Watching this past Monday’s 14-Diva tag match, something dawned me: The Divas division has almost regressed in the span of a few weeks. With Lay-Cool done and dusted and Kharma on the shelf, there’s no real glue holding the division together. Seeing all 14 Divas on the roster right now all together made me realize that we’ve fallen into a lull.
This is not a knock on any of the girls themselves, because I truly think given the right opportunity, every one of those girls can surprise the audience in some way, rather, the problem I have is with WWE not utilizing the girls as they should. The harsh reality that we’ve all come to terms with over the past few years is that the Divas will always be second fiddle and we shouldn’t expect miracles, but even with severe handicaps on the division (i.e. lengths of matches), the division has managed to succeed best the past 18 months or so when focused around certain Divas, for example Lay-Cool or Kharma. In quick succession, we lost Lay-Cool and we lost Kharma. Now, perhaps the writers had long-term plans to build the division around Kharma which they had to scrap through no fault of their own (or Kharma’s), so we must offer them that concession, but really, by now, they should have dusted themselves off and found a new direction to go in.
I’m not one of those people that is in the school of thought that girls like the Bellas or Kelly shouldn’t be used. That we should only concentrate on the ‘wrestlers’ like Beth, Natalya and Gail. Those girls are obviously extremely talented, but this is the WWE after all and that is the nature of the beast. And as I said, I think given the right opportunities, girls like the Bellas and Kelly can surprise the audience. Case in point: The twins’ promo on Kharma a few weeks ago. That was one of the rare moments where they got an opportunity to sell themselves to the audience and they took that opportunity and ran with it. The next week? Back to a short match with no real storyline. A similar thing happened with Eve Torres last year when she cut a great promo on The Miz and was then back to doing the usual Diva thing the following week. None of these small flashes of brilliance are built upon, and thus the Divas stay one-dimensional, with no real flair to their characters to tell them apart. WWE may tout its girls as ‘Smart, sexy and powerful’, but we all know which one the emphasis is on. (Hint: sadly, it’s not smart and it’s not powerful.)
WWE put the Bellas in that segment with Kharma for a reason: To give them a rub from the outgoing star. They did a good job that night in utilizing the twins but the following week, aside from a passing mention on commentary, there was no real follow-up. That segment should’ve been a catalyst to continue to develop the Bellas the following week, and the week after, and the week after that. Put them in backstage segments, have them mock other Divas — or have other girls stand up for Kharma. Build their characters as with Lay-Cool and Kharma. Instead, it looks like we’ve gone back to the meaningless multi-Diva matches.
The 14-Diva tag match (complete with chorus line!) on Monday was symbolic to me — symbolic of the silly matches we saw on a near-weekly basis before the likes of Lay-Cool began to gain steam. Multi-Diva matches with no real bearing week-to-week on storyline, silly matches like the Diva Bowl and so forth. Of course, matches like this haven’t gone away all together but I feel like I’ve seen more focus on storylines and feuds in the past 18 months in addition to the silly stuff.
With Kharma, WWE proved that they can give Divas a spotlight. They promoted her all over the place, made her seem like a star attraction and thus the fans responded. The episode of Raw where she announced her pregnancy, that announcement was teased throughout the two hours — something we rarely see for a Divas segment. So we know that the writers can, in fact, write something more substantial for the Divas on a weekly basis, but as soon as Kharma was gone, so was that creativity. Kharma wouldn’t have worked if they put the same effort (rather, lack of effort) they put into the other Divas. She worked partly because she is indeed an attraction, but also because WWE put more effort into her character.
So, here we are on Monday. Seeing those 14 Divas in the ring together, it felt like something was lacking. There was no real star power in the ring. We had 14 girls that look great, but where’s the Kharma-like figure? Where are the Lay-Cool-like figures? Kelly and the Bellas have received pushes of late, but even their feud has been nonsensical — one week it’s on, the next week it goes no where. Beth Phoenix was an attraction in the division, but has barely been seen on TV in the past couple of months and frankly, has been mishandled since her return from injury last November. Natalya, who was riding high at the top of the division going into 2011, is now a ‘coach’ on SmackDown. In fact, there’s probably something along the those lines that you could say about every Diva in that match. Again, this is not a knock on any of the girls; it’s through no fault of their own. But seeing all of our current Divas in the ring this past week, they all sort of got muddled together. No one stood out as a clear star in the division. Sure, the division has its problems, but I would say, we knew, as fans, where we stood. We knew that Lay-Cool were the top heels, or that Kharma was the big monster Diva. We knew. Right now, I don’t know that the Bellas are the top heels. (Okay, they have the belts but that doesn’t define your character.) I don’t know that Kelly is the top babyface. I don’t know what makes them stand out from their peers because they aren’t given the chance to.
What can WWE do to get the division on track? As I said, I think the division works best when centered around one girl or a duo. Fans may cry that they’re overexposed, but story wise, concentrating on one character or two characters has proven to work. Focus the division around the Bellas, they are your champions after all and have them do more. Give them a challenger who they can torment. Give them promos to build up their characters. Give them backstage segments interacting with the guys. Hey, if even a likable male wrestler is shown to dislike the Bellas in a backstage segment, that tells the audience something — even the guys don’t like these girls, they must be bad. Taking the storylines out of the confines of just the Divas division and giving them wider context in the show, i.e. the male wrestlers rooting for a certain girl, disliking a certain girl, could help make the audience care more too.
The division has its issues and those will probably always be there (three minute matches etc.), but there are things that WWE can do. Picking a star or two to succeed Kharma should be the first step.
– You can follow Melanie on Twitter at @MelanieTeamDD.
116 Comments
at 2:57 pm
Great Article Melanie !
I agree the Divas Divhas seem to die down since Kharma left , but then again this division always has its ups and downs. One week we could get a killer match / segment/backstage segment then the following week its as if nothing has happened. I could name a few matches and segments that I thougth would carry over to the next week but didnt. Ex: Remember when we thought Mickie was going to turn heel twice. When Candice returned th3 1st time, and when she was divas champ and Gail blind tagged her. But nothing never happened.
To be real honest I do think each and every diva can work well with one another if given the chance and time. I think every diva is capable of performing 5 star matches each week. Yes Im talking about Rosa , Kaitlyn , Kelly , The Bellas too. (LOL) but thats if given the chance. But we wont get it , I come to a point where I dont even bother to hope for the divison I just take with what i get…
My favorite moments and fueds within the last 2 years was Micke/Lay-Cool/Beth fued & Natalya/Lay-Cool fued & GlamHarts/Lay-Cool fued.
During those times I loved the division. Espically when Mickie & Beth were on SD
DIVAsupporter Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
what? when did mickie seem like she was gonna turn heel twice? and how?
adifferentsame Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
It was after Gail Kim became the number one contender to Mickie James’ Divas Championship and, during a tag match that Mickie James seemed to be in control of, Gail blind tagged herself and secured the victory. Mickie James unleashed her death stare and (I think) she later commented on WWE.com and said Gail was slightly disrespectful… Unless I’ve dreamt that in my caffeine induced psychosis. Anyway, the two went on to have their title match that ended in notorious fashion and the rest was history.
at 2:59 pm
Articles like this open my eyes to how much I took LayCool for granted. Melanie is absolutely right theres no structure to the division, nobody really stands out and has established themselves as top dog which is through no fault of their own. WWE does not have the belief in these girls that they had in Kharma/LayCool and its sad because if given the chance I believe most of them would blossom into a great attraction for the Divas division and not just for T&A.
at 3:13 pm
yeah.
look their is not even a diva match this sunday
at 3:21 pm
the writers seem to get away with doing nothing for the Divas and have done for a wile now (especially when Raw and the Divas title are concerned, in Eve’s most recent rein as champ she didn’t defend the title on PPV once)
there isn’t an obvious star right now
and the women that could be seen as the stars have become incredibly generic
and over on SD most of the roster is green except AJ, Alicia and Natalya.
they need to build someone up fast, really anything could happen from here
however i feel a match will be announced online that at Capital punishment the Bellas(or just Brie) will face Kelly for the title
at 3:27 pm
You forgot to mention that segment a few weeks prior to Kharma’s debut where Eve showed some wonderful character development and lamented the selfishness of the girls in the locker room, and then Gail and Natty where left wondering if she was right, and then Tamina walked in and they all just exchanged glances. Awesome writing that left me wondering “Oh, wow ,that was relatively heavy, I wonder if they’re going somewhere with this, especially since Kharma’s coming.”
Of course, it was never brought up again. But that was alright, because we had Kharma, and she was a huge deal!
And here we are, the Divas given a horrible 7-on-7 “match” w/ can-can line on WWE’s supposed All-Star (marketing tie-in I know, the point stands) night.
You say we can’t blame the girls themselves, as they’re working with what they’re given. I say nuts to that. Not going to even attempt to name names, but I have a gnawing feeling in the back of my mind that the performers simply are not pushing enough, as a whole, to put their division on a better playing field. The proof is in the matches and feuds: Melina’s heel turn was shoddy. Kelly vs Bellas has gotten next-to-no build. Eve received no reaction when she was the surprise entrant at the Laycool vs. Natalya handicap match at the Royal Rumble.
Meanwhile, Melina/McCool/Beth have their share of good matches, Laycool and Mickie James have a lengthy feud with good matches, Laycool and Natty have a lengthy feud with good matches, and Laycool face Natalya and Beth in a GOOD TABLE match.
I’m sorry, but you don’t get noticed and become big, something that matters, in this business without actually working for it, never being complacent on-camera or behind the scenes, even if it means you occasionally get “ribbed” (coughRydercough). I cannot believe that the women have no desire for more ring time, more chances for character development and cutting promos, to become bigger stars.
Because the alternatives are scarier. If they are making noise and not getting heard, then they’re stuck in the mud and WWE is stupid in missing opportunities to increase their notoriety and sales of tickets and merch. If they aren’t making noise, then…they’re complacent. And we’ll get more horrible matches and can-cans.
at 3:29 pm
Well I realized that WWE has more limits now as well, stupid PG rating. WWE used to use the divas right in the attitude era. I am NOT one of those who complain out the divas in this era, I am just explaining the shackles that is now put on the divas division with the PG rating.
I remember when WWE used their powerful divas and their sexy divas in storylines.Now we can all give a storyline that used with the powerful divas, but their was one storyline that I remember with the sexy divas that really captured my attention, and that was the storyline with Sable and Torrie Wilson. Those two had a great storyline, with babyface Torrie, and heel Sable. Even though they barely wrestled, it proved that the sexy divas can get a spotlight and use it properly.
I think WWE wants to head in that direction again, which is why they are using the sexy divas, instead of the powerful divas. But they can’t because bra and panties matches, and other matches like that can’t be used with a PG rating.
And that makes for pretty bad matches because we are forced to look at their wrestling ability and unfortunately they don’t have that much wrestling ability. I am so sick of seeing the running bulldog, the headscissors, the booty slap, and the other moves that K2 pulls out in every match. I would personally love to see WWE use Beth, Natalya, Melina, and Gail more, but those divas have had their spotlight at some point. It sucks that WWE can’t seem to uplift some divas without burying others.
at 3:35 pm
Fantastic article Melanie! You’ve hit the nail right on the head.
This is why I love TNA, they may a hot mess sometimes, but they treat their women as equals to the men, they get a lot of screen time and there ARE storylines always going for the knockouts. Which is why it frustrates me to no end that TNA is always being bashed.
A.E Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
kinda agree with you on that one at least tna get there women the exposure they deserve and they doing very well with the storyline progress and not to metion their matches the have decent matches
at 3:39 pm
Great article… In some way i like seeing the divas in the ring all together. but i want them to do more than just come in the ring and throw a punch and a kick.. Maybe perform their finishers would be more entertaining…
I do feel sad that there isn’t a real storyline for the divas now…. there isn’t even a match for capitol punishment which i think sucks…
hopefully creative gets a hold of a idea…
adifferentsame Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
I’m against the idea of cluttering the match with lots of Divas when it serves no positive outcome and especially if most of the girls don’t wrestle anyway. Personally, I’d enforce the rule that those who don’t wrestle on televised events are instead required to train. Someone like Kelly would look a million times better I’d the WWE gave her a sabbatical to polish her skill. I mean that nicely.
adifferentsame Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
*if.
Tut.
at 3:47 pm
A key issue with the Divas division is the lack of a spokesperson for their cause. This sadly where lip service is due for the devil when it comes to the debate of Michelle McCool. Any political ties she held may have suited her own career, but undeniably more swing was given to the Divas’ airtime. The women need a confident diplomat for their cause and right now, I don’t think there is one. Ultimately, any innate sexism backstage is counter-productive for business. Kharma’s resonance with the fans justified one thing: there is a significant demographic of WWE’s audience that appeals to women’s wrestling.
The colossal detriment of poor time management could easily be remedied if the writers simply trimmed the fat elsewhere. There’s too many elongated in-ring segments for the men; if R-Truth is going to come out and preach almighty in a feud with John Cena, then at least relegate the Miz and Riley drama to a match or backstage segment. Most of these promos drag out failure anyway, with the culmination of one star looking more redundant than the writers intended anyway. The positive effect of cutting down on excess is that if miscellaneous tag team matches with no purpose is all that’s destined for the Divas, there would at least be more time for them to breathe in the ring.
Another problem is the lack of true reflection upon the “sexy, smart, powerful” slogan that really patronises the girls more than anything else. It’s amazing what a few half-baked backstage promos did for the Bellas’ presence as emerging heels, and how infinitely more entertaining it was than poorly constructed 3 minute matches in the ring. The women would benefit so much more if the writers gave them something to say backstage every week, let them interact with other men and women freely; the Divas feel so disconnected to everything else that goes on in the WWE Universe that there’s no sense of relationships or existence. Once again, it’s like they’re pretty accessories attached for decorative purposes.
There also needs to be rotation and variation. Having all the women clogged in the ring at the one time is a bit of an eyesore and a waste of resource when they could be doing other things. Book more singles matches; if need be, have the remaining women filter out elsewhere and, shock horror, maybe script a backstage segment that could serve as a prelude to the following week. Continuity and suspense are magical things for fans these days.
Also, the Divas Championship: GIVE IT SOME MEANING. Rip the thing apart and start anew for all I care, but remember it’s the only frickin’ contested belt for women in your company. If it only serves to blend in with whatever the women are wearing, you may as well just abandon it altogether.
Lastly, always have a plan B: it is inevitable that your top star could be taken out at any point, but that’s no excuse to dwindle talent elsewhere. There are other ring generals to spare; make the most out of what you have, WWE.
at 3:50 pm
The question is : is there actually any divas with both in ring skill/mic skills and charisma ?
litalove21 Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
of course there is, eve torres, alicia, natalya etc etc
All the divas have potential charisma, it’s just that charisma is built through storyline development and character build up
French.One Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Eve was champ, and most of us were complaining about how boring she was in-ring. She’s athletic but I think she hasn’t yet the wrestling spirit.
Alicia was champ too and I don’t even remember a match of her.
Natalya had a good feud with laycool but her mic skills was a little under.
adifferentsame Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Sometimes it’s also a case of developing your stars as they go along. Nobody enters the business as the complete package.
But to answer your question, Melina is a prime example of someone who possesses all three attributes of which you’ve mentioned. Beth Phoenix is another.
French.One Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
I agree but right now, if i m a wwe executive I will not throw 5 min into a match if it will have no reaction from the crowd due to the lack of skill/charisma of the diva.
i don t know exactly why wwe isn’t keeping someone between beth or melina at the top (like they’re doing with men :o) …
adifferentsame Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
That’s a good point. Again, you could attribute that to the WWE’s weak view of women. Their shelflife is shorter than that of the men.
And to counter your point, it isn’t like the executives display much thought process into the handling of the women as it is, nor are we seeing a great deal of ability, so all the more mystifying to me that Beth and Melina aren’t being used more.
at 4:08 pm
I completely agree !!!! I still have faith but its gonna die if there is no storyline within the next 3 months !!! Great article Melanie !
at 4:22 pm
Great article…
I’m blaming creative on this one- they had no backup plans when Michelle decided to walk away (and they had known in advance she was going to at least take some time off even if the full retirement was a surprise ), Layla got hurt, and Kharma got pregnant. Gail/Melina have a semblance of a storyline going on, but it’s stuck on Superstars.
With 14 Divas on the main roster, they have the numbers to have at least one good storyline on one of the main shows- heck Impact has fewer KO’s and they have two major ones going on right now!
They have to start next week putting the seeds in place for the main Summerslam storyline- I don’t know what it should be (though I have a couple of ideas), but you’ve got two months (and one PPV) to set something up for the 2nd most important PPV of the year. And WWE should rehire Finlay- he knew how to work with the Divas, and has suffered more than enough time in exile after that house show gaffe.
at 4:24 pm
‘I’m not one of those people that is in the school of thought that girls like the Bellas or Kelly shouldn’t be used. That we should only concentrate on the ‘wrestlers’ like Beth, Natalya and Gail.’
I’m so in this school of thought, oops. Girls like K2, Bellas, Kaitlyn, and Rosa should be used for those types of segments ‘Diva bowls, Diva dance offs, etc’. While women like Gail, Beth, Natalya, Melina, Tamina and AJ do the wrestling.
I don’t think anyone outside of Diva fans care about who’s the champion since the champion is always someone that really doesn’t have the whole package like Natalya, Gail or Beth. Maybe one day the division will be cared about but right now nothing good is going to happen UNTIL the chairman of WWE retires and gives his company to Triple H.
adifferentsame Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
I kind of agree. Vince has an archaic mind for today’s modern landscape of wrestling, but I think what will help the women is more female influence backstage.
at 4:36 pm
I believe this is the first time in years the Division has had absolutely no direction. Post Trish/Lita, Mickie, Beth and Melina were the clear frontrunners and this continued from 2007-2009ish. Michelle then become the fourth frontrunner in 2008. Then when Mickie/Beth/Melina/Michelle started winding down, LayCool took the ball and ran with it and they became the frontrunners. They held up the division from 2009-2011 and did an amazing job. Then they broke up and Kharma held it up for a few weeks.
Now that all of those women are either gone, inactive or pushed into obscurity, the Divas Division has no clear frontrunners and no clear top faces/heels. It’s just clear misogyny and a damn shame. Things aren’t too bad on Smackdown- Natalya/AJ/Kaitlyn vs Tamina/Rosa/Alicia because those girls clearly have something to do. Raw has the same amount of Divas and they STILL can’t give them something to do?
I honestly don’t believe the Bellas can lead a division. They’re lacking a certain je ne sais quoi that the women before them had and I don’t believe them. I don’t believe they’re in love with the WWE and wrestling and I think that’s another reason why they can’t get over. It feels too false. They’re clearly around to be “Divas” and not make an impact like the other girls.
The problem is, too many of the Divas are lacking in charisma. Michelle got away with it because her wrestling spoke for her and she got to work with women with a lot of charisma like Layla and Melina.
At the same time, women like Melina and Beth were heavily pushed a couple of years ago and them feuding again would be counterproductive. They’re the two best Divas right now in terms of being the full package but we’ve already seen it. If they were given the chance to work with rising stars like AJ or Eve, they could create magic.
At this point, there is so little that can be done. None of the girls have credibility and barely any of them are over. I honestly don’t know who can carry the division because I just can’t see them succeeding. Instead of trying to make everyone wrestlers, just give everyone a clear spot on the roster.
AJ- Babyface wrestler, teamed up with Kaitlyn.
Alicia- Decent worker, but there’s something missing. She could be Tamina’s second-hand woman/manager.
Beth- Turn her heel and book her as the dominant Glamazon again. Feud with Gail, Eve, AJ, Natalya and just let her do her thing.
Brie/Nikki- Should be kept out of the ring and placed backstage. Valets, personalities, whatever.
Eve- Has a lot of potential. Let her work with those better than her and keep her in the ring, because she can actually work. Play up her BJJ background and let people know that she is an inspiring, strong woman.
Gail- Should be wrestling weekly. I don’t think she’s charismatic enough to be a top face, but she should be booked as one of the main babyface wrestlers
Kaitlyn- Has so much charisma and personality! Keep her paired with AJ- develop the playful “Chickbusters” babyface team gimmick. She could be a top face one day.
Kelly Kelly- Make her a personality. Valet, backstage eye-candy, whatever.
Layla- When she returns, start building her as a face and make her the top Diva babyface
Maryse- She has too much charisma and personality for it to go to waste- make her a valet
Melina- Give her back her Paparazzi heel gimmick. She played it perfectly and it got over.
Natalya- I like the “Mother Hen” thing they’re doing with her. Establish her as the veteran wrestler she is and push her to the forefront of the Division, slowly
Rosa- Needs to be aligned with ADR or another Latino Superstar
Tamina- Once her wrestling has improved, she should be booked as a strong, powerhouse heel wrestler.
So that’s 9 of the 14 active Divas as wrestlers, spread across Raw and Smackdown. Let Natalya, Beth, Eve and Melina work on Raw while Tamina, Alicia, AJ, Kaitlyn and Gail work Smackdown. It’s not difficult.
chrisP Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
“Maryse- She has too much charisma and personality for it to go to waste- make her a valet”
Um, no. It was a disaster with DiBiase and no better on NXT recently with Lucky Cannon. You either get her sitting in on commentary talking about herself rather than her guy or you have her standing at ringside doing so little that she might as well be watching from her living room.
Lanoom Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Nobody cares about NXT. Just ask Season 3.
chrisP Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Um, okay, what does that have to with anything? The only reason I even mentioned NXT was because that’s where Maryse was being used as a valet for Lucky Cannon.
Lanoom Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
It has to do with everything because nobody, besides maybe the “contestants,” is giving any effort to it, nor does the audience expect them to.
Maryse has a stronger penchant for character than most of the Divas, given her in-ring mannerisms. If written correctly, and not attached to the black hold of charisma that is Ted Dibiase, she would be a fine valet.
silverink-25 Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
I’m actually wanting a Maryse and Melina stable. I mean with Melina’s new “darkness” image, and the attitude thay they both have, they would be a great heel stable. I was thinking “tweener” stable at first, but LayCool was a tweener stable and that would be redundant. But a Maryse and Melina heel stable would be awesome for Raw.
As for Smackdown, I think they should borrow an idea from TNA, and make Divas Tag Champs. It would give the divas there a reason to fight each other, cause in reality, I don’t even know where there storyline came from anyway.
at 4:38 pm
Shows when you put the Divas on RAW, they don’t matter. Looking at SD with Tamina/Alicia Fox/Rosa Mendes Vs Natalya/AJ/Kaitlyn it makes more sense. . Why? One show is written out of the “Last House on the Right of Badstreet USA” the other is written out of Stamford.
at 4:39 pm
Thanks a lot for the article Melanie!
It’s greatly appreaciated. :)
I fully agree on every point and I think the main problem is, that vince only tries to milk money over the ones that can sell a lot as also trying to focus lots of things entirely to younger audience(teenagers).
That’s why they mainly let divas do mostly work outside the ring by being supporters of “place a name here” or eye candy for promotions and such.
In ring work is mostly “violence” and violence between women or women with man is a no go for them as long as linda still goes for a political chair. <_<
I hate it to the bone! Are they too blind to see how well the knockouts do in TNA and how well the girls could perform in the ring in WWE if they would give them a chance to do so?
Except if they consider it a given chance to be in a 2 minutes match so they can pull each others hair, trash talk, do a move or two in a hurry because they run out of time and leave the ring even faster so the superstars can get their 10-15 minutes promos (cash cows like Randy Orton or John Cena as example) or even a Michael Cole can talk about how "brilliant" he is and such. -.-
They so called "creatives" need to push their creativity a little aswell.
My only hope right now is smackdown and the six diva match, raw died for me this week entirely.
at 4:51 pm
Christ, it’s simple really. Get Melina to dump the blue highlights and PUSH HER to the MOON. Skill + character + fan support + looks + everything else. Just get your heads out of your asses and DO IT, WWE. Pair her with a tag team (methinks Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater could use a decent manager/ally) and recreate MNM, with Melina wrestling more this time. It worked back then and it’ll work now.
Then steal Mickie back from TNA and let them feud forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. Problem solved. The end.
FoxyKimLover Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
haha I like that IDEA!
MelinaFan Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
I loved that idea!
NY32986 Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
she needs to go back to doing Youtube Videos, just saying…no wait, Woo Woo Woo…nevermind.
seasons-of-love Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Melina’s videos >>>>>> Zack Ryder’s videos.
Melina talks about superheroes and jumping in puddles. Zack Ryder pimps WWE Shopzone. Borrrrring.
Just saying.
at 4:57 pm
The Divas and Superstars barely make contact. I think what would help the Divas is to put a few with the guys in a storyline. I say pair the Bellas with a top heel(like the Miz) and K2 with a top face(we all know him, most of us don’t know him, but the kids sure do love him.. John Cena). Give them promos, mixed tag matches, the divas acting as valets and the superstars acting as managers. They could actually be involved in main storylines like Kelly Kelly was. I mean, Maryse was actually envolved with a lot of promos while she was with Ted DeBiase.
This is more necessary on RAW than on Smackdown. The Smackdown Divas actually have a little going for them.
adifferentsame Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
A point I made earlier.
Another idea would be to have the RAW Divas flit freely between their brand and Smackdown.
Melina&Mickie4ever! Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
I agree I always wanted and liked when the divas interact with the superstars. It gives them more character and helps them get over. I mean look at Vickie. No Diva in the history of wwe has gotten Heat like Vickie does. Vickie is just freaking awesome.
Addy Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Yeah. It’d be a tremendous help for the Divas. I mean, when I went to Smackdown she appeared in a Superstars match, and I swear the whole audience booed in unison. It was definitely not edited.
at 4:58 pm
When I saw the Kharma segment I got really worried about how it would turn out instead it was really good.But on the next night after that promo I still was unsure about how the division would look like when she is gone?
Now I’ve realized alot after watching that match on RAW.I don’t think that I want K2 as champion anymore after seeing her performance and I feel that if the WWE puts tht title on K2 and we see her as she always is in her wrestling and out her in a match against someone like Melina or Beth. And have Kelly Kelly win that match against someone who has more experience then her I’ll feel very upset on how the can treat their division like that.
I now have mixed feelings with the Divas Division right now. On one side I still get the hope that their is hope out there for the divas that it’s sooo hard to see or even predict. And on the other I kinda feel like everyone else and don’t see anything on RAW or SD that says a improvement. I believe that the WWE ignores the Divas sometimes and care about everyone else? Sometimes once and while we’ll often see something happen when it comes to the Divas like that tables match and it breaks my heart to see a KO’s match and wish it was a divas match and I also is heart breaking on how the WWE universe turns their back on them and that’s where I feel really bad for all the Divas now.
at 5:08 pm
gr8 article melanie!!! i agree with every word!
the divas division has taken huge blows only in a matter of a few months. michelle mccool gone, laycool finished, layla injured and kharma gone also. wwe have no idea what to do with them now, you have 14 divas on the roster but none of them are being used with full potential. you got the bellas and kelly, honestly i’m not disrespecting them, but IMO i dont feel they are strong enough to carry the division like laycool and kharma to an extent did. they dont have those strong personalities BUT also if wwe give them the chance then im sure they can improve.
now here’s why i always been saying that laycool were the life of the divas division since 2009-2011. alotta people complained that laycool were hogging the spotlight and were over used but because of laycool the divas division got tons of spotlight and air time that they never had! now with laycool gone the divas division=boring, no direction what so ever.
i swear laycool need to come back!!! have one last run!!! wwe divas division is in need of laycool!
i just hope wwe creative pull their socks up and do something with the divas, brie is the champ, make her look like one. give her a promo and some build up. also give her a strong challenger like beth gail or melina.
on sd, i say its moving off well, but id say build up divas like tamina and alicia and monster heels. and build up AJ and natalya and top faces and then were set. also call up naomi!!!
seasons-of-love Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
I’d say it’s less a case of us needing LayCool back and more a case of WWE actually needing to devote that kind of time and effort on someone who actually has the poential to get over. If they refuse to give my girl Melina the time of day then focus on AJ and Naomi.
adifferentsame Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
Naomi could have worked the heel role currently employed by R-Truth if the writers really wanted something original.
04bia Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
i know what you mean laycool will probably not come back now but they need to build up other stars. if they’re going to focus on kelly and the bellas, then they need to build them up the right way to get fans to care, like the way fans reacted to laycool.
i personally would love to see beth gail natalya and melina once again holding titles cos they’re the only girls who have the best credibility. melina on the other hand is not in the good books of wwe management atm, so i suppose she wont get a push YET, until wwe decide.
chrisP Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 6:35 pm
“if they’re going to focus on kelly and the bellas, then they need to build them up the right way to get fans to care, like the way fans reacted to laycool.”
In terms of fan reactions, the Bellas are really no less over than Laycool was, and Kelly is miles ahead of both.
04bia Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
@CHRISP, i get it you didnt like laycool whatever, but laycool actually got heat. more than the bellas combined. believe it or not its true. when laycool was on the mic they got mad heat. when LC went on about their “fat jokes” they were annoying BUT they got mad heat. the bellas were unsuccessful at it.
and btw one thing that laycool had that kelly and bellas dont have, was CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY which got them over.
oh and also cos laycool had their own personal writer lol!
at 5:17 pm
Honestly though, the one thing WWE needs to do is create characters and storylines for their women. Mickie and Melina are beyond super-talented, yes, but they also owe a large part of their early success to the fact that both girls had distinct personalities from day one. Likewise with Trish and Lita. Look at how beneficial the alliance with The Hardy Boyz was for Lita. And the whole Vince/Stephanie thing pretty much flung Trish straight into the spotlight. Was she a strong wrestler at that point? No, but the difference between her and Eve, the Bellas and co. nowadays is that Trish at least had character development and fan support, and so it wasn’t so terrible that she became champion in late 2001 over some of the more skilled women.
WWE have a new breed of women coming up. AJ is already there, obviously, but there’s still time, and Naomi looks ready to come up. DO IT RIGHT THIS TIME, WWE. Don’t fuck it up like you did with the previous generation, pleeease.
RatedRLayWinter Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Love it. imo, you’ve been the most reasonable with your decisions/opinions.
But I would also like to state in regards to the article, if I’m from the school of thought that we should focus on the actual wrestlers, so be it. Nothing wrong with that. I’d rather watch a match, where I can see the moves executed properly, than watch a match where I cringe every 2 seconds (all the way through the 3 mins. :p) as the moves don’t connect or there’s miscommunication or a botch.
Not that “real” wrestlers don’t have this problem, but they don’t have it as much as the others. Just saying. Not to mention, there’s some models turned wrestlers who just aren’t good enough to hide it and then there’s some that are.
Melina&Mickie4ever! Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
I agree seasons they do need to create more storylines and characters. Just like you said with Mickie & Melina. They both have a strong personalities and moments from their past that helped them be as popular as they are today. Mickie’s storyline with Trish really brought her out into the light. Melina with MNM , notorious for her entrance brought her to be what she is today.
But today….Kelly Kelly is one of the other divas today whose past made them popular today Extreme ExPose. But then again her skills are still medicore so….
at 5:22 pm
The only good thing that changed up over the past year was we finally saw a break in the championship Cycle. Instead of always having Melina , Mickie , Beth , Michelle champions. We gotten champs like Natalya , ALicia , Eve , The Bellas , Maryse.
at 6:15 pm
In a year or too there wont be any divas >:D
at 6:22 pm
FANTASTIC article Melanie.
I agree with it almost completely. Lets be honest, the only big heel/face we’ve seen within the past year is truly Kelly v Laycool that came to a head prior to wrestlemania.
Natalya and Beth and Laycool was close but I still feel the crowd wasnt enough behind beth and natalya and were still over on laycool.
This is where the WWE needs to develop the Bellas, they have given them the push and now is the time to get them over with the fans. On the same token it is time to get some faces over (which is the only part of the article I disagree with) The focus needs to go beyond the bellas and into some sort of face that the crowd cares about. Give Kelly a stronger face push and in the same turn have the bellas try and bring her down and give us something to work with the eventually develop into other divas.
at 6:47 pm
“Maryse has a stronger penchant for character than most of the Divas, given her in-ring mannerisms. If written correctly, and not attached to the black hold of charisma that is Ted Dibiase, she would be a fine valet.”
Vickie Guerrero is a fine valet. Maryse isn’t. She either tries to overshadow the match or she goes the opposite route and doesn’t do anything at all. As long as that’s the case, any male wrestler would be better off by himself than with her.
A.E Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
maryse can’t do a thing in the ring she maybe the worst worker there beside from rosa but as a personality she have it.
chrisP Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
“maryse can’t do a thing in the ring she maybe the worst worker there beside from rosa but as a personality she have it.”
Her “personality” is spastic hand gestures and goofy faces. How that is supposed to help some mid-card guy who needs a boost is beyond me.
Lanoom Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Vickie is a fine valet, I agree, but how is “EXCUSE ME!” and constant fat jokes from King any less detracting from the match than Maryse uniquely being Maryse?
But, you know who needs to be back on my TV? Aksana.
“I can’t go back home! They beat me with shovel!” I demand more Lithuanian crazy foreign 666-punching gold digger on my TV, WWE.
chrisP Reply:
June 16th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
“Vickie is a fine valet, I agree, but how is “EXCUSE ME!” and constant fat jokes from King any less detracting from the match than Maryse uniquely being Maryse?”
Lawler’s fat jokes make him a distraction, not Vickie. And Maryse is distracting when she’s on commentary. When she’s standing at ringside, the problem does a 180 as she is inactive to the point that she might as well not be there.
“But, you know who needs to be back on my TV? Aksana.”
Agreed. All the Divas wanna be like Aksana.