Raw newcomer Gail Kim scored a huge win in her first night back on the brand, when she pinned Maryse in a tag team match, also featuring Alicia Fox and Mickie James.
Click in for video & thoughts:
Last night’s Raw was much anticipated from my end, with two of my favourite Divas now part of the Raw brand and they didn’t disappoint. Gail and Alicia mixed well with their new peers, with Gail being booked very strongly getting the victory and making a lasting impression on her first night as a Raw Diva since 2004. And my, how the landscape hath changed — the last time Gail was a Raw Diva, she was wrestling the likes of Trish, Lita and Molly Holly.
How does Gail’s win over the Divas Champion affect the Mickie-Maryse feud? I’m not sure that it does, they could easily have a match next week with Maryse pinning Gail to gain momentum into her match with Mickie at Night of Champions, however I hope they don’t go that route and kill the momentum Gail has gained on Raw. It seems as though these specific trades were made with these specific Superstars and Divas in mind, that said it looks like Vince and co. actually want to get their money’s worth out of Gail and putting her on Raw and actually giving her a chance to swim, works well for everyone. It looks like they saw potential in Gail and Alicia, thus the promotion to Raw — now can they book them right?
Mickie and Maryse make the start and there’s nothing too exciting here, except Mickie’s cartwheel. These two have had good chemistry, so it should be exciting to see their match at Night of Champions. Alicia tags in and just like she showed us on SmackDown, Alicia shows that she can hang in there with the best of them and in WWE’s eyes, Mickie is arguably ‘the best’. Alicia looks incredibly comfortable in the ring, sells moves well and is a much welcome change from the Rosa Mendes matches we’ve seen in the past few weeks.
We now see Alicia vs Gail, these two have worked together a lot on SmackDown and deliver much of the same great work they did over there; it seems to me that Gail’s impressive moveset isn’t as lost on the Raw audience as it was on SmackDown as she gets some crowd reaction for her moves. We can’t be sure of anything until next week when Raw actually goes live, but this looks promising, I hope Gail is able to get over with the Raw audience better than she did on SmackDown so she can get the push she deserves.
Gail storms the ring and hits one impressive move after another, from her hurricanrana to her jump through the ropes into that jump on Alicia on the ropes that we saw on SmackDown a couple of weeks ago.
Maryse hits a cheap shot on Gail from the apron, but eventually comes into the match for the final portion of action. Maryse hits her really nice backbreaker, but then seems to hurt her leg in the turnbuckle. Maryse blocks a tag from Gail to Mickie knocking Mickie off the apron, but Gail manages to gain some strength hitting her patented straight-leg jawbreaker for the 1, 2, 3!
Good first outing for Gail, I hope this is the start of big things for her! But like I say, I think the crowd really needs to get behind her to make a push possible; hopefully we’ll see that when Raw returns to it’s live format next week. There’s a whirlwind of possibilities for both Gail and Alicia on this show and I’m excited to see them work with Mickie, Maryse, Beth, Kelly and Jillian. Alicia vs Kelly seems like a feud that could be very interesting as they were both signed at the same time after being discovered from the same catalogue. Gail vs Beth could also be a great feud to watch, that some would aliken to Gail vs Kong.
Another good week for the Raw Divas.
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July 7, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Gail Kim is back home baby! As always Gail Kim is always a Diva who Impreses. Im glad they moved her to Raw now.I hope this pin of the Champion leads her into the Mickie-Mayrse fued. Triple Threat at NOC.
Alicia Fox I freaking Luv that Girl Im glad she is on Raw two & Meliane I think your right I think they saw potentail in Gail & Fox and thats why they moved them to the Raw brand. I just wanna see Alicia be more dominat in the match.I hope she beats the crap outta of kelly Kelly one night LOL.
Mayrse Glad we didnt see that damn Camel Clutch last night.LOL
Mickie James my dear sexy Mickie my favoirte Diva of all time I hope she wins at NOC.Then again I would luv to see Gail win the title next too.
Mickie & Gail & Alicia 4 Divas Champion
July 7, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I don’t get why they’re making Maryse lose again. If she’s going to drop the belt to Mickie (as most of us expect), she should be building up a win streak to look strong heading into NOC. Then when/if she loses to Mickie, it will look like a big deal. Maryse is like a squash champion right now. All her loses are clean too. Not cool.
July 7, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Great! I Get My hopes up for Mickie to be the Next Divas Champ & Now they lend the spotlight over too Gail! Mickie must be really upset she has done lots for WWE in the past, has lots of previous wrestling experience behind her back.
CyberSpace Wrestling Federation
CSWF Women’s Championship (1 time)
Delaware Championship Wrestling
DCW Women’s Championship (1 time)
Impact Championship Wrestling
ICW Super Juniors Championship (1 time)
Premier Wrestling Federation
PWF Universal Women’s Championship (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI ranked her # 4 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008.
Southern Championship Wrestling
SCW Diva Championship (1 time)
Ultimate Championship Wrestling
UCW Women’s Championship (1 time)
Ultimate Wrestling Federation
UWF Women’s Championship (2 times)
World Wrestling Entertainment
WWE Women’s Championship (4 times)
whereas gail she may have the different and newer moveset has this experience on her back.
Apocalypse Wrestling Federation
Diva of the Year (2001)
Funking Conservatory
FC Women’s Championship (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI ranked her #3 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
TNA Women’s World Championship (1 time)
Knockout of the Year (2007)
World Wrestling Entertainment
WWE Women’s Championship (1 time)
Cleary Mickie is the better of the 2. Im not slamming Gail but Mickie deserves the Title A LOT more than Gail. The amount of hard work she has given to WWE over the years and yet they put her in spot light for a while and then take her out soon as another girl comes along from a brand in which she was constantly beat in!
i know what im doing is kind of immature and so on but im sick and tired of WWE getting our hopes up and then they get shut down straight away. If gail was to win the title i will not be watching raw again! I know shes a good wrestler but she has should stay with TNA!
July 7, 2009 at 2:29 pm
MickieJamesFan – I think you are overreacting. Bottom line is Mickie has the title shot against Maryse at NOC and will probably become the champion. Just because Gail got a pin over Maryse doesn’t mean anything. Like I said, they could just have Maryse come back strong next week and squash Gail in a singles match to build up to her title match.
Mickie still has her title match and I am 99% certain she will take the title
July 7, 2009 at 3:37 pm
What does it say about your champ when she the weakest link in the match? That said, the match was pretty good. Looks like Gail and Alicia could be the best thing that ever happened to RAW.
July 7, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Forget the Mickie/Maryse feud, get that belt on Gail and have her feud with Beth = Amazing!!!
I really agree with Melanie about the Kelly/Alicia feud, I think it could be a good feud and its always nice to have 2 diva feuds on the one show.
July 7, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Raw was very good this week.
Overall the match was better then it has been for sometime but that is only thanks to Gail & Alicia. Alicia took her bumps very well and sold very well. Gail had some of the best moves in the match and we were treated with a new move by Gail. Mickie & Maryse have the PPV match but both didn’t do that much. Mickie showed that she has still got her athleticism. Maryse was no different and she used the same moves she’s used for months. Another thing is that Maryse hit her knee on the turnbuckle in which she acted as if it hurt but then a second later she got up and acted like she wasn’t hurt which was a bad mistake.
Overall I see Gail & Alicia becoming a big thing in Raw. Now concerning the Diva’s Title Match, I wouldn’t be shocked if Gail is added to the mix. It will allow to give the title match a good round of experience and may make the match interesting.
Lastly was it me or has Gail’s theme been updated as it sounded different?
July 7, 2009 at 6:02 pm
I think that Maryse cannot loose at NOC now (her winning against Gail next week would bdestroy Gail.
she will winn the feud against Mickie, loose the title to Gail
Then Gail will losse to Beth,
My prediction for the time until the next regular(?) draft
July 7, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I wish Alicia had gotten a little more offense in..but a great match.
July 7, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I really liked this match. However, Maryse must win at NoC if they don’t make her look strong at one or both of the next two Raws. If she loses again on the next couple of Raws, then she really needs to retain at NoC.
July 7, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I remember watching a match in 2005 of Gail vs. Beth from 2002, and how good the match was then, I’ve been dying for the possibility of these two to get a match with each other since Gail resigned with WWE. I can’t want to see them wrestle, more so than any other match in the company.
I can’t get behind Maryse at all. I think that she needs to drop the title, if not to Mickie than to Gail at a later date, I just don’t see how she’s champion material at this point.
July 7, 2009 at 6:53 pm
i hope that after NOC,Beth will be the next contender for the title.Gail just arrived to Raw and needs to stablish herself to the crowd before having a title shot or being nº 1 contender.
since she lost to Melina at Royal Rumble she has been in a not very good moment and it would be totally fair if they put Beth in the title picture again
July 7, 2009 at 7:08 pm
really good match hopefully Gail gets the push she deserves over on RAw
i think Maryse will win at NOC i mean come on she hasnt been on a PPv since Unforgiven 2008.
i can see her winning but then see her lose to Mickie the next night on Raw in a rematch or something
July 7, 2009 at 7:36 pm
I’m 100% sure Maryse will drop the title to Mickie at Night of Champions. I think the fans have gotten Tired of Maryse, at first it seemed like the title would make Maryse want to improve, but its as if she’s gotten too comfortable. It got her No where. I’m happy for Gail, she deserved a moment in the spotlight to shine, i don’t think she ever really got that on SD. I don’t think it means they’re De-Pushing Mickie, they just needed to have the new Divas make an impact on their first night. I’m sure sometime in the near future Gail and Beth will fued with Mickie for the title (But just Gail most likely)
I can already hear it ”Your winner and new Divas Champion, Mickie James!” lol.
July 7, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Wow did the raw divas step it up this week or what? Must say a very nice clean match, with no botching really. If i am honest i am not bothered too much by Mickie, i mean dayumm she can wrestle but i don’t know for me she lacks something i just don’t see her a one of my favourites like many people do, personally i hope Maryse retains at Night Of Champions (even though she wont because they wouldnt drag a fued on this long) but i would much rather Gail Kim get a number one contendership for the divas championship because Gail for me is more fun to watch and i personlly think she could carry the divas title better than Mickie. I also want to mention Alicia Fox, you know i though this move to Raw wouldn’t be the best but to be honest its not much of a change and she has improved soooo much since her ovw wrestling days and i think maybe Alicia could get a title push one day! I really hope she doesnt get lost in the raw limelight, keep her televised, get her winning and you could sky rocket Alicia’s career! Also though Maryse has been getting some slack from fans lately i just want to say that she is an awesome divas champion, play her role to a tee and is the perfect example of a “diva” sexy, strong, power (ssp) also last week we saw a glimpse of Beth turning on Rosa, maybe keep this up even though i like Rosa and Beth both as heels maybe change Beth to a face, be a powerful face it could work have her rip through the heel division. I also had an idea for Jillian to get back in the scene, maybe have her in a tag match and have her loose (as usual) and maybe she could be very very very flustrated and turn on her heel partner and could make herself a face with hopefully a big pop (i would chose Maryse or Beth to be her patner) Because Jillian has stuck up with all this jobbing its about time she got a long deserved push!
July 7, 2009 at 8:35 pm
only if the WWE was even more stupid and pathetic than she´s Gail would have a feud with Mickie for the title leaving Beth behind…..like if wasn´t enough what they did to her gimmnick in the last months.
turn Mickie heel and Beth face to have a new feud between the two and then Gail can have her chance.
July 8, 2009 at 9:27 am
What should happen at NOC is that Maryse wins (with her TKO – which i havnt seen been exacuted in AGES) , this gets Mickie PISSED ! she attacks maryse on top of the ramp, camera angles show a glimpse of “physco-ness” from Mickie. Next episode on Raw, there should be a segment in the ring from Mickie saying how she deseres to be the Divas Champ blah blah.. maryse comes down with a mic and says what she has to say, in comes Gail and beats on both divas. Setting a 3-way fued over the next few weeks, and setting up a Tripple threat match at the next PPV.. WIth these 3 being the top divas, they should have little 3 min fill in matches with the likes of Alica Fox(Who should by now have a finisher and at least win a singles match!) and kelly kelly etc…. Also Hunt-A1 OMG YES PUSH JILLIAN HALL HOLLY SHIT HER FINISHER IS A 450 SPLASH, WHY IS SHE NOT THE DIVAS CHAMP ALREADY THEY DEFFINITLY NEED TO PUSH HER CHARACTER .. and push her as a face. With my thoughts from the top if Mickie becomes physco heel mickie, make room for new improved face jillian to even out the heel-face ratio !!
July 8, 2009 at 11:03 am
Tsk,Tsk,Tsk.
I am craving for Jillian to interfere to Mickie vs Maryse match and become the new Divas Champion..even only the butterfly belt.
July 8, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Jillian does deserve a push…but NOT on Raw. It would be to weird to have the local jobber (for 2 years) become this top diva suddenly out of nowhere. So I think they should send her to either, SmackDown or ECW.
As for the match, I loved Alicia here, she’s by far the one to watch. Gail did awesome too. Mickie was average, for me, she’s getting a little boring, I hope it’s just me. Maryse was, in my opinion, the worst in this match, her moveset is too limited.
July 8, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Gail deserves a push,but not first than Beth!i don´t know how can be a feud for the Divas title after NOC without Beth being in it!do you all want an excellent wrestler to continue to be putted aside?
July 8, 2009 at 7:58 pm
PedroPedroso17 – How would it be weird for Jillian to get a push? It’s not like anyone’s saying that she should be the top Diva or anything like that, but what people are saying is that she deserves at least some airtime. I mean, if the WWE is going to give Rosa any bit of airtime than Jillian definitely deserves a push, or airtime. She doesn’t even have to win the championship for me to be happy, but I would at least like to see her wrestle again and with a new gimmick too.