The bait and switch pulled at the Elimination Chamber PPV led many of us to believe that the WWE had bigger plans for the Divas Championship tournament finals. Perhaps a lengthier feud to build up such an important match? No, as it turns out, because they finally decided to have the match on a regular old ordinary episode of Raw. Watch the match below and see if it was worth all the wait:
It definitely surprised me when the Divas Championship logo passed over the screen. But I think, more than surprise, I felt relief–finally this tournament is over! Maryse makes her entrance, and Gail Kim follows. It is mentioned how badly Maryse treated Gail in their tag team match the night before, but other than that this doesn’t feel like something that has been built up over numerous weeks. It feels more like the beginning of a feud; one that started at the PPV last night. At any rate, I’m glad to see this match finally happening. Let’s get on with it.
Maryse goes for the attack at the start of the match, but Gail slips past her, catching her in a belly-to-back hold. Maryse strikes Gail to get free, but the next blow is missed, and Gail rolls Maryse into a pin. Maryse quickly kicks out. Maryse reversed an irish whip into the corner and charges at Gail, but Gail slips out through the ropes, allowing Maryse to run full on into the turnbuckle. Gail blocks a few attacks from Maryse and leaps back over the ropes, continuing the momentum into a pin attempt. Maryse kicks out at 2.
Gail goes on a string of offense, Maryse beginning to look sluggish. It’s only until Gail tries to bash her head against the turnbuckle that Maryse retaliates. She blocks it with her boot and hits Gail’s head against the target instead. She tosses Gail in over the ropes, but Gail quickly reverses momentum into an attempt at the Eat Defeat, but Maryse holds onto the ropes, blocking the move. She kicks Gail across the face and goes for the pin, getting a 2-count.
Maryse picks Gail up, but Gail sweeps her feet, bridging into an unsuccessful pin attempt. Maryse is whipped into the corner but dodges an attack from Gail. Gail still manages to kick Maryse in the head from her perch on the turnbuckle, though. Gail goes for a flying attack, but Maryse tosses her off of the top rope at the very last second, letting Gail crash land on the mat. This seems to take a lot out of both girl, with Maryse holding onto the side of her face for some reason.
Both get to their feet very slowly and Maryse preps for the French Kiss, but Gail pulls her into a small package pin. Maryse kicks out at 2. Both girls stagger around, and Gail hops onto the top turnbuckle, coaxing Maryse over and managing to get on her shoulders. Maryse drops Gail throat-first into the ropes, and Gail snaps around, in perfect position for the French Kiss. Maryse hits it, and gets the 3-count, winning the Divas Championship.
I can’t say we didn’t expect this from the beginning–the outcome, at least. Most knew that Maryse was going to win this, and that a full-fledged tournament would have been a waste of time. Little did we know back then how long this tournament would actually take. This nonsensical stretching out of this tournament killed what little momentum it had, and expose what little thought the WWE has invested into it. They seemed indecisive about what exactly they wanted to do–they held off the finals for weeks so that it seemed like they wanted to have the big blow off match at a PPV, yet when the match is booked for a PPV, they switch it moments before it is to take place with a inter-brand tag team match.
That move led some to think that they wanted to build this match up a bit, but instead the WWE plops the match on a regular Raw and gives it about as much time at we expected–3 whole minutes. Perhaps they thought they couldn’t get away with such a short match on the PPV? That’s the only reason I can think of. They might have thought Maryse’s sneaky actions at the PPV would have added some last minute fire to the Championship match, but that wasn’t really the case. Many of us were tired of this and just wanted the match to happen so they could move on. Well, that wish was granted, and in unremarkable fashion. It simply wasn’t worth the month-long wait, and felt more like the WWE felt that they had to have this match as much as they wished not to, and threw it out there just to get it over with.
This match fit well with the short, underwhelming matches that populated the rest of the tournament, though one would hope that the finals would be a little more impressive. As always, Maryse managed to do as little wrestling as possible, and sneaked out a win. I wonder how the WWE will handle her reign if they are so dead set against having her actually wrestle. I just hope the bookers manage to book a somewhat coherent feud this time. I’m just so damn glad we can move on now.
Skip to 2:42
Later in the night, the rest of the Raw Divas are seen backstage with guest hosts Jewel and Ty Murray. They make awkward small talk before Jillian shows up to croon Jewel’s “You Were Meant for Me”. She gets the brush off, of course, and Jewel shows her how it’s done. Jillian gets defensive and mouths off to Jewel, who slaps her in the face. Jillian wails “Why does everyone slap me??” as Alicia Fox helps her leave. Great comedy bit by Jillian, and I absolutely cracked up at that line. First Sharon Osbourne, now Jewel. Eventually Jillian might be able to open up a music Hall of Fame just based on the people who left handprints on her cheek. Batter up, Cyndi Lauper!
Later on they have a Divas Bullriding contest with Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly, and the Bella Twins riding tandem, which was more like an excuse to see the Divas bounce up and down, because the mechanical bull was as slow as hell and no one had any trouble staying on past the limit. It was largely pointless until the Miz and the Big Show came in to inject some comedy into it. I’m all for the Divas doing stuff with the GMs, but when it’s as time-wasting as this, I’m not too fond of it. It would’ve been much funnier to see Jillian hop on the mechanical bull and go flying rather than see the same boob-bouncing move 3 times over.
The show was a mix of relief (that the Divas Championship tournament is over) and boredom (the short, unremarkable match and the “bullriding”). I’m looking forward to where the WWE will go from here, now that they finally pulled the trigger on giving Maryse the Divas Championship. I’m not expecting anything grand, but a change of pace would do us all good, right?
Food for thought: How long do you think Maryse will hold the Divas Championship?
55 Comments
at 6:57 pm
Maryse Is My Fav Diva, But now I feel the same emotion at seeing her.!!! *-*
I hope maryse’s reign is not very long.
Quiero ver a otra “WWE Divas Champion”
Of course now it is called – WWE Divas Champion … Not just Divas Champion.
Melanie Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 7:21 pm
So the match is put into the standard three minute Divas spot on Raw where Maryse barely wrestles and sneaks out a win. Meanwhile on PPV, she’d actually have to, you know, wrestle. Somehow I don’t think that’s by mistake.
Gail has looked great in the past 48 hours though, major kudos to her for working her butt off two nights in a row. The People’s Champion~
at 7:01 pm
I think the match was simply delayed so that it could be on a PPV as that made more sense than having it on Raw. I wouldn’t be surprised if the match not happening at the PPV was a last minute decision because someone wanted Laycool to wrestle on the PPV, even if it didn’t make much sense (especially Gail losing to Michelle when she was going to be losing the title match to Maryse).
I thought the match was okay. It seemed a little short for a title match but for a free TV match, it got slightly more time than usual.
at 7:08 pm
I like Maryse, and think she has improved leaps and bounds in the ring but…
Maryse was TERRIBLE in that match! Gail Kim had to carry her the entire time, and she was just very sloppy.
I wonder what was up, because Maryse is usually atleast decent in the ring.
Poor Gail =( I was hoping she was going to win….hopefully in due time she will
at 7:18 pm
Instead of the bull riding crap, they should have tried to do a better championship match.
It makes me sad to see the Hot factor meaning more to the WWE than the Talent factor.
at 7:24 pm
“This seems to take a lot out of both girl, with Maryse holding onto the side of her face for some reason.”
Gail had kicked Maryse in the face a few seconds earlier (at the 2:54 mark of the video) and may have caught her harder than intended. If you listen closely, you can hear the kick connect.
at 7:45 pm
well whatever, we all knew from the beginning of the tournment that Maryse would win. When I saw the outfit maryse was wearing and the way her hair style was, it screamed NEW DIVAS CHAMPION. When I saw Gail, she looked the same she always does so I knew maryse was going to win
So far, this has been Gails 3RD DIVAS TITLE SHOT and each time she comes so close but she just can’t win it. I wouldn’t be surprised if maryse holds the title until melina comes back because it seems now-a-days when someone gets injured, they get rewarded with a title reign when they come back and it’s not just with the divas
MAN I WANT GAIL AS DIVAS CHAMPION SO BAD
at 8:02 pm
I don’t think this was a bad match. Maryse actually wrestled, a bit, and with Kim controlling the pace it wasn’t to bad. I think this is actually probably the best Raw match I’ve seen in a long time. Also, I think this was Maryse’s best match on Raw. I’ve been watching her Smackdown matches a lot lately and this is looking like what she was doing, minus that backbreaker that I love so much. This was better than I thought it would be. Maybe, this is the turn for Maryse’s wrestling on Raw, so she will ACTUALLY wrestle.
at 8:06 pm
I thought the match was a little better than what we usually have on Raw, But i agree the writers could put some more effort into it.
at 8:10 pm
sloppy in parts but also an unusually stiff match from the raw divas. i wouldn’t be surprised if these two didn’t get on backstage.
maryse is coming across as increasingly lazy. i’m actually really worried about her, she’s come back looking thinner than before and is looking almost constantly winded/exhausted. and we can’t blame it on ring rust considering she seems to work most raw houseshows.
gail.. well, she’s gail and i admire her patience. last night and the ppv.. is wwe trying to embarrass gail or something?? no idea why, but that’s how it comes across to me.
at 8:22 pm
is it because of her latest injury or SD! was covering it cause it was tapped not live??
maryse seems to be totaly different i used to like on SD! and she was becoming my fav current diva but i think i changed my mind !!
and jillian…awesome like usual
at 8:28 pm
I don’t think the WWE wants to push a former TNA Knockout while TNA is pushing former Diva. Also, they don’t seem to treat their ex-TNA talent to good. Look at Christian he got stuck on ECW for how long? That’s like being the champion of nothing. <_< I think Maryse will do fine, and if not she can do backstage segments that lead to tag matches, and she can continue to be funny as hell! "Get back in the ring!" Haha
at 8:40 pm
please if WWE didn’t want to push Gail, she wouldn’t have advanced to the finals of the tournment, they could’ve easily put Eve or Kelly in that spot. I think they want Gail to pay her dues all over again, kinda work her way up. i mean she’s gotten 3 divas-title shots since her return to WWE so thats obviously a good sign because they know she’s worthy of a title shot
right now, Gail is in the same boat as Alicia fox, both get titles shots but WWE isn’t ready to pull the trigger on them yet, but they eventually will
at 8:44 pm
Guest Hosts are KILLING Raw’s Divas. The whole bullriding crap wouldnt of took place on a normal RAW obviously, and the good segments and matches would be much longer and enjoyable. However, what we got was far too short and it capped off the most boring tournament ever in a pathetic way. Let’s hope now for the sake of RAW, an inter-promotional Wrestlemania bout is made by Smackdown’s writers so something at least good can happen with Gail.
at 8:45 pm
It wasn’t a terrible match… but im a little disappointed in the outcome. i think they should have given the belt to gail kim, it seemed like the fans were finally getting behind her. gail needs a push big time, she can be the top face in the division if they give her the ball and let her talk more. she did it in tna.
at 8:57 pm
RKOyou, perhaps the reason why they didn’t put Eve or Kelly in Gail’s position is because they don’t want them to get beat and taunted by Maryse numerous times.
Hmm.. I’m guessing Maryse will be champ until Melina comes back. Then she’ll feud with her again.
at 9:07 pm
i knew maryse would win
but when i saw the outcome i was still shocked for some reason
maybe because wwe put the title on a women who gets winded in 1 minute matches and isnt allowed to wrestle and only performs like 3 moves and she is sort of injured
i dont no what wwe sees in her….the only thing i could come up with is her beauty
at 9:27 pm
Gail had 18 victories in a row, then lost 2 by cheap tactics. So in the end she looked very good. And i doubt this is over. WWE announced the draft today (april 21st), which means they must fill 8 weeks. And there is no doubt that Gail is the #1 face on RAW right now, so expect a long feud for those 8 weeks.
Having Gail chase the title from the wimpy heel is much more interesting than having Gail as champion with 0 heels able to challenge her.
at 9:29 pm
“Having Gail chase the title from the wimpy heel is much more interesting than having Gail as champion with 0 heels able to challenge her.”
There are 3 more capable women in katie jillian and alicia
at 9:38 pm
guys i’m been hearing that on WWE.com live blog at elimination chamber, Vickie said she’s working on another title to put on the smackdown brand, is this true?????
everyone thinks it’s going to be tag titles for michelle and layla
at 9:47 pm
“There are 3 more capable women in katie jillian and alicia”
Katie and Jillian are only known as jobbers, you cant just put them into the title picture after jobbing for many years, that will require some rebuilding. And Alicia is still too green and already lost to Gail numerous times, so she also doesnt make a credible heel against a Gail champion.
at 10:11 pm
I love Maryse and I always find her entertaining, but I really wish the WWE would have put off giving her the title. She isn’t 100% in her wrestling, and she has really gone backwards in terms of her in-ring skills. They should have given her a bit of time to train and put the title on Gail. If they were able to have a real feud, Gail’s in-ring experience combined with some training would really do Maryse well.
Oh well, at least it’s over. Maybe (but more likely not) we’ll get some kind of storyline, considering how high Vince is said to be on Maryse.
at 10:13 pm
rkoyou, she said something along the lines of how she would like to make a belt for the smackdown divas. but i thought she already did that with divas belt.. that whole chat was she either just got dropped on the head, or wwe are paying some random dude off the street to pretend to be vickie.
at 10:27 pm
just checked the wwe chat archive..
somebody asked ” if you could make a new belt for the WWE, what would it be?”
vickie replied with “i would make a title belt for the womens division just for Smackdown, i am still working on the title”
what they could do is unify the single belts, perhaps with it being defended solely on raw, and have smackdown introduce a tag diva belt. laycool will obviously be the first holders of it ;) although, if they were to introduce any new belt/s on wwe for the women, i would quite like them to go in a different direction and perhaps have a mixed tag belt. i really miss the days when the ladies were nearly all paired up with the superstars.
oh.. and also according to vickie, a battle royal at wrestlemania is a good idea for the divas.
back to raw’s action…. i’m not looking forward to the next few weeks, i think they’ll likely revert back to the random multi tag matches they were doing before the tournament happened. or even the no.1 contender battle royal we’re all accustomed to. cruise control until the draft maybe?
at 10:30 pm
At some point logic has to enter the equation. The fans just dont care about Gail as a face. She got a dead reaction despite a hot crowd and a string of wins. This is a business, not a lets just do what suits some whiny internet marks.
Maryse seems to have no real reedeming quality other than being a hot heel which Vinny wants. I mean, you guys endlessly bash KK. Look at the tale of the tape. Shes younger, alot more popular, more marketable, fits the flashy face role, more durable, never posed nude. I’m not even trying to bash Maryse but if I’m starting a company I would much rather have KK because its a lot harder to find faces the fans accept. They could be using girls like Katie, Natalya, a heel Gail in the prominent heel spots instead of a limited Maryse.
She can cut heelish French promos that are sorta funny but its not doing enough to generate interest and justify a constant push and multiple titles.
at 10:35 pm
Alicia only lost one time to Gail in a single match just Gail lost one time to Alicia. The last tag team match Alicia had she won it so Alicia would make a credible heel more than Maryse. Because Maryse only have a character that’s it.
But Gail Kim should had won:(..