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

June 13, 2013June 7, 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 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.

Should Vickie Guerrero Become Divas General Manager?

February 22, 2010 by Melanie

Her antics last night only added to the monstrous heat that Vickie Guerrero draws from WWE audiences. Up until now, she hadn’t really incurred the [kayfabe] wrath of Diva fans but in the past few weeks, we’ve seen Vickie try on a new hat. No longer content with making the Superstars’ lives that much more … Read more

NXTeams: Diva & Rookie Duos for WWE NXT

February 17, 2010 by Melanie

WWE has announced the pro and rookie duos for it’s new series, WWE NXT to debut next Tuesday but quite unsurprisingly, it doesn’t seem this ‘season’ will feature any Divas. Boo! The show will feature ‘WWE Pros’ teaming up with ‘Rookies’ as their mentors throughout the series. So we decided to come up with our own pro/rookie team suggestions for NXT. WWE, please feel free to steal and put them into practice.

AJ Lee & Melina

Pro: Melina. Three-time Women’s Champion, one time Divas Champion, Diva of the Year 2009 in Diva Dirt Year-End Awards.
Rookie: AJ Lee. Queen of FCW, former WSU Tag Team Champion.
Perhaps the most obvious pairing for WWE NXT would be to put FCW’s ‘Pocket Rocket’, the young and talented AJ Lee with Melina. Lee has long been a fan of Melina and looks up to the former Women’s Champ so it’d a dream come true for her to one day be on the same roster as the A-List Diva. But how about going one step further and having Melina mentor AJ on NXT? Melina is known for her fire and passion which comes through in the ring, but outside of the ring she’s just as easily able to play the smiley babyface and the bitchy heel. No doubt, she’d have some invaluable lessons to share with Lee who is already well on her way to one day becoming a WWE Women’s Champion! She’s already the Queen of FCW and the standout female wrestler there with Serena now called up. Melina is sweet and good-natured and would be a positive role model to Lee who I think should play a babyface. She has a great likable quality to her just like Melina.

Aksana & Maryse

Pro: Maryse. Former Divas Champion. Best Heel in Diva Dirt Year-End Awards.
Rookie: Aksana. Former world renowned fitness model.
Aksana — known in the fitness world by her real name of Zivile Raudoniene — it seems was hired following the success of Maryse in the Divas division. Both are voluptuous blondes and both have a foreign sexiness to them. Aksana could play the bitchy heel role like her mentor, Maryse in NXT — trying to psych out the other girls and make sure that she stops at nothing for success. With Maryse’s help, Aksana could be the ‘villain’ of the reality-like show. But then again, Maryse being the attention-loving Diva that she is, why would she want more competition on the main roster? This could be an interesting dynamic with Maryse sabotaging Aksana along the way and the pair clashing would make for great drama.

More after the cut:

Can SmackDown Give the Women’s Division Its Respect Back?

January 26, 2010January 25, 2010 by Melanie

In the past few years many people have [wrongly] assumed that the lackluster women’s division in WWE is due to the Divas themselves. With no Trish Stratus or Lita leading the pack, the division has admittedly waned but I would argue, it’s not because of the women in it. It’s because of the writing. In a post-Trish era, it all went downhill. Not to toot her horn too much, but it’s true — Trish was seemingly the only Diva that WWE had full confidence in carrying a real storyline, developing it for several months, engaging the viewer and delivering that great blow-off match that we all anticipate. When she left, the effort stopped.

It’s not that any one of the girls can’t do the same, they just haven’t been given the opportunity to. Storylines that once spanned months now span weeks, matches on Raw — once home of the coveted Women’s Championship — are now usually half as long and half as exciting. The audience itself, paying customers, have stopped lapping up the Divas action and instead feel something apathy and indifference. You may have your own arguments as to why Diva A or Diva B aren’t over but my argument is this: the audience, you know the ones that pay for the honour, don’t care because WWE has given them little reason to care over the years. Any one of those girls could be over if WWE gave them the attention to detail in character that they gave Trish, the same effort in storylining that they gave Trish and had a little confidence in the girls to do their own thing, like they did Trish.

While many have switched over to TNA or perhaps SHIMMER, it’s been a long road but hope isn’t lost. WWE does know how to do women’s wrestling because they’ve done it before and it seems, they may be looking to do it again. Last week’s segment on Friday Night SmackDown was easily the best thing the Divas have done in quite some time — the closest thing to the original ‘golden era’ of Divas that is so treasured.

This segment to me is the biggest milestone for the Divas division in years. It showed that the “smart, powerful and sexy” tagline isn’t just a load of BS. It showed a confidence in the Divas that has been less than visible of the years. And it showed that the girls can tell great stories too.

Feature: Should TNA Create a Knockouts TV Series?

January 10, 2010January 10, 2010 by Melanie

With a growing Knockouts division, two sets of titles and multiple storylines at the same time, a two-hour time slot shared with the men is beginning to become a little bit cramped. Thinking back to the early days of the Knockouts division in 2007, there is a reason why the feud between Awesome Kong and Gail Kim is so highly regarded — it had time to grow by receiving ample amounts of attention and spanned two pay per views. The feud and matches between the two helped put the Knockouts division on the map and showed the mass audience what women’s wrestling could be. Fast forward to present day and it seems to me that the feuds in the division are often half-baked and nothing more than a series of matches or run-ins or backstage attacks. Where’s the scripting and storyline gone? Should TNA just be given a pass because they have good matches?

With more Knockouts utilised than ever before, it’s a competition for screen time and usually the slots given to the women on Impact are fought over. Thus, a lot of the times you’ll see feuds rotate from week to week but this doesn’t seem to be working. Going back to that earlier example, Kim vs Kong, at the time it was the sole storyline for the Knockouts and was able to have consistent time and effort put into it. Perhaps today, the TNA writers are trying to do too much despite having too little time. Many times, feuds have just come out of no where and ended abruptly — Alissa Flash vs Hamada is one example. But even then, the bigger feuds such as Kong vs Tara if you think back, was nothing more than a series of run-ins and attacks with little explanation for the animosity between them, and no real dialogue or emotions being told in storyline.

The launch of a second set of titles means that the Knockouts are stretched pretty thin for the TV time and though they are made good use of on Impact, it just doesn’t seem to be doing them any favours in the long term.

With the Hulk Hogan era now underway, it seems the time devoted to the girls may decrease while the numbers within the division continue to expand as TNA is always on the lookout for new talent. Is it time for a Knockouts-only TV show?

Diva Dirt’s 10 Wishes & Predictions for 2010

December 31, 2009 by Melanie

2009 has just flown by, hasn’t it? It feels like only yesterday we were dishing out the Year-End Awards for 2008. But as we are on the eve of 2010, what a perfect time to convey our wishes and predictions for the year ahead! Feel free to add your own wishes and predictions in the comments!

First, just to get the wishful thinking out of the way…

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.
* Allow Tara to have a long and fulfilling Knockouts Championship reign. She deserves one great run with a belt!
* Here’s hoping to a fucking decent WrestleMania match this year. [Sidebar: Beth vs Michelle if we’re getting specific.]
* 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!
* TNA, take note: Alissa Flash. Same thing.
* Give the proverbial ball to Alicia Fox, Daffney and Eve Torres and let them run with it. They all have a lot to offer and it isn’t just their boobs.
* Dear American work visa people, please let Angelina Love come back to TNA!
* I love Saritaylor as a team but I’m kinda curious to see them in a feud. If you must break them up, give us a series of three-to-five epic matches, won’t you TNA?
* SmackDown, please don’t suffer a slump. We’re counting on you!
* Since we have just one more wish we may as well blow it on something HUGE! Title reigns for Alissa Flash, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, Hamada and Natalya are a must.

Predictions after the cut:

Feature: The Search for the Next Talk Show Queen

December 30, 2009 by Melanie

Tyra Banks has announced that she is ending her Emmy-winning talk show in 2010. Meanwhile, the queen of the daytime talk show, Oprah Winfrey is ending her iconic show after 25 years in 2011. Who will give Ellen a run for her money now? The wrestling industry has always been home to charismatic, kooky and downright entertaining stars over the years. Surely those are the ingredients needed to carry one’s own talk show, too? Here are our suggestions for America’s next talk show queen!

Awesome Kong — ‘The Awesome Kong Show’
She’s already the baddest Knockout in the playground — just ask any of her opponents, but I get the impression that she’d be just as hardcore given her own talk show! Kong, like Oprah, is a perfect example of female empowerment which seems to be the main theme of most of these shows. As for Kong’s unique selling point — think Oprah with a little Judge Judy with a dash of Jerry Springer. Kong could have guests come on her show to discuss important issues and solve their problems with Kong’s word as law. And if her guests get out of hand, all she’d have to do is smack them back into line! There’s no need for the security guards like on Springer! Now that equals ratings right? I think it’d be exciting just to see what crazy thing Kong will do next.

Maryse — ‘Maryse’
The sexy French-Canadian Diva may be better suited to a late night phone-in show if you know what I mean, but who better to sex up daytime? Maryse’s talk show would feature a set that is made to look like a fancy boudoir, her guests would all be sexy celebrities and her take on issues such as health, beauty etc. would be far different than those dished out by Tyra! ‘How to last longer in bed’ and ‘Cover up your roots’ may not be as world peace-like as Oprah’s show but Maryse seems unapologetic enough to pull it off! Besides, who wouldn’t want fashion and beauty tips from the gorgeous pin-up?

Follow the cut for the rest:

The Diva Dirt Christmas Gift Guide

December 18, 2009 by Melanie

xmasgift

Christmas is just around the corner and if you have yet to purchase a gift for a loved one, a friend or that Diva mark you know but wished you didn’t, we have the perfect gift ideas for you! We have scoured high and low looking for the best gift that Diva fans will be giving this Christmas. Hurry though, the big day is just a week away!

Click on the images for full view.

The History of the Divas Championship
This Christmas, why not relive the illustrious history of the coveted Divas Championship? That’s right, all 365 days of it — over three glorious discs! This collector’s edition is jam packed with interviews and matches. Relive the blood, the sweat and the tears as some of the greatest Divas of all time battle over the single most important title in women’s wrestling. This 3-disc edition features one disc entirely dedicated to Jillian’s five minute long title reign, a reign that some critics have described as the title’s best. Plus in her own words, did Michelle McCool really politick her way to becoming the first Divas Title? The two-hour documentary, “The History of the Divas Championship” features comments from all five Divas Champions plus comments from Jim Ross, Trish Stratus and more. Bonus footage on this collector’s edition includes: “Hair Flipping 101” with Divas Champion number two, Maryse and “Behind the Butterfly”, a look into the making of the belt, from conception to execution!

The Diary of Alicia Fox
Following the multi-platinum selling album, ‘I Am… Alicia Fierce’ which spawned the #1 smash hit ‘Singles Wrestler (Put Me in a Ring)’, Alicia Fox is back with her critically acclaimed sophomore album. The album features the current hit single, ‘Try Sleeping with a Broken Nose’ and ‘If I Ain’t Got McCool’. Alicia sings over a productions from Sketcher, BlueOne, Belgian Beatz and more. Alicia collaborates with multi-platinum selling record rapper, Miz-Z on ‘Concussed State of Mind’.

More after the cut:

The Diva Trade Report Card

December 17, 2009December 17, 2009 by Melanie

It’s been two months since the Diva Trade hit us like a bus and changed the landscape of Raw, SmackDown and well, ECW not so much. Since that time, the seven Divas traded have had time to find their feet on their new brands — new feuds, new storylines, new love interests. For some it’s worked out and for others, it hasn’t. Two months removed, we’re going to catch up with our Divas and find out how the Diva Trade has affected them in the ‘Diva Trade Report Card’.

draft_bellas The Bella Twins
The Bellas’ move to Raw has been wholly unthreatening, thankfully. Hardly ever seen in wrestling attire, the Bellas have served as eye candy to the Guest Host of the week. Not exactly something to write home about!
Verdict: Acceptable. An insignificant trade that doesn’t harm or hurt anyone.

draft_bellas Beth Phoenix
I kicked up something of a fuss when Beth was moved from Raw in October — but I’m happy to say, I’ve been proved wrong. The move to SmackDown has rejuvenated the Glamazon. The brief ‘Glamazon Squash Tour’ provided a monster heel-like reintroduction for Beth that many would expect for a Superstar, it’s rare to see such effort go into a Diva. In my initial look at the trade, I questioned whether WWE would pull the trigger on Beth vs Natalya or McCool but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a tweener-ish Beth challenge Michelle McCool for the Women’s Championship in the near future.
Verdict: Good. SmackDown should bring out a new dynamic to the Beth Phoenix character in the New Year.

More after the cut:

‘Piggy James’ Jokes: Scripted Bullying or Subtle Nod to Internet Gossip?

November 20, 2009 by Melanie

This week’s SmackDown spoilers have caused an uproar. Diva fans across the Internet, including in our comments section, have taken WWE to task over what they have read. All this before the show even airs tomorrow. Without giving too much away to the spoiler-phobes among us, tomorrow’s SmackDown will see the continued taunting of Mickie … Read more

The Art of the Diva Comeback

November 19, 2009 by Melanie

Former Divas Champion, Maryse is set to return next Monday night in what will likely end up as one of the worst kept secrets in forever, but the real question is: How will WWE pull it off? The company hasn’t had a great track record with the ‘Diva comeback’. Most of them have been rather boring and as with most things Diva, probably took around 30 seconds to write.

There was a time when comebacks were genuinely exciting and perhaps the best example of this is Lita’s return in 2003, saving Trish Stratus from a beatdown at the hands of Gail Kim and Molly Holly:

Like her or loathe her, this return had all the ingredients of an epic comeback: an iconic Diva who’d been gone for more than a year, a Diva the fans actually cared about and JR screaming to the point of losing his voice added an authenticity to it that made it feel like a WrestleMania main event. Many a Diva fan can recall where they were when this went down or remember their reaction when they first saw it. No ‘ifs’, ‘buts’ or ‘maybes’, this was a storybook comeback — for any Superstar, let alone a Diva.

Fast forward five years and the Diva comeback has been relegated to nothing more than a random appearance mid-match. Here’s one of Candice’s many returns:

While Lita’s return may have been epic, this one was more “Oh… she’s back.” But it didn’t have a patch on Ashley Massaro’s eye-watering return in a multi-Diva lingerie pillowfight. We’ll do you a favour and won’t post the video.

The Weekly 5: August 9th, 2009

June 14, 2013August 9, 2009 by Melanie

weekly5

I’m sure you’ve all heard of your ‘five a day’, but Diva Dirt is here to provide you with your ‘five a week’ in our Weekly 5. Join us every Sunday as we take a look back at the week gone by and highlight our top 5 moments of the week.

Note: Let’s be honest, not much going on TV wise this week [Thanks SmackDown!] so I’ve decided to include some of the news stories from the week.

weekly5_5 TNA’S LOSS IS ROH’S GAIN
weekly5_roxxi Former TNA Knockout, Nikki Roxx has been snapped up by the folks at ROH and is set to debut at their tapings later this month. The former Roxxi was unceremoniously pink-slipped earlier this year, effectively making her one of the hottest free agents until now!

Click in for #4-2 on our countdown:

Week 1 Result

The Best

AJ Lee & Melina

Aksana & Maryse

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