria, Eve, and Kelly. It has always looked the same to me, no matter who she was wrestling. Same goes for her selling of other’s offense. She’s always taunted a lot, too, before and after her injury and no matter the opponent. While the quality of her matches has varied, I think it was due to her opponents as I don’t think Maryse’s peformances are much different from match-to-match, no matter the opponent.