Ahem, so it may be past midnight on January 1st in the UK making this post a little late, but it’s still 2011 somewhere!

It’s that time of year again when we make our annual wishes and predictions for women’s wrestling in the year ahead. Previous wishes/predictions posts here (2010) and here (2011).

2012 Wishes
* We want Naomi and we want her now! #WeWantNaomi… Tweet it, people!
* Sarita for Knockouts Champion. It’s long overdue!
* Jessicka Havok to stay out of prison. We love you and your matches, but don’t kill someone and spoil the fun!
* We wanted it last year and we still want it this year: Beth Phoenix vs Natalya. The time is now!
* Continued prosperity for Cheerleader Melissa as SHIMMER Champion.
* More great women’s wrestling on Internet pay per view! We’ve seen WSU deliver this year and raise their profile in the process. How about more promotions feature women on iPPV and give the world a chance to see them?
* Maxine to finally reach the top and be the amazing Diva she is destined to be!
* Sara Del Rey to have her dream of joining WWE come true. She deserves the big money contract!
* More focus on the Divas division. 2011 has not been a good year. We’ll remain hopeful for 2012 though not holding our breath.

2012 Predictions
* Knockouts Championship reigns for Mickie James, Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne.
* Another prominent independent name to be signed by WWE.
* Divas Championship reigns for Kelly Kelly and Layla.
* Jessicka Havok will win the WSU World Championship.
* Lita will return to the ring.
* A Diva or Knockout will retire rather than being released, but who?
* The Divas reality show on WWE Network will not meet our expectations.
* ROH will go ahead and launch its proposed women’s division and we will all be joyous.
* Shaul Guerrero will be called up to the main roster and get a decent sized push.
* Karen Jarrett will return and we will be ecstatic at the resurrection of Miss Karen.

Those are our wishes and predictions, now it’s your turn! What are you wishing and predicting for 2012?

As 2011 draws to a close, the Diva Dirt writers have each picked a personal highlight to reminisce on the year gone by.

Today: Bobby shares his best moment from 2011 — Maxine‘s return to NXT.

So, I’m sure it’s pretty obvious by now that I live for NXT. It’s my favorite program in all of wrestling, and I personally feel it deserves weekly two hour programming, house shows, and pay per views dedicated solely to it.

A big part of my admiration is because of the storylines, time, and effort put into developing characters, and perhaps there is no better example than Maxine! That is why my moment of 2011 is when Maxine surprised the world and made her grand return by attacking AJ and forming the greatness that was BateMax.

I think part of why I loved this so much was because it was live and I had absolutely no idea it was going to happen. Very rarely do we get to have that feeling of complete shock, and seeing Maxine just pop up out of nowhere was one of those times I thought I was dreaming because it was handled so differently (aka one million times better) than most Divas get for their call ups. She was given time to develop an actual character and has since given us some of the best segments in female wrestling in my opinion.

She also stepped up her ring work tremendously, and has pretty much done nothing but impress since. NXT is all about crowning the next breakout star of the WWE, and for me, while she didn’t “make the rain fall” and win her own season, the past few months have shown why she deserves to win this one. (But if we are ever given the option to vote, support the Bate in BateMax!)

Watch Bobby’s best moment below:

Today: Steven shares his best moment from 2011 — Cheerleader Melissa winning the SHIMMER Championship in October.

My greatest moment of 2011 is a strange one, as most of you reading this probably haven’t seen it at all. At this past set of SHIMMER tapings in Berwyn, IL, Cheerleader Melissa captured the SHIMMER Championship, an event that seemed to be years in the making. In my humble opinion, this was one of the most emotional title wins in women’s wrestling this year.

When the SHIMMER Championship was introduced in 2007 by way of a two day, 16 woman tournament, many fans considered Cheerleader Melissa as a favorite to win. Melissa had several high profile victories under her belt at that point and had cemented her position in the promotion as a top contender. However, Melissa was knocked out of the tournament in the first round by the debuting “Dark Angel” Sarah Stock (TNA’s Sarita), shocking many in the process.

Melissa went on to become one of biggest stars in SHIMMER, but the SHIMMER Championship was still just out of her reach. That all changed in April 2010 when Melissa faced off against Madison Eagles in a #1 Contender’s Match for a shot at MsChif’s championship. Unfortunately for Melissa, Madison cheated her way into a title shot and went on to become SHIMMER Champion, leaving Melissa, as well as the SHIMMER fan base, furious.

At the next set of tapings, Melissa demanded that she receive the title shot that she was cheated out of by Madison Eagles and SHIMMER management granted her request. Melissa fans rejoiced at the news, believing that this was going to be Melissa’s chance at redemption — a chance to prove to the world that she was deserving of one the most prestigious titles in women’s wrestling. Sadly, Melissa came up short once again, effectively dashing her championship dreams.

Melissa spent the next few volumes working her way back into title contention, defeating the likes of Britani Knight, Christina Von Eerie and Kana along the way. On Volume 44 of SHIMMER, Melissa got her rematch against Madison Eagles and this time it was all or nothing. During the match, the crowd was on the edge of their seats, as Melissa and Madison gave it everything they had in a match that covered nearly every square inch of the Berwyn Eagles Club.

You could cut the tension in the air with a knife each time a near fall was had or a submission hold was locked in. Melissa was so close to the title she could taste it and as fans, we were living vicariously through her.

In the end, Melissa managed to get the pinfall and finally capture the title she had been chasing for so long; and at that moment, the Berwyn Eagles Club exploded in rush of excitement and elation. Whether you were a fan of Melissa or not, you couldn’t help but to get on your feet and cheer for the new champion. And as she stood in the middle of that ring, overcome with emotion and eyes glassy with tears, it was as if she won that title, not only for herself, but for every one of her fans.

While I don’t think the overwhelming reaction to Cheerleader Melissa’s win could be nearly as strong on film as it was live, I suggest that you all go pick up the DVD as soon as it hits shelves, as it is a moment you won’t forget anytime soon.

RELATED:
- Cryssi’s best moment: Kelly Kelly defends the World Heavyweight Championship
- Katelyn’s best moment: Velvet Sky wins Knockouts Championship

Today: Katelyn shares her best moment from 2011 — Velvet Sky winning the Knockouts Championship.

For me, the best moment of 2011 was a title change. That title change took place on October 16th at TNA’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view and the championship that switched hands – from Winter‘s to Velvet Sky‘s – was the TNA Knockouts Championship. Now, I’m not necessarily the biggest TNA fan, but this was one of the better things they’ve done for the Knockouts division this year and I have to commend them highly for it.

Velvet Sky, then known by her independent circuit ring name Talia Madison, made her in-ring debut for TNA in October 2007. The match was a ten women gauntlet match to crown their first ever Knockouts Champion. It seems almost fitting that Sky would win her first ever singles title for TNA at the very same pay-per-view four years later.

As previously mentioned, Sky debuted for TNA in late 2007 and has been a prominent feature in their women’s division ever since. Whether it’s as a face or heel, as part of The Beautiful People or not, she stuck by the promotion through thick and thin, most certainly made her mark, and has helped contribute to some of the better ratings Impact Wrestling has received. A previous TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship holder, Sky’s constant improvement, crowd support and company loyalty left many wondering when ‘her time’ would come – and finally, in October 2011, it did.

Although the match ending was slightly sketchy, and perhaps not the best start to one’s reign, Velvet’s title win was extremely well received by the audience. The hard-working Knockout ended up losing the title less than a month later to a returning Gail Kim – disappointing indeed, as Sky could have benefited greatly from retaining her title (cementing herself as a fighting champion). Still, a babyface gunning for the title almost always makes for a much more exciting storyline than one with the roles reversed, and hopefully Velvet gets a second title reign sooner rather than later – and the lengthy one that she deserves.

Watch Katelyn’s best moment below:

RELATED:
- Cryssi’s best moment: Kelly Kelly defends the World Heavyweight Championship

As 2011 draws to a close, the Diva Dirt writers have each picked a personal highlight to reminisce on the year gone by.

Today: Cryssi shares her best moment from 2011 — Kelly Kelly defending the World Heavyweight Championship in a main event match on SmackDown with LayCool, Dolph Ziggler and Edge.

My moment of the year should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone. The February 2, 2011 edition of SmackDown will be forever etched in my wrestling memory as my favorite television show episode of wrestling, ever. I’m not saying that it won’t ever be topped, but it’s going to take something of sheer perfection to match what went down in the early part of 2011. For weeks hot, rising star Dolph Ziggler had been on a quest to gain the elusive World Heavyweight Championship, which at that time, was strapped securely around the sexy waist of blond, tall, and handsome Edge. It seemed that no matter what Dolph tried to do it wasn’t enough, and it didn’t even matter that his seductive partner in crime, Vickie Guerrero, was doing everything in her power to help as well. After failing to capture the title at the Royal Rumble, Dolph seemed to grow desperate and Vickie took matters into her own hands. She went to her friends, the sassy duo known as LayCool, who had ran over the entire Divas division, and booked them in a match alongside Dolph for the World Heavyweight Champion. Vickie didn’t leave Edge without a partner though, oh no. She teamed the well respected veteran with arguably the most popular Diva on the roster, Miss Kelly Kelly. It was a move that left Dolph, Michelle McCool and Layla smirking and a move that left Edge weary and unsure.

The night kicked off with an in-ring segment, which basically set the tone for how the entire episode was set to play out.

Throughout the course of the night, everyone seemed to doubt Kelly, including her own partner, not that he said it in so many words.

At that point, Kelly hadn’t accomplished anything in her career and no one gave her a snowball’s chance in hell of helping Edge keep his title. Michelle and Layla had all the accolades. They were the queens of the Divas division. They had beaten everyone. Vickie knew what she was doing, and that was giving her man the best possible chance to finally get his greedy, strong hands (that I want on myself) on that title.

When it came time for the match, much to my delight, the men proved to be a mere afterthought. Once Vickie banned Edge from using the spear, you just had a feeling. It was the girls who put on the show, and ultimately Kelly Kelly who stole the spotlight. She took a beating at the hands of Michelle and Layla, and what stands out most in my mind is the shot on the outside to the barricade. It was an absolute sick looking bump and as a fan watching it I didn’t see how she could possibly go on. Kelly did go on. She fought with everything inside of her. And when the chips were down, her partner rallied behind her. Edge got the crowd behind Kelly and somewhere deep inside of her she found the strength to go on. On the opposite side, Michelle and Dolph encouraged Layla and berated the fans. The last thing they wanted was for Kelly to find her second wind. At one point towards the end, Kelly finally made that tag to Edge. But it proved to be pointless. Dolph had distracted the referee and he’d never even saw it. Layla scurried towards Kelly to continue the beatdown and things quickly fell apart.

Edge basically decided to take matters in his own hands. He forced his way past the referee and took out Dolph. Their brawl spilled to the outside of the ring. Michelle came into the ring to help her bestie double team Kelly. Layla got Kelly to her feet and Michelle got sick to deliver one of her vicious kicks to the blond’s head. But Kelly moved. Layla ate the stiff looking shot and went down like a ton of bricks. Michelle was stunned and that allowed to Kelly to get rid of ‘Cool. It came down to just Kelly and Layla, and the crowd was roar was pretty deafening. Edge was back in his corner, while Kelly managed to pull herself up. He called for the spear, and guess what, the crowd did too. With tears in her eyes, Kelly set herself up and delivered a devastating spear. She threw herself on top of Layla and got the pin.

She seriously defended the World Heavyweight Championship.

Edge ran inside the ring and took Kelly in his arms. The two celebrated while cheers rained down on them from all corners of the arena. Vickie was sick to her stomach on the outside and everywhere, people were stunned at what had just transpired. The celebration for Edge and Kelly was short-lived, however. Vickie climbed into the ring and she took matters into her own hands… again! She fired Kelly from SmackDown and sent her packing, and she put another one over on Edge. She gave her man a rematch for next week for the title and announced herself as the special guest referee. SmackDown ended with Vickie laughing hysterically as Dolph laid Edge out with his finisher, the Zig-Zag.

This match is everything a Diva match should be and more. It was filled with edge-of-you-seat action, heart wrenching emotion, and a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. The babyface was the classic underdog. The heel was the evil, dominant force. The men, as prominent as they are, took a backseat to Kelly, Layla, and Michelle. The girls were given a chance to prove how mainevent worthy they were and no one can say that this match was “awful.” The match itself was flawless, as were the segments and the aftermath. The greatest thing, in my opinion, is how both Edge and Dolph reacted to what was going on. Both are two of the absolute best at their craft and you can’t deny that singles match between the two would have been an instant classic, but they sat back and just watched. Their reactions to what was going on helped the match feel as important as it was. They didn’t have to react to everything. They didn’t have to care. But they did. They emotionally invested themselves into these women and what they were doing and we got a match where everything went off without a hitch.

Kelly came of age, to me, in this match. She proved that she’s the total package when it comes to being a babyface. My heart hurt for her when everyone doubted her, including Edge. And I clapped out loud when she nailed that spear and pinned Layla to the mat. It was the turning point in her career and what helped launch her into Diva stardom, more so than she already was. Getting fired from SmackDown sent her to Raw where she would go on to eventually become the best Diva’s Champion of the year.

The match also furthered the other storylines that took place inside of it. Michelle and Layla began to show cracks in their friendship. Vickie continued to abuse her power as SmackDown’s assistant general manager, something that would land her in hot water later on in the year. Dolph and Edge continued doing what they do best, and as a life-long Edge fan, it gave me another special moment to appreciate. People say Beth versus Eve at Vengeance was the Divas Match of the Year, and maybe it was, but in my humble opinion, Kelly and Edge versus Lay-Cool and Dolph Ziggler was Divas Match of the Year. It was everything and more, and it ties Punk/Cena at Extreme Rules and Punk/Ziggler on Raw as my overall Match of the Year.

– Follow Cryssi on Twitter at @HeelCRYSSI.

What are your memories of this moment?

Whether or not you’re celebrating Christmas, we hope you have a wonderful relaxing weekend!

Thank you all for your continued support of the site. We’re eternally grateful!

– Team DD

WWE.com has official gotten into the Christmas spirit! New photos of Divas in the Christmas costumes they wore during last month’s live SmackDown special (remember when they had Christmas a month early?) have cropped up, featuring AJ, Aksana, Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Kaitlyn, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes and Tamina. Take a look at the full photoshoot by clicking here.

Who do you think looks best in their holiday garb? Vote in the poll below:

Discuss the show in the comments!

RELATED: Tribute to the Troops Spoilers

‘Tis the season to be jolly… and spend all your money on your friends and relatives leaving you flat broke going into the New Year. Yeah, they don’t tell you that part, do they?! Anyhoo, Diva Dirt has compiled a Christmas gift guide for the women’s wrestling fan in your life! Whether they love the Divas, the good ol’ days or the indies, we think we’ve got a little somethin’ for everyone. So, if you’re strapped for ideas, here’s our list…

ChickFight: On the Road, Vol. 1
Ahem… How did that get there? #ProductShill. Yes, we highly recommend our debut DVD with ChickFight, “On the Road, Vol. 1″. After all, there’s nothing more festive than watching your favorites — such as Kharma and Cheerleader Melissa — beat the crap out of each other, right? A little something for the indy fans and fans of more recognizable names such as the aforementioned, Lacey Von Erich and ODB.

Where to buy: On sale via DVD or instant online stream at Amazon.com.

Continue to next page for more…

Another year, another Thanksgiving. Time really does fly, right?

From all of the team here at Diva Dirt, we’d like to say “Happy Thanksgiving” to all of our fans and followers. Thank you for your continued support of Diva Dirt. We truly appreciate it!

Have a fun and safe day!

– Team DD

And as we do every year, below Team DD reveal what we’re thankful for…

Cryssi: I’d like to sit here and bitch, moan, and complain about all the things I don’t have, the fact that men are disgusting, and all women are jealous bitches, but really, what’s the point? The biggest thing I’ve battled with this entire year is negativity and letting it overtake all that is truly good in my life. I have a lot to be thankful for; I’m employed, I have a great support system at home, and I have two of the best friends anyone could ask for. There’s no reason at all for me to be negative when I have so many wonderful things and people around me. Life is short, and everything happens for a reason. Our experiences shape us as people and make us stronger. I’m going to leave you with a passage from Game of Thrones, where Tyrion is talking to Jon Snow. It’s my favorite and has a very good message. “Would you rather be called the Imp? Let them see that their words can cut you, and you’ll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name, take it, make it your own. Then they can’t hurt you with it anymore.” I’m thankful for many things this Thanksgiving, a thick skin for one. Count your blessings, be happy. If you’re reading this you’re in a better position than the vast majority of the world. I need to remember this. God bless. Oh, and I’m also thankful for Dolph Ziggler. :)

Erin: I think this year we’ve really hit our stride, and I’m thankful that everyone involved with the site (staff, visitors, wrestlers) have been committed to making that happen. We’ve been consistently adding new things to our repertoire, and that’s always important, but I think the key to our success is the ability to just keep moving forward, not just concerned about trying to best ourselves. That means keeping a core audience, staying motivated and finding ways to put our connections in the wrestling world to good use. Everyone contributes, from a reader who tweets a link to one of our posts, to those writing the weekly Reduxes, to the wrestlers and promoters who are generous with their time and are a pleasure to do business with. Without those pieces, we wouldn’t have lasted even half this long, so I’m very, very thankful that everyone is ready and willing to play their part.

Melanie: I say it every year, but it really is true — I feel like I have even more to be thankful for than the year before. I can’t believe Diva Dirt is still going strong and still here today. I take it one day at a time and looking back, I’m amazed by all we’ve accomplished. None of that would have been possible without you, the Diva Dirt fans, and the people who put their time and effort into this site every day. Erin, Steven, Cryssi, Bobby, Chenda, Katelyn and everyone else, thanks for your hard work. To the people who visit this site, thank you all for sticking with us for so long. I’m thankful for the wonderful opportunities we’ve received this year — putting on our first match with ChickFight, successfully launching the Diva Dirt Legacy Award, being able to partner up with WSU on iPPV, and so much more. I’m thankful for the women, whether they be Divas, Knockouts or independent wrestlers, who’ve shown their support and willingness to spare some time for us. Happy Thanksgiving!

Steven: First and foremost, I’m thankful for all the ladies who put their bodies on the line day in and day out for our entertainment. I’m thankful for all the Diva Dirt readers (and haters). Without you guys this wouldn’t be possible. I’m thankful for promotions such as SHIMMER, WSU and Pro-Wrestling: EVE for offering an alternative to the mainstream promotions. I’m thankful to my Diva Dirt collegues. Melanie and Erin, thank you for giving me this opportunity and for being great friends. Cryssi, thank you for being the best Khaleesi a hand could ask for. Bobby, Chenda and Katelyn, thanks for being awesome in general and for always helping me out when I need it. Last, but not least, I’m thankful for all the new people I’ve met and the opportunities I’ve been offered this year. Here’s to another great year!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Happy Halloween! We’re continuing our yearly tradition of dreaming up Halloween costumes for our favorite Divas and Knockouts. This year, we’ll be mixing Knockouts and Divas together in three posts leading up to the big day. But before you see this year’s picks, be sure to catch up on the past 3 years of this feature:

See part 1 of this year’s feature by clicking here and part 2 by clicking here.

All caught up? Let’s get started!

Aksana
Costume: Morticia Addams from the The Addams Family series.
Why?: With Aksana‘s main roster, post-NXT debut came a new look: the bright blonde hair dyed raven black. The hair alone has given her a more mysterious nature, and a way to add to that mystique would be to dress as Morticia Addams, the pale-skinned, black haired and black clothed matriarch of the Addams family. Aksana could easily pull off the half strange, half alluring demeanor of Morticia. Perhaps she could even speak in Lithuanian to entice Teddy Long like Morticia does for Gomez in French. The tricky part would be getting smoke to emanate from below her–somehow we don’t think that’s in the WWE’s budget.
Get the look: Don a long black wig and a bewitching dress, along with a mysterious allure and a passing ability to speak French.

Got any Diva or Knockout costume ideas of your own? Let us know in the comments!

Keep reading to see the rest of our picks.

Happy Halloween! We’re continuing our yearly tradition of dreaming up Halloween costumes for our favorite Divas and Knockouts. This year, we’ll be mixing Knockouts and Divas together in three posts leading up to the big day. But before you see this year’s picks, be sure to catch up on the past 3 years of this feature:

See part 1 of this year’s feature by clicking here.

All caught up? Let’s get started!

Christy Hemme
Costume: Amy Pond from Doctor Who.
Why?: Two of Christy Hemme‘s most defining features are her red hair and feisty personality. In those two aspects, she much like Amy Pond, companion to Doctor Who‘s eleventh Doctor. When competing in the Diva Search, Christy seemed to be game for pretty much anything, though there’s no guarantee that if the Tardis landed outside her door this instant, she’d hop inside. Still, she seems like one of the most adventurous women in wrestling, just going by personality, so maybe she would be up for some intergalactic time travel. However, she would need someone to sport a bow tie and be her Doctor–any takers?
Get the look: A red wig, short skirt, colorful stockings, combat boots and a leather jacket will have you looking like Amy. If you don’t have partner to dress as the Doctor, carrying around a sonic screwdriver will get the message across.

Got any Diva or Knockout costume ideas of your own? Let us know in the comments!

Keep reading to see the rest of our picks and stay tuned for part 3 leading up to Halloween.

Happy Halloween! We’re continuing our yearly tradition of dreaming up Halloween costumes for our favorite Divas and Knockouts. This year, we’ll be mixing Knockouts and Divas together in three posts leading up to the big day. But before you see this year’s picks, be sure to catch up on the past 3 years of this feature:

All caught up? Let’s get started!

AJ & Kaitlyn
Costume: Mario (AJ) & Princess Peach (Kaitlyn).
Why?: AJ‘s nerdy-cute personality really lends itself to a video game-themed costume. Kaitlyn, who is not as geeky as her partner, could certainly pull off playing the dainty Princess Peach in her puffy pink gown. AJ’s definitely got the relentless underdog act down pat, and you can almost picture her going to the ends of the earth to save Kaitlyn from the clutches of some nefarious enemy (while wearing a red plumber’s uniform and a big mustache). That’s not to say that Kaitlyn needs to be rescued, but it always pays to have the partner who can come in with the hot tag and clean house.
Get the look: Dress as Mario or Princess Peach.

Got any Diva or Knockout costume ideas of your own? Let us know in the comments!

Keep reading to see the rest of our picks and stay tuned for part 2 and 3 leading up to Halloween.

From the entire team here at Diva Dirt, we’d like to wish all of our readers a very happy Easter!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Easter eggs!

- Team DD

Gail Kim
I’ve always found that outfits that might look a little trashy on some Divas manage to work with Gail. This obviously has a lot to do with her smaller frame, so certain skimpy outfits don’t look as revealing on her. Here, Gail’s wearing a tiny black halter top, black pleather hot pants and some intense accessories in the form of her heels and forearm-devouring bracelet. With the color scheme consisting entirely of black, even down to her hair, the look is very sleek and almost super spy-esque. She wears it well, and her poses are diverse and interesting, though I think, in keeping with the look, Gail probably could have been a bit more mysterious and serious in some of them. In two photos, she gets that mood perfectly right, and I think a photoshoot full of that would have been a nice departure and a full transformation from the smiley babyface Gail is right now.
Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.

Maryse
Maryse’s super-long hair isn’t enough to distract us from her dress, which is detailed quite nicely around the neck. Her bracelets, with equal detail, compete with that as areas of interest, and I can’t help but think choosing one (namely the one on her left arm) would have made for a less cluttered look. She’s posing against a wall and garage door, which don’t exactly fit with her look, and while it adds interest more than a regular studio background would, the result is a shoot that looks a bit mismatched. She evens looks a bit cheerier than usual, and I find myself appreciating the typical sultry poses a bit more–the devious look is more natural on her.
Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.

Tamina
It doesn’t look like Tamina’s quite settled into the photoshoot thing just yet–she still looks a bit stilted, not natural. Of course, practically every Diva (namely the ones without modeling backgrounds) goes through this phase at first. Here, Tamina’s wearing a brown dress, while a bit plain for a photoshoot, looks good on her and fits her persona, which isn’t exactly flashy. The poses show the hallmarks of the photoshoot newbie–hands on hips in most of them–a while she looks beautiful smiling, its the more serious looks that are the best. It’s a basic and rahter unremarkable shoot, but it shows promise, and hopefully Tamina takes the best parts of it and works on them until she blossoms into a photoshoot pro.
Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.

SoCal Val & Tara
If the WWE has the market cornered on serious, sexy holiday-themed photoshoots, TNA’s talent is making quirky, entertaining ones. Here is a perfect example of that: Tara and SoCal Val, two Knockouts who aren’t strangers to getting goofy in these kinds of shoots, are dressed up in green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and are covered in lipstick kisses. It’s a cute, creative photoshoot (better than, say, wearing green tops and posing with four leaf clovers) and displays the personality of these two Knockouts. I always like when photoshoots are fun and go outside the box, and this one achieves both. Here’s hoping for a Easter-themed shoot with these two–bunny ears and buck teeth, anyone?
Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.

Which photoshoot did you like best? Vote in the poll below and speak your mind in the comments!

It’s our birthday!

Three years ago Diva Dirt was but a little dot on the Internet but today, as we celebrate our third birthday, it’s grown beyond all imagination.

This past year in particular has been pretty awe-inspiring even for us! From launching our Legacy Award to our first ChickFight match last month, we’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of exciting things that we could only dream about doing three years ago in our humble beginnings.

Without getting too emosh I’d like to say a big thank you to the team here at Diva Dirt, first of all. From the writers you see on a daily basis, to our audio contributors, to the people who make things happen behind the scenes — it sounds cliche but they are the greatest team in the world to work with. Thank you for putting in countless hours and exuding endless passion for this site.

And finally, a big thank you to all of you! Again, cliche as it may sound, without you there would be no Diva Dirt. Thank you for following the site and being part of this journey with us. (Just learn to be nice to each other and get along in the comments, please!)

Enjoy the imaginary cake!

Melanie Rob
Editor

Jillian announced her pregnancy last night on Twitter. She wrote:

It’s time to announce what I have been asked repeatedly lately… Yes, I am pregnant!! @endofthesunMike and I are very happy!!

Congrats to Jillian!

Writing on her Facebook page, Candice said:

On this Valentines Day I’d like to share with my CandiAddicts…I am PREGNANT again! Congrats to those of you who have guessed it! I really want my munchkins to be close together and I’m having the time of my life being a working Mom!

Candice and husband Ken already have daughter Aki-Anne, born last May.

Congratulations to Candice!

Last week during Diva Dirt Live, David decided to call me out on the fact that I haven’t written a Southern Belle Smack column in a long time. Well, I’m here to change that… sort of. This is not a SBS feature but it is me doing something other than a Redux! I figured that I would give each and every one of you a special little treat during this fine holiday. Earlier today, the Diva Dirt staff took you down a rose-petal lined stroll on memory lane with a special feature on some of the greatest wrestling couples of all time. Remembering the likes of Savage and Elizabeth, Lita and Edge, and Molly and Spike brought back wonderful memories, but it also got me thinking. For every great wrestling couple from the past, there’s an equally bad couple. Who could ever forget Bertha Faye and Harvey Whippleman, Dawn Marie and Al Wilson, or Vickie Guerrero and Eric Escobar? And thinking about all these couples got me thinking about the point of this feature. With the emergence of Gail Kim and Daniel Bryan as a power couple in the making, and Vickie Guerrero absolutely dominating SmackDown on behalf of her beloved boyfriend, Dolph Ziggler, what other couples in the WWE should be happening right now? It is Valentine’s Day afterall, and cupid’s arrow can land anywhere, so April, David, Eric, Steven, and myself have decided to play matchmaker and help cupid aim in the right direction.

MARYSE AND KING SHEAMUS
Every king needs his very own queen and what better Diva to fit the role of queen than the Sexiest of Sexy of herself, Maryse? Her relationship with Ted DiBiase has clearly run its course thanks to DiBiase’s inability to win matches and a woman like Maryse demands perfection. Or at least someone who has money, power, or a championship belt. She doesn’t seem picky and why be picky? Everyone knows true love comes in the form of presents and Sheamus would no doubt consider himself lucky to have a girl like Maryse on his arm. He would shower her with presents and worship the ground she walks on. Together, they could rule the WWE with an iron fist; the Celtic Warrior and the French-Canadian bombshell. There’s no need to understand the words they speak because no one really can. The only thing that the Superstars and Divas of World Wrestling Entertainment need to understand is that both Maryse and Sheamus will do whatever it takes to make sure no one stands in their way. Of course, this pairing likely won’t last. Expect Maryse to bolt almost the minute the King of Kings, Triple H shows up to extract his revenge on Sheamus. The first time she nearly gets Pedigreed, Maryse is gone, and it’ll be lights out for the terror-filled reign of King Sheamus and Queen Maryse. But don’t expect Ted DiBiase to take her back because…

ALICIA FOX AND TED DIBIASE
Thanks to Maryse’s cold shoulder, the million-dollar spawn is left single and lonely. One day backstage, he runs into Alicia who is all to willing to show him the attention he rightfully needs. After weeks of back and forth flirtatious banter, Alicia finally decides she wants to seal the deal. She locks lips with DiBiase and right as things start to heat up, she finds herself shoved to the side! An angry Maryse, who nearly tasted the Pedigree moments ago, is beside herself. She’s shaking with rage and starts screaming at Ted in her native French. DiBiase stands up to her and screams at her to shut up. She is the one who left him and he is moving on much like she did with Ronald McDonald. Alicia wraps her arms around Ted and smirks, and the couple walk off leaving Maryse stunned. In the weeks following Alicia and Ted’s initial kiss, a feud over Ted’s affections is born between Alicia and Maryse. After going back and forth, and each picking up a victory over the other, Alicia and Maryse get ready for the deciding third match with the stipulation being that DiBiase gets to leave with the winner. Mid-way through the match, while Alicia is suffering in the camel clutch, Maryse gets a look on her face. The crowd turns towards the entrance ramp and to everyone’s shock, Ted’s younger brother Brett DiBiase starts making his way to the ring. Maryse lets go of Alicia, jumps out of the ring, and into the arms of the younger and much better DiBiase! Ted is confused, as is Alicia. Because to be honest, Alicia has decided she doesn’t want Ted either! She gingerly rolls out of the ring, goes off on Ted for basically making two women fight over him, bitchslaps him to the mat, and tells the world she’s going back to the one and only man who’s ever made her feel special….

ALICIA FOX AND HUSKY HARRIS
Some of you may raise your eyebrows at this pairing, but do not underestimate the cuteness of Alusky. The way this relationship works is that Alicia and Husky have a history, dating back to his humble beginning on NXT season two. Alicia couldn’t help but admire Husky’s confidence in himself despite his lack of physique and once he finally showed up on Raw to join the Nexus, Alicia was smitten and come on, Husky would be a fool to turn down a woman like A-Fox. Wanting their privacy, Alusky kept their relationship a secret and when an unnecessary punt to the head thanks to Randy Orton drove them apart, Alicia found herself with a broken heart. The whole thing with Teddy, it was simply to fill an empty void. Once that void started to heal, Alicia found herself repulsed by DiBiase and his ego. Husky is where her heart is and once he makes his return to the WWE, Alusky will get their revenge on Randy Orton and they will take over the entire company. Expect a Summerslam wedding in their future but will it go off without a hitch? We’ll have to wait and see.

KELLY KELLY AND JOHN CENA
The ‘E’s golden girl and their very own version of Superman…sigh. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? With Kelly fired from SmackDown, the blond bombshell finds herself without a home when it comes to wrestling so naturally she shows up on the red brand. Kelly is no stranger to Monday Night Raw, and with John Cena being one of her oldest friends, it’s fitting that he would take Kelly under his wing and get her reacquainted with how things work on Mondays. Over time their friendship grows and eventually, the feelings between the two become something more. They share a lot in common such as they have many haters, their move-sets are limited (but Kelly totally has more than Cena), and they have undeniable passion for the business and incredible work ethics. Cena’s top rival, the Miz, sees this happening and being the devious person he is, he decides to drag Kelly into the middle of things. After all, Kelly does have a history with the former reality TV baddie from their ECW days. It’s not pretty and on several occasions, Cena finds himself saving Kelly from the clutches of the Miz and Alex Riley. During their main event match at Wrestlemania, Kelly comes to the aid of Cena who is being unfairly double teamed by the champion and his sidekick. The ending of the match sees A-Ry setting Cena up for a shot with the briefcase when Kelly throws herself in front of it. A-Ry stops just in the nick of time and Cena morphs into Superman and gets his 23094782394234th wind. A-Ry is taken out via Attitude Adjustment and the Miz ends up tapping out to the STFU. John Cena regains the WWE Championship and a jubilant Kelly jumps in the ring to celebrate alongside him. They hug and when John pulls back, he stares at Kelly. They share a moment and then Cena glances at the crowd. With a sold-out Georgia Dome crowd urging them on, Cena dips his head and kisses Kelly passionately and everyone loves it. Wow.

BETH PHOENIX AND THE BIG SHOW
It’s not like Beth Phoenix has much to do right now so why not give her a love interest? We’ve watched share screen time with Santino Marella and we’ve watched her rock the world of Vladimir Kozlov, but as cute as those moments were, Beth needs a real man. There’s one man on the Blue Brand that could potentially fill Beth’s womanly needs and that man is none other than the Big Show. We’ve seen how sweet this gentle giant can be (he was briefly attached to Joy Giovanni). He always seems to be looking out for the Divas (his warning to Kelly about Drew). Beth isn’t a woman that needs someone to protect her by any means. She did eliminate the Great Khali from the Royal Rumble last year. But every woman needs the love of a good man and what could start off as a sly, flirtatious line from the Big Show, “I bet you couldn’t eliminate me from the Rumble,” could develop into a mini Beth vs. Big Show feud that culminates in Beth realizing that the only man she can’t bench press and get the better of is the only man who could ever truly have her heart. Awwwwwwwwwww!

AJ LEE AND EVAN BOURNE
This pairing is not as random as you think. We don’t know what wrestlers do when they’re injured and when AJ shows up on Raw with a returning Evan Bourne it shouldn’t surprise anyone. They meet while he’s injured, obviously, and AJ instantly has someone who is much better and way more cuter than Primo. They can have a friendly rivalry with Gail Kim and Daniel Bryan (can you imagine the matches between these four?!) and AJ could even join forces with Gail to battle the Bella twins. Everyone is happy with this pairing because of the cute awkward segments it would have and the great wrestling that would come from it. Bourne could even have a brief feud with Primo so the WWE could prove that they don’t forget their past!

ROSA MENDES, HORNSWOGGLE, ALBERTO DEL RIO, AND RICARDO RODRIGUEZ
The friendship between Rosa and Hornswoggle is random, to say the least, but in the professional wrestling world anything can happen. A few weeks ago on SmackDown, Rosa and ‘Swoggle were in the ring playing to the fans when Royal Rumble winner Alberto and his personal ring announcer, Ricardo, made their way down the ramp. They were set to have a celebration and with Rosa and Horny looking on, Alberto began his personal party. He invited Horny to hit the pinata and with the little critter blindfolded and swinging a stick, you just knew it would end back for Albie. Sure enough, Hornswoggle ended up smashing Alberto’s family jewels and Alberto ended up destroying him in retaliation. Rosa was forced to watch her little friend get beaten down and that provides the perfect segue  for our plot. To avenge Hornswoggle, Rosa uses her Latina charm to sway Ricardo and lure him away from Alberto. At the same time, she’s also working her magic on Alberto. Ricardo and Alberto fall hard for Rosa, while she laughs it up with Hornswoggle. One night, Alberto comes to the ring with flowers and a brand new car for the woman in his life and calls Rosa to the ring. He serenades her with his own version of Selena’s “Dreaming of You” in Spanish and in a jealous rage, Ricardo attacks his employer. He calls Rosa his girl, and a confused Alberto fires his ring announcer, then beats him to a pulp. Rosa, who is enjoying the chaos, reveals that she has indeed been playing both men. Horrified at the truth, Alberto and Ricardo watch as their lady love gets out of the ring, skips up the ramp, and greets Hornswoggle… with a big ole kiss! Scandalous.

LAYLA AND KOFI KINGSTON
The Lay-Cool break-up is fast approaching whether we want it to or not, and it seems all to likely that Michelle is going to end up turning on Layla. Michelle will no doubt side with Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler, Layla, bless her heart, will be left out in the cold. After suffering a beatdown at the hands of Michelle, Vickie and Dolph show up at Michelle’s side. Vickie begins to berate Layla for not only costing her boyfriend the title from way back when, but just for holding everyone back. Layla’s wrestling skills are insulted. She’s completely buried. Michelle and Vickie both double team her, and Dolph gets involved by looking to nail Layla and send her packing with the Zig Zag. Before he can nail his deadly finisher, Kofi Kingston comes out of nowhere, makes the save, and sends Dolph, Vickie, and Michelle fleeing the scene. He gently scoops up a battered and bruised Layla, comforts her in her time of need, and boom. Lofi is born.

VICKIE GUERRERO AND MICHAEL COLE
Vickie has had her share of men in the WWE and one of these days she is bound to grow bored of her bleached blond boyfriend, Dolph. He can only fail so many times in his quest to become World Heavyweight Champion, after all. After kicking Dolph to the curb for not living up to expectations, Vickie begins looking for a new man… a real man. Enter Michael Cole, the voice for the mysterious Raw General Manager. When Cole finally reveals that he is actually the Raw GM, Vickie comes to the realization that together, she and Cole can rule the WWE. Their love affair is a hot one. Their power hungry tendencies keep them together. Together they make the lives of every Superstar and Diva a living hell. And together, Vickie and Michael become the single most hated couple of all time. Not even the McMahons can stop their path of destruction.

And there you have it. The should-be couples of the WWE. Love them, or hate them, you have to admit that they would each be entertaining in their own right. What couples do you want to see happen? Which couple would be your favorite? Sound off in comments and of course, Happy Valentine’s Day to each and every one of you!

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy smashes other boy over the head to defend girl’s honor. Okay, so it’s hardly the stuff of fairytales, but wrestling couples have made us laugh, have made us cry and they’ve also made us scream ‘WTF?’ at the screen. This Valentine’s Day, we pay homage to some of our favorite on-screen wrestling couples! And as always, we encourage to share yours in the comments too!

LITA AND MATT HARDY
It started off as the sweetest couple since Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth but ended up as a Jerry Springer-esque ‘rope opera’ when all was said and done. After being rescued from her the abusive Essa Rios by the Hardy Boys, Lita joined forces with them and became one third of one of the most popular group in WWE history — Team Xtreme. Team Xtreme were like the rockstars of WWE and Lita was idolized by young girls everywhere. From their own magazine to their own DVD, Matt, Jeff and Lita were the ultimate babyfaces. Romance soon blossomed between Lita and Matt, both on and off screen. However, that all changed when Dean Malenko sets his sights on the flame haired Diva. After months of being pursued by Malenko, Lita wrestled him in a match and won with the help of Matt Hardy. After the match, Matt, caught up in the moment, kissed Lita. At first, she was shocked, but she chased him up the ramp and returned the favor. The Team Xtreme fandom exploded! After a brief break-up between Matt and Jeff, Lita was caught in the middle but eventually, the trio reunited. In 2002, however, things came to a halt as Lita suffered a broken neck and was out of action for over a year. Upon her return to the ring, Matt Hardy had returned to Raw after a stint on SmackDown and was reunited with Lita. Or not. Hardy turned on his beau branding her ‘selfish’ and cost her a steel cage match against Victoria. The duo eventually got back together, feuding with Kane. The Big Red Monster trapped her into marriage and even pregnancy. Womp womp. Though apart off screen, Lita and Matt’s real life relationship soon found itself projected on WWE television in a nasty turn…

LITA & EDGE
Although she was forced to marry Kane, Lita gradually came to trust him and become an ally to him. However, a few months later Lita turned on him and aligned herself with Edge. The pairing was the aftermath of a huge scandal that broke, that Lita, while dating Matt Hardy, pursued an affair with Edge in real life. Matt, who had been released, was brought back and WWE turned the real life drama into a storyline. Lita became a sexpot heel and aided Edge in his feud with Matt that saw her have a heavy hand in a ‘Loser Leaves Raw’ match in October 2005. Together Edge and Lita, were one of the most infamous and controversial couples in WWE history. Three words perhaps best express just how controversial they were: live sex celebration. Sadly, The Rated-R relationship ended when Lita retired from WWE after losing her title to Mickie James at Survivor Series 2006.

TRISH STRATUS AND CHRISTIAN
Though their story didn’t really begin as their story, Trisha and Christian certainly captured fans imaginations in 2004. It began as Trish and Chris Jericho’s story, as well as Christian’s and Lita’s. Jericho and Christian both seemingly had feelings for their respective ladies and both went out of their way to woo them. Somewhere along the line, Jericho’s feelings for Trish turned real and in retrospect, Trish was smitten with the blond rockstar as well. Unfortunately for Trish, she happened to overhear a private conversation between Christian and Jericho about a bet they had made for one shiny Canadian dollar. A Battle of the Sexes match ended up taking place which the girls lost, but Jericho still stood up for Trish and eventually he earned her respect back. Their relationship continued while Jericho began a feud with Christian that brought all three of them to WrestleMania XX. Trish shocked fans by turning heel, costing Jericho the match and adding to insult to injury, slapped him not once… but twice. Trish and Christian proved to be one of WWE’s most entertaining couples for the next several months, as Trish showed us the perfect heel she can be. Alas, it wasn’t to last as Christian was sidelined with an injury and the couple was written off… perhaps too soon.

MELINA AND JOHN MORRISON/JOHNNY NITRO
With roots in OVW, this pairing started in the ‘minor leagues’. Morrison (then Hennigan, yet to be Nitro) and Melina paired up following a double-cross of Morrison’s former partner, Matt Cappotelli. For a bit, it was just the two of them. Then along came Joey Matthews (yet to be Mercury), and two became three, but the Morrison/Melina pairing stuck until MNM debuted in the WWE. Once the WWE came a-knocking, the pair parted to allow for the platonic trio set-up the WWE evidently preferred. Once MNM was dunzo, Morrison and Melina were a hot and heavy heel duo that had great chemistry and a penchant for evil-doing, much like their OVW alter-egos. This went on until Melina started getting a serious wrestling push. Since then, they’ve more or less minded their own business, with a hint every now and then that they might reunite. Now, it just doesn’t look like it’s in the cards; Morrison’s a babyface, and Melina’s a heel (a tale as old as time, right?). Perhaps it’s for the best, as both have their own singles careers to worry about without being sidetracked into a romance. Maybe if Morrison turns heel, the climate will be right for a reunion of the two. Because let’s face it: they’re at their best together when they’re bad.

LAYLA AND KAVAL
What?! Every list needs a wildcard, doesn’t it? The cutest couple in recent memory — that was never actually a couple — has to be Layla and Kaval. For 13 glorious weeks, we watched these two pint-sized Superstars look [insert sing song voice] ‘flaw-less’ together. I never thought I’d say it but thank God for NXT! It was the summer of 2010 and Lay-Cool, then co-Women’s Champions, became the first female pros on NXT season two, with the former independent star as their rookie. Die-hard fans were up in arms, fuming that two Divas could ever be pros to a world-traveled wrestler. Not only did Layla and Michelle McCool guide Kaval to victory, we even got the tease of Layval. (Yes, we named them. Yes, we know it’s sad.) For weeks, we thought they were just so cute together on screen and wondered if it could happen? Could WWE see what we saw in them? In a word: Yes! During a kissing contest hosted by Lay-Cool, Layla pretty much attacked Kaval with her lips and in subsequent weeks it was teased that she may have feelings for him. Unfortunately, it never went anywhere and we weeped into our pillows for three straight nights. Sadly with Kaval no longer with WWE, our chances at a Layval reunion are all lost, but we shall always have those 13 weeks…

What are your thoughts on our couples featured? Who were your faves?

– Reporting by Cryssi, Erin, Melanie and Steven

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy smashes other boy over the head to defend girl’s honor. Okay, so it’s hardly the stuff of fairytales, but wrestling couples have made us laugh, have made us cry and they’ve also made us scream ‘WTF?’ at the screen. This Valentine’s Day, we pay homage to some of our favorite on-screen wrestling couples! And as always, we encourage to share yours in the comments too!

MISS ELIZABETH & ‘MACHO MAN’ RANDY SAVAGE
If there was ever a professional wrestling couple that personified the motto ‘overcoming the odds’ it would be the diabolical and charismatic Randy Savage and his beautiful long-time manager/partner, the stoic and regal, Miss Elizabeth. Their relationship was far from easy. Savage constantly overshadowed Elizabeth and sometimes, he wasn’t the best person to be around. The two endured several obstacles including George “The Animal” Steele’s obsession with Elizabeth, her slightly innocent flirtation with Hulk Hogan, and at one point, Savage even sent Elizabeth packing in favor of “Sensational” Sherri Martel. But in the end, love would eventually triumph. After losing a retirement match at WrestleMania VII to the Ultimate Warrior, Savage was attacked by Sherri for the fact he lost. Miss Elizabeth came out of her seat from ringside and got physical, pulling Sherri off her man, and reuniting wrestling’s most beloved couple. The reunion would culminate in the greatest wrestling wedding of all time, “The Match Made in Heaven” at SummerSlam 1991. Despite having their wedding go off without a hitch, the reception was ultimately ruined thanks to a gift containing a live snake courtesy of Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. Perhaps it was an omen. Because after the wedding, Savage and Elizabeth were never really the same. An angle with Ric Flair followed and eventually, Elizabeth left the then-WWF. Little did we know that the real-life relationship between the two had come to an end as well. Savage issued a statement that WWF Magazine printed saying the he and Elizabeth were no longer involved in each other’s lives and the book officially closed on the storybook romance of wrestling’s most semi-heroic, flamboyant, sorta-villian and the beautiful, shy, and soft-spoken girl next door.

CHYNA & EDDIE GUERRERO
One of the more odd couples in WWE, Eddie Guerrero and Chyna had some entertaining moments in their short time together. Coming off of a reign as the Intercontinental Champion, Chyna hooked up with the late Guererro, becoming his ‘Mamacita’. The pair became a force to be reckoned with inside the ring, but things started to go downhill when Guerrero took the Intercontinental Title off Chyna in a triple threat match. The final nail was put in the coffin, when Eddie was caught in the shower with one of the Godfather’s hos, one of which is a very familiar face. Though their relationship ended with heartbreak for the 9th Wonder, for the time we saw them together, fans were treated to a more feminine, playful and beautiful side to Chyna. Sadly, Eddie is no longer with us but his real-life Mamacita, Vickie Guerrero, can currently be seen heating up the screen with the likes of Edge and Dolph Ziggler. Latino heat, indeed!

TRISH STRATUS AND THE ROCK
Arguably the most charismatic WWE Superstar in history, when The Rock locked lips with arguably the most charismatic Diva in history, Trish Stratus, we squealed just a little bit. Though they were never a full-fledged couple in WWE, the chemistry between these two was, to steal a phrase from The Rock, electrifying. The banter and sexual tension between the pair in backstage segments had us on the edge of our seats, willing them to get it on. The kiss (as seen on your left) eventually did happen and the crowd erupted. Though wrestling couples are an everyday occurrence in today’s product, they oftentimes don’t work due to lack of depth or chemistry. Two of the most popular Superstars at the time, the excitement of a Trish/Rock segment was like lightning in a bottle. It’s unlikely we’ll see wrestling couple quite as magnetic as the future Hall of Fame duo again.

MOLLY HOLLY & SPIKE DUDLEY
In an industry where storylines about male/female pair-ups are rarely of the slow-burn variety, the Molly/Spike pairing felt like it took ages to get going. But don’t get me wrong; that’s not a bad thing–sometimes the build-up is the best part. For this angle, which was 95% build-up, that was definitely true. This storyline, with an innocence that felt like snippets of some 1950s movie set at soda fountains and sock hops, was a breath of fresh air. Yeah, it’s concept was hardly new, since it was pretty much Romeo and Juliet set in a wrestling ring: Bob and Crash Holly pulling Molly in one direction, and The Dudley Boyz pulling Spike in another. In terms of wrestling storylines, it was nicer and more honest than most, and just made you smile when you weren’t cringing from the uber-sweet awkwardness. It’s rare that something like that can be pulled off, with no pressure to make it sexy or intriguing. It was a plain, old-fashioned love story, which it itself made it an anomaly in the pro wrestling industry. Plus it put Molly Holly, innocence personified, in the forefront of an angle that didn’t involve her getting pantsed, which alone gives it my respect.

STEPHANIE MCMAHON AND TRIPLE H
The McMahon-Helmsley Era began under seemingly bizarre circumstances. The sweet, innocent daughter of Vince and Linda was in the middle of her wedding to her beloved Test, when Triple H interrupted the ceremony and played a video that detailed his own wedding to Stephanie, a controversial union that took place in a drive through chapel with a drugged Stephanie passed out in the passenger’s seat. People everywhere were horrified. Stephanie dissolved in tears. The McMahons were stunned. Test didn’t know what to do. And there stood Triple H standing on the stage like the cat who had just swallowed the canary. It was epic. But what’s more epic is that the wedding of Trips and Stephanie was a revenge plot all along. Stephanie turned on her family at Armageddon 1999 and sided with her husband. That spurred the McMahon-Helmsley Era and catapulted Stephanie into the role of the WWE’s best female heel of all time, a title she’s held until recently. Following the Invasion angle and after losing a match to Team WWF at Survivor Series, Stephanie and brother Shane were banished from television. Stephanie’s return to television coincided with Triple H’s return from an injury and McMahon and Helmsley were reunited once again. Things were different, though. The couple started having problems and in order to keep her man, Stephanie did numerous things including fake a pregnancy. During a ceremony to renew their vows, Triple H left his bride at the alter after learning about her lie. In real life, Triple H and Stephanie are happily married with three daughters.

Check back later today for part two!

What are your thoughts on our couples featured? Who were your faves?

– Reporting by Cryssi, Erin, Melanie and Steven

With the start of a new year comes the inevitable promises one makes to one’s self. They range from dieting or learning a new language to cutting out vices or staying optimistic. While we at Diva Dirt fully encourage this practice, we feel that a lot of those fall a bit short; to be blunt, they’re a bit generic. So, to spice things up a bit, we’ve put our heads together and come up with a few interesting, life-improving new year’s resolutions for the women of wrestling. This is all in good fun, so we suggest that you don’t try these at home (i.e., take them too seriously). That is, of course, unless you’re the ones to which we’re suggesting them. If that’s the case, we say try away!

Alicia Fox: “I will rethink my hair coloring choices.”

Angelina Love: “I will cease my monopoly over the TNA title belts purely on the grounds that a regular belt will hold up my pants just as well.”

The Bella Twins: “We will find our own identities.”

Beth Phoenix: “I will get the word “glamazon” into Webster’s dictionary.”

Chelsea: “I will perfect my English accent.”

Cookie: “I will, for my next trick, spoof Danielle Staub.”

Daffney: “I will, in an effort to reignite TNA’s interest in me, give David Flair a call.”

Eve Torres: “I will stop “crunking”.”

Gail Kim: “I will cut a promo. This isn’t “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” and I am not a mute.”

To see the rest of our faux resolutions, click onward.

Kaitlyn: “I will, in the interest of fairness, relinquish the rabbit’s foot that has been my saving grace up until this point.”

Kelly Kelly: “I will discover a new shade of pink.”

Lay-Cool: “We will find a synonym for the word “flawless”.”

Madison Rayne: “I will scream “EXCUSE ME!!!!” at least once on television.”

Maryse: “I will become Mrs. Vince McMahon.”

Melina: “I will invest in a glove and challenge opponents to duels in order to quench my slap-lust.”

Mickie James: “I will not record a second album.”

Natalya: “I will take my liberties as Divas Champion to give the belt a butterfly-ectomy.”

Rosa Mendes: “I will keep my control freak tendencies in check and allow my opponents to eliminate me from battle royals instead of doing it myself.”

Sarita: “I will take salsa lessons.”

Tamina: “I will teach Santino how to play the ukulele.”

Tara: “I will drive faster than 0.0005 miles per hour when entering the Impact Zone.”

Velvet Sky: “I will be the leader of the Beautiful People.. finally.”

Winter: “I will be Angelina…I will be Angelina…I will be Angelina…”

Check it out below:

If anyone wants to send along something similar for the Knockouts, send it to the usual email address.

On behalf of all of the team here at Diva Dirt, we’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year! Here’s to 2011!

As always, a big thank you to everyone who visits Diva Dirt and has supported us thus far. 2010 was certainly kind to us and we are going into 2011 full steam ahead. Coming up in February we have the first ever Diva Dirt & ChickFight match, plus we will be releasing a female wrestling documentary later this year in association with the Female Fight League.

Big things lie ahead and we hope you will all join us on this journey in the year to come.

It’s time once again for our annual wishes and predictions for the year ahead! This is one of our favorite year-end traditions here at Diva Dirt. Catch up on last year’s here.

Now, let’s get stuck into this year’s wishes & predictions, shall we?

2011 Wishes
* The Divas Tag Team Tables Match was cool and all, but how about we use that as a stepping stone to really amp it up with the women’s division? More unique matches, more emphasis on storylines and most importantly, more time for the Divas.
* Please, please, please WWE, use Awesome Kong as the star attraction we know her to be. Don’t turn her into a punchline for Santino and/or Hornswoggle.
* TNA, how about some diversity? We no longer have any African-American Knockouts, or Asian Knockouts. This makes kittens weep.
* I believe I speak for everyone when I say Gail Kim deserves a push! Let her talk some more, let her wrestle some more & give her a title feud.
* No more stupid title switches, TNA. No more laying down, no more lockboxes, no more reversing decisions. The amount of ridiculously short and meaningless title reigns in 2010 was through the roof. Get your act together with the Knockouts Championship.
* Sarita for Knockouts Champion. Just sayin’…
* Natalya vs Beth Phoenix would certainly appease a lot of fans. It’s a WrestleMania dream match for many, but Divas and ‘Mania is a lost cause… any pay per view will do.
* Make Winter a top Knockout! I’m talking title feuds, pay per view matches with Mickie, Angelina, Tara etc. Make her the star that WWE never did.
* Main roster spots for AJ and Naomi, pretty please.
* Oh and finally, ROH, we hope you develop a regular women’s division on TV and pay per view and give opportunities to the women not in WWE and TNA.

2011 Predictions
* Title reigns that are inevitable: heel Melina as Divas Champ and Mickie as Knockouts Champ.
* Lay-Cool will be headed to Splitsville. Say goodbye to the flawless BFFs.
* Serena will join TNA.
* At least one big departure per company. (Melina? Layla? Tara? Mickie James?)
* WWE will sign at least one other recognisable independent name to go along with Awesome Kong.
* TNA will axe the Knockouts Tag Team Championships.
* Natalya will continue to be one of the top babyface Divas in WWE for much of 2011.
* Eve will also be pushed once again in the top babyface spot, but will she be able to hold onto that spot this time?
* Babyface turns for Layla, Maryse and Tara.
* Heel turns for Angelina Love, Beth Phoenix and Winter.

Share your wishes & predictions in the comments!

2010 is coming to a close and for the second year in a row, we have produced two audio specials reflecting on the WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts in our annual report card! Diva Dirt editors, Melanie and Steven offer their take on how each of the ladies have fared this past year as we look at each Diva and Knockout individually and gave them a grade from A-through-F.

Following yesterday’s Divas report card, it’s the Knockouts turn to get the school grade treatment. Listen below.

To listen to the show directly on the website, just click on the play button below. You can also download the show in MP3 format straight to your computer by right-clicking here and choosing ‘Save Target As’.

Please Note: This audio is the exclusive content of Diva Dirt (diva-dirt.com), for which we hold copyright. By downloading our audio you agree not to repost the content elsewhere including but not limited to other websites, blogs or message boards. Failure to respect copyright may result in legal action.

From everyone here at Diva Dirt, we’d like to wish all of our readers a very merry Christmas! Hope you are all having a wonderful day filled with food, presents, family and friends. Enjoy your day!

Thank you as always for supporting Diva Dirt. It’s been quite the year! Happy holidays to each of my colleagues too, who work so hard putting this site together. Cheap plug: you can pick up a belated Christmas gift for any of your favorite team members here~!

Once again, happy holidays!!!

2010 is coming to a close and for the second year in a row, we have produced two audio specials reflecting on the WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts in our annual report card! Diva Dirt editors, Melanie and Steven offer their take on how each of the ladies have fared this past year as we look at each Diva and Knockout individually and gave them a grade from A-through-F.

First up, if you’re looking for an excuse to break away from your family on Christmas day, we have the Diva report card.

To listen to the show directly on the website, just click on the play button below. You can also download the show in MP3 format straight to your computer by right-clicking here and choosing ‘Save Target As’.

Please Note: This audio is the exclusive content of Diva Dirt (diva-dirt.com), for which we hold copyright. By downloading our audio you agree not to repost the content elsewhere including but not limited to other websites, blogs or message boards. Failure to respect copyright may result in legal action.

Check back tomorrow for the Knockouts report card.

What kind of holiday would it be without our WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts taking part in the obligatory sexy Christmas photoshoot?

Well, it’s touch-and-go for the Divas this year as WWE has [insert-shocked-gasp-here] recycled (YES RECYCLED!) last year’s photoshoot with a couple of additions for Kaitlyn and Natalya. Click here.

Surely it’s just darn right cruel to disappoint all the little boys (or middle aged men rather) whose Christmas traditions include flicking through the annual Divas Christmas photoshoot? They already touched themselves to enjoyed viewing these pictures last year. The men of the WWE Universe will sob into their eggnog tonight, WWE overlords. And it’s all your fault.

• • • • •

Okay… with those dramatics out of the way, let’s move onto the Knockouts, shall we?

It’s much of the same as last year for the TNA gals. More lingerie than you can shake a stick at, lots of festive ornaments and most importantly: plenty of sexually suggestive poses. (“Hey Velvet, nice box between your legs,” say the middle aged men of the TNA Universe… er, Continent?)

In this shoot, we have the likes of Winter (aka Katie Lea aka Katie Lea Winter), Angelina Love, Tara, SoCal Val and Velvet Sky. (Cry yourself to sleep, Mickie/Madison/Sarita fans.)

Click here to enjoy!

The Divas once again dusted off their sexy Santa outfits for the annual Tribute to the Troops show taped earlier this month in Fort Hood, TX. It was an 8-Diva tag team match as Kelly Kelly led her helpers – Natalya and the Bell Twins – into battle with Lay-Cool and their helpers, Alicia Fox and a newly-heeled Melina.

Regardez:

Kelly’s team is out first and frankly, I’m not sure why it’s Kelly’s team considering Natalya is the Divas Champion. Surely they should be coming out to her music? Anyhoo, they’re followed by Lay-Cool and co. and we get this match started in front of a huge WrestleMania-sized crowd. I was actually in awe of how long the entrance ramp was and the size of the crowd. Very impressive and generous of WWE to lend their time to all of these troops.

Alicia & Nikki Bella kick things off with A-Fox in control, wrenching Nikki’s arm. Nikki is whipped into the ropes it with a nice tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Fox. Foxy whips Nikki into her corner aggressively and tags out to our new heel Diva, Melina. The former Divas Champ takes control and begins stomping at Nikki before hitting her with some hard, aggressive forearms. Brie tries to come into the ring and make the save but the referee catches her. With the ref distracted, the other heels begin attacking Nikki in their corner and Michelle hits her head against the side of the ring.

Melina now drags Nikki into the middle of the ring and hits her with a huge shot to the face, knocking her back down to the canvas. Nikki whipped into the corner and then smashed face first into the canvas. Melina climbs up the ropes and seems to be going for a choke-hold on Nikki, however Nikki counters with a snapmare and Melina hits the mat. Nikki eventually stumbles to her corner and tags in Miss Kelly. Meanwhile, Melina tags in Michelle. Business is about to pick up.

K2 with a big Thesz Press on Michelle and begins slamming her head against the mat. Kelly ducks a clothesline, runs the ropes and hits a hurricanrana on Michelle which is sold to perfection by the former champion. Kelly with a kick to the knee taking down McCool and now hits her face-first several times into the mat.

Kelly then hits a double-legged K2 on Michelle and goes for the pin but it’s broken up by the flawless Layla. And now it’s time for the obligatory Diva melee…

One of the Bellas dropkicks Layla out of the ring, Alicia hits said Bella with an axe kick, she then eats a big discus clothesline from Natalya, but then Nattie is hit with a big boot from McCool.

With that now out of the way, Michelle walks into a slap from Kelly to a huge pop from the crowd and is hit with a Kelly Killer for the 1, 2, 3. Big victory for Kelly in Fort Hood.

Thoughts: This was no doubt Kelly’s night (day?). She is often used as the poster child for promotional means, including that trip to Afghanistan which is why I think she was given a lot of shine at Tribute to the Troops. The match wasn’t exactly much to write home about but it wasn’t bad either. It was just a short match that doesn’t really have any storyline semblance on a show that airs only once a year. It did it’s job in entertaining the troops and that is the main thing. I think it’s more important for the Divas to be part of a show like this in some capacity than to gripe about how much time they had (or lackthereof) like with Raw and SmackDown. It doesn’t matter with a show like this. This is a feel-good show for the troops. Kelly is obviously one of the top babyface Divas so it makes sense for her to have that feel-good moment for the troops.

On another note, I think it’s kind of cool to see Lay-Cool be put on the backburner a little bit by taking more losses. I wouldn’t have expected Michelle to lose to Kelly here but I think after the successful run she’s had, along with Layla, this is where they need to be for a while.

Oh also, it definitely looks as though the match was edited for TV. The pictures on WWE.com show in-ring action from Natalya and Layla who were barely involved in the TV edit of the match. Boo.

The Divas will be in action in an 8-Diva tag team match.

Tune in at 8pm on USA.

Discuss the show in the comments!

April’s Extreme Makeover Match between Beth Phoenix and Michelle McCool has been deemed one of the top 25 matches of 2010 by WWE.com.

The match ranked #21 on the year-end list.

See the countdown here.

Thoughts: Perhaps a little premature as last night’s match definitely blew ‘Extreme Makeover’ out of the water. Nonetheless, congrats to Beth and Michelle.

Discuss the show in the comments!

UPDATE: It looks as though the Divas match is being saved for the two hour edition of TTTT which will air on Wednesday on USA Network.

WWE taped its annual Tribute to the Troops special today in Ft. Hood in Texas. The special will air next Saturday on NBC.

As usual, the Divas donned their sexy Santa outfits for the annual event. Pictures can be seen below via Joey Styles’ Twitter.

Styles also confirmed that Eve Torres and Rosa Mendes taped a segment with special guest Sherri Shepherd which will air on ‘The View’, the show she appears as co-host on.

Tribute to the Troops will air next Saturday, December 18th at 9pm on NBC. Additionally, an extended two hour version will air on Wednesday, December 22nd at 9pm on USA Network.

On behalf of everyone here at Diva Dirt, we’d like to wish you all a very happy and safe Thanksgiving! We hope everyone that is celebrating has a wonderful day.

As has become an annual tradition here at DD, each of our writers took the time to write a quick message about what they’re thankful for, which you can read after the cut!

Cryssi: It’s easy to say what I’m thankful for and that’s just being alive. Far to often we see or hear stories about younger people having their lives cut short due to whatever reason. If not for the simple fact that I’m alive I wouldn’t have any of the experiences I’ve had this year. Diva Dirt came into my life at a time when I needed a creative outlet to express myself. I never believed I would be chosen to be part of the staff and I was truly shocked when I got the job as the TNA correspondent. Because of this I discovered a whole other world of professional wrestling and for that I’m truly grateful. The experiences I’ve had because of this site can never be replaced. The people I’ve met because of this site will never be duplicated. Melanie, Erin, Steven, David, Jennifer, and Eric… you guys are amazing. Thank you, Women of Wrestling Podcast for being associated with us and just great people in general. I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you to Kristin, Allison, Mia, and all the other girls who have allowed us to have some time with them. Thank you to all the girls out there who bust their ass on a daily basis giving us quality wrestling and entertainment. Without Divas, Knockouts, and indy wrestlers we would have no reason to have a website. And last but not least, thank you to the readers. Without your interest, Diva Dirt couldn’t continue to grow. And for that, I’m truly humbled and privileged to be a part of this little family.

David: I am thankful for many things that happened this past year. I am thankful for the opportunity to work on the Diva Dirt staff with such a highly entertaining, creative group of writers. Special thanks to Melanie and Erin for hiring me and to Steven for warmly welcoming me on my first Post Raw Show last December. I am thankful for the efforts of all the women in professional wrestling that do their best to entertain their fans every day, and I’m thankful that Beth Phoenix won the Women’s Championship in Baltimore this past April. However I am most thankful that my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in January. She completes our family and makes us smile every day.

Eric: I have so much to be thankful for this year. I would like to thank Steven for suggesting I call into the first Diva Dirt LIVE show, and starting an adventure with the Diva Dirt team. Thank you to all of the staff members for accepting me without question. Melanie you have provided me with a lot of laughs and a lot of fierceness. Few people are dedicated to anything like you are to this site and people need to bow down and reward you with praise and naked Randy Orton pictures immediately. Cryssi, Soup is fantastic and totally made us 1,000,000 times more famous. I am thankful that we were able to participate in what was one of Diva Dirt’s most popular shows and I hope we get to bring it back like we hope.

Finally, I would like to give thanks to the women of wrestling and promoters who have shown me nothing but respect and wonderful experience after wonderful experience.

To close, I want to make it explicit that Mia Yim should be thankful for me, as I bring nothing but a touch of class to her disgusting slore lifestyle. Thank you.

Erin: Though lately I’ve had to shift “behind the scenes” (blame my other commitments), I still feel like I always have about the site: proud of what we’ve accomplished, appreciative of those who enjoy what we do, in awe of the things we’ve been able to do, and excited about the future. It always feels like we’ve reach a pinnacle when we manage to reach even higher. I mean, interviewing Trish Stratus? Never in a million years did I think we’d be able to do that! I’m forever grateful for the opportunities we’ve been given and the people who have given them to us. Thanks to everyone who has visited our site this year, contributed to the discussions, and made all of this worthwhile. Thanks to all the wonderful women of wrestling who have been generous with their time and are as kind as can be. Thanks to every member of the Diva Dirt team–you all contribute so much to the site, and I’ve enjoyed seeing you guys do your thing from the sidelines, more or less. I hope to get back to the playing field soon. Everyone and anyone: thanks for the help, amusement, kindness, and everything in between you’ve given us this year. Here’s to another year and even bigger and better things!

Jennifer: Given the fact that 2010 started off really shitty for me, I didn’t expect to have much to be thankful for. But that changed in June, when Melanie invited me to be part of the Diva Dirt team. Since then, I’ve gotten to know wonderful people, had an outlet for my (strong) opinions on female wrestling, and even had the chance to interact with a few amazingly talented wrestlers themselves. In September, I had the great opportunity to see SHIMMER in person and meet several of the people I’d gotten to know on here. Thank you to everyone who supports the site, thank you to those who have gone out of their way to give me personal support and also helpful criticism, and thank you to my fellow DD team mates/friends. I’m blessed to know such great people! Two special thank yous: one, to those I got to meet and know over the SHIMMER weekend. Y’all looked out for me and made sure I had the best time I possibly could. I’ll always be grateful for that. Two, to Daffney, Allison Danger, Amber Gertner, Kellie Skater, Mia Yim and Kristin Astara – it’s one thing when you get to meet people that you look up to in some way, shape or form. It’s another to find out what amazing people they truly are. Thank y’all so much!

Melanie: It seems every year I have more to be thankful for than the previous year. 2010 has been so good to Diva Dirt, and also me personally. I want to thank Jason Deadrich first of all, for believing in me and believing in DD enough to want to invest his time and money into it. I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to say I write about something I love for a living! Secondly, I want to thank everyone on the Diva Dirt team. We’ve added four new members to the team this year (Cryssi, David, Eric & Jennifer) and each of them brings something unique and different to the website. Thank you all, for not only your hard work, but also for your friendship. We’ve all become close friends and that is what we’ll remember when all is said and done — the time we shared together!

From a site standpoint, this year has been incredible and it’s only looking back in hindsight, I can truly see all the milestones we have hit. It blows my mind everytime a female wrestler says they know of us or love what we do or agrees to spare the time to talk to us. This year, we’ve been lucky enough to talk to a number of girls and those are memories you just can’t buy! Thank you to all of the women gracious enough to share their time with us and our readers!

Finally, thank you to you all. Without visitors, there’d be no point in doing this site but we continue to grow and gain more and more visitors. Thanks for visiting & interacting with us in the comments, Twitter and Facebook. You can’t please everyone but an extra big thank you to those who are appreciate what we do and don’t take it for granted. We may have our detractors, but they too keep visiting. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Steven: First, this year I’m thankful for all the ladies who put their bodies on the line to entertain, whether it be WWE and TNA or SHIMMER and WSU. I’m thankful to have met some awesome people this year, including, but not limited to my colleagues here at Diva Dirt. Last, but not least, I’m thankful for all the opportunities I’ve been given in the last year here at Diva Dirt. It’s honestly been a blast every step of the way.

We’ve seen the Divas, we’ve seen the NXT Rookies, and now we head over to TNA for Halloween Knockouts-style!

Check out all the pictures here.

Pictured are Angelina Love, Christy Hemme, Madison Rayne, Mickie James, SoCal Val and Tara. Who did it best? Vote below:

For the past two years around Halloween, (view 2008 and part 1, part 2, and part 3 of 2009) we’ve suggested some tongue-in-cheek costumes for Divas and Knockouts. This year, we continue the tradition. We started with the NXT rookies, and followed with the Knockouts. Now, finally, it’s time for the Divas to get costumed. Enjoy, and be sure to vote for your favorite below!

Alicia Fox
Costume: Foxy Cleopatra to Santino’s Austin Powers.
Why?: Diva Dirt’s not one to pass up some wordplay, and Miss Foxy Alicia certainly lends herself to be called Foxy Cleopatra. She definitely rivals Beyonce for her fantastic figure, and her self-assuredness lends itself to playing the secret agent who’s constantly introducing herself as “a whole lotta woman!”. Seeing her dolled up 60s-style with a bright jumpsuit, prop gun, and afro while Santino goes appropriately over-the-top as Austin Powers would be a funny sight. Hey, if anyone’s got to be paired with Santino, it might as well be a Diva who can keep him in line.
Get the look: Get the outfit and the hairdo.

Beth Phoenix
Costume: A zombie.
Why?: She’s back from the dead injury! Beth is unstoppable, evidenced by her return, and is ready to take out anyone who stands in her way. Like an undead zombie, she rises from apparent defeat, hungry (in Beth’s case, for victory). What better way to scare the life out of her fellow Divas than to make her return as if from the grave, skin rotting, eyes lifeless, bloodthirsty attitude? It’s hard to think of a Diva more intimidating, but zombie Beth just might surpass the living one.
Get the look: Go in-depth with these tutorial videos.

Eve Torres, Gail Kim, & Kelly Kelly
Costume: Modern-day Charlie’s Angels
Why?: Taking a cue from the modern “Charlie’s Angels” movies, these babyface Divas would be matched up to their counterparts easily. Eve would be the spunky Dylan (as played by Drew Barrymore), Gail would be the serious Alex (as played by Lucy Liu), and Kelly would be the free-spirited Natalie (as played by Cameron Diaz). Striking the signature pose, these Divas would make for a convincing double of that trio, and the WWE could fill their Hornswoggle quota by pairing him with the angels as Bosley. Your standard 6-Diva tag team match would never be the same!
Get the look: Find two friends, assume the specific personalities, and prepare to kick ass, wire-fighting style. Be sure to wear clothes that best fit your angel (tomboyish for Dylan, dark and sleek for Alex, sexy and girly for Natalie).

Read on to see more costume suggestions.

Jillian
Costume: Lady Gaga (in her meat dress).
Why?: We pegged Jillian for Lady Gaga last year, and since Gaga’s still on top of the pop Diva world and is ever-evolving, Jillian can have a fresh take on her, this time wearing her infamous meat dress (and boots). Surely, with Jillian’s luck, she’d have flies following her constantly, but what a statement she’d make! Blue streaks in her hair would complete the look, and to top it all off, she could belt out a rendition of Lady Gaga’s latest single, “Alejandro”. Maybe she’d work in a plug for her Christmas album while she’s at it.
Get the look: For your well-being (and ones around you) I’d heavily advise against trying to duplicate the look. Go for one of the more classic (and hygenic) Gaga looks.

Lay-Cool
Costume: Halves of two “best friends” heart necklaces.
Why?: If you ask Lay-Cool, they’d probably tell you that they’ll be best friends forever, and they can manifest that undying friendship in the most literal way possible–by each being half of pendant that when joined together, create a heart. It would be cumbersome and silly, but since when have Lay-Cool been above that? (See Layla’s facial hair on a recent SmackDown as proof). To send the point home, the heart, when joined together, would spell out “BFF”. And, being joined at the hip, there’s little chance of the fans missing what the two halves represent. Now, what metal should they be? Gold, silver? Whatever the type, I’m sure the quality of it would be flawless! (Cue rimshot).
Get the look: Grab some poster board or cardboard and copy this take on the costume.

Linda McMahon
Costume: Sue Sylvester on “Glee”.
Why?: She might be too busy running for office (and dictating the WWE’s programming while she’s at it), but Linda would make a perfect Sue Sylvester, being the strict leader she is. While Sue isn’t exactly one to outright manipulate people (though she might like to), Linda’s got a leg up on her in that department–#StandUpForWWE, anyone? Using people below you who don’t know any better to do your dirty work? Sounds like Sue Sylvester to me! Enough political talk, though.. Linda McMahon in a tracksuit would be quite a sight to see, would it not? Deadpan seems to be her style, too. Maybe Jillian can follow her around and do some song-and-dance numbers to piss her off.
Get the look: A two-toned tracksuit would work perfectly. Sneer, adopt the attitude, and you’ve got it!

Maryse
Costume: A Na’Vi from “Avatar”
Why?: She may not be in title contention at the moment, but there’s no doubt that Maryse still has a high opinion of herself. The slef-proclaimed “sexiest of the sexy” would be looking for a costume that would be showcase her sexiness, no? A costume perfect for that–amounting to scraps of fabric and bosypaint–is that of a Na’Vi, the alien race of people from last year’s “Avatar”. Maryse could paint her body blue, braid her hair, don some jewelry made of beads, teeth, and fake bones, find some scraps of clothing for modesty’s sake, and boom! You’ve got yourself the sexiest of the Na’Vi. Her accent doesn’t fit, but that’s only a technicality. The look is the main idea, and Maryse would fulfill that requirement in spades.
Get the look: Follow these steps to make the full costume yourself.

Melina
Costume: Lisbeth Salander from the “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” and the Stieg Larsson books.
Why?: No Diva has the edge that vengance-seeking computer hacker Lisbeth does, but that’s what Halloween’s all about, right? Inventing the attitude is just as important as creating the look. In the past, Melina’s gone for costumes that were a bit out of the ordinary (She-Hulk, a full-garbed Vegas Showgirl, and Marie Antoinette, to name a few) and this would be another in that same line of thinking. Seeing Melina, who as a babyface is cheerful and smiley, turn into a gothic-styled surly woman would be quite the transformation, but with her history of sticking to her strange costumes, I don’t doubt that she’s be able to pull it off. Donning a short, jagged wig, dark makeup, a leather jacket, black shirt and jeans, and sky-high platform boots would go a long way to transforming her into Lisbeth. She could even go the extra mile and put on some clip-on nose, ear, eyebrow, and lip piercings. Channeling that unceasing distrust and anger, rarely speaking, Melina could very much resemble Salander herself.
Get the look: Wear all black, including tall, buckled boots and a studded motorcycle jacket. Find some clip-on rings for fake facial piercings. Apply dark makeup on your eyes and lips, and either style your hair in that short, punk style or find a wig to do it for you. The attitude, as mentioned, is key. Rarely speak and do not invite contact with people you don’t know.

Natalya
Costume: The Queen of “Harts”.
Why?: Yay, more wordplay! Natalya is undoubtedly the Queen of the Hart family, and dressing up as the Queen of Harts from “Alice in Wonderland” would be largely a pun, but her ability to put on a ruthless attitude and laugh manically could sell the costume all on its own. If the rest of the Hart Dynasty wants to play along, DH and Tyson could dress up as her guards, looking like giant playing cards. A royal scepter would be a nice add-on accessory too. Who wouldn’t like to see her yell “off with their heads!” in Lay-Cool’s direction? maybe then she’d manage to snag the Divas Title away from them.
Get the look: Put the costume together yourself.

Tiffany
Costume: Cher from “Clueless”.
Why?: As if! Tiffany, being the chipper blonde she is, is almost a perfect clone of Alicia Silverstone’s character from “Clueless”. Self-involved and prissy, Cher (at least in the beginning) is defined by what she wears. Tiffany could wear some fashionable (by mid-90s standard,s anyways) clothes, carrying a few dozen shopping bags, and talk like a valley girl. Easy as pie!
Get the look: Find a bright, matching jacket-and skit combo, and wear a neutral shirt underneath. Wear mary jane high heels and knee-high socks, and be sure to find several empty shopping bags from places you think Cher would shop, or make them yourself if you don’t have a shopping budget similar to hers. Remember to talk like a valley girl (lots of “as if”s and “whatever”s!

So, which costume idea did you like best? Cast your vote below and sound off in the comments!

As you saw on Tuesday night, all the Rookies busted out their finest Halloween costumes — and even wrestled in them. Check out the NXT Halloween photoshoot here.

Vote on who looked best below:

WWE.com has several pictures of the Divas who were in the costume contest/match tonight, as well as Vickie Guerrero. However, conspicuous by her absence, there are no pictures of Melina. Um… okay.

Check out all the pictures here. Vote below on your favourite (including Melina though not pictured above).

Halloween is this Sunday and while traditionally, it’s the Divas who dress up on TV as superheroes, singers etc., this year we want you to dress up as them! After all, what better way to pay homage to your favourite Diva, Knockout or other woman of wrestling than to dress up as her for Halloween?

If you are dressing up as a Diva for Halloween, we want to see your pictures. In fact, we’ve made an entire contest out of it! Send in pictures of you dressed up as a Diva this Halloween and we will post them on the site. From there, our readers will vote for their favourite costume and the winner will receive a grand prize. Full details below:

The prize
* 5 downloads at ClickWrestle.com (worth $25)
* A copy of the Divas 2011 swimsuit calendar
* Free access to the WSU iPPV stream on November 6th (worth $10)

Tickle your fancy? Follow the cut:

Once you have pictures of yourself in your Divalicious Halloween costume, attach them in an email along with the following submission form:

Submission Form
Copy and paste the following into a new email and send it to divadirtcomp@gmail.com. Don’t forget to attach your pictures!

Name:
Email:
Age:
Location (i.e. Los Angeles, California):

Rules
1. The closing date for entries is Wednesday, November 3rd at 8pm ET.
2. Fan voting will begin on Thursday and be open for 24 hours.
3. The winner will be notified on Friday, November 5th.
4. In order to claim part of your prize, you must be able to provide a postal address. If you are under 16, please seek permission from a parent/guardian before entering.
5. This competition is open to fans worldwide.
6. You may enter only once. Anyone found submitting more than one entry will be disqualified.
7. Please note the time/date of the WSU iPPV. If you know you won’t be able to watch the show at 5.30pm ET on November 6th, please don’t enter.

Good luck!

For the past two years around Halloween, (view 2008 and part 1, part 2, and part 3 of 2009) we’ve suggested some tongue-in-cheek costumes for Divas and Knockouts. This year, we continue the tradition. We started with the NXT Rookies, and next up are the Knockouts. The Divas will follow later this week, leading up to Halloween. Enjoy, and be sure to vote for your favorite below!

Cookie
Costume: A scientist.
Why?: She hasn’t been around long, but it’s safe to say that Cookie, in emulating “The Jersey Shore”‘s Snooki, won’t be making any medical breakthroughs in the near future. So, to best lampoon her lampooning of the shallow, less-than-genius, party animal, why not dress up as a scientist? Wearing the typical white labcoat and gloves while spouting different stereotypical “smart” phrases (E=MC^2 anyone?) in a New Jersey accent would make it pitch perfect.
Get the look: Go for a mad scientist look or tone it down to look more like the real deal.

Daffney
Costume: The Cheshire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland”.
Why?: Daffney’s definitely got a soft spot for the quirky, and Alice in Wonderland seems to fit in that spot nicely. Hell, she even dressed as a version of the Queen of Hearts in a Halloween-themed photoshoot on TNA’s website. The Cheshire Cat is easily one of the most iconic characters to come out of the iconic work, and if Daffney wants to up her quirky-ness, dressing as a shape-shifting and disappearing cat is certainly a step in that direction. To keep herself from looking like an extra in the stage show “Cats”, Daffney could act in the lazy, dreamy way the purple-and-pink cat’s known for instead of simply hissing and crawling around. Of course, the disappearing act could be a complication, though if any Knockout could pull off something so strange, it’d be Daffney.
Get the look: Put a costume together and watch the animated movie to get the act down pat.

Tara & Madison Rayne
Costume: Pinky and the Brain from the “Animaniacs” cartoon.
Why?: Former friends Angelina Love and Velvet Sky have recently dubbed the duo of Tara and Madison “Pinky and the Brain”. How about turning that insult into a fully realized costume? The fact that Madison was called “evil” in connection to that comparison leads us to believe that she would be Brain, the short, surly, evil rat who plots every single day to take over the world. His sidekick (or rather, cage-mate) Pinky is a taller, dimmer, sillier rat who goes along for the ride and usually screws us Brain’s plans. Tara is known for her silly costumes, and this would fall right in line with them. It’s far too easy to picture Tara putting on the voice and stumbling around like Pinky, isn’t it? Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
Get the look: Find a partner to pair up with, put on some rat ears, don a tail, wear all-over white clothing, and assume the attitude of your chosen rat–Pinky’s loveable but dumb, and Brain’s serious and conniving.

Read on to see more costume suggestions.

Mickie James
Costume: Harry Potter.
Why?: Okay, so stay with me here. Mickie James’s debut (or rather, return) to TNA was a triumph against adversity, was it not? She was released by the WWE, and has returned to the top of the heap in their main competitor. Who in pop culture is known for surviving a similarly fatal blow? Why, the boy wizard himself (who just so happens to have a movie coming out in less than a month)! Mickie can do cutesy quite well, as seen in numerous photoshoots, and seems to have a penchant for doing so when she’s a babyface. Dressing in the Hogwarts robes, circle-lensed glasses, brandishing a wand, and sporting a lightning bolt scar would be unmistakable. And with her never-say-die attitude and babyface leanings, Mickie’s a sure Gryffindor. Come to think of it, would this make Vince McMahon her Voldemort?
Get the look: Learn all you need to know here, and try to speak in a passable English accent.

Sarita
Costume: Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.
Why?: As of late, Sarita’s been thrown by the wayside, disappearing from television for weeks at a time, only to resurface to do some jobbing. Now, treatment like that might make someone bitter or revenge-minded. Making the leap to serial killer is hasty, yes, but what better way to make yourself known and get back at those who have robbed you than to take on the likeness of one of the scariest slasher movie villains of all time? Leatherface, wielding a chainsaw, isn’t someone TNA management would ignore. Sarita, unknown under the disguise, would take out Knockouts left and right (by less fatal means, of course) until she is revealed, making her a force to be reckoned with once again. Either that, or they’d label her as a chainsaw-carrying weirdo. Still, it’s better than being a jobber, right?
Get the look: Make the mask, wear the dingy apron over a button-down shirt, tie, and dark pants. Last but most importantly, wave around a
prop chainsaw. Just be sure to let everyone know it’s fake, okay?

Taylor Wilde & Hamada
Costume: Ramona Flowers & Knives Chau from the “Scott Pilgrim” comics and movie.
Why?: These two have been Knockouts Tag Team Champs for quite a few months now, becoming an unexpectedly formidable team. Another similarly unexpected pairing are the two kick-ass girls from the “Scott Pilgrim” books: Ramonda Flowers, the punky, mysterious girl with ever-chaning hair color, and Knives Chau, the Chinese girl who vows revenge against Ramonda, but eventually comes to her senses. Sure, Taylor’s not American like Ramona and Hamada’s not Chinese like Knives, but let’s stretch the boundaries a bit, shall we? Taylor can sport a bright blue wig and carry a giant hammer, while Hamda wields blades and wears a long, flowing striped scarf. I highly doubt anyone would be rushing to challenge them for the tag team titles.
Get the look: Don a colorful wig for Ramona and take hints from her illustrations, such as roller blades, goggles, layered clothing, and a messenger bag. Knives calls for a short black hairdo, possibly with a streak of color. The rest of the look relies on dark clothing and a long, striped scarf.

The Beautiful People
Costume: The Plastics’ Halloween costumes in “Mean Girls”.
Why?: Last year, we suggested they dress up as the Plastics, and unmistakable mirror image of their trio. This year, they could take it a step further by wearing their “slutty version of an animal” Halloween costumes from the movie. Angelina, the ring leader, could wear Regina’s bunny costume, while Madison wears right-hand-woman Gretchen’s leopard. Finally, Lacey, the group’s not-all-there equivalent of Karen, could don her mouse costume, complete with the backwards rhinestone ‘K’ emblazoned on her chest.
Get the look: Get the ears: rabbit, cat, and mouse. Pair them with the appropriate skimpy clothing, and you’ve got it!

So, which costume idea did you like best? Cast your vote below and sound off in the comments!

For the past two years around Halloween, (view 2008 and part 1, part 2, and part 3 of 2009) we’ve suggested some tongue-in-cheek costumes for Divas and Knockouts. This year, we continue the tradition, starting with the NXT Rookies. Divas and Knockouts will follow later this week, leading up to Halloween. Enjoy, and be sure to vote for your favorite below!

AJ
Costume: A jack-in-the-box toy.
Why?: AJ seems to always be bouncing. I’d say she has a spring in her step, but it would probably be more accurate to say she’s got loaded springs at the bottom of her boots. I think she jumps from excitement even when emptying the junk folder on her e-mail. So, aside from dressing her up as a kangaroo, what would be a better way to reference her apparent lack of ability to sit still than to have her made into a jack-in-the-box? She’s certainly tiny enough to be one, being pocket-sized and whatnot. And anyways, I don’t think dressing up as a grasshopper would carry the same charm.
Get the look: Learn how to make a jack-in-the-box costume of your own.

Aksana
Costume: Marlena, AKA Terri Runnels.
Why?: Aksana has become the apple of Golddust’s eye, even going so far as to become engaged to him. However, who could forget Golddust’s past love, Marlena? Always clad in gold and brandishing a cigar, Marlena was the yin to Golddust’s yang. If Aksana has any hope of filling that role convincingly, she better study up on Marlena, and dressing up as her for Halloween would be valuable research. I’m sure Golddust would appreciate the jolt of nostalgia.
Get the look: Grab some gold clothing and accessories, tease up your hair, and carry a prop cigar. Don’t forget the attitude!

Kaitlyn
Costume: Napoleon Dynamite from the movie of the same name.
Why?: Okay, so the joke’s a little late, but can you think of a costume less flattering than Napoleon Dynamite? I’m sure it would get her mentor Vickie’s seal of approval, as it wouldn’t steal the spotlight from her and further degrade her rookie. In fact, I wouldn’t put it past her forcing it on Kaitlyn in the first place–all the better to avoid Kaitlyn donning a sexier costume. Fans would definitely get a kick out of seeing Kaitlyn in glasses, red curly hair, high-wasted pants, and a blank expression. Not to mention, it’d be a nice opportunity to tell fans to “Vote for Kaitlyn” when she wears it on her shirt.
Get the look: Do it yourself.

Read on to see more costume suggestions.

Maxine
Costume: Oprah.
Why?: Maxine’s pretty fixated on being on top and crushing the competition. Well, if she truly wants to be a powerful woman, who better to emulate than Oprah? Arguably one of the most powerful women in the world, Oprah can make anyone do anything, from TV execs to A-list celebrities to suburban mothers. Oprah’s retiring her long-running television show next year, so there’s no better time to take advantage of the Oprah phenom than now, Maxine! Maybe some of her power will rub off on you!
Get the look: If you haven’t got the hair naturally, buy a wig. Then, dress in a professional manner (sharp-angled collars are good) and be sure to project your voice like only Oprah can. Let it be known to any trick-or-treaters that EVERYONE GETS A PIECE OF CANDY!

Naomi
Costume: On-and-off NXT commentator Michael Cole.
Why?: I doubt there’s any NXT viewer alive that doesn’t want to strike Michael Cole with a blunt object. He (in kayfabe, of course) continuously gets under the skin of viewers with his constant complaints about the season 3 competitors, going so far as to walk off the show one week, only to return soon after–good times can’t last forever. Someone has to confront him, and Naomi seems like a good candidate. I can’t lie that the inspiration for this choice comes from a tweet from a fan to Naomi herself. I’m sure she’s got it in her to pull off a convincing (and appropriately annoying) take on Cole. Though, all she’d really need to do is sob into the microphone and run away.
Get the look: It’s really more about the grating attitude than anything else, but wearing a sports jacket, a tie, and a microphone headset wouldn’t hurt.

Vickie Guerrero
Costume: Kathy Bates’s fanatic character Annie Wilkes in “Misery”.
Why?: NXT mentor Vickie’s been long portrayed as a shrill, conniving witch, so it wouldn’t be a leap to imagine her as a twisted crazed fan that Kathy Bates so eerily played. I wouldn’t go so far as to have her confine a Superstar to a bed, but carring around a sledgehammer would certainly send chills down anyone’s spine, calling to mind that foot-smashing scene.
Get the look: Wear dark conservative clothing such as sweaters, pants, and long skirts, as well as a cross around your neck. Wear a creepily vacant expression and find a (preferably prop) sledgehammer to taunt your enemies with. Don’t forget to let your targets know how much you admire their work.

So, which costume idea did you like best? Cast your vote below and sound off in the comments!

Taylor wrote: “I can’t contain my joy and excitment anymore! I’m engaged to @olivermitchell. :)”

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Raw Diva, Jillian is set to give Mariah Carey a run for her money this Christmas by releasing her own ‘unique’ version of ‘Santa Baby’.

You may remember that back in 2007, Jillian released her own Christmas EP, ‘A Jingle with Jillian’, via iTunes. This, her not-so-much awaited follow-up is now also available for download on iTunes in a re-release of that EP. Click here to purchase.

You can check out pictures and video of Jillian recording her new track here.

To listen to a 30 second snippet of the song, hit the play button below:

Thoughts: Despite being an absolute joke, Jillian’s last album actually made it to #20 on the British album charts (I hang my head in shame), so it’s probably wise that WWE releases a follow-up. Besides, it’s not like Jillian is doing much on TV right now.

Mike Johnson at PWInsider notes that the pair married on August 21st.

We suspected as much last week when we noticed that Karen had changed her Twitter username to ‘karenjarrett’ and name to ‘Karen Jarrett’, pretty much making it public knowledge.

Once again, congrats to the happy couple.

The couple had another girl so this bundle of joy joins older sisters, Aurora Rose and Murphy Claire.

Diva Dirt sends our best wishes to Stephanie and family.

Congratulations to former WWE and TNA stars Booker T and Sharmell who have welcomed two new arrivals!

Sharmell gave birth to twins yesterday, confirms TNA World Heavyweight Champion RVD via his Twitter page.

Our best wishes to the happy couple.

It’s hard to believe but we are already half way through 2010! The time has flown by so quickly but to celebrate the mid-year point, we are going to be looking back on the first six months of the year over the next few days. We begin by revisiting our 2010 Wishes & Predictions. Loyal readers will know that each December, we make 10 wishes and 10 predictions for the year going forward. So, let’s see how those wishes and predictions have measured up thus far…

Wishes for 2010
* Firstly, we really hope Melina has a speedy and/or miraculous recovery. If it is as serious as thought, Raw just won’t be the same without her.
Well obviously, Melina still isn’t back but we remain hopeful that July will be her month! Get well soon, Melina!

* Allow Tara to have a long and fulfilling Knockouts Championship reign. She deserves one great run with a belt!
Depending on how you look it, Tara’s January-April run with the belt was longer than her previous two runs — although it ended sourly and abruptly in the now infamous Lock Box Showdown debacle. I wouldn’t call any of Tara’s title reigns fulfilling, sadly.

* Here’s hoping to a fucking decent WrestleMania match this year. [Sidebar: Beth vs Michelle if we're getting specific.]
So close!!! We did get Beth vs Michelle… but three weeks after WrestleMania. :(

* Dear WWE, that chick Gail Kim? She can wrestle rings around most of your men. Use her, push her, give her a title for chrissakes!
Well, she did make it to the finals of the Divas Title tournament back in February but I wouldn’t call that a push…

* TNA, take note: Alissa Flash. Same thing.
Err, this one was kind of a stumble out of the gate. Alissa announced her TNA departure via Diva Dirt two weeks into 2010!

More after the cut:

* Give the proverbial ball to Alicia Fox, Daffney and Eve Torres and let them run with it. They all have a lot to offer and it isn’t just their boobs.
Two out of three ain’t bad, right? Alicia is the current Divas Champion and Eve is the former champion. Daffney did receive a nice little push against Tara going into Destination X in March but I wouldn’t call that giving her the ball and letting her run with it. Daffney still has a lot to offer and we have six more months!

* Dear American work visa people, please let Angelina Love come back to TNA!
Angelina returned in the second week of January.

* I love Saritaylor as a team but I’m kinda curious to see them in a feud. If you must break them up, give us a series of three-to-five epic matches, won’t you TNA?
These two are about to begin a feud with Sarita turning heel. Five months too late is better than never… or is it?

* SmackDown, please don’t suffer a slump. We’re counting on you!
I think we’re officially in a slump. Jump rope-gate sealed the deal for me

* Since we have just one more wish we may as well blow it on something HUGE! Title reigns for Alissa Flash, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, Hamada and Natalya are a must.
One out of five is decent right? No… it isn’t? :( Technically, Hamada won the Knockouts Tag Team Championship but I was thinking of singles belts when I wrote this so I won’t include that. I’m not sure if Gail or Hamada will win gold but Natalya? I’m very confident that she will and when she does, it will be extremely gratifying to watch. Hopefully in the next six months.

Predictions for 2010

* It should come of no surprise that Maryse will probably hold the Divas Championship at some point in 2010.
Check!

* A fifth Women’s Championship reign for Mickie James seems likely also.
Check!

* Further title predictions: Awesome Kong (Knockouts), Kelly Kelly (Divas) and The Beautiful People (Knockouts Tag Team).
One out of three…

* Something tells me Mickie may not be a Diva by year’s end. [Sidebar: Hope I'm wrong.]
Check!

* Lacey Von Erich will finally strip for Playboy, but will she be a TNA Knockout when she does?
I don’t see the Playboy thing happening given her current personal situation.

* Maria will not win The Celebrity Apprentice.
Check!

* Trish Stratus will return at some point and do a full blown storyline this time.
Well, it hasn’t happened yet and I don’t see it happening if it wasn’t done in time for ‘Mania. Maybe next year?

* A heel turn for Tara at some point in the year and a babyface turn for Michelle McCool.
Check (Tara) and WTF was I smoking back in December (Michelle)? I don’t know why I predicted a face turn for Michelle…

* A ‘Beautiful’ breakup. My guess is TBP will be no more by year’s end.
I still see this happening. We have six more months…

* At least one more shocking departure. [Gail Kim? ODB?]
One more? I was a little optimistic, huh? Maria, Mickie, ODB, Kong…

So that wraps my mid-year check up on Diva Dirt‘s wishes and predictions for 2010. With half a year still to go, I think I’ve done pretty well!

Did you have any wishes/predictions of your own? How did you fare?

Jackie is of course married to former WWE Superstar Charlie Haas and the pair already have two daughters together.

Baby Russ, nicknamed after Charlie’s late brother Russ Haas, was born yesterday (June 1st) at 10.30am and weighed 8lbs, 14 oz.

Congratulations to Jackie and Charlie!

Fellow former Diva, Candice Michelle also gave birth last week to her first child.

Former WWE Diva, Candice Michelle gave birth to a baby daughter named AkiAnne last night. Congratulations to Candice and husband KenGee!

Their new arrival was heralded by a press release — yes, a press release — from GoDaddy.com where Candice is a Go Daddy Girl. Not only that, but AkiAnne has her own official website courtesy of GoDaddy. Check out the press release below:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (May 24, 2010) — You know her as the sexy, tank-topped Go Daddy Girl who helped brand the world’s largest Web hosting and domain name provider. Now, Candice Michelle has another role: Mommy!

Candice and her husband, KenGee, welcomed AkiAnne Rose into the world yesterday afternoon. AkiAnne, pronounced “Ah-kee Anne,” weighs six pounds and is nearly 20 inches long. Both baby and mom are healthy and resting comfortably in a Los Angeles hospital.

“AkiAnne is more beautiful than we ever imagined she could be,” Candice told her family.

“We’re so happy for Candice and KenGee,” said GoDaddy.com CEO and founder Bob Parsons.

AkiAnne is already part of the Go Daddy family too. Candice registered AkiAnneRose.com weeks ago.

“I registered her dot-COM name, and a few other back-up domain names, as soon as we decided on our baby’s name,” Candice said earlier this month. “I wanted to be sure AkiAnne had her very own place on the Internet, where we can post videos and photos — it’s a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. I really do think, someday soon, everyone will have a domain name, just like we all have a cell phone number.”

Candice is not alone. Popular baby names, as cited recently by the U.S. Social Security Administration, directly correlate with a surge in related domain name registrations at GoDaddy.com.

“The Internet is the real estate of the 21st century,” said Parsons. “This is a way to give someone an inexpensive gift that can last a lifetime, instead of a toy that goes by the wayside after a few months. Think about it, the domain name sets up a person’s online identity from day one!”

A domain name is the important first-step to building a website and nowadays, a custom website can be up-and-running in less than ten minutes. Plus, having your own domain name and website means you enjoy more ‘content control’ than is available with free social sites.

“I am so glad I had AkiAnne’s domain name lined up already,” Candice said by phone. “I can’t wait to share our baby pictures on her website so all of our family, spread out all over the country, can see her!”

If you’re looking for a ‘hip’ gift to give, like a domain name, you don’t need to be a tech whiz. Just go to GoDaddy.com and type in the desired name where you see, “Start a domain search,” at the top of the page. The search will show whether the name is available or if you can buy the rights to a similar name.

To see Candice’s new little ‘Go Daddy Girl,’ visit www.AkiAnneRose.com.

For domain names, websites and everything in between, visit www.GoDaddy.com.