“Your Two Cents” is our interactive feature where we gauge the opinions of our Twitter and Facebook followers on different discussions in women’s wrestling.
This week, we’re asking this: Do you think Eve Torres‘s departure will help or hurt the Divas division? We’ve read your responses on our social media pages and picked some of the best submissions to highlight here on the website. As always, you can join the debate by leaving your comments!
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Clint Gould | It seems that no matter which Diva is gone, the Division will still go on seamlessly, as a Division that is lacking in spark. Not just that, but booking doesn’t seem to care about it either. There’s still some hope in development, but as of now, it just needs more. As far as Eve goes, she’s very talented and did bring a lot to the company in her tenure as not just an athlete, but a spokeswoman. |
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Damien Jesttes | This would severely hurt the Divas division as she was the only woman with the entire package and star power. Now you’ll have to figure a way out to grasp attention for the Divas division. WWE has to really step up their game. |
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Jonathan Carmona | It’s good in the way that it’s going to allow other divas like, Tamina and Naomi, to step up and try to fill up the gap. However Eve wasn’t just a spoke person for WWE in the main stream, but also the divas. Even though people can argue how Eve is not at the level of Trish Stratus and Lita, I think for the condition that Divas are facing in this era she was in way the face of the division. She went to the TV shows, interviews, tours and tours. WWE relied on her for all those projects. The real question is going to be who can step up and do all the work and carry herself the way Eve did? |
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Josue Guzman | While it is easier to say that Eve’s departure will hurt the division, I actually think this now helps the division for new improvements. Yes, Eve was WWE’s top Diva, winning championships, getting reactions from the crowd and the one WWE pushed over the past year but after roughly six years, the average time for a WWE Diva, it was time for her to move on. Eve dropping the title to Kaitlyn and “quitting” WWE now leads to two things: Kaitlyn now being the top babyface for the Divas and a need for a new top heel. AJ Lee‘s recent heel turn could be a sign that she will fill that role, which again can help the division.
AJ’s character is so strongly built as it is that once she starts wrestling again, people WILL be watching and some of her star power can rough off in the Divas Division! A feud with Kaityln makes perfect sense as their history of Chickbusters is already there and can basically be written as a feud for these former allies. |
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Mary-Helen Clark | It can only hurt it. Eve has emerged as “the” Diva over this past year and there is no real top heel Diva to take her place that is the total package like Eve. Kaitlyn has been established as the new top Babyface, but she needs a foil and AJ is nowhere near the Divas Division right now. Perhaps this is the time for Natalya, Alicia Fox>Layla to step it up with a heel turn and a new attitude? |
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Megan Travis | That’ll depend on WWE itself. In a way of course it’ll hurt losing a top heel who’s grown so much in the ring and as a character. But if WWE gives someone else an opportunity, whether it be AJ so she can finally shine as a wrestler or someone else that’s maybe stuck in the background right now. Eve, AJ and Kaitlyn have shone that when given a ball they’ll run with it and I’m sure the other divas are up to the task. It’s up to WWE though to give someone else a shot. |
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Michael Chichetti | It will have no effect on the division, same as all the other departures from last year. It will still be nothing but 2 minute, filler matches. |
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Randi Parker | It hurts because she had just become the face in my opinion, and she was doing a great job, but I think if WWE straightens up the division a little, the blow won’t be as bad as it could, get Kaitlyn into a feud, and stop Naomi and a href=”http://www.diva-dirt.com/tag/cameron”>Cameron from dancing and get them in the ring, let Natalya do what she does best, call up some NXT girls, get two feuds at the same time, they can do it. If they did this, maybe they can bring back the women’s title, and the two feuds would be easier to do!!!! |
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@ShirlShocked | The talent is there- it’s just a case of finding the right person to be brought up to prominence & by that I mean Nattie or Naomi. There’s also a strong possibility an NXT Diva will make their way up, and if WWE are clever, they’ll make sure they make an impact so that there is someone they can build upon. It’s obvious we’re ushering in a new era of…anti-Divas. |
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@YipeeKaiYayMF | Helps; this forces WWE to re-think the Divas, which can only lead to an improvement. Plus, Trips is higher on Divas than Vince. |
And now we turn it over to you…
What are your two cents on the debate? How will Eve’s departure affect the Divas division? Tell us in the comments…
38 Comments
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I can’t see it making much difference, one way or the other. Yes, she’s been the most active wrestler on the roster over the last year or so, but that’s as part of a division that still remains little more than an afterthought by the WWE.
Even the best women wrestlers in the world right now would struggle to make an impact in the women’s division in it’s current condition. Because the opportunities to show people what you can do… or worse yet, expect them to care about what you do… are so very limited.
at
Divas are replacable. It will neither hurt or improve the division now that Eve is gone, her spot will just be taken over by someone else, just like Eve took over from Kelly, and Kelly took over from Michelle. Unless WWE’s creative team decides to change their way on how to write the divas, nothing will change.
at
Personally I think, well I agree with Beth Phoenix. In basically saying this is the most depleted the WWE diva’s main roster has ever been. There’s room for new talent to come up and for the division to ignite a revolution
at
” Now you’ll have to figure a way out to grasp attention for the Divas division. ”
Like with, say, an ivory-skinned, raven-haired, heavy metal theme-having, British, “Anti-Diva” Diva?
Nope, we have none of those lying around.
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Second wee in a row I made this thing, yay!
But seriously, I get having valets and that because some women should just never step in the ring, and I LOVE female angers, but Natalya is a wrestler, nit this stupid story with Khali, Naomi is awesome, and I really want to see what Cameron can do. I really wish someone in the WWE would see this, we are the people they answer too in a sense, they can see what we wnat!!!!!
at
There’s no right answer to that.In a way it’s doing both things. One the up side it’ll allow for others to shine…if they actually have something to shine with.Also after WM maybe we’ll finally see new faces who will make the division more interesting.On the other hand…the divas were just a few when Eve was there and her departure is leaving a big heel spot open.AJ could easily be the heel that will go up against the champ,but she needs a strong build up as a ring competitor first.We’ll have to wait and see where the things have been going.Just hope HHH will take full control soon.He seems to get what’s missing in WWE (including in the divas division).
at
lol i doubt it coulf help but im not sure if itll hurt either
at
I think it’s a wait and see- there’s rumors going around that they’re thinking of starting the Diva Search up again and there’s some Divas in the NXT pipeline, and with Sara Del Rey training them, it could end up working out in the long term. In the short term it will hurt- Paige should be called up ASAP, as she’s the most ready and they need someone new up on the main roster (though I’m thinking they might wait until after Mania).
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Just as we had two established characters in the division, ones gone. Back to one now, but there’s so much potential in the current division and in development! Alicia, Naomi, Kaitlyn, Paige and Sasha Banks to name five fabulous females! (Oo alliteration, five points to Griffindor! ;))
Natalya wasn’t mentioned due to her obviously being fucking amazing within the squared circle xD.
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I say both. It will help the division because now WWE can use the relegated divas, like Alicia, Natalya, Cameron and Naomi, and put them in storylines, or i don’t know, just to use them properly. But it also hurts the division because WWE not always make the right desition when it comes to the divas. Eve’s character isn’t gonna be an easy one to forget, she was doing great.
I don’t think calling the NXT divas is a good idea, i mean, they are gonna job, don’t forget there’s only ONE title. Let’s see how it goes.
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No. 99.9% of the divas are replaceable.
Hollywood King Reply:
January 17th, 2013 at
Then why are so many people complaining that the divas division is in the worst shape it’s ever been in?
ajfan83 Reply:
January 17th, 2013 at
Because the fall of the division was not caused by the departure of any particular diva, but rather a change in company direction.
at
I think it will help since although Eve is a big part of the division, her leaving does not leave a sense of the division “missing something.” They have plenty of girls that are ready for the main stage, and I can only see it helping with an opening to felling that spot or more.
at
Depends. Obviously Eve was great, and was WWE seemed high on her. So, if this means we’re going back to a Layla type of reign, it’s going to kill all momentum the divas were building up these past 5 months. If they continue improving diva feuds as they have been and put some spotlight on Divas like Naomi, Natalya, even Tamina, and put AJ back into the mix of competing, it’ll help.
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Eve seems like a nice woman and she worked hard to improve over the past couple of years, but let’s be honest, her departure means nothing to WWE. I really don’t think WWE has EVER been hurt by a diva’s departure, at least in terms of having any effect on the business side of things (tickets, PPVs, ratings). Some have been more popular than others, obviously, but it’s not a coincidence that their most popular women have come from eras when the company was more popular overall. Eve was in the company during a time when interest in WWE continues to drop and they basically have to bring back a bunch of old stars to sell their biggest shows. She’ll be nothing more than a footnote.
Hollywood King Reply:
January 17th, 2013 at
This I have to disagree with. Prime example: we use to have the annual divas dvd and for no apparent reason after Trish, Lita, and Stacy leave from the company the DVD is discontinued.
Mikas Reply:
January 17th, 2013 at
WWE went PG, so they cant do the dvds anymore where the divas barely wear any clothes.
ajfan83 Reply:
January 17th, 2013 at
@Hollywood King
I don’t think they discontinued the DVDs because of those women leaving. I mean you still had eye candy like Torrie, Maria, and Candice around (to name a few). It was the shift to PG that killed those DVDs off. If Trish, Lita and Stacy were such big draws, why has WWE never done any DVDs on them since they left? I mean Stacy doesn’t have much of a resume, but you could certainly package a Lita, Trish, or combination of both for a decent 2 disc set. The fact that the company hasn’t tells me they didn’t sell as many DVDs or other merch as some people think they did. The Divas DVDs sold well regardless of who was on them. It was a change in company direction that ended them.
Hollywood King Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at
I have to disagree, 2006 was the last divas dvd. It’s not all about sex appeal. I mean losing Trish, Lita, and Stacy were major blows to their product.
I remember asking Melina on twitter when would she get her own dvd, she replied that she doubted that and stated that because of her ethnic background it would not sell in the American market.
Why do you think Naomi isn’t getting a massive push and that Kaitlyn and AJ are? It’s the race, and that’s just the politics of the business.
puppies Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at
@Hollywood King
AJ and Melina are both Hispanic, Eve (another Hispanic diva) was top diva prior to her departure. I really don’t think it has anything to do with race.
ajfan83 Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at
@ Hollywood King
We can argue whether or not the departures of Trish/Lita/Stacy hurt the product or not. For diva fans it obviously did, but I’m not sure business was hurt in any shape or form. But as far as the Diva DVDs, the WWE could have still released them with the newer girls, if they wanted to go in that direction. The fact is WWE was going PG, and if you look at their DVDs in recent years, they have eliminated a lot of the “fluff” material they used to do (the diva sets being a perfect example). Now it’s mostly bios on wrestlers and “History Of” sets.
And I really don’t know what race has to do with this, at all. Melina was one of the most pushed divas for years. AJ, the biggest female in the company right now, is also hispanic. So this idea that WWE won’t push them is ridiculous. As far as them not doing a DVD for her because it “wouldn’t sell”, you could have just pointed out all the Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio sets that have been made. With Naomi, I don’t think it’s her race, either. She just isn’t all that attractive. Neither is Sara Del Ray, which is why she was only hired as a trainer. It’s looks, not skin color.
The one thing Melina had right, inadvertintly, is that WWE won’t release a DVD for any individual diva because it won’t sell well. I know Lita and Trish got single disc releases at the height of their popularity, but as I already pointed out, WWE hasn’t bothered doing followups because the demand isn’t there. The diva photoshoot DVDs sold because of what they were allowed to show back then. The PG rating and maybe the novelty wearing off are the reasons they stopped producing them. Not because of any individual diva.
Hollywood King Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at
To @ajfan83 and @puppies
I wasn’t discussing their push, I’m discussing merchandising and DVDs. The divas product was hurt. Also if the demand for Divas merchandise isn’t there why do you think that is?
Why do you think the only time divas do moves from the top rope it’s a crossbody? There are so many limitations the divas are being given, I don’t think some of you realize the politics that go on behind the scenes because it’s obvious that the Divas themselves want to be successful and want the product to succeed.
ajfan83 Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at
@Hollywood King
Yes, the diva merchandise has gone way done in recent years. But you have yet to prove that it was because certain divas left. WWE stoppped doing all the eye candy DVDs after a certain point because they decided to go PG and market to kids primarily. You seem to forget that before this decision, they got Playboy to release issues with Ashley and Maria on the cover. So it’s not like the divas weren’t considered marketable just because Trish and Lita were gone. To put it to you another way, how much merchandise did Trish have besides the magazines and posters? As far as I can remember it was just one t-shirt near the end of her run, the Rosie the Riveter one, and I don’t think it was exactly a best seller. So it’s not like she moved a lot of stuff outside of the bikini posters and magazines. Like I said earlier, why hasn’t WWE done a “Best of Trish” or “Best of Lita” DVD yet if they were so important to the diva revenue stream?
And I don’t know why you mention the division. We all know WWE limits it. Melina is pretty stupid to complain, though, since she was clearly one of their main women for a good few years there. It was only towards the end that they stopped pushing her. Her pulling out the race card is just in poor taste. She didn’t get a DVD set because she wasn’t popular enough, period.
at
I can see Alicia as the next top heel. She has so much talent in that area, they just need to give her a chance! And call up Summer Rae as a heel and Audrey as a face jobber sort like an early career Kelly Kelly. Paige of course as the anti hero type. We never had an anti hero diva. Her and Summer could be Trish and Lita hehe
Crazy_J Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at
I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Alicia, I’ve never thought she was bad and she’s a lot better than most of the girls on the roster. I’d say she’s in the top 3 for me now that Eve is gone.
at
why do people keep saying they want Paige to be promoted to the main roster ASAP? Do you realize that WWE has a no one under 21 policy? Paige does not turn 21 until August, so there’s little hope she’ll be on the roster before then. PATIENCE!!!!!
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What paige going to do any good to the main roster? Oh we will just see paige job to divas like kaitlyn and layla HOORAY
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Sometimes when a diva leaves or gets released people amsume its the death of the division,war for Eve she was a great wrestler & her work war a heel was good her work war a face wasn’t all that great but WWE will find another “Eve” clone.
Its the first month of 2013 is its hard to say what Eve absence will take a toll on the wwe divas? I’ll admit Kaitlyn in-ring work isn’t great but maybe the war divas champion will spark some improvement like Trish was women’s champion.
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Damien Jesttes “This would severely hurt the Divas division as she was the only woman with the entire package and star power.”
star power how???
puppies Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at
She was a great spokeswoman for the company, always did well on interviews and outside projects to promote the WWE. On top of that, she had pretty good mic skills and played her character very well.
ajfan83 Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at
@Puppies
That doesn’t mean she had star power, though. How much money did she bring in to WWE? How often did she get a reaction (not a big one, just any reaction at all)? How many magazines has she been on? How many non-WWE interviews has she done? Eve reminds me of someone like The Miz. They are good corporate tools that know how to represent the company well in a very PC way, but nobody outside of wrestling really gives a crap about them.
puppies Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I guess I meant more that she was the star of the division, representing WWE and whatnot. She got a reaction from the crowd at the height of her heel turn which was pretty impressive, as she was getting actual heat, not mild indifference from the crowd that most heel divas nowadays would be lucky to get. You’re right in that she’s not very well known outside of wrestling, but that doesn’t necessarily take away from her skills as a representative of WWE considering she’s in the actual wrestling business. Therefore, as long as she’s known there, she’s accomplished her job.
ajfan83 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I get what you’re saying. She was a pretty good rep for the company. I just don’t think Eve actually brought anything to the table that can’t be replaced in a few months. Just plug in another smart, attractive woman in to her spot and you’re good to go. I think the only reason she got over at all was because she was latching on to Zack Ryder’s popularity. Notice that as soon as her storyline with him was over the company thought she would still get heat. And it didn’t happen.
at
I think it will do them good and bad. Eve was really one of the few that stood out, and with her just high tailing it out of there right after losing the belt without a rematch makes her reign seem pointless. Then again, this could give someone else the opportunity to shine and maybe pull fans in that Eve didn’t.
at
There is no worthy diva actually on the main roster (except arguably Natalia).
The more diva we lose, the more chance we have to get Sara sent on the main roster to try to do something.
at
I don’t think her departure will hurt the division as much as it should have; and I say that because she was one of their best female competitors even when Beth was there. I don’t think she’ll be as big of a loss as Beth was (or at least as everyone thought Beth was) even though she was a good wrestler, which I think is due to her look in the sense that Eve looked like the cookie-cutter “diva,” and because of that, people automatically pegged her as another Kelly Kelly esque barbie doll diva. Whereas Beth was a bit more muscular than most divas which is why she stood out. So due to Eve’s talent, it should be a HUGE blow to the division, but since she looked like a typical diva, I don’t think that’ll be the case.
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it up to the fans I think it will help the Divas div because they will rethink the way they find these star’s!