As teased at the SmackDown taping last night, there is expected to be a third Raw vs SmackDown match at Bragging Rights on October 25th — this one going to the Divas. From the sounds of it, it will likely be a singles match. No names were made official however.
Just under 24 hours removed from last night’s Diva Trade, what do the moves mean for each of the 7 Divas that have changed homes? We aim to offer our insight into what they could be getting up to:
The Bella Twins
Returning to Monday Night Raw, the Bella Twins’ brief excursion to ECW seems to be over… unfortunately. That said, given the fact they have been making trips to Raw over the past month or two anyway, it only seems fitting to make it official, right? I don’t expect the Bellas will be doing much in the way of wrestling on Raw, nor will they probably have much part in the women’s division at all — except at house shows. If they do wrestle, it will likely be as rarely as they did on ECW. So what does that leave them to do? What they’ve been doing already — backstage segments with the Guest Host for the week, maybe even a few skits here and there with Santino. It looks to me as though they were brought back to Raw for that reason, to serve as characters rather than wrestlers which I guess, is okay.
Beth Phoenix
I’m not entirely happy with this move for Beth, I truly feel not all of the avenues of the Beth Phoenix character were explored and there was more that she could have offered to Raw; feuding with Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly and possibly even Melina again. On SmackDown, while there is the possibility [technically] that she could go toe-to-toe with Michelle McCool or Natalya — both of which are salivating prospects — it just doesn’t seem likely with all three as heels. That just leaves two Divas: Maria and Mickie James. One of those feuds we’ve seen already and would be like beating a dead horse, the other of those feuds seems like an extremely mismatched affair. Nonetheless, it seems like Maria vs Beth could be the only avenue they explore in a singles situation. There is always the chance of a three-way feud with Michelle McCool and Mickie James also. Beyond those two storylines, I don’t see there being much for Beth to accomplish on SmackDown.
The fallout from the Diva Trade last night is still being felt and now details are starting to pour in. A source backstage at Raw last night tells us: – The reason for Mickie James‘ move to SmackDown was put down to her work ethic of late as well as her weight. The decision was … Read more
So I woke up this morninMg and wondered, “Did last night really happen?” A brief moment later, after rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I realised no, I wasn’t in some parallel universe or WWE’s beloved Bizzaro World. Last night did happen. Jillian the Jobber really did win a major championship. Melina really did return to Raw. Mickie James really did get traded to SmackDown. On top of all that, Raw ‘guest correspondent’, Maria Menounos got in the ring and wrestled — and looked better than the real Maria!
Watch the craziness unfold, all over again:
Divas Championship Matches
So apparently title opportunities are no longer earned as Jillian, who has a larger loss record than Paris Hilton has sexual conquests, is handed a title shot. For the record, I absolutely hate title shots that are just handed out. But after Kelly, Mickie, Beth, Gail & even Alicia Fox were given Divas Title shots on Raw this year, it only seems right that Jillian gets one too, right?
Honestly, though as short as it was, I enjoyed the work between Jillian and Mickie. Jillian proves here just what a great worker she is, able to have a nice, kind of fast paced exchange with Mickie. We start with a lockup which goes into a headlock, Mickie throws Jillian against the ropes and goes for a hip toss but Jillian nicely counters into a monkey flip. Mickie sells it oddly, which is covered up as a ‘counter’, getting on her feet & charges at Jillian with a Thesz press. Mickie with a dropkick & pin attempt. She then sets up the tornado DDT but Jillian counters and goes for her facebuster, but Mickie manages to block it and goes for a flip into a pin. Mickie kicks Jillian and throws her into the corner, Mickie launches at Jillian, she ducks and Mickie ends up climbing the ropes. Jillian hits a powerbomb, goes for a pin using the ropes for a leg-up and gets the win. Jillian is the new Divas Champion!
Incredibly short, but I enjoyed the little work that we did see and would’ve liked it to be a little longer. These two work well together and are able to go from one move to another seamlessly without the awkward moments that usually linger in Mickie matches. Good effort, I’d say. Rushed finish which is explained by what’s to come…
So Jillian celebrates her title win with a rendition of my favourite Lady Gaga song, ‘Paparazzi’ and messes up the lyrics. [Yes, I paid attention!] Nancy O’Dell, who sounds kind of annoying if you ask me, interrupts and announces that Jillian will defend the title right now against Raw’s newest acquisition, Melina!
This here, was PRICELESS. Jillian realises what we all realise: her title reign is about to be cut incredibly short. Her acting here was pure genius, the facial expressions, the amazing way she clinged onto the belt as the match was about to start. “It’s mine! Please, it’s mine…” The comedic acting was perfection! And the way her head kinda sank when Justin Roberts took the belt, a little “Aww” moment. Seriously, the acting here was so good.
So it’s time for Melina vs Jillian, and you just knew this was going to be short as hell. Melina almost instantly goes for the leg-split drop but it’s botched by Jillian, who goes down too early. Melina doesn’t quite know what to do but mounts Jillian, I guess they were having a little impromptu pow-wow here with Melina telling her to go into another finish. The set up into the Last Call was a little awkward, though understandable due to it being impromptu. Melina hits it and becomes the Divas Champion.
I really appreciate the work ethic here, yes the match was so short and incredibly botched but the fact Melina showed a cool, collectedness and an ability to think on the spot proves just why I think she should be WWE’s new top Diva. Showing initiative and opting to go for a second finish rather than pinning her on a botched leg-spit drop was a good move. In comparison, Mickie in that match with Gail… A world of difference. Melina showed initiative and handled the situation and it was nicely done given the unfortunate circumstance.
I also want to point attention to Melina’s reaction after the match. This girl is really sweet in real life and very emotional at times and that often comes across on TV too. Melina and Jillian are really great friends and you have to think that it was bittersweet for her to pin her friend, who I’m sure she would want to be champion too. After pinning her, she sort of looked at Jillian a little sadly, and again looked down at her sort of “I’m sorry” as her hand was being raised. At the end of the clip, you’ll also see her saying “I’m sorry,” more in character this time, but still not consistent with her role as a babyface. If you’d just won the title, you’d be flaunting it in your opponent’s face. For Melina, I think her some of her real personality & her real emotional nature came across and I thought it was really sweet. Looking at some of the comments being made towards Melina, I don’t know how one can be pissed off at or ‘hate’ someone who doesn’t even make the decisions; it’s as though the girl booked herself to be the champion.
There were many, many shocks delivered last night on Monday Night Raw and the WWE.com Diva Trade that succeeded it, but perhaps the biggest shocker is WWE’s top Diva Mickie James being shipped to SmackDown. Losing her Divas Championship so inauspiciously to Jillian and then being announced as moving to SmackDown; it seems like there … Read more
Just for the sake of compilation and to give you [and us] a picture of what your new Monday, Tuesday and Friday nights will look like, we have made lists of the new Divas roster on each brand: Raw Faces: Melina (Divas Champion) Brie Bella Eve Torres Gail Kim Kelly Kelly Nikki Bella Heels: Alicia … Read more
As teased on Raw, the Diva trades are as follows: Raw – Melina [Moves from SmackDown, new Divas Champion] – The Bella Twins [Move from ECW] – Eve Torres [Moves from SmackDown] SmackDown – Beth Phoenix [Moves from Raw] – Mickie James [Moves from Raw] ECW – Rosa Mendes [Moves from Raw] Stay tuned for … Read more
Tonight, Raw is hosted by Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell and Maria Menounos. With rumours swirling that one [or both] may step into the ring, what can we expect tonight? As always, use this post to leave your comments on the show!
The Divas Championship has changed hands not once, but twice in an unfathomable episode of Raw. [Still in shock!] Jillian and Melina became the fourth and fifth Divas Champions, respectively. Jillian defeated Mickie James in a short singles match to take the title and can now claim that in her long five year career, she … Read more
Former Divas Champion, Maryse is set to return to television ‘imminently’ reports the Wrestling Observer website. Maryse has been sidelined since July after having surgery on a lingering knee injury, which dates back to last December. ‘Imminently’ sure sounds, well, imminent. Keep your eyes pealed tonight on Raw!
Following in the footsteps of the WWE Divas, the TNA Knockouts have taken to the pages of Muscle & Fitness magazine. Knockouts, Lauren, SoCal Val, Velvet Sky and ex-Knockout Angelina Love bare all for the photospread which can be found in the December 2009 issue. And as a preview of what fans can expect in … Read more
More Diva footage from SmackDown vs Raw 2010 has been released! As has been widely talked about, the Divas will finally get their own ‘Road to WrestleMania’ storyline in this year’s game, well rather, Mickie James will. Footage of her storyline can be seen below, including her and Maryse cutting a promo with The Miz: … Read more
Raw guest host tonight, Maria Menounos, has been injured already. The 31-year-old who hosts tonight with Access Hollywood anchor, Nancy O’Dell, wrote on her Twitter page that she has pulled her hamstring. As we reported last week, it looks as though Menounos had been training for an in-ring performance tonight on Raw. Footage of her … Read more
Former WWE Diva and TNA Knockout, Jackie Haas will be joining Stew and Lee this coming week for the third installment of the Women of Wrestling Podcast. Jackie, the former Tough Enough 2 champion has worked for both of the major promotions and is the wife of SmackDown Superstar, Charlie Haas. Just earlier this year, … Read more
Welcome to the Diva Dirt Style Jury! No more are the separate ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ lists, instead we have come up with a scientific approach *cough* to compiling our weekly fashion column. The Diva Dirt team will weigh in on the different looks from the week gone by & mark each look with a score out of ten. The look with the highest average score will be our best look and the look with the lowest average score will be the worst look. Click each photo to see the look in full size.
Let the proverbial runway show begin!
ALICIA FOX Erin: Not digging the mosaic or whatever’s going on on her tights. There’s just too much going on, and a crazy pattern like that isn’t all that figure-flattering, even though Alicia’s a really skinny girl. Her hair and headband kick ass, though. 5/10 Melanie: I like it, but I’m not loving it. I felt she could’ve gone for more of a black sequined look like Michelle wore on SmackDown or Torrie used to wear, that would’ve looked better. As is, I think it looks a little garish. 5/10 Steven: Alicia’s really been on a black kick as of late, huh? This is probably my favorite of all of Alicia’s in-ring outfits. 9/10 Tiffany: I was digging this attire on Ms. Foxy. Alicia has proven time and time again that black suits her and that she can work it quite well. 7/10
EVE TORRES Erin: Eve kind of looks like she stepped out of the 80’s: members only jacket, black sequins, tights, belly chain, teased hair.. I wasn’t too coherent/alive for the 80s, so I’m not an expert on the style of the era, but I’ve never been too big on it. On Eve, it doesn’t look as “costume party” as it could, but I’m still not liking it all that much. Though, I do like the seafoam color on the jacket. 6/10 Melanie: Not feeling this one at all. The jacket looked Ninja Turtle-y, the bra under the jacket was trashy. The pants, I thought the bottom half may be salvagable but on closer look they had this weird look to it and the crotch looks really gah. Oh and the Jessie Spano hair? Put down your Saved by the Bell DVDs, Eve. 4/10 Steven: Loving the green leather jacket, but I could do without the tights. Overall, not a bad look. 7/10 Tiffany: I don’t understand the concept of cropped jackets (especially matched with teeny-weeny tops). Then again, I don’t understand the outfit altogether. Perhaps if the sleeves were a bit longer and the jacket was zipped up more (think Lacey Von Erich circa her TNA debut), then it’d be more to my liking. As it stands right now, this outfit doesn’t do much for me. Pass on the shiny tights. 6/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
Decade Diva, Lilian Garcia held a second wedding ceremony in New York yesterday. In attendance was fellow legendary Diva, Trish Stratus. Pictures of the two together can be seen here and here. Congratulations once again to Lilian and her husband! • • • • • Other websites are rumoring that Stacy Keibler & Torrie Wilson … Read more
Repost from last week: The Roundtable returns tomorrow for a brand new episode — and I promise we’ll try to fix our audio issues from last week! As you’ll remember, we have a brand new format for the Roundtable which we kicked off last week, as we look back at the big news stories from the week gone by!
On Monday’s Roundtable, we discuss:
– Hell in a Cell: Alicia vs Mickie
– The Lacey Von Erich/Angelina Love/Sunny situation
– Maria Menounos to wrestle on Raw?
– Mickie James’ next title challenger?
– Divas version of The Hills starring Lacey, Shelly & more
– WWE signs fitness model Zivile Raudoniene
If you’d like to add your comments & ask a question for the Mailbag, reply with the following:
Name:
Your take on Lacey/Angel/Sunny:
Should Maria [and possibly Nancy O’Dell] wrestle on Raw?:
Should Beth be Mickie’s next challenger or stick to Alicia feud?:
What do you think of the casting choices on Divas version of The Hills?:
Question for Melanie/Erin/Steven/Tiffany (delete as applicable):
Make sure your comment for each topic is no longer than one sentence. Any longer and it will be overlooked.
To take part in the reader survey for each of the topics follow the cut!
Thanks to all of our readers who sent us the tip-off that this match is now on YouTube! The much anticipated ‘Queen of FCW’ [I guess that’s their Women’s Championship] match between Serena Mancini [since renamed Mia Mancini] and Savannah [then Angela Fong] aired last week with the rest of the FCW Divas sitting at … Read more
TNA Knockout, Traci Brooks was delivered a blow when her Playboy cover — which had been pencilled in for November — was instead given to the late Farrah Fawcett. Traci graciously conceded the spot to an American sex symbol and icon, who was previously graced the cover twice. But in what can only be described … Read more
Could Hollywood starlet, Maria Menounos be stepping into the ring with the WWE Divas? The gorgeous ex-One Tree Hill star was filmed training in the ring at Ric Drasin’s Pro Wrestling School, footage of which has popped up on YouTube. The 31-year-old will be teaming up with Access Hollywood host, Nancy O’Dell to host next … Read more
It’s been a whirlwind month for Lacey Von Erich since she joined TNA last month. In fact, it’s only been one week since her debut aired and well, what’s come with it has been well documented. You may wonder though, how did someone so green as Lacey VE land such a huge spot in TNA? … Read more
Fans of SHIMMER are in for a treat! The SHIMMER office is sending out free glossy promo cards to anyone who wants one! The cards, which are in honour of this November’s SHIMMER 4th Anniversary Celebration, are available to anyone, anywhere in the world. To claim your free card send your full name and full … Read more
Stop the presses! We have breaking news: Michelle McCool is *gasp* the evil, lecherous witch you all thought she was! Here she is doing the unthinkable… slapping a fan?! Oh wait… except she’s not. This, my friends, is the latest Internet meme and hate propaganda being used against the Women’s Champion. Just this past week … Read more
Looks like WWE’s televised training camp, ECW has scored the services of another green newcomer in ring announcer Lauren Mayhew. Once tipped to be the new voice of SmackDown, it seems as though WWE has opted to put Lauren on the third [forgotten & least watched] brand, perhaps to avoid any flubs on the two … Read more
I don’t wish to feed a monster that seems to thrive on hate, but these comments were overlooked in yesterday’s Laceygate drama yet are the most hurtful of all. Former Diva Sunny, real name Tammy Sytch, once again makes light of Lacey Von Erich’s personal family tragedy, this time going too far: “Yeah, she’ll overdose … Read more
Last night, Diva fans were ‘treated’ to the first annual~! Diva Bowl featuring girls from all three brands. What’s that I hear you cry? “Lulz ‘all three brands’ sure, more like they called in the troops because most of the Raw Divas are injured.” What? You mean to say that the first annual~! Diva Bowl … Read more
The Bella Twins
Beth Phoenix
