Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes (Issue #15) – Miss Elizabeth Tribute

June 9, 2017September 5, 2010 by David

Recently I was having a bad day at work so I needed something to lift my spirits. When I got home the family was out on a play date, so I went downstairs, threw on my blue Glamasuit, and watched a replay of Extreme Rules 2010. As always, Beth’s title victory did the trick. I perked right back up.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think back to April 25, 2010, Baltimore, MD, when my beloved Glamazon pinned Michelle McCool to capture the WWE women’s championship. I have such great memories of that night. Sitting in the front row. Cheering like a little kid. Jumping around as the ref counted three. I’ve watched the match 12,809 times and I enjoy it every time. To me the match is perfect. (I’d say it was “flawless” but, you know, I don’t want to have to pay royalties…).

But I finally admitted something to myself the other night. As much as I treasure the match, it wasn’t “perfect”. I have been so in love with the result that I overlooked 2 aspects of the match that sadly affect its historical impact. First of all, the match was booked as an “Extreme Makeover” match. WTF?!? Were the rules ever fully explained? Two premier workers shouldn’t decide the women’s title by using ironing boards and make-up tables. Too “gimmicky”. Secondly, the match was on the Extreme Rules PPV, a show people will ultimately forget (seriously, name 3 matches without heading to Wikipedia). This wasn’t exactly WrestleMania. So even though I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement that night, I have to finally admit the match wasn’t perfect.

Which got me thinking…

Has there ever been a perfect match?

Obviously this is a very subjective topic. I think it would be very, very hard to get two people to agree on the definition of “perfection”. So how would I define the “perfect match”? Glad you asked…

Dr Mike Lano’s Tribute to Luna Vachon

February 1, 2013August 28, 2010 by Melanie

We are honoured to share this article from Dr Mike Lano, Pro Wrestling Illustrated photographer and columnist since 1966, with all of you. Mike was kind enough to send Diva Dirt his tribute to former WWE star, Luna Vachon, who passed away yesterday.

The Beatiful “Monster” with a Huge Heart
By Dr Mike Lano

I’d known Luna Vachon (we still called her Angel) since ’85 and we kept in touch during her up and down years from the Kevin Sullivan 80’s period angle on. At the last Cauliflower Alley reunion we saw her at (and she absolutely loved coming and seeing all her peers and “family” as she said), she was so proud, “overwhelmed” were her words again at being one of our top honorees. She cried and was so taken with emotion after getting her plaque and crystal trophy as our female wrestler of the year and had to have Papa Paul help her at the podium, as she was so full of emotion seeing Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkel, Manny Fernandez, and many other people she cited later.

She was equally proud of how long she’d been clean and sober, and this is an especially tough loss for everyone. What a sweetheart, which was at odds with her outward appearance she cultivated. Just a big heart, so sweet to everyone. She was the first person calling me after Penny Banner’s passing; one of the top top legends male or female in the industry and a class person and big CAC supporter. Luna worked everywhere after Florida. Briefly for NWA/WCW, a few long runs with WWF/WWE, the real ECW, SMW, Japan, Puerto Rico, Memphis for Jerry Jarrett, all over Canada, you name it and she did it. And she was always gracious in helping train others, a fact she and Bret Hart talked about in Vegas a few years back. She was very proud of her family but also other terrific Canadian wrestling families like the Harts, Sharpes and Burkes.

Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes – Issue #14

June 9, 2017August 8, 2010 by David

“CHANGE”

That was the title of the email. Short, simple, just one word. Uh oh. I just knew this wasn’t going to be good. Like when the phone rings too late at night and you don’t want to answer it because you know it’s never good news. My heart started beating really, really fast. “Oh dear God I’m afraid to open it,” I thought to myself. I stared at the screen for 5 solid minutes. Finally I clicked the email message and read the bad news from the casting agency.

“I’m sorry to say the client has decided to only use the girl. I know you’re disappointed. I’ll try to make it up to you.”

The client? World Wrestling Entertainment.

Another few moments passed. I really don’t know how long I sat there staring at my computer screen, honestly. I took a deep breath, walked upstairs and told my wife, “Well, you’ll never believe it. They’re not using me tomorrow.” She could see the disappointment in my face. Nothing “life or death”, but real disappointment. She felt badly for me, she tried to lift my spirits, but I was pretty down in the dumps.

Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes – Issue #13

June 9, 2017July 26, 2010 by David

Diva Dirt’s own Jennifer recently shared a great story:

In an interview I had a few weeks ago, we were asked, ‘If money was no question, and if you didn’t have to work for your livelihood, what would you do?’ My hand shot up. I was honest; I said, ‘I’d wrestle.’ The whole room erupted into laughter. The interviewer said, ‘Really?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I would love to wrestle.’ She thought I was the most interesting person in that interview, hah. I make no apologies – I’ll admit I’m a wrestling fan and if the conversation goes farther I admit my real passion is for women’s wrestling. If folks aren’t mature enough to handle that, then sucks for them. They don’t know what they’re missing.

I love this story for several reasons. First of all, I love people’s passions. I don’t care if you love the Civil War, collecting bottle caps, or writing poetry. I am interested in hearing more about it. I like seeing someone’s eyes light up when they talk about something they care about. I love how Jennifer didn’t worry about the reaction in the room. That’s the great thing about believing in something, about having a true passion. You feel it inside of you and that’s all that matters. I also love this story because it made me think, “Jesh, how would I truly answer that question?” What would I truly love to do with my life?

Well for starters, I know I wasn’t born to be a project manager. The job is fine, I work with nice people, and I enjoy business travel, but I don’t jump out of bed every day and mark out because I get to generate project plans. When I was a kid I saw the movie JAWS and wanted to be a marine biologist, but now I’m afraid of the ocean. Plus I don’t really want to be in a small boat all the time…I like my TiVo too much. So I’m glad I didn’t follow through with that. The truth is that I’ve always kind of known what I wanted to be when I “grew up”. I was born to be a booker. I was born to script professional wrestling. I never figured out how to pursue this dream, but I started to feel this way the night I saw my first match, October 1985 at the Hershey Park Arena. The next thing I know I am buying my first Big John Studd action figure and I’ve been booking ever since. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the actual matches, but I have always been more interested in putting together the card, of building the excitement of an entire show from one match to the next. I think I’m pretty good at it too, because ever since 1985 I have been putting asses in seats.

Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes – Issue #12

June 9, 2017July 14, 2010 by David

I don’t get out much anymore. Balancing a job, a mortgage, a wife, and 2 kids doesn’t leave a lot of time for other interests. We try to see friends and family as much as possible but it’s difficult to get everybody’s schedules to match up. I try to do a little acting here and there, just to keep the creative juices flowing. I contribute to Diva Dirt for the same reasons. It’s all good and I’m certainly not complaining, but life is sure different than when my wife and I met in college. Back then our most important decision was “Bud or Bud Light?” Now we worry about things like parent-teacher conferences and soccer practice (By the way I’m officially a soccer mom now…who needs orange wedges? Off to McDonald’s!) It’s not like we were the Rolling Stones once upon a time, but my wife and I used to love hitting the DC clubs and staying out a little too late. We used to have 2 or 3 house parties each year that wouldn’t wrap up until the sun was shining. Good times. Now a wild night for us is staying awake until they announce American Idol results. So when my friend Patrick invited us to his summer party a few weeks ago, we reacted like lions at Morton’s Steakhouse. “We’re going….OUT?”

If only it were that simple. Should we both go? Should I go? Should she go? Are kids invited? Do we bring the kids even if they are? Do we drive? Should we get a taxi service? Should we spend the night? All things to consider. It’s not that we never go out just the two of us, but it better be for a damn good reason. Once you start getting babysitters involved the complexity of the evening triples, as does the cost. So normally we’ll all go somewhere, or one of us goes out while the other stays home and keeps the family train on track. The question though is “Which one of us gets to go?” I know, romantic right? (I’m happy to say the honeymoon is never over around here.) Here’s where we bring in our legal teams.

Attorney 1: “Well, David, your wife feels she should go because you went out 3 weeks ago for 45 minutes.”
Attorney 2: “Objection! That was to pick up flowers for his mother-in-law!”
Judge: “Overruled!”
Me: “Crap.”

Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes – Issue #11

June 9, 2017July 1, 2010 by David

I told my wife last week that “I think we should rename our daughter “Gail” because all she likes to do is Eat D’Feet! Well, either she didn’t like the joke or she didn’t understand it, because she just looked at me with a blank stare. It was the same look I get when I forget to take out the trash or pick up milk. A look that conveys general confusion at the choices she’s made in her life (I’m also starting to believe the laws of Virginia prevent her from laughing at anything I say.) But, personally, I love this joke. I loved this joke last week and I still love it today. I’ll love it even more next week.

I guess I should have expected that response from her. She’s not really a wrestling fan so why did I waste my best material at home? I tweeted the joke. No response. No “re-tweets” or “direct messages” (how geeky does that sound Michael Cole?!) I’m pretty sure that stupid whale crashed Twitter that day. That must be it, because I’m sure SOMEBODY would have thought that joke was funny!

You get it right? (I hate when I have to explain a joke, but here goes.) My daughter is 5 months old. Her middle name is Phoenix. We call her the Baby Glamazon. She doesn’t play with rattles she plays with dumbbells. She prefers a tiara to a bib. Perfect. But now she spends all day throwing her legs in the air and sticking her feet right in her mouth (seriously, I can’t wait for the teenage years.) All day long she likes to “eat d’feet”! You know, which sounds like Gail’s finisher. So…um… maybe we should rename her “Gail”. (Groan).

I continued to think everybody else was crazy. How could nobody like this joke!? I’m pretty convinced I know what’s funny. I actually think I have a very sophisticated sense of humor. If I’m laughing, you should be laughing. (No ego problems here!) But then it hit me. Some might not think that joke is funny because it refers to Gail’s finisher, which has the stupidest, dumbest, goofiest, most ridiculous name in wrestling history! Of course the joke isn’t funny in the same way jokes about the Hindenburg and the Titanic aren’t funny. What a disaster!

The Mid-Year Report Card: Diva Dirt’s 10 Wishes & Predictions for 2010 Revisited

June 29, 2010 by Melanie

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:

Summer of Swag: Week 4 (Plus Week 3 Winner Announced)

June 13, 2013June 23, 2010 by Melanie

This summer, Diva Dirt is giving away prizes every single week and every single month in our Summer of Swag. Over the next 13 weeks, we are giving our readers the chance to win hundreds of dollars worth of goodies courtesy of our friends at ClickWrestle.com and Highspots.com.

Each week, we will be giving away one free download (valued at $5) courtesy of ClickWrestle.com in our weekly sweepstake. By entering our weekly sweepstake, you will also automatically be entered into our monthly sweepstake for the chance to win a $25 gift certificate at Highspots.com. No separate entry required. For more details click here.

Week 3 Result

Thank you to everyone who entered week two of the competition but we could only have one winner for the weekly sweepstake. Congratulations to Hailey Smith (username: heavenisme) for winning the free ClickWrestle download!

Remember, all of you that entered the week three sweepstake will automatically be put into the draw for the monthly prize, a $25 gift certificate at Highspots.com. And don’t forget, even if you didn’t win the weekly prize last week, there’s still 10 more chances to win! Now time for the week four sweepstake!

Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes – Issue #10

June 9, 2017June 20, 2010 by David

Natalya and I have something very unusual in common – we were both raised in a dungeon. The impact of this can’t be overstated and it obviously impacted our passageway to adulthood. As a member of the legendary Hart Family, Natalya was raised in Stu Hart’s dungeon. As a kid growing up in York, PA, I was raised in my dad’s living room. Both featured a lot of screaming and foul language. Both featured a lot of stretching. Both were probably not the cleanest places in the world. And in the end, both were places we were happy to escape from. Natalya graduated to the next phase of her career as a professional wrestler, and I graduated high school. These stories are so similar there are times I think I am actually an honorary Hart brother (and I have been known to wear pink…just not in my hair.) Natalya and I were both finally free to pursue our dreams.

Why was my dad’s living room similar to a dungeon? Well, when I started falling in love with pro wrestling, I had to beg, and plead, and beg, and plead, and beg some more for my parents to take me to nearby Hershey Park Arena to see the touring WWF shows. Neither parent was thrilled that I was starting to love wrestling (that “fake stuff” as they called it) which was probably because I was ripping off my t-shirts and calling everybody “brother” (you can’t deny Hulk Hogan’s impact on a generation of kids). But my dad was even less thrilled because I wanted to watch the WWF on TV each week… and our one TV was his. It wasn’t for the family. It wasn’t for the parents. His. His TV. I can’t stress that enough. I had to beg him to watch ‘Wrestling Challenge’ and ‘Prime Time Wrestling’ each week. Thank God he was asleep by the time Saturday Night’s Main Event came on the air. I felt trapped because I could feel something inside of me changing… I was becoming a huge wrestling fan and I wanted to jump in with both feet.

I remember the day when my dad reluctantly bought our first VCR. He looked at that thing like it contained plutonium that would blow up the house if we used it. He reluctantly agreed to buy it because my mom is a dancer and she wanted to watch some dance videos. I was a brainy kid so I tried to learn how to program it to tape my WWF shows (remember when programming a VCR took 43 steps?) and Lord have mercy if I screwed up and accidentally changed his channel by accident. “Time to learn the ankle lock, kid!” AHHHHH. (PS – I’m not a psychology major, but Freud would probably find a correlation between this story and the fact that I now own two giant TiVos, one for my family and one just for me. No one is telling me what I can tape now!)

Summer of Swag: Week 3 (Plus Week 2 Winner Announced)

June 13, 2013June 15, 2010 by Melanie

Week 2 Result

Thank you to everyone who entered week two of the competition but we could only have one winner for the weekly sweepstake. Congratulations to Aiden Hughes (username: aiden123) for winning the free ClickWrestle download!

Remember, all of you that entered the week two sweepstake will automatically be put into the draw for the monthly prize, a $25 gift certificate at Highspots.com. And don’t forget, even if you didn’t win the weekly prize last week, there’s still 11 more chances to win! Now time for the week three sweepstake!

Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes – Issue #9

June 9, 2017June 12, 2010 by David

EXCUSE ME! I said EXCUSE ME!! It’s time for some “Real Talk”! This week I am turning in my tiara for a full-zip custom hoodie…and I gotta admit, I’m pretty fired up. I’ve wanted to write about Lay-Cool for a while now but I keep getting distracted. First by Beth’s knee injury. Then by my sudden fascination with the Bellas. Then by my favorite French Canadian Maryse (I’m proud of that column by the way. It only took me 2,300 words to prove that Maryse is “hot”. I know, impressive.) But no more. Now is the time. Now is the time for me to write about one of my favorite tag teams ever. Honestly, I haven’t enjoyed a tag team, male or female, this much since the Hart Foundation broke out the pink and black almost 25 years ago. (Seriously…go back and watch WrestleMania 3 and tell me if you ever saw a cooler tag team.)

First off, let’s get this out of the way – some of you might not think Layla and Michelle are officially a “tag team” because the WWE doesn’t have an official women’s tag team division. Well, I think you’re wrong. I think Lay-Cool can be classified as a traditional tag team because they meet the required criteria, as defined by yours truly…and in this case I am the judge, the jury, and the executioner (no, not THE Executioner who lost to Tito Santana in the first WrestleMania.) Trivia time: What big name grappler played the Executioner that night? Did you know it was that Executioner’s only WWF appearance (and it happened at WM?!? WTF?!?). It also led to one of my all-time favorite Gorilla Monsoon lines: “I don’t know much about this particular Executioner.” There were others he DID know a lot about??? God I loved the Gorilla. My favorite Monsoon expression ever? Every time Nikolai Volkoff would wrestle Gorilla would say “the Big Russian doesn’t have a clue how strong he is”, usually right before Volkoff got pinned. Killed me every time. In Gorilla’s honor I have a framed Volkoff signature in my basement and I know all the words to the Soviet National Anthem. “Mr. Glamazon requests that you all rise and respect his singing of the Soviet…National…Anthem.” Boooo! USA! USA! USA! I would make a great heel.

Diva Dirt’s Summer of Swag: Week 2 (Plus Week 1 Winner Announced)

June 13, 2013June 7, 2010 by Melanie

Week 1 Result

Thank you to everyone who entered week one of the competition but we could only have one winner for the weekly sweepstake. Congratulations to Malorie Meeker (username: ImGoingCrazy) for winning the free ClickWrestle download for week one! Check your email, Malorie.

Remember, all of you that entered the week one sweepstake will automatically be put into the draw for the monthly prize, a $25 gift certificate at Highspots.com. And don’t forget, even if you didn’t win the weekly prize last week, there’s still 12 more chances to win! That segues us nicely into this week’s sweepstake…

Diva Dirt’s Summer of Swag: Week 1

June 13, 2013June 1, 2010 by Melanie

It is June 1st and summer is in full swing, hurrah! This summer, we are giving away prizes every single week and every single month in our Summer of Swag. Over the next 13 weeks, we are giving our readers the chance to win hundreds of dollars worth of goodies courtesy of our friends at … Read more

Summer of Swag Launches June 1st: Get Details on How to Win Prizes!

June 13, 2013May 27, 2010 by Melanie

This summer, we’re launching a huge competition — Diva Dirt’s Summer of Swag. Instead of just giving away one prize and being done with it, we’re celebrating all summer long. From June 1st right through to the end of August, we’ll be giving away prizes every single week and every single month too! Get all the details below:

Weekly prize
Each week for 13 weeks, we’ll create a post for you to enter our sweepstakes via the comments. No questions, no trivia — just comment with your name and a few other details! At the end of the week, we’ll choose one winner at random to win our sweepstake. What is the weekly prize? A downloadable match (valued at $5) courtesy of our friends at ClickWrestle.com. You will be allowed to enter every week (even if you’ve won before), creating plenty of opportunities for everyone!

Monthly prize
As well as the weekly prize, we’ll have a monthly prize for each month also — June, July and August! What do you need to do to enter the monthly sweepstakes? Nothing! Your weekly submission will count as a submission for that month’s sweepstake also. For example, if you enter in the week of June 7th, you’ll automatically be entered into the June sweepstake. Furthermore, if you enter on a weekly basis i.e. you enter all of the weekly sweepstakes for June, you’ll have even more chance of winning the monthly sweepstake as you’ll have accumulated five entries.

At the end of each month, we’ll choose one winner at random to win the sweepstake. The winner will receive a $25 gift voucher courtesy of our friends at Highspots.com.

It all begins next week! Make sure you check back on Tuesday, June 1st for the first weekly sweepstake.

Weekly/monthly schedule:

Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes – Issue #4

June 9, 2017May 2, 2010 by David

You never forget the sound. Never. When your knee snaps and you know something is terribly wrong, your body immediately goes ice cold and the sound — more like a short crumble when you smash a soda can — is forever a part of your life. It can make you sick to think about even long after your knee is healed. And let me tell you, you can never, ever, ever watch a knee injury on TV without feeling physically ill. I blew out my left knee in December 2002, a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t hear the sound. Unfortunately, now Melina can hear that sound too.

You become members of a strange fraternity. As soon as you hear somebody is recovering from knee surgery you immediately ask: “So how did you do it?” Then you tell the person the details of your own experience. It is almost like comparing war stories. The conversation is always the same:

“Yeah, I tore my knee up pretty good last winter.”
“Complete ACL tear?”
“Yeah”
“How did they fix it?”
“Used a cadaver…”
“Huh…I blew mine out 2 summers ago…basketball injury…chose the hamstring.”
“How’s it feel now?”
“Pretty good…hurts when it rains.”

Both people chuckle.

The recent rash of injuries to female wrestlers has been jarring. Melina tore her ACL, Daffney suffered a bruised sternum, Mickie James had a serious staph infection, Angelina Love tore her ulnar collateral ligament, and SHIMMER star LuFisto suffered a stroke, all in the span of a few months. And these are just the injuries that got reported. Each and every wrestler is probably working with aches and pains that most of us would use as a reason to call in sick. There is extreme pressure to perform even when not 100%, and combined with the increased physicality of the sport (i.e. high spots, ladders, tables, etc), serious injuries are likely to occur. These are trained professionals but obviously accidents can happen. Remember, just months after her debut, Beth Phoenix broke her jaw and needed reconstructive surgery causing her to miss close to a year of action. (Hard to believe she has 12 screws in her jawbone. That surgeon deserves a medal.)

Guest Blog: ‘Mickie James Deserved Better’ by John Canton

April 23, 2010 by Team DD

In light of the shock release of five-time WWE Women’s Champion, Mickie James last night, we hand the floor over to our good friend John Canton of our partner site, TheJohnReport.net for this special guest blog. John, an avid fan of the now ex-Diva, has come to know Mickie over the past several months and now considers her a friend. So, who better to pay homage to her career?The news of Mickie James being released by World Wrestling Entertainment has rocked a lot of people with good reason. She’s the kind of person that women wrestling fans looked up to as a role model because of the amazing work ethic that she has. She’s the kind of person that male wrestling fans wanted to watch because she’s a gorgeous woman that put on entertaining matches. The best thing about watching her is that you can see in her face that wrestling is all she ever wanted to do. Whether heel or face, whether in a good storyline or bad, she always did her best. Look at her eyes. Look at her smile. It was there for us to see. She grew up a fan of the business and it showed in her work. Week in, week out, she proved herself. Even though she’s one of the smaller girls standing at 5’2″ she showed she belonged more than any of them. Why? The combination of work ethic, passion, knowledge and desire. Not only that, but she was successful as both a heel and babyface. Her heel run in late 2005/early 2006 is still as good as any Diva in WWE history. For four years she’s been in the babyface role taking beatings, coming back and making everybody else look good. That was her job. She did it better than anybody. Now she doesn’t have that job anymore? Excuse my language here, but what the fuck?

What about Piggy James? Dear God, what a stupid idea for an angle. Mickie’s not fat. Never was. Never has been. A woman that’s 5’2″ and weighs 125 pounds is not fat. Just because Vince McMahon is a senile, old man that thinks that ogles bikini models doesn’t mean he is a judge of character. It shows that he’s vain, unrealistic and he should probably get outside of the bubble that he appears to live in. The amazing thing is it worked because the performers were good. Michelle and Layla worked well in their roles… aside from having to hear Michelle sing! You think one of the less talented Divas could pull off what MJ did? I don’t. Mickie carried it with the way she makes her comebacks, her strong promos and the way she showed her emotions when the time was right for it. How many wrestlers do you think are good enough actors to cry when they have to? Not many, I bet. It made you feel sympathy for her character. You know what else? Despite the bullshit idea of calling a woman with Mickie’s figure “fat,” she didn’t complain during the angle. She’s a wrestler. She knows the business. She knew that there’d be the payoff in the end. Then she won the Women’s Title at the Royal Rumble and everybody smiled. It was probably the best Divas angle since Trish vs. Mickie in 2006. Coincidence that Mickie was involved in both? No. It also shows how talented she was by being able to be great in both feuds while being in different roles. From crazy, psycho bitch to sympathetic woman, she can do it all.

WrestleMania 26: Five Moments You May Have Overlooked

March 31, 2010 by Melanie

Yes, we’re still riding that WrestleMania wave! While the Divas match at WrestleMania caused a frenzy, we may have overlooked some other Diva moments at ‘Mania that were equally, or perhaps more, memorable. On Monday, we reviewed the 10-Diva tag team match and today, we’re going to look at a few points that were perhaps forgotten. Let’s discuss:

Natalya slaps Vince
Doesn’t everyone dream of slapping their boss? Sadly, so few of us get to do it. However, here’s Natalya getting to slap Vince McMahon with all the force in her right arm and gets paid to do so. Let us live vicariously through her! When we saw Natalya come out to the ring at WrestleMania 26, we popped. It was about time that Nattie and her Hart Dynasty cohorts got a little somethin’-somethin’ out of Uncle Bret’s big return, right? Up until now, they’d been over on SmackDown pretty much floundering. Needless to say, Natalya’s presence at ringside was a much welcome surprise. However, when we saw Natalya strike Vince like a pimp who had just been short changed, not only did we pop, but we may have peed a little with excitement. Okay, obviously embellished that last part [that would just be super gross] but you get the gist. Nattie’s slap could perhaps rival that of Daddy’s Little Girl herself, Stephanie McMahon. Methinks a slap-off is in order for WrestleMania 27!

Savannah debuts
Sweet little Savannah! That super smiley face makes me just want to pinch her cheeks… Okay, that’s another story. But anyway, ECW-turned-NXT ring announcer Savannah made her debut at WrestleMania 26 announcing the Money in the Bank ladder match as well as the pre-show 26 man battle royal. Didn’t she do a great job? Though we’d much rather see her wrestle, I’m sure, Savvy is proving to be a little Lilian in the making with her belting voice just oozing with confidence. Her ‘Mania announcing debut may have just been the one match [on television, that is] but still, calling out ten men one after another must be a little daunting for your first big show. And then there’s the super cute that was gushed over in the ‘Mania Style Jury special. Perhaps unintentional, but Savannah looked super cute as she paid what we’d like to think is an homage to the Decade Diva, Lilian Garcia, who razzled and dazzled us with her sparkly dresses at this annual event.

More after the cut:

Exclusive: Mr. Glamazon’s Final Report from WrestleMania – Day 5

March 30, 2010 by Melanie

Diva Dirt correspondent and Beth Phoenix super fan, David aka Mr. Glamazon is on hand at this week’s WrestleMania festivities and will be checking in daily with his experiences in Phoenix. Check back everyday to find out which Divas he’s rubbed shoulders with in Phoenix — complete with exclusive pictures!

Sunday, March 28th (Day 5)
ANOTHER WRESTLEMANIA IN THE BOOKS, AND ANOTHER MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR THE DIVAS

From Bill Simmons’s ESPN.com WrestleMania recap: “I’m skipping over details of the 10-women diva match that just happened; it was excruciating enough live. It ended with the only unattractive woman in the match executing something called “The hog splash.” Say no more.” Sadly this seems to be the reaction of many fans, although that wasn’t nice to say about Vickie; she is not the typical Diva but very sweet and it is a shame she gets ridiculed so much. PS – his recap on ESPN.com is very funny I just hope Matt Striker doesn’t read it. Good golly!

I do have to agree with Bill on this one though. Maybe I am old school. Maybe I am out of touch. Maybe I am just getting old and grumpy. But I just don’t think every WWE Superstar and Diva needs to be shown on WrestleMania. I kind of feel like being on the card should be an award for a year of exceptional work by the WWE performer. When dealing with the Divas, it seems the WWE is more concerned about simply getting the girls on the show versus giving us a WrestleMania caliber match. I do sympathize with the girls in this sense – I respect each and every one of them and if they get a “WrestleMania moment” that they cherish forever, then I think that’s great. But isn’t that what the WrestleMania 25 Battle Royal was for?! (Which was even won by a man, good gracious lets hit the DELETE button on that one…) Beth Phoenix vs. Mickie James vs. champion Michelle McCool would have been an exciting, interesting triple threat match that had been teased for 4-5 months (even Beth/Mickie vs. Simply Flawless would have been fine, or a unified title match, or SOMETHING other than a huge (meaningless) tag team match). The tag match got Vickie over but she was ALREADY way over, so what was gained? I looked around and few people really were interested in the match, sadly. I think this was a missed opportunity to deliver a dynamite women’s match because there are stars on this roster. This was WrestleMania, not Bragging Rights. And where is it written that you need to be ON the pay-per-view to collect a big paycheck?!? Take it from someone who was there all week, each and every star from Edge to Slam Master J to Jillian Hall put in a LONG week of public appearances and company commitments…they each earn their money, no doubt! As a viewer I want to see the BEST matches, not the SmackDown roster page.

NOTE – thank you to the staff of Diva Dirt and to all of you that posted after the show – I loved hearing / reading your reactions. Great stuff!

Exclusive: Mr. Glamazon Reports from WrestleMania – Day 4

March 30, 2010March 28, 2010 by Melanie

Saturday, March 27th (Day 4)
A HALL OF FAME NIGHT AND A HALL OF FAME DRESS

I tried. I really did. I tried to report the events of WrestleMania in an unbiased way. I think I have done a decent job, at least until Beth picked out the most incredible dress ever for the Hall of Fame ceremony last night. Stunning. Classy. The dress itself will go into the WWE HOF in 5 years. Our favorite Glamazon was radiant and people who met her at the Fan Axxess session later that night couldn’t believe how magnificent she looked. I know this was Wendi Richter’s night, but as a self-professed Beth mark, this dress was the highlight of the trip. I may never be the same.

My friend and I enjoyed the HOF ceremony last night and… wait, who am I kidding. Other than Wendi, Bob Uecker and Stu Hart it was a snoozefest. I’m pretty sure most people didn’t even know who Bob Uecker was judging by the comments I heard (although Jamie & I are big baseball fans so we liked him). His inductor was Dick Ebersol – a GIANT in the TV business – so that was cool to see him. He told a story about Vince, Jesse the Body, and himself flying to Arizona in 1987 to convince Mr. Baseball to host WM3. Good stuff.

Bret Hart was cool, K2 and Eve looked stellar as the stage escorts, and Ted DiBiase told us we could all be bought and had money fall from the ceiling (sadly not enough to refund our ticket price). Otherwise the stories lacked any real passion and after the energy of Stone Cold’s induction last year this was pretty bland.

Exclusive: Mr. Glamazon Reports from WrestleMania – Day 3

March 28, 2010March 27, 2010 by Team DD

Friday, March 26th (Day 3)
STAYING MCCOOL IN ARIZONA

WWE Axxess continued on Friday, March 26th at the Phoenix Convention Center and most of the WWE Universe came to see the feature star of the night, the Undertaker. ‘Taker came out to his usual entrance and cut a 5 minute promo about the “Streak vs. Career” match and then turned around and walked (slowly) to the back. It was a little disappointing… all the other stars took questions from the fans and seemed to enjoy the interaction. Undertaker came out and did his usual routine and then left. Guess it was time to rest in peace. I will say the crowd was a split, there were plenty of HBK fans there chanting his name.

I wanted to add something I forgot to mention yesterday – during the Hart Dynasty vs. Cryme Tyme match at Axxess on Thursday, Natalya worked the crowd hard and played the heel perfectly. Everything from taunting the fans to threatening announcer Justin Roberts to selling the defeat, Natalya showed great energy and reminded everybody again that she is a solid worker with a great future. Kudos Nattie! (This was similar to a house show I attended with my family in November 2009… Natalya stole the show outside the ring).

Back to Friday’s Axxess, Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Vickie Guerrero, Katie Lea Burchill, and Jillian Hall made appearances. It was nice to see Mickie! She looked happy and healthy, although I guess the question still remains whether she can work on Sunday night (even though the program shows them on the card). Mickie fans should feel good, she looks to be on the road to recovery! My buddy and I were checking out Mickie’s legs quite a bit, strictly looking for signs of her surgery/recovery, umm… and for no other reason. OK, let’s just move on.

WrestleMania Wardrobe: Best & Worst Divas Ring Attire Through the Years

March 28, 2010March 27, 2010 by Melanie

WrestleMania isn’t just the grandest stage of them all for wrestling — it’s also the one time of year when Superstars and Divas put that extra mile into creating show-stopping ring attire. WrestleMania for ring attire is like the red carpet at the Oscars, this is the one outfit that you must get right because it will be etched in the annals in history forever! So, being the style hounds that we are, we’ve delved into the history books to bring you some of the best and worst looks from WrestleManias past!

The Best

Beth Phoenix, WrestleMania 25
Just last year, the Glamazon certainly looked dramatic in all the right ways for the Miss WrestleMania battle royal in her silver Glamasuit complete with a cape. This had a Roman gladiator feel to it that fits perfectly with Beth. Too bad that given the nature of the awful match she wore it in, we barely got to see Beth’s outfit on the show but it was definitely a striking look for Beth. Perhaps she could get away with wearing it two years in a row tomorrow night? After all, no one really got a good look at it last year and it seems like such a waste! I mean, we’d be pissed. However, Beth can seek comfort in the fact that we consider it to be Glam Slam-ingly breathtaking.

Chyna, WrestleMania 17
Not to sound offensive but Chyna was never really known for her femininity during her time with WWE. Often seen in black and built like one of the guys, Chyna’s venture into the women’s division in 2001 saw a more feminine side to the 9th Wonder of the World. For WrestleMania 17, Chyna ditched the black and went with a captivating purple ensemble and even accesorized! Not dissimilar to Beth’s headband above, Chyna sported some funky headgear too and even a choker around her neck. This was not the hard-faced, braid-wearing Diva we had met several years prior. Chyna looked great and had a picture perfect moment that night when she added another accessory to her outfit — the Women’s Championship.

More after the cut:

Exclusive: Mr. Glamazon Reports from WrestleMania – Day 2

March 26, 2010 by Team DD

Thursday, March 25th (Day 2)
THE DIVAS KICK OFF WWE AXXESS IN STYLE

On Thursday March 25th, the WWE fan-friendly Axxess sessions started in the Phoenix Convention Center and the WWE Universe came out in full force. The event was sold out and you could tell people are really excited for this entire weekend. For those of you who haven’t seen what attractions are at Axxess check out WWE.com and they run down the list. Honestly, it is pretty impressive and can be a lot of fun as long as you don’t mind waiting in long lines. (It’s a little like Disney World, you probably need several days to do everything there).

Like I said, the event was sold out Thursday night and most people think that was because John Cena and Bret Hart were the featured guests, but I’m pretty sure it is because Beth Phoenix was scheduled to appear. Beth was the first Diva out and spent the next two hours taking pictures with several hundred people (props to anybody who can wear high heels and stand up for 2 hours while STILL smiling!) Beth was super nice to everybody and seemed to enjoy herself. I felt pretty good about meeting her again because I didn’t 1) pass out, 2) start crying, or 3) ask her to elope with me. (Honestly, the only reason I didn’t ask her to elope with me is that I heard a rumor that “married guys with 2 kids” are not Beth’s type). So it was a pretty successful night. The only downside, I was pretty woozy for the next 60 minutes and missed the chance to get Gail Kim’s pic/autograph. There are still several days to go however, and we’ll track her down at her next signing.

Hall of Fame Hopefuls: Four Women WWE Should Induct

March 26, 2010 by Cryssi

Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is one of the most prestigious honors a wrestler can achieve and in this business there is no bigger Hall of Fame than that of the WWE’s. Over the years, many amazing superstars of the sport have enjoyed their night including three of wrestling’s most talented women. The Fabulous Moolah, Sherri Martel, and Mae Young have all enjoyed getting immortalized in the WWE Hall of Fame and this year, Wendi Ritcher will have the same privilege. Ritcher’s accomplishments certainly speak for themselves and every Diva fan will enjoy watching on Saturday as Wendi Ritcher takes her rightful place among wrestling’s elite. Wendi Ritcher isn’t the only one with the credentials to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. We’ve seen many women come and go over the years and quite a few have made enough of an impact to be considered Hall of Fame worthy. This column is going to take a look at who could potentially be the next four women to enter into the WWE Hall of Fame. Three of these should be a given, one is a bit of a long shot. All of them have reasons as to why they could be considered Hall of Fame material.

Joanie “Chyna” Laurer’s chances of getting into the WWE Hall of Fame range slightly higher than unlikely. With Vince McMahon proving he can bury the hatchet with people he’s had problems with in the past, Chyna could very well end up in the Hall of Fame someday. She was one of the biggest Superstars, male or female, of the Attitude Era, and she was the true definition of sexy, smart, and powerful. Chyna was one of the first WWE Divas to grace to pages of Playboy and she was also the first Diva to break down the gender barriers in World Wrestling Entertainment. She debuted for the company in February of 1997 after being pursued by both WCW and WWE. Chyna started off as a mere valet/bodyguard to Hunter Hearst Helmsley and eventually became a part of Degeneration X. When her DX days were over, Chyna emerged as a singles star and became the first woman to ever compete in the Royal Rumble, hold the Intercontinential Championship, and qualify for the King of the Ring tournament. She had memorable and feuds with Chris Jericho, the late Eddie Guererro, and Ivory. During her time in World Wrestling Entertainment, Chyna was embraced by fans, male and female, and looked to as a role model for her ability to never back down from a fight or challenge. She was also a one-time Women’s Champion.

Chyna departed the WWE for personal, real-life reasons, and those reasons are the ones that could stop her from achieving Hall of Fame status. Her post-WWE career has been less than memorable and it’s fair to say it’s sort of been a trainwreck. She’s had numerous substance abuse problems, a failed relationship with another trainwreck, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, and a sex tape that the majority of us wish we could erase from our memories. It’s a miracle that Joanie Laurer hasn’t become another sad wrestling statistic and so many people hope to see this woman pull herself together. It’s never too late for a person to get their life back on track and for all we know Chyna could be doing just that. What matters to this article is that if any Diva or woman in wrestling deserves Hall of Fame status, it’s Chyna. She opened doors for women in the mainstream wrestling world that had never before been open. If not for Chyna and her determination to work her hardest to become a success, us fans may never have gotten to see Beth Phoenix compete in this year’s Royal Rumble. Chyna’s truly a trailblazer for the sport and it’s interesting to ponder of what could have been had she not left the WWE under such messy circumstances. Who knows how many more accolades we could have added to her Hall of Fame worthy career.

Exclusive: Mr. Glamazon Reports from WrestleMania – Day 1

March 26, 2010 by Team DD

Wednesday, March 24th (Day 1)
MR. GLAMAZON MEETS THE GLAMAZON AT THE WWE ART AUCTION

On Wednesday March 24th, the WWE kicked off WrestleMania week by hosting the 3rd annual WWE Art Show at the magnificent Montelucia Resort & Spa in Paradise Valley, AZ. The weather was perfect and the resort was set in the Arizona hills – a great backdrop for the event which served as a fund raiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. I loved the Art Show last year in Houston so I was pretty excited! (Random note… we’re checking in at the hotel before the Art Show and standing right next to us: the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase! Then, out by the pool – Triple H and Steph (with their private security). Not a bad start to the week!)

Fans cheered while the WWE Superstars and Divas arrived on the red carpet and met with the local press. There was a nice list of WWE Superstars at the event: The Miz (who got a HUGE pop), Jerry Lawler, the Hart Dynasty, Cryme Time, Santino, Hornswoggle, Tony Atlas, Slam Master J (celebrating his birthday), Matt Striker, Tony Garea, and the true star of the night, Bret Hart. Bret got a great reaction from the crowd and seemed genuinely touched. (In general he seems to be enjoying this run through the WWE, and as a former Hitman mark, that makes me smile.)

Celebrate Melina’s 5-Year Anniversary With Diva Dirt

March 13, 2010 by Erin

April 14th marks the 5 year anniversary of Melina‘s WWE debut, and we here at Diva Dirt want to commemorate that with an audio special akin to what we recently did for Maria, but this time we’ll be looking at Melina’s career through your eyes. What are your favorite Melina moments? They can extend back … Read more

Daffney: From Padded Cell to Front and Center

March 4, 2010 by Cryssi

The TNA Knockouts used to be dominant fixtures on Impact with multiple matches and segments. They ushered in a brand new televised era of women’s wrestling that we haven’t seen since the Attitude Era and it was refreshing. They didn’t focus on the looks of their girls. They focused purely on their butt-kicking abilities and the fans in the Impact Zone, and at home, just ate it up. It gave all of us female wrestling fans many reasons to be proud. Unfortunately, things have changed thanks to the transition period TNA is going through via the Hogan/Bischoff era but that said, a noticeable bright spot as emerged. The shining light I’m referring to is none other than Daffney.

The woman born Shannon Spruill has become one of the most respected and loved female wrestlers in the United States. Ever since her days in WCW, Daffney has enjoyed a loyal fanbase that have followed her career and supported her every step of the way. A lot people were disappointed when Daffney and WCW parted ways. She had proven herself as a tremendous talent but luckily she stayed in wrestling and kept improving. Fast forward nine years later and Daffney makes her mainstream return to TNA. Some of the most amazing Knockout moments in recent memory have involved “Zombie Hot”. Daffney has more than overcome her lackluster start in TNA and has solidified herself as not only a serious competitor, but someone who could potentially become the next Knockouts Champion.

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