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A Londoner’s Eye Quick Hits: New Generation of Divas?, Bye Bye Bellas, Losing Layla, Brooke & More

Hello all! This column has been transformed this week, breaking from the traditional one-subject tone to cover some “quick hits” on various things going on in women’s wrestling at the moment. As always, I’d leave to hear what you think, too, so leave a comment! —– Are we on the verge of a new generation … Read more

A Londoner’s Eye: The Mystique of Wrestling vs the Internet

All of the opinions expressed in this blog are solely that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Diva Dirt as a whole. Diva Dirt caused a little stir on Twitter yesterday, and by “little stir” I do mean little (more of a teacup tremble than 8.0 magnitude earthquake on the … Read more

Australian in America Blog: Shazza McKenzie Checks in from America, Comments on American Debut

Australian wrestler Shazza McKenzie is currently in America, where she is set to debut for SHIMMER Women Athletes next week. Shazza will be sending us exclusive blogs and pictures from her trip. Check back for regular updates! G’Day!!! In case you’ve never heard of me, my name is Shazza McKenzie and I’m a female professional … Read more

A Londoner’s Eye: Models vs Wrestlers – When Did the Battle Lines Get Drawn? And Why Do We Have to Choose?

The “wrestler vs model” debate has plagued women’s wrestling fans for as long as I can remember. Being the editor of Diva Dirt for the past four years, I’ve seen a wide spectrum of opinions from wrestlers, writers and most importantly, fans. For it’s the fans who use their ability to have a say on … Read more

Indy Spotlight: Jessie McKay

You may know her as “Everybody’s Favourite Girlfriend”: originally from Sydney, Australia, but having already worked for some of the USA’s top independent promotions (SHIMMER Women Athletes, Slammin’ Ladies, Ring of Honor, CHIKARA and CZW, to name just a few), Jessie McKay is fast becoming a fan favourite everywhere around the world. Trained by Australian … Read more

Indy Spotlight: Michelle K Hasluck

Previously known as simply “Michelle” on the Australian wrestling scene, Michelle K. Hasluck found that competing with the likes of Candice Michelle and Michelle McCool on the “Michelle name front” wasn’t cutting it for her. As one of the last Haslucks left in the world, Michelle now wrestles under her real name and couldn’t be … Read more

Indy Spotlight: Shazza McKenzie

Yet another name has been announced for the huge PWWA show taking place on September 3rd at the Liverpool Masonic Center in Sydney, and it is a name that should be very familiar to anyone regularly checking out Australian Wrestling News and results on this site… Shazza McKenzie. But now is your chance to learn … Read more

Indy Spotlight: Reyna Pink

At River City Wrestling‘s next event on August 6th, the RCW International Championship will be on the line in a fatal four-way match. One of the wrestlers looking to take that title home with them is our next Indy Spotlight wrestler: Reyna Pink. Pink has been making quite a name for herself on the Texas … Read more

Indy Spotlight: Evie

Recently announced for the huge PWWA return show taking place on September 3rd at the Liverpool Masonic Center in Sydney, New Zealander Evie is one up-and-comer to keep your eye on. Evie began training in mid-2007 at eighteen years of age, debuting six months later for Impact Pro Wrestling New Zealand as a cheerleader. A … Read more

Southern Belle Smack: MY Opinion On The Great Kelly Kelly Debate

Good evening everyone and welcome to the third or fourth edition of the Southern Belle Smack. It’s been so long between columns that I can’t even remember how few I’ve written but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that, as I’m writing this, I’m currently on pins and needles watching this French Open final between … Read more

Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes: Glam Slam Mailbag #6 + 2 Glam Slam Reader Profiles

Hello everybody!  I hope you all got a chance to watch episode #1 of “Jessie Kaye: Road to the Ring”.  I’m really proud of the web series.  It’s a fun challenge to bring Jessie’s story to light.  She’s a great kid.  In general the show is just reason this is an exciting time at Diva Dirt – stay tuned for an even bigger and better rest of 2011!

Time to clean out my inbox and piece together my “Hitting the Ropes” Glam Slam mailbag!  Once again, thanks to all of you who submitted questions!

Before I jump into your questions I’d like to pay a quick tribute to the “Macho Man” Randy Savage.  Like many I was saddened to hear about his recent passing.  It is impossible for me to quantify how much he and Miss Elizabeth meant to me as I was growing up.  The WWF was a huge part of my life and Macho Man gave me many wonderful memories.  The night the “Madness met the Mania” in Hershey, PA is my all-time favorite wrestling match.  So, thanks Randy.  Now you can walk down that aisle again with Miss Elizabeth, at least in my heart.

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A Londoner’s Eye: Thank You, Michelle

I didn’t think much of the school teacher from Palatka, FL seven years ago during a little contest on Monday Night Raw (you may have heard of it). Frankly, said school teacher — while she looked athletic, sure — came across awkward on TV, as if she knew (along with the viewing world) that she didn’t really fit in with the nipped-and-tucked models in bikini tops who made up the rest of the competition. Her thick accent was a little jarring, her looks (which this competition was pretty much based upon) didn’t quite compete with the models and she lacked any distinct personality. Failing to connect with the crowd, the school teacher was cut from the competition in week four. That should’ve been the last we saw of her, but it was just the beginning.

Fast forward seven years and that school teacher, Michelle McCool, is perhaps the most decorated WWE Diva of the last several years. And like any public figure worth knowing about, she’s as controversial as she is talented.

The once doe-eyed school teacher won over many — including myself — and now, as we say goodbye to her, I want to say thank you, Michelle.

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Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes (Issue #25) – Hell’s Kitchen

At some point in your life you have told Vincent Kennedy McMahon to go to hell. 

We all have.  Every single one of us.  Every single wrestling fan has done this at one time or another.  Whether you’re a casual fan who just watches Monday Night Raw or a hardcore fan that attends WrestleMania every year.  You have done this.  I guarantee it.

You have yelled at him through your television.  You have bitched about him to your friends.  You have made fun of him.  You have made fun of his family.  You have chastised him.  You have criticized him.  You have used his name in vain.  You have wanted to punch him in the nose. 

But I bet you have never stopped watching his product. 

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Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes (Issue #24) – Third Time is a Charm

 

“Why now?”

Shantelle Taylor was asking me why now, of all times, I had finally decided to pursue my dream of being a ring announcer.  I thought about it for a minute and then told her, “Because now I have the opportunity.”  But I’m not completely sure that was the entire answer.  Truth is I still don’t know exactly “why now”.  I mean, why didn’t I try this years ago?  I’ve always wanted to get involved in professional wrestling…so what was holding me back?  Really, why now? 

I guess one day I just woke up and realized “Hey, I’m 37, if not now…when?  I’m not getting any younger.  Am I going to let this dream just disappear forever?” 

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A Londoner’s Eye: Give Rima Fakih a Chance on Tough Enough…

(Well this is awkward… After a four month absence, I am back with just my second blog post. David puts me to shame, don’t he?)

The news earlier this week that reigning Miss USA, Rima Fakih, will be a contestant on the impending revival of WWE Tough Enough lit a fire under my pen. And it seems it also lit a fire under a lot of you too. The recurring theme seems to be: “Great, another model in WWE.” Other criticisms that have popped up include: “It’s a slap in the face to the masses of independent wrestlers that auditioned,” and “Why doesn’t she just do the Diva Search?”

The outpouring of criticism from fans and purists to Fakih’s appointment, in my perhaps unpopular opinion, is shortsighted and once again exemplifies the hasty nature of the Internet. (Shocking, right?)

As soon as a story is out there, there’s a knee-jerk reaction it seems. Look no further than Henry Cavill being cast as Superman. That news a few weeks ago spurred outcries that too many iconic superhero roles were going to British actors and not American ones. Sure, Superman may represent Americana but first of all, it’s fiction! Secondly, the character is not going to be British, so what difference does it make? Before a single frame of footage had been shot, poor (gorgeous) Henry Cavill had a target on his back.

Sound familiar?

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Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes (Issue #23) – I Can Handle the Truth

If you listen to Diva Dirt LIVE, you know that I get fired almost every week.  I really do try my best but inevitably I screw something up – either by calling someone the wrong name, or messing up the switchboard, or making some lame joke that not even my co-hosts will sell.  Whatever the reason I always find myself on shaky ground, which stinks because I really do love hosting the show.  Interacting with the callers and special guests is a lot of fun and if I can learn something about the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” along the way, all the better!  Fortunately for me Melanie usually has a change of heart during the week and lets me keep my job, so basically I’m working on a series of 1-week contracts (although what Melanie doesn’t know is that I’m kind of like a stray cat…feed me once and I’m hard to get rid of.)  So I never know how long this gig will last, but Diva Dirt LIVE has been on the air since June 2010 and I’m extremely proud of that.

Now, if there ever WAS a reason for Melanie to fire me it was during this past Royal Rumble in Boston (and no, I’m not talking about the plaid shirt I wore.)  I admit, I dropped the ball…big time.  See the WWE sold t-shirts at the event that advertised the Divas Championship as a fatal 4-way match, which is fine except no one was supposed to know that before the “anonymous general manager” changed the match at the last minute.  As Natalya was all set to defend her Divas title vs. Lay-Cool in a handicap match, Michael Cole received an email essentially adding a fourth competitor.

Of course I would have already known that had I just read the back of my son’s t-shirt.  UGH!

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Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes: Glam Slam Mailbag #5 + Glam Slam Reader Profile

Hello everyone!  I hope your 2011 is off to a flying start.  I’m excited for the year ahead and the Glam Slam mailbag is one of the main reasons.  I really enjoy answering your questions, plus I think the Reader Redux is another cool way for you to voice your opinions.  It’s catching on.  Look for two more great essays in this mailbag!

Once again, thanks to all of you who submitted questions!

Reader: Ohiofan5

“What are you New Year’s Eve traditions and what are your resolutions for [this] year?”

Mr. G – Man, New Year’s Eve is a LOT different now that we have kids.  In the old days my wife and I used to love going out to parties and visiting with friends.  Now we put the kids to bed, open up some champagne, and watch the network count-down shows.  Usually one of us doesn’t even stay awake long enough to see the ball drop!  I know, I know…we live like rock stars.  As for resolutions, I normally don’t make any because I try to make positive changes every day.  But this year I did make two – drink more water and get more sleep – because, let’s face it, these bags under my eyes really aren’t attractive.

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Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes (Issue #22) – The Divas Started the Fire (New Song)

 

2010, what a year.  Talk about highs and lows!  In April all of us Beth Phoenix fans celebrated her championship victory at Extreme Rules only to have the Glamazon injure her knee several weeks later, in effect ending her title reign.  When Beth officially lost the belt to Layla (and Michelle) it felt like a funeral, a cruel twist considering how well Beth’s face turn had been handled and how emotional she seemed when she won.  Then it was announced Beth would be out of action for many, many months.  Basically the rest of the year; it felt like ‘the longest time’.

Top of the mountain to the bottom of the barrel.  Obviously this was terrible for Beth, but it was also terrible for her fans.  Truthfully, I didn’t handle it very well.  My inspiration, my role model, my main reason for watching WWE was going to be out for a long period of time.  How could I even watch “Smackdown” anymore?  How could I even watch WRESTLING anymore?  I could just see myself bored to tears, basically ‘sleeping with the television on’.  I shut down.  I was hoping I could pick myself up and find enjoyment in wrestling again, at least until Beth returned, but I was constantly haunted by the same thought, “What if she didn’t recover?”  Gulp.  It was going to be hard to ‘keep the faith’ and I knew I wasn’t going to get through this alone.  I started spending a lot of time with ‘Captain Jack’ (or Johnny, as I call him). 

My wife is usually very supportive of my wrestling habit but she got tired of me moping around the house every day moaning about bad luck, knee injuries, and co-Women’s champions.  Of course I thought she was completely overreacting.  So what if I wouldn’t take off my Glamasuit…that ‘ain’t no crime’ in my book.  I started resenting her as a way to channel my frustration.  As a result there was a definite ‘storm front’ brewing. 

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Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes (Issue #21) – Mark My Words

 

I had a poker night a few weeks ago, something I try to do approximately every four months.  The cards are basically the excuse we use to get out of the house for a few hours.  Bring a 6-pack, throw in a $20, and you’re good to go.  We always play “dealer’s choice” which is fun because there are a million different poker games out there – Night Baseball, Chicago, Follow the Queen, Omaha, whatever – so that keeps the table running.

Every now and again we’ll play a game someone hasn’t heard of and we’ll have to stop and explain the rules.  No big deal.  We explain the game, clear up any confusion, and then deal out the cards.  At this last poker night, a buddy of mine pulled me aside and apologized because he didn’t know many of the games.  He just didn’t play cards all that often.  I assured him it wasn’t a problem.  He is a great guy, so what if poker isn’t his thing?  He wanted to join in and I guaranteed him he was more than welcome. 

Nobody gave him a hard time that night.  However if someone would have picked on him I would have asked that person to leave immediately.  See, I’ve been there.  I’ve been the odd man out at the poker table.  The guy who didn’t understand the rules and got roundly, repeatedly, and viciously harassed for it.  That was five years ago and I haven’t forgotten the feeling.  It’s not good.  I wasn’t “smartened” up to all the games so I took a beating for it.  Nobody was going to make someone feel that way in my own house.  You want to play at my table?  There is always a seat open and a cold beer waiting.      

What does this have to do with wrestling?  Well, in my personal opinion, no community is as fractured, judgmental, and condescending as professional wrestling fans.  Of course, that’s just my opinion.  We’re allowed to have those, right?  Right??

Well…maybe not.

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Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes: Glam Slam Mailbag #4 + Glam Slam Reader Profile

Happy holidays everybody!  I hope you enjoy my “Hitting the Ropes” Glam Slam holiday mailbag and let’s make 2011 a year to remember! 

Once again, thanks to all of you who submitted questions!

Reader: The_JM

“After seeing the whole season of NXT do you think it was a good thing? Or do you think just a regular debut on Raw or Smackdown would have been fine?”

Mr. G – Overall I enjoyed the Diva’s season of NXT.  As the show progressed I found myself invested in the characters and hoping that several of them would find themselves on the main roster.  We’ve seen from previous seasons you don’t have to “win” the show to get a WWE contract, so I hope we see Kaitlyn, Naomi, and AJ (at least) added to the roster, which would infuse some much needed energy to the Divas division.  I thought Aksana was hilarious although I am not in love with her as a wrestler.  In any case I was happy to see the girls get their own show and I think it was an effective was to present them to the WWE Universe.  It allowed the WWE to “market test” the girls and it appears several of them cultivated a nice fan base, which I think would have been difficult to do had they just been booked straight to Raw or Smackdown.

Now…that being said, there were problems with the show.  The constant berating and belittling from the announcers was way over the top.  Whatever you think about the Divas, these girls are still trying to do their best, and this is still their careers.  I didn’t understand WWE allowing that type of verbal abuse from their own employees.  After a while it became mean-spirited.  Also, switching to WWE.com was disruptive and I’m still disappointed that Isis the Amazon was not allowed on the program.

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Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes (Issue #20) – The 12 Divas of Christmas

I have a lot of names on my Christmas list this year.  I have been working for Diva Dirt for close to a year now and it’s time to square up and show my gratitude to the hard working women who get up every day and try to entertain their fans around the world.  To show my appreciation I am going to brave the crowds and pick them out some great gifts.  Let me grab my Neil Diamond Christmas CD and we’ll head to the mall (by the way, has any Jewish artist NOT made a Christmas CD?)

So the Christmas season is here and I have to admit I’m pretty excited.  Not because of the upcoming Slammy Awards (which I do enjoy by the way, though sadly I can’t remember who won the 2008 “Diva of the Year”.)  No, I really look forward to this time of year because now I’m a part of all of this. Santa Claus, the carols, the presents, the tinsel, the tree, the stockings.  Since getting married in 1999 my wife has educated me on the importance of the holiday season, of all the things we need to do to satisfy our Christmas traditions each year.  She grew up with fun Christmas memories and now it is important to her we pass those down to our children.

My wife’s favorite holiday tradition is putting up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving because God forbid we just sit around, relax, watch football, and recover from our huge turkey dinner.  But I don’t really complain.  Like I said, I really am just excited to be a part of all this Christmas stuff.  Growing up Jewish I always felt like I was missing out. If Christmas was just December 25th that would be one thing, but Christmas is obviously an entire season.  As a Jewish boy this was challenging, especially growing up in a community with very little Jewish influence.  Being one of the only Jewish kids in your neighborhood makes you feel like everyone else is having a party…and you’re not invited.

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Southern Belle Smack (Issue #2) – Why One Diva SHOULDN’T Be Divas Champion

Interesting title, right?

Welcome everyone to another fabulous edition of the Southern Belle Smack proudly sponsored by… err hang on. This isn’t audio, is it? This is a column, blog, whatever you want to call it and it just so happens that this is the second edition of Diva Dirt‘s Southern Belle Smack. It’s been so long since I’ve written one of these that I don’t even remember what the first one was about. NXT perhaps? If that’s true then the last (and only) SBS appeared about ten weeks ago. Yikes. So much for weekly/bi-weekly feature, eh?

Notice how I threw in a little Canadian lingo there?

A Canadian is the subject of this blog today and that woman just happens to be competing in Miami tonight at the WWE Fall classic known as Survivor Series. Natalya, our Canadian subject in case you’ve already tuned out, will have a third crack at the Divas Championship when she steps inside the ring to face Lay-Cool in a 2-on-1 handicap match. There’s an old saying that seems fitting for tonight: the third time’s the charm. All signs would certainly indicate that Natalya is poised to walk out of the American Airlines Arena as the newly crowned queen of the WWE.

If anyone deserves this accolade, it’s the third generation Diva. She’s arguably the most skilled girl they have on the roster and she’s one of the best in the world. That alone should make her a shoo-in to become champ and I believe in my heart that she will finally get her first taste of WWE purple gold tonight. But my head… well that’s another story. My head sees Natalya losing tonight. Once again she’ll find herself robbed of championship glory and this time she will be out of chances.

And you know what? I’m fine with that. In my humble opinion, Natalya shouldn’t be Divas Champion.

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Introducing A Londoner’s Eye (Issue #1) – Beth Phoenix: A Lady Amongst Divas

Hello one and all! Welcome to a new column, ‘A Londoner’s Eye’ here at Diva Dirt piggybacking building off of the success of David’s wonderful column. I always get emails and questions about my opinion on this, that and the other and as you all know by now, I am highly opinionated on pretty much everything, so this new column will be a notebook of sorts which I hope to regularly update with my thoughts on what’s going on in the world of women’s wrestling. There likely won’t be any regaling tales from my childhood, though — I’ll leave that to David.

However, this first column does have some connection to our self-professed Mr Glamazon, as you can probably guess by the title. This one is all about a certain glamorous amazon, who like her name suggests, we are all eagerly awaiting to rise from the ashes in the coming days or weeks.

I admire Beth Phoenix for a number of reasons: her determination and passion for the industry, to me, shines through. She had a long journey to get to WWE and now she’s living her dream and seems like she doesn’t take it for granted one bit. Then there’s her striking physique. Furthermore Beth, in my opinion, fits perfectly into WWE’s PG era along with the likes of John Cena, because she’s a great role model regardless of whether she’s a babyface or heel.

As a babyface, she’s able to connect with her fans and be that role model a little more, but even as a heel Beth was always smart, savvy and headstrong — attributes that women and young girls can look up to. Beth has made her character come across elegant — even though she slams girls into the mat — and you’d never dream to hear the word ‘whore’ come out of this Diva’s mouth. No sir. Leave that to the Knockouts. Though we’d love to have seen Beth tussle with the likes of Trish, Lita, Victoria et al, somehow I’ve always felt she fits much better into this era than the last. Though the Divas then didn’t curse as much as the Knockouts, they were pretty sexually suggestive and explicit themselves. Beth Phoenix, the elegant, graceful, Parents Television Council-friendly Glamazon wouldn’t have worked quite as well as it does now.

Yet for all the praise I have heaped on Beth in that last paragraph, I haven’t always been so enamored with Beth.

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