*Tears* “I wish I could quit you!” It’s official, Michelle needs Alicia. Is there anything this girl can’t do? She continues to grow as an in-ring performer, she has a gorgeous, unique look, she takes amazing photoshoots and now she’s proving she’s got the acting side of things down too? This video just made me love Alicia more, she really is becoming such a well-rounded performer and is one of the best kept secrets in the WWE.

This promo made me wonder where this relationship could have gone had Vince not pilched Alicia for Raw. We all know that mic work isn’t Michelle’s strongest suit, but A-Fox proves here she has some skill in that area — she could have offset the Women’s Champion, by doing the talking for her. *Sigh* We shall never know…

“Oh my God, I’m so excited!” Seriously priceless.

Just thought I’d pop a little tribute in there! # Just beat it, just beat it #

They say patience is a virtue and our patience truly paid off last night, as for the first time in 6 months, the Divas got booked on pay per view and the result was everything I imagined it to be. I’ve been fully invested in the feud between Melina and Michelle McCool for the past couple of months and have been looking forward to them finally getting it on in the ring and last night’s match didn’t disappoint. I believe in these two Divas, they are fantastic in the ring and over the past few weeks have shown a lot of chemistry — put them in the ring together and I expected an awesome match & I believe that’s what we got.

First of all, all three Divas involved looked phenomenal. I loved Melina’s new red ensemble, Michelle looked great in white but the star was Alicia at ringside, who just looked beautiful in a cute summery dress with her hair tied up.

My main worry about this match was time. I’ve almost pleaded and begged on this blog in the past couple of weeks to let these girls have the time they need to put on a great match. Divas are usually constrained to 3-5 minutes, but I really felt these two Divas needed the time to go all out, especially in a championship match. Thankfully, they got around 8 minutes of ring action and 10 minutes in total for their segment which was a nice chunk of the PPV. I would have loved for them to go a few minutes longer but I can’t fault this match, I thought it was superb.

The Divas start off aggressively from the outset, Michelle starts out dominating with a knee to the stomach and few forearms but Melina comes back, she goes against the ropes setting up I believe, her hair smash but Michelle picks her up by the throat, which looked awesome – a lot of strength shown from Michelle. Melina counters into a DDT – but it looked more like a flip – and then starts pounding into Michelle. And that’s what I love about Melina, her fluidity from one move to the next, is creative and fresh.

Melina doesn’t let Michelle recuperate for a moment, continuing her assault which sets up the pace nicely — after all this is a championship match, there’s no time wasting here. Melina hits a nice backflip, followed by a clothesline and jumping neckbreaker.

Then the game-changer, Michelle kicks Melina in the leg setting up the story for the rest of the match, with Michelle working over Melina’s leg. A helpless Melina tries to fight back, showing what a fighting champion she is and incurs even more of Michelle’s fiery wrath. Michelle has done a great job in the past couple of months in upping her game and coming across even more aggressive in her matches. Michelle continues to work over Melina’s leg as the pace slows down some, but I think it’s still extremely watchable as Melina’s selling [as proven last week on SmackDown] is second to none. Michelle, showing more aggression, slams Melina’s leg into the ring post.

Fast forward a little bit and Michelle hits a very cool move, a reverse backbreaker, where she almost flips Melina 180 and her stomach meets Michelle’s knee. Michelle then channels her inner-Beth Phoenix, by contorting Melina’s body, making her foot touch her head. Melina really should just advertise ‘Stratusphere Yoga’ on her ring attire, right?

A cocky and arrogant Michelle starts to get complacent, now channeling Shane McMahon shuffling around the ring, she attempts a running knee into Melina in the corner but meets the turnbuckle. Melina gains some traction and sets up her knee smash in the corner, with less ease than usual. Michelle pretty much no-sells Melina’s knee smash, with a chopblock to Melina’s knee immediately after. Melina begins using her ‘educated feet’ to kick Michelle, wrapping her legs around Michelle’s neck and does her heel-to-the-head kick.

Melina backs into the corner and tries to do it again, but Michelle counters and locks Michelle in for the Faith Breaker. Melina manages to counter into a hurricanrana. We don’t usually see false finishes in Diva matches but I think it adds meaning as it makes the eventual finish even more important as we’ve been teased prior. Melina goes for a near fall followed by Michelle.

It’s time to go up top, folks – a nice addition to any Divas match. Michelle props Melina up for a superplex, Melina pushes her off and hits her hair smash finally! Melina, like a pro, continues to sell her bad knee as she crawls across the ring to cover Michelle but Alicia puts Michelle’s leg on the bottom rope. It’s about time A-Fox got involved, she was beginning to look like window dressing! Melina gets a measure of revenge with a dropkick through the bottom rope, which seems to have been pulled off by nearly every Diva in the WWE in the past month.

This distraction gives Michelle enough time to recover. Melina jumps on top of Michelle for the Last Call and I have to admit, when I first watched I thought Melina may just retain after all. However, Michelle counters and attempts to get Melina into finisher position but Melina lands on her fit and Michelle hits her with a vicious big boot. We get another false finish which only adds to the excitement…

Michelle finally locks in the Faith Breaker which got a pretty nice pop, sold perfectly by Melina and history is made.

These two Divas really slugged it out and tried to give you an ‘epic’ feel to the match with the false starts and near falls. People have complained that the audience were dead for the match but it’s certainly not through a lack of trying, because Melina and Michelle made a tremendous effort I think. In any men’s match that kind of technique is going to illicit a reaction, unfortunately audiences just aren’t as receptive to Divas matches. I’m not one of those people who cares about audience reaction, it is what it is. I don’t think you can ever expect a Divas match to illicit the same response from those in attendance because there’s such a double standard, the predominantly male WWE audience will tell you a Divas match is ‘shit’ even if it isn’t.

This match is definitely on my list for ‘Match of the Year’ candidate, both Divas gave their all and delivered one hell of a match, proving that Divas do deserve to get PPV matches.

Ladies and gentlemen, Diva Dirt has crowned it’s first ever Female Grand Slam Champion in Michelle McCool. Michelle defeated Melina to become the new Women’s Champion moments ago at The Bash in an incredible match, if I do say so myself.

I know this will be an unpopular outcome for many, but I urge you to be mature in your McHating in the comments. Immature comments will get you banned.

Welcome to Diva Dirt’s live blog for The Bash 2009! Tonight, Melina defends the Women’s Championship against Michelle McCool. Join us to discuss the event as it happens, give us your reaction to the match and much more!

The WWE Divas finally return to pay per view tonight and what a comeback match we have; SmackDown’s Women’s Champion Melina defends for the very first time against Michelle McCool. Neither Diva is a stranger to The Bash, though they’ve had varying degrees of luck at the event. Melina competed for the Women’s Title in 2007, in a losing effort to Candice Michelle. Meanwhile, Michelle McCool became the first ever Divas Champion at last year’s show. Can lightning strike twice?

Our Diva Dirt writers weigh in:

Erin: If Michelle wins, she becomes the WWE’s first-ever Diva double champ (yeah, sorry about lagging on that Diva Dirt feature, by the way, dear readers), so it’s not something to be taken lightly. Is the WWE ready to crown a double champ? I’m sure the higher-ups haven’t even given the “double champion” thing a thought, which is why I don’t think that when Michelle wins, they’ll do much more than mention the mere fact. I feel that it’s Michelle’s time to take the Women’s Championship and run with it. Melina’s done well on SmackDown, but a babyface with a championship is almost like a swimmer treading water – there’s not much to do than thwart the heel’s attempts over and over. Most agree that a babyface is better in the “chase” position (Exhibit A – Trish Stratus), so if the WWE wants to get some legs out of this Michelle/Melina feud, it’d be best to give Michelle the title and let Melina chase for a while. Even if Michelle, with her newly-won title, moves on to different feud, it’s beneficial for SmackDown in its new position as the “show to watch” to keep things fresh and new. A heel champ should spice things up a bit, if only a little. Melina can survive without the title – she’s popular enough – so it only makes sense to let someone else shine…

Melanie: First of all, the uprising against Michelle becoming the first ever Divas & Women’s Champion is ridiculous. I don’t really care who the first ever double champion is to be honest, it’s only a bragging right. To me, it’s a storyline device and nothing more and I liken the situation to when Santino won the ‘Miss WrestleMania’ title, it was a storyline device. I was upset about that, but now I’m ‘older and wiser’ shall we say lol and can see what WWE will be looking for in it’s first Divas & Women’s Champion — not much. It’ll be a storyline device and not neccessarily for the ‘Diva who has deserved it most’, as most people seem to think Michelle doesn’t deserve it over Mickie James. As a heel, Michelle needs to be bragadocious and this is the perfect storyline device to do it, by getting bragging rights on being the first ever double champion. It’s Michelle all the way on this one. There’s more to be done in terms of storyline with Michelle as a boastful champion and Melina as an underdog chasing the title.

Steven: As I said in my audio bulletin, I really think that Michelle McCool has this match in the bag. I normally would have bet against her being that she won on SmackDown this past Friday, but WWE has really shoving the whole ‘Michelle as double champion’ thing down our throat as of late. I feel WWE is trying to make Michelle the new face of the Divas division and this is the perfect opportunity. Expect McCool to come out of The Bash as Champ and a ‘Michelle McCool haters’ rally to ensue afterwards.

Tiffany: I’m almost confident that Michelle will be taking this one.  It’s been made very clear that WWE intends to have Michelle snatch the accolade of “firstst ever Diva to hold both titles.”  She already has the bragging rights of being the first Divas Champion, which is a testament to WWE’s confidence in her.  Melina has been champion since January, and it has sadly become apparent that WWE does not feel obligated to feature the Divas on PPV unless it’s for some kind of purpose.  At the last PPV, Melina won her title, and I think she will be dropping it at this one.  Most would interpret McCool’s win over Melina on SmackDown as an automatic win for the current champion, but I think it is important to recognize just how strongly Michelle has been pushed in preparation for her next title run.  Michelle has been picking her spots and has been dominating on Smackdown, and I don’t see why that momentum can’t follow her into The Bash.  I think, in Michelle, we’re looking at our next Women’s Champion.

Don’t forget to join us for our live blog tonight from 7.45pm ET/12.45am UK.

Tonight, WWE holds the 6th incarnation of it’s ‘Bash’ pay per view, a former staple of the WCW PPV calendar. Up until this year, the event had gone by the name of ‘The Great American Bash’, but in an effort to make the show more globally-friendly, it has been shortened to ‘The Bash’.

Tonight at The Bash, the Women’s Championship will be defended for only the second time at the event when Melina defends against Michelle McCool. Neither Diva is a stranger to this particular event, Melina was involved in the very first Women’s Title defence in 2007. Meanwhile, McCool’s career landmark came last year, when she became the first ever Divas Champion at this PPV.

Let us take a look through the years at the various Bash events, ahead of tonight’s big pay per view! Remember to join us for our Bash live blog from 7.45pm ET/12.45am UK!

2004
Sable vs Torrie Wilson

The first Bash pay per view was held in 2004, when WWE ressurected the event for it’s SmackDown brand. With the advertising campaign based around the brand’s top Diva, Torrie Wilson, it only made sense to put her on the card. Sable and Torrie had started out as bitter rivals in 2003 before making up to appear on the cover of Playboy together in March 2004. They even notched up a huge victory together at WrestleMania XX for the SmackDown brand. But just a few months later, they were back at each other’s throats (both on screen and in real life!) which led to this match at the Bash:

It may not have been the most technical affair, but Sable could teach our current crop of Divas a thing or two about in-ring psychology. Her heel mannerisms are resemblant of current Diva, Maryse’s. Though Sable stole a win here, Torrie would get her revenge the very next week on SmackDown.

2005
Melina vs Torrie Wilson

In 2005, a new Diva emerged on the SmackDown scene and promised to usurp the ‘top Diva’ position from Torrie Wilson — enter Melina. With Torrie, once again featured in the promotional campaign for the 2005 Bash, you couldn’t just leave her off the PPV. So it would be Torrie vs Melina in a Bra & Panties Match to settle their differences with Candice Michelle serving as special guest referee:

The battle for SmackDown supremacy was cut short later that summer, when Torrie and Candice were traded to Raw. Melina would follow suit in 2006, where she would win 3 Women’s Championships and her short feud with Candice would become full blown just a couple of years later…

2006
Ashley vs Jillian vs Kristal vs Michelle McCool

The following year saw a blip on the Bash radar, as four of the brand’s Divas competed in a four-way Bra & Panties Match. A match that made me yearn for the days of Torrie, Sable and Melina.

2007
Candice Michelle vs Melina

In 2007, The Bash was given a lifeline: it had become a tri-branded pay per view. Which meant that the Raw Divas got a turn to appear on the show, a far cry from the year before. This year saw the Women’s Championship on the line for the very first time at the Bash; Candice defended against Melina. These two had a prior altercation at the 2005 Bash, but it was on Raw where the dial turned up on their feud in 2007. Just a month before, Candice had done what we thought was impossible — beat Melina for the title and Melina would get her rematch at the Bash:

Though Candice bested Melina here, a few months later she would drop the title to Beth Phoenix and suffer the first of her many injuries that would end her career as she was released earlier this month. Meanwhile, Melina would come back from her own injury to win her third Women’s Championship from Beth, a title reign that is threatened at this year’s Bash!

2008
Michelle McCool vs Natalya

2008 made history as the Divas Championship was introduced and at The Bash, the first ever champion would be crowned. The SmackDown Divas had won back their hold on the event, when Michelle and Natalya would compete to become the first ever Divas Champ:

Fresh in our minds, last year’s event was a disappointing one considering the hype surrounding a new title for our Divas. However Michelle McCool proved that she was Diva-enough to be a champion and that is a mentality she will hold onto tonight, when she has the opportunity to make history again! Can she be the first ever Diva to hold the Divas and Women’s Championships? (Read our 2008 Bash live blog)

Which Bash has been your favourite? Vote below:

[poll id="372"]

Welcome to Diva B-Sides, the Diva Dirt exclusive where we match WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts with new entrance themes. In honor of this Sunday’s PPV, The Bash, I’ve decided to take exception to my new one-Diva-per-post rule to bring you guys a B-Side for both the champion and the challenger. Let’s get right into things with the #1 contender Michelle McCool:

MICHELLE’S PICK: “BREAKING DISHES” BY RIHANNA

I think we can all agree that Michelle’s current theme has long wore out it’s welcome. It just doesn’t fit her new persona. She could also stand to change that tron, because running along the beach in a skimpy bikini just doesnt scream ‘heel’ to me. Alas that’s another post for another time.

At first listen, this song might not seem to fit Michelle, but I think it’s message of being a powerful woman, girl power etc. fits her perfectly. I think that a song with so much character such as this one could help McCool make up in the charisma department (where she is somewhat lacking).

 Melina’s Pick after the break:

 MELINA’S PICK: “STARSTRUCK” BY LADY GAGA

I’m pretty sure that this is going to spark up some debate, as Melina’s theme, ‘Paparazzi’ is one of the most popular Diva themes. However, like Michelle’s theme, I feel that it’s run its course.

No one can deny that Melina is a star in her own right, so it’s only fitting that I pick a song with ‘Star’ in the title. I feel Melina could really work this bass-driven tune while strutting down the red carpet like only she can. With any luck, Melina can make sure Michelle is Starstruck as well, so she can pick up the win.

What did did you guys think? Are you putting these tracks on ‘repeat’ or are you searching for the ’skip’ button? Leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments. Also if you have any Diva B-Sides of your own, send them to me at steven@diva-dirt.com with Diva B-sides in the subject line. Maybe you’ll see your idea in a future post.

So this is what the parting of the red sea must feel like. Though not officially announced, the Wrestling Observer has announced that a Women’s Championship match is expected to take place at The Bash pay per view on June 28th.

The Bash will be the first Divas pay per view match since January [WrestleMania doesn't count], as Melina defends the Women’s Championship against Michelle McCool. Ironically, it was in the last Divas PPV match that Melina won the title against Beth Phoenix at the Royal Rumble.

It’s been a long drought folks, but our patience has paid off!And what a doozy is our first pay per view match back, I am totally checking for Melina and Michelle. As I revealed in my audio bulletin earlier this week, I was feeling confident that the Divas would get onto this pay per view card as WWE seem to be in a mad rush to book the event, as they haven’t left themselves much time in between the Extreme Rules pay per view and this one. Usually that leads to sloppy booking, but it works well for our Divas who this year have been disregarded from PPV events. I really hope Melina and Michelle get a good 10 minutes to slug it out, their work thus far has been great.

EDIT: As you can see from the image above, the match is now official and was announced on this week’s SmackDown.

Diva Dirt reader, Artie rightfully reminded us that we’ve been focussing so much on Michelle McCool‘s Divas Championship victory over Natalya, that we’ve forgotten to even acknowledge the other Divas brawl at the Bash. Well more of a catfight than a brawl but highly entertaining nonetheless, Vickie Guerrero laid her former wedding planner, Alicia Fox the frig out with a clothesline at the Bash last night! I was really surprised to see Alicia get involved in the match, because I thought they’d forget all about her but talk about a way to enter the WWE, right? Alicia tried to help Edge win the WWE Championship before being attacked by Vickie, the two continued their brawl in the ring and just as it seemed Edge was going to spear Alicia she moved out of the way and he got his “wife” instead!

This was really well done, I thought they would have Alicia be Lita 2.0, but obviously that didn’t happen because why on earth would Edge want to spear her? Vickie could get a big pop when she came out and clotheslined Alicia, which truly is a turnaround from the deafening boos! This week’s SmackDown just got a lot more interesting, I can’t wait to see more of Alicia and to a lesser extent, Vickie!

I guess, given all the hype it was bound to happen – last night’s match for the Divas Championship was something of a letdown. You know when you’re really, really looking forward to something and then afterwards you feel like, “That was it?” That’s how I felt last night. God I hope this doesn’t spell the same for The Dark Knight… but that’s a story for another day! Meet Michelle McCool, your first ever Divas Champion. Reading your comments last night, some of you are pleased and some of you aren’t but for me, I was happy whatever the outcome because I thought and hoped we’d be treated to a great wrestling match. Unfortunately, what started out strong and was a solid match for the first three-quarters, was let down by WWE’s time constraints. God forbid, we give the Divas a little more time and cut away from Triple H’s entrance.

This was my only qualm with this match, so if you’re hoping for ranting and raving that “Zomg, Michelle’s a whore and shouldn’t be champion”, you will be bitterly disappointed. Michelle and Natalya both made a fantastic effort and it didn’t take me long at all to get into this match but what it needed was time and that’s something that WWE just wouldn’t give the Divas last night, just a few more minutes would have made all the difference – instead the finish came off somewhat anti-climactic. Michelle manages to get out of Natalya’s Sharpshooter but Natalya can’t get out of the heel hook? I was hoping that it would take a couple more tries for Michelle to finally be able to make Natalya tap out, instead she tapped on the first instance. I felt this hurts the third generation Diva because she has been built up so strongly, WWE really should have set this up so that both Divas took each other to the limit until one of them couldn’t hang on any longer; for most of the match Natalya did just that, controlling the match and really taking it to Michelle. I would have then liked to see Michelle take control of the match and do the same to Natalya, but just as Michelle was catching steam – you blink and before you know it, both girls are lying on the canvas and Michelle’s got the heel hook in. You blink again, and the match is over!

There was so much more potential for this match, had they gotten some more time but that seems to be the main plight for the SmackDown women’s division. After all, it was time that kept them off the Night of Champions card. Would I say the match was decent? It was. Would I say it was all that I expected and more? No. It was passable, but hopefully these two will get more chances down the line because I don’t think this program is over just yet! Match Rating: 6/10

It’s official, ladies and gents… Michelle McCool is your first ever Divas Champion! Results are below! Happy? Sad? Pissed? Sound off in the comments!

Match Number Five: Michelle McCool versus Natalya Neidhart for the Divas Title

They lock up and Michelle with a waist lock take down. Natalya with a standing switch. Michelle with a drop kick for a near fall and then she works on the arm. Michelle with a series of European uppercuts. Michelle with a kick to Natalya. Michelle tries for a wheelbarrow move but Natalya turns it into a hot shot. Natalya with a near fall and then she slams Michelle’s head into the mat. Natalya works on the knee and then she tries for a surfboard move. Michelle powers out of the move and turns it into a heel hook but Natalya gets to the ropes and apron. Natalya wraps Michelle around the ring post. Natalya with a kick to the head and then she starts to work on the hamstring before getting another near fall.

Natalya with forearms and then she sets for the Sharpshooter and she locks it in. Michelle makes it to the ropes to get Natalya to release the hold. Natalya slams Michelle’s head into the mat. Natalya tries for the Sharpshooter again, but Michelle with the heel hook again. Natalya rolls to the ropes but she cannot reach them and she taps out.

Winner: Michelle McCool

The Great American Bash is just a couple of hours away! The first ever Divas Champion will be crowned when Michelle McCool and Natalya face off. As Diva Dirt winds down it’s Bash-themed weekend, it’s time for our bloggers to decide just what will happen and who will win in our tip sheet!

Doug: I think Michelle will snag the title tonight. It just seems like WWE wants to build the title on SmackDown’s top face at the moment. She’s definitely earned it, with her winning streak lately, so I don’t see why she wouldn’t win. Natalya is new, but I don’t see her getting the title so soon. I think Natalya will battle Michelle for the title once Michelle is champion.

Erin: I stated my case pretty thouroughly in the Diva Debates, but I’ll try and mix it up a little bit here. Obviously, I think Natalya will win. She’s been pushed as this forced to be reckoned with, and while Michelle is obviously SmackDown’s golden girl, it makes much more sense to gradually build up to Michelle’s win at a later date and have Natalya walk out as the first Divas Champion at the Bash. If Natalya holds the title for a bit, she can dominate for a while, showing her strength and building up the prestige of the title. Then, it can be Michelle’s turn for glory.

But for now, I see Natalya slightly dominating the match at the Bash, toying with Michelle and eventually winning after Michelle puts up a noble fight. Then, Michelle can gain fan sympathy and build up to an eventual title win. So it’s definitely Natalya for the win, IMO. She deserves a good title reign, since she’s one of the most polished wrestlers of all the WWE’s Divas, and it would make sense to showcase her as one of the faces of SmackDown. Bottom line, Natalya is going the be the first Divas Champ – bank on it. ;)

Melanie: First of all, I would like to begin this blog my sharing my sentiments from my PWInsider column, both of these Divas have worked so hard and whoever wins tonight they will have truly deserved it. It could honestly go either way and I wouldn’t complain (too much) if Michelle won or if Natalya won, WWE is truly in a position that this could go either way. That said, my money is on Natalya picking up the win tonight and becoming the first ever Divas Champion. The reason i go for Natalya is because of the many reasons Erin stated above (we’re like peas in a pod, even sharing the same opinions!) but also because I think WWE’s mentality really could be executed here and that mentality is: there’s money in the chase.

Like Jacqueline winning the Women’s Championship in 1998 despite Sable being hot with the crowd, WWE felt there was money in the chase and that Sable’s eventual win at Survivor Series would be a huge moment and it was. That same strategy should be employed tonight at the Bash, with the hot favourite – Michelle McCool chasing Natalya for the title, possibly wrestling another couple of times before really fighting a hard fought match and winning the title. I think that would be even more rewarding for Michelle and it would really heat up this feud and make major bank. I would have Natalya go over here, then win a rematch at SummerSlam (or in the main event of a SmackDown) and then Michelle really put her all into going for the gold and winning the title in September or October. Natalya for the win, even if she does cheat. Nonetheless, I expect a very good match, I would love to see both of the Divas try to go for their submission holds and try to play off that.

THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH

The Great American Bash was originally an NWA event, starting in 1985 and rumored to have been “invented” by ring legend Dusty Rhodes. In 1991, WCW took over the reigns and held the annual PPV until WWE bought the company. It wasn’t until 2004 that the WWE resurrected the summer event, keeping the familiar name and patriotic theme. Every year since, there has been a Diva match of some kind, ranging from Bra & Panties matches to tussles for the Women’s Championship. Needless to say, the Bash in never predictable..

THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH 2004 – Sable vs. Torrie Wilson
Sable and Torrie were long-time rivals on SmackDown, and it was inevitable that the two would face off in an actual match after the long run of bikini contests and other more T&A-oriented affairs. Torrie, ever the patriotic one, donned a star-and-stripes attire and had the full force of the fans behind her as she took on her arch rival:

THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH 2005 – Melina vs. Torrie Wilson – Bra & Panties match (Candice Michelle as referee)
Melina and Torrie had a short-lived feud in the summer of 2005, but it wasn’t without it’s own share of fireworks. Prima-donna Melina challenged Torrie to a match, and the SmackDown veteran upped the ante, making it a Bra & Panties match. Melina was not keen on the idea of possibly being “exposed”, but went ahead with it nevertheless. Candice, Torrie’s then-BFF, served as referee for the match, being pulled into the feud after Melina attacked her for seemingly no reason. For such a quick feud, the two seemed to have plenty of distate for one another, and with Candice tossed into the mix, this surely was not going to be a by-the-books matchup:

THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH 2006 – Ashley Massaro vs. Jillian Hall vs. Kristal Marshall vs. Michelle McCool – Four-Way Bra & Panties match
Michelle and Kristal were snotty heels back in 2006, aligning themselves against the babyface duo of Jillian and Ashley in various matches and encounters. However, these allegiances meant nothing as the four went up against one another, every woman for herself, in a Bra & Panties match:

THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH 2007 – Candice Michelle vs. Melina – Women’s Title match
Candice and Melina became fierce rivals pretty fast – Candice gained a series of upsets over Melina, angering the arrogant Diva and prompting her to put her Women’s Championship on the line against the less-experienced Candice. When Candice pulled out another upset, she walked off with Melina’s title. Melina was determined to win back her belt, coming in focused and most definitely angry in a long and surprisingly technical match against the popular new Women’s Champion, determined to not let yet another upset go down:

With only one Championship match in the Bash’s history, tonight’s Divas Championship match has the potential to knock the rest of them out of the water. Not only is it a history making match, being the first time the Champion is to be crowned, but it features two of the most promising Divas in the WWE, both with bright careers ahead of them. Honestly, I’m just glad that there’s not another Bra & Panties match this year. I’m definitely counting on this year’s Bash to upstage the others in a big way.

Now for that quiz I mentioned. Below, I’ve posed a question for you based on the required reading (er, viewing..) above. Take a crack at the question and check out the corresponding video to see if you were right!
[poll=108]

It is officially Great American Bash weekend! We’re going to be celebrating and keeping you posted all weekend on this historic weekend, because tomorrow night we will be crowning the first ever Divas Champion! Anyway, WWE.com has a really interesting article on the new title, including comments from many Divas including the challengers – Michelle and Natalya - and even Raw’s Beth Phoenix.

After nine years of battling without a title, the Divas of SmackDown finally have their golden opportunity — the newly-created Divas Championship.

When SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero, referring to herself as “the woman in power in a male-dominated world” introduced the new title, she made history. Now, only one question remains: Will it be Natalya or Michelle McCool who will join the GM in carving her name into the history books as the first to wear the Divas Championship crown?

Third-generation Diva Natalya became the first contender in line for the honor after reigning victorious in a Golden Dreams Match against six of the Sexiest Women on Television. In that match, she managed to plow through her best friend Victoria, as well as Michelle McCool, who she will face one-on-one at The Great American Bash for the title.

“It felt amazing to win. I accomplished something very big for myself, especially being on SmackDown for only a few months,” said the dominant beauty. “All my years in The Dungeon, training ruthlessly, and all my hard work has paid off. We finally have a title to compete for and I am more than a contender. I see myself wearing that gold.”

SmackDown’s All-American Girl, who fittingly won her chance at the Divas Championship on Independence Day, knows that going against Natalya for the coveted title on Sunday will be no easy feat, but McCool says she is prepared to prove herself, and will stand tall over her competition.

More after the cut:

“I deserve this chance,” she explained. “Natalya made her debut by attacking me from behind and I haven’t been able to get my hands on her one-on-one yet. She is living on the fact that she is a third-generation Diva. She may be a Hart, but her heart isn’t nearly as big as mine. I plan on wearing the gold around my waist and will do whatever it takes.”

Natalya and Michelle McCool have had quite the rivalry since Natalya burst on to the SmackDown scene. At the pay-per-view, they will finally get their chance, not only to face one another in singles action for the first time, but also to be a part of history.

“I’ve been watching Michelle very closely and studying her work. I really think I’ve met my match. She’s one of the hardest working Divas in WWE, but she better be prepared for the fight of her life.” Natalya said of her opponent.

Once a Divas Champion is crowned, the titleholder becomes a target. All SmackDown Divas will be eyeing the prize.

“To be a contender, I know I have to be on my best game,” said Cherry. “I’m ready.”

Victoria, a two-time Women’s Champion expressed similar sentiments. “I have been here longer than any of the Divas, and I’m the best, and I will win the title!”

Former Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, although a Raw Diva, is also looking to get her hands on the Divas Championship and make some history of her own. The Glamazon said recently that she believes Vickie Guerrero’s decision to create the title will only assist her in becoming a Diva legend.

“The Divas Championship will allow a SmackDown Diva to stay in the spotlight,” Beth said. “There’s nothing I love doing more than soaking up the spotlight. In the future, I’m certain that I’ll be the first Diva to hold both the Women’s and Divas Titles at the same time.”

“I’d love to take a trip to SmackDown to destroy every Diva there,” she continued. “If there’s competition looking for me, I want them to please send me an invitation.”

An invitation is exactly what Michelle McCool plans to extend to Phoenix if she defeats Natalya at the Bash on Sunday.

“I hope Beth Phoenix does come to SmackDown. We have some unfinished business,” McCool stated. “As far as holding both titles goes, we all want that, but my suggestion to her is to get the Women’s Championship back first before she starts running her mouth so much.”

Find out whether it will be Natalya or Michelle McCool who will shine as the first-ever Divas Champion by checking out The Great American Bash, Sunday at 8/7 CT, only on pay-per-view.

In an international airing of SmackDown, WWE confirmed that the Divas Championship will be decided at the Great American Bash between Michelle McCool and Natalya. Bring it on!!!