Sunday, February 1, 2026
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Krissy Vaine’s Vainety Fair: Randomness with the ADHD Kicking

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Gosh, where do I start? Everyone prepare themselves for a random column this week! First of all, hey y’all! How you doing? I hope everyone is doing great this holiday season! I sure am! Whew, I have been slammed recently with my business and it has left me little to no time at the computer! I’m not complaining though — I feel totally blessed. We are in a recession, you know! So much has been happening, I don’t even know where to start.

Well here’s some good news — I have started working out again (first time in a gym in two years) lol. Gosh, that is totally embarassing and a true athlete would never admit to that, right? Oh well, I’m honest, like me or not! It feels good though. I enjoyed being ‘skinny fat’ for the last two years but honestly, I had taken a long enough break! Speaking of ‘breaks’ I’ve also had a pretty long one from wrestling… I think now that I’m training to become to become a 5-star athlete (wink,wink, hee hee hee) again maybe I’ll give wrestling another go. I had a ‘semi-comeback’ last year but that wasn’t really working out the way I wanted. You know by the time you get to a certain age, you just really like to march to the beat of your own drum. Actually I’ve always been like that lol! So I’ve taken some time and regrouped. Oh I’ll give you a lil spoiler, you won’t be seeing Krissy Vaine at TNA for the tag tournament next week. That synchronicity thing I’ve talked about before is so funny! Timing is everything and unfortunately I was already obligated to something else by the time this idea came to fruition. This go round, because I have looked less than professional in the past (and that is not my nature) I have to do things the right way. It’s really important for me to do so. So whomever I’m with, I’ll be giving that company 100%  — no more one show appearances for me. Its not fair to anyone involved. I do have some very exciting and interesting things going on in the New Year.

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Making Sense of Last Night’s Slammy Shocker

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Last night’s WWE Slammy Awards were the nail in the coffin for what has been a year of disappointment. From the Miss WrestleMania battle royal to the ‘Mayweather Melee‘ to the Diva Bowl and not forgetting the ‘Indians vs Pilgrims‘ match leading into Maryse’s lackluster return. Given the track record WWE has had with it’s Divas this year, in hindsight, we were far too optimistic for the Slammys to be the exception to the rule. From the nominations fiasco to the award being handed out on Raw, it’s been a marred process.

Clearly, it hasn’t been a good year for the Divas and last night summed up precisely what was so wrong about it. But try to make sense of the situation:

Maria’s win
Before we even begin, I’m not going to sit here and blast Maria for winning Diva of the Year, her win wasn’t under her control and it’s unfair to judge her personally for being chosen to win. It’s her moment and good for her. I can’t say I think she deserves the award but I’m not going to hold it against her.

Who deserves the blame
Let’s direct this annoyance at the people that it should be directed at — WWE. As the opening paragraph suggests, this whole year has been letdown after letdown at the hands of WWE. A year that could make even the most unrelenting Diva fan question why they continue to watch. Whether the vote was truly the results of a fan vote or if it was booked in Maria’s favour we’ll never know, but I’m sure there are theories to suggest both.

As pointed out in the Post-Raw Show and in the Raw Redux, Maria is set to be part of a big ensemble cast for the Celebrity Apprentice on NBC next year. Perhaps Maria’s Slammy win was their way of pushing her in that series. If you hear Donald Trump putting her over on the show as WWE’s Diva of the Year, then you’ll know. Especially since the show has already filmed. I mean, you gotta compensate Maria on that show somehow right? The show often boasts about the celebrities’ accolades in creating a competitive atmosphere. “Maria, WWE Diva” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as “Cyndi Lauper, multi-platinum selling artist” does it? “Maria, WWE Diva of the Year” is a little more grandiose.

One of the things everyone, fans and critics alike, have pointed out is if this was truly fan voted, wouldn’t Mickie James win? Mickie is usually the winner of all of these fan polls and is unarguably, the most popular Diva in the WWE right now. That’s not to downplay Maria’s popularity — because she is up there. She and Kelly have a great rapport with the fans and are usually second or third in past fan-voted contests. But given Mickie’s current disposition with the company, would they really award her the Diva of the Year prize? Probably not. You’re pretty much calling the girl ‘fat and ugly’ every single week with all the ‘Piggie James’ BS that we’ve seen, you’re not going to give her an award. The conspiracy theorist in me suggests that Mickie probably topped the poll but they went for the second highest polling Diva.

It’s clear that WWE has positioned the Divas division to be so much of an afterthought that the average fan won’t care what they do with the girls. And as such, they can get away with murder. I mean in reality, we’re but a fraction of the total audience, right?

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Krissy Vaine’s Vainety Fair: Follow Your Fate?

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How many of us actually follow our fate? Our life purpose? Or our path? The signs seem to always be there, but do we listen or pay attention? And how long can you ignore what keeps being put in front of you by something that is bigger than you. My signs have always been pretty prevalent and loud, sort of like my personality. There have been times when I have paid attention and there have been times when I have chosen ego over a divine purpose. I believe we are all here to do something, but how do we grasp what that might be?

We can pay attention to synchronicity for starters. Synchronicity happens all the time and there are constantly ‘hints’ being thrown in front of us to help us to us reach our potential. If something drops in front of your face more than three times, I’d rest assured someone or something is trying to tell you something. For me,  it’s always been the wrestling business. No matter what I do, it always calls on me — even if I’m attempting anonymity. This business has given me a platform to reach and touch many people and it continues to do so even as an inactive performer and jobberette extraordinaire ;) I have not had that kind of success in any other business (as hard as I’ve tried), it just hasn’t happened . I used to think it was the devil on my shoulder, but I’m beginning to wonder if my ‘plans’ and my ‘path’ are two different things. You see our ‘egos’ plan. They instill us with fear, induce anxiety and promote worry. Our ‘paths’ just take us where we are supposed to go with no ulterior motives. Our path just wants us to have the peace that we are doing what we are supposed to do and the universe is thrilled by it. When this happens we are truly in sync. I’m working on it but definitely not quite there myself.

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Report: Vince Behind Diva Trade + Why It’s Band Aid Covering Bullet Hole

Reports circulating on various websites are that WWE head honcho, Vince McMahon was behind the Diva Trade of Monday night, feeling that the women’s division needed a shake up. According to one website, McMahon had become frustrated with the division (much like the fans) and had determined that it had become stale. Other websites report … Read more

Diva Trade Analysis: Looking at Each Individual Trade

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Just under 24 hours removed from last night’s Diva Trade, what do the moves mean for each of the 7 Divas that have changed homes? We aim to offer our insight into what they could be getting up to:

draft_bellasThe Bella Twins
Returning to Monday Night Raw, the Bella Twins’ brief excursion to ECW seems to be over… unfortunately. That said, given the fact they have been making trips to Raw over the past month or two anyway, it only seems fitting to make it official, right? I don’t expect the Bellas will be doing much in the way of wrestling on Raw, nor will they probably have much part in the women’s division at all — except at house shows. If they do wrestle, it will likely be as rarely as they did on ECW. So what does that leave them to do? What they’ve been doing already — backstage segments with the Guest Host for the week, maybe even a few skits here and there with Santino. It looks to me as though they were brought back to Raw for that reason, to serve as characters rather than wrestlers which I guess, is okay.

breaker

draft_bellasBeth Phoenix
I’m not entirely happy with this move for Beth, I truly feel not all of the avenues of the Beth Phoenix character were explored and there was more that she could have offered to Raw; feuding with Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly and possibly even Melina again. On SmackDown, while there is the possibility [technically] that she could go toe-to-toe with Michelle McCool or Natalya — both of which are salivating prospects — it just doesn’t seem likely with all three as heels. That just leaves two Divas: Maria and Mickie James. One of those feuds we’ve seen already and would be like beating a dead horse, the other of those feuds seems like an extremely mismatched affair. Nonetheless, it seems like Maria vs Beth could be the only avenue they explore in a singles situation. There is always the chance of a three-way feud with Michelle McCool and Mickie James also. Beyond those two storylines, I don’t see there being much for Beth to accomplish on SmackDown.

More after the cut:

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Diva Trade Analysis: Has WWE Lost it’s Enamour with Mickie James?

There were many, many shocks delivered last night on Monday Night Raw and the WWE.com Diva Trade that succeeded it, but perhaps the biggest shocker is WWE’s top Diva Mickie James being shipped to SmackDown. Losing her Divas Championship so inauspiciously to Jillian and then being announced as moving to SmackDown; it seems like there … Read more

Diva Trade Analysis: Looking at the New Divas Rosters

Just for the sake of compilation and to give you [and us] a picture of what your new Monday, Tuesday and Friday nights will look like, we have made lists of the new Divas roster on each brand: Raw Faces: Melina (Divas Champion) Brie Bella Eve Torres Gail Kim Kelly Kelly Nikki Bella Heels: Alicia … Read more

Krissy Vaine’s Vainety Fair: Pretty is as Pretty Does

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I’d like to think that I have a knack for knowing something or someone special, or seeing something worth looking at or paying attention to. I believe everyone has that power. Whether or not we pay attention to it is our own decision. My time as a full time Diva made life very interesting as there were always those coming in and out of the system and I would pretty much be able to peg them and their future. Although I could always see the fate of others, I never was able to do the same for myself. Lord knows I wish that I could have. Life would have been much simpler. So I guess the question is what makes someone special? It seems that everyone has something to give to the world. Those who know that gift are unstoppable, normally they can be seen from a distance and seem to ‘glow’ and bring ‘light’ into your life when they are around. Those who don’t know why they are here are lost and also easily recognized. They walk around sad with a ‘gloom and doom’ negative, nasty attitude. I’ve been both of those people. I prefer what’s behind door number one, however! Not that we all don’t get lost, I think the best decision we can make is one with our hearts and not with our heads. Our human egos get us into a lot of trouble and can cause a lot of unhappiness. If you’re not doing something for the ‘right’ reason, then why do it at all? It’s bound to eat you alive in the end, right?

Many examples in my life have shown me where I was supposed to go. Odd coincidences, random run-ins and lots of trials and tribulations. Each for their own very good reason came into my life and then at some point exited — or I kicked their jabroni butt out for bringing down my vibe! We all know people like that. They suck the life out of you and take, take, take. Never giving back to you what you give to them. The feed off your energy to make themselves feel stronger or more powerful. Be it a boss, a family member or a friend. These people are leeches and not good for any of us. It’s okay to take a stand and say to that person or just do it without saying, “You are not good for me, I’m taking my energy back!” Wow, will you feel better after you take that first step!

I’ve found that every time I start to feel down or am starting to feel sad, I pick up a book. I tend to gravitate towards healing and self help books (I admit, I need them lol!). Just like I’m prone to write stories that make everyone seem more relatable or hopefully tell a good story that means something. Divas, just like Hollywood starlets, are just regular girls who get great makeup and hair for TV. Bet you wouldn’t recognize most of them walking down the street because we all look so different without our ‘masks’. That’s another thing I struggle with — I’ve always felt like such a misfit because who I am on the outside does not match up with the me on the inside. Being judged stinks, I think we can all agree. I’ve mentioned before that being ‘pretty’ gets old and stagnant and what does that really mean? What difference is that really going to make when I’m not in this world? Sometimes it feels like a curse, but I know it’s not. I find myself constantly on a mission to show that ‘pretty is as pretty does, and I’d venture to say that is one of my life’s works. Pretty girls can be nice and it is totally refreshing when they are! Like a tall glass of water! Some of the other “grizzled Divas,” can now officially start taking notes, wink wink.

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Krissy Vaine’s Vainety Fair: Heroes in Wrestling

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I had been stumped as to what to write about this week. I’m one of those people who have to be ‘inspired’ in order to speak or write in this case. I guess I feel like if what I have to say isn’t interesting or if I can’t be passionate while writing, then it’s just best to sit back on my pink aura lol (insert joke here) and simmer. But alas, something came to me tonight; I felt fidgety like I needed to talk but couldn’t tell if, maybe, it was just the full moon coming this week that’s throwing off my balance or what the reason for my restlessness was. And then it came to me… this week in the ‘Fair’, I’m gonna discuss heroes in the wrestling business.

When I started out many years ago, I was a bright eyed, naive, sheltered teenager eager to jump feet first into the world of pro wrestling. Being a North Carolinian, I grew up knowing the names of Ric Flair (fave wrestler ever), Ricky Steamboat, Dusty Rhodes and many others. With Crockett Promotions taking place practically in my backyard I couldn’t help but be educated. I would not have called myself a fan, however. My quite ‘southern’ father, an avid fisherman, hunter and ‘rassling’ fan made sure to keep me updated though on all that was professional wrestling. He would turn on wrestling every Saturday morning and make me watch Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Repeating to me weekend after weekend: “Kristin, you’re gonna grow up and be a rassler. You’re just as strong and as pretty as those girls.” I would always retort in my prissy way: “No I’m NOT gonna be one of those girls Daddy! I am a lady!” I couldn’t have been more than ten years old at the time, but my father had just predicted my future. Well to a point. Becoming a wrestler did become part of my path and I’d like to think I remained a lady while doing so. But we are talking about heroes right? I guess in the GLOW era it would’ve been Tina Ferrari but Barbie was my first love, not that you can tell that by looking at me (wink wink). As I grew up, the Saturday morning tradition faded however it apparently stayed with me through at least my late-teens when I decided to give up my budding modeling career and pursue wrestling. Hey, if Trish could do it, so could I! Here was a girl who looked like a Barbie (my first love)  but was a wrestler. I thought back to my father’s words… he was right! And I had found the person who would become my guide… or so I thought.

Ahh, silly, clueless, overzealous Krissy Vaine. I jumped in and I moved up. I had a drive and a determination. It was calling to me and I knew it. Great things would lie ahead, hard work and dedication would get me to the big show! I just knew Vince would be calling me at any minute. No one on the independent circuit looked like me and I knew it. The ball was in my court. Five years into my venture I received the call. I was brought in for my first tryout…

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Are There Flaws in the ‘Female 50’?

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Last week, Pro Wrestling Illustrated released it’s second annual Female 50, a list of the ‘top’ women wrestlers of today. Similar to last year’s list, this year’s Female 50 was met with praise by some but criticism by most. The Female 50 is ranked by popularity, skill, and merit, yet there’s still a few girls on there that has us fans scratching our heads. Is Rosa Mendes really more skilled than say, Alicia Fox? Is Madison Rayne more popular than Natalya? Is Mickie James really the ‘Queen of the Hill’?

As Stew Allen accurately points out on the Women of Wrestling Podcast, “Women’s wrestling is a niche within a niche.” While this is true, I have noticed that women’s wrestling fans tend to be a lot more outspoken and hard to please than your run-of-the-mill wrestling fan. That being the case, how can you put together a list such as this one and still please everyone?

In order to expose and possibly repair the flaws in the Female 50, we really need to look at the actual structure of said list. According to Dan Murphy, one of the men behind this year’s list, several factors went into compiling the 50 names that made the list: “Work rate, promotional push, talent, marketability and other criteria.” Murphy also notes that the list received input from some ‘respected women in the industry’.

One of these women that he’s referring to is Missy Hyatt. Not to take anything away from Missy, but she wasn’t really a wrestler, was she? Maybe someone with more of a hand in the wrestling aspect of the industry would have been a better choice to give feedback on the list. Women like Jazz, Jacqueline and Molly Holly are seasoned veterans, who have a firm grasp of all aspects of the industry and are, quite frankly altogether more credible than Missy Hyatt. I really think that someone of their experience could have helped PWI trim some of the fat off of that list and add some substance.

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Diva B-Sides Double Dip: The Bellas and Katie Lea

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We can all agree that, with a few exceptions, Divas get the short end of the stick when comes to entrance themes. While the male superstars get music from actual bands and artists or custom made songs with lyrics, Divas get stuck with crappy production music. If I had the chance I would change all the Divas music to something a little… well, better. Hence, Diva B-Sides was born; a Diva Dirt exclusive where we match WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts with new entrance themes. This week I’m covering ECW Divas Katie Lea and The Bella Twins.

BellasBsides

THE BELLAS TWINS – “PATRON TEQUILA” BY PARADISO GIRLS

ECW’s resident dynamic duo debuted a new theme this Thursday on WWE Superstars, and boy was it awful. Not as bad Jenna’s music, but still cringe-worthy nonetheless. Sounds like these girls are in need of a emergency B-Side.

As Melanie pointed out on the Diva Dirt Twitter, their new theme sounds like cheap Pussycat Dolls rip-off. That said, what better than an imitation PCD to sing their B-Side? 

Honestly speaking, I should be ashamed that I know (or like) this song, but I really think it’s energy and danceable beat suits the Bellas quite nicely. The subject matter may be a bit questionable, but who’s really paying that much attention to The Bellas. Really…        [audio:The Bellas-Paradiso Girls – Patron Tequila.mp3]

Katie’s B-Side after the cut

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Saturday Supplement: Dating While Diva

saturdaysupplement

In the Saturday Supplement, the Diva Dirt team will aim to discuss a news story, a televised event or other relevant and current topics. The objective, like the average weekend newspaper, is to offer more indepth and lengthy discussion.

ss9-kellyTalks of Divas in the media has been ample and well… I’m striking while the iron is hot.  A woman’s personal life is her personal life, whether or not she may be in show business.  And don’t you try to tell her any differently.  However, when it comes to the disesteemed offense of “Dating while Diva,” is there a double standard?

We’ve seen this trend more recently this past week.  In break of some rather personal news, Superstars like Batista will be called “man-whores” by boasting their alleged sexual prowess to the masses… while Divas such as one Kelly Kelly will receive just as much, if not more criticism for being spotted in a harmless social engagement.  The very same can be said for Divas like Michelle McCool who have been accused for dating for power.  It seems as though the Divas can’t catch a break when it comes to relationships outside of the ring.

Recently, it was reported that Batista has courted none other than Raw’s Rosa Mendes.  The reaction to the story was universal.  “What a pig/sicko/pervert…how disrespectful…women are not to be objectified.”  So on and so forth.  It became apparent that the Animal plows through Divas like cornfields, and Diva fans were none too pleased with the discovery.  Somewhat of an outpour of outrage and disgust commenced as news broke on the Internet.  Some even suspect that Rosa’s success on Raw can be somewhat attributed to any passed relationships she might have attained. Whether or not there may be any truth to that, there is little question that men like Batista have major pull backstage.  So, what’s the appeal?

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Krissy Vaine’s Vainety Fair: Anatomy of a Grizzled Diva

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krissyvf1Hey y’all and welcome to the first Vainety Fair! We can all applaud Melanie for the clever name for my new column. When I was pondering about what to write for my first contribution to Diva Dirt, I thought to myself… what can I talk about that would be interesting to the masses? I want to keep my audience captive, but I also want to keep it real. So I decided after much deliberation to use myself as the ‘butt of the joke’ and talk about the aging Diva. During my tenure as a full-time entertainer, I look back and believe that in the span of only about two years, I aged at least five to ten! How does this happen? Good question! I lived it and am still not completely sure but the proof lies in the pudding. Of course, I can look back now and laugh (I’ve managed to ‘de-griz’) but as this was going on in front of me, it was not so humorous and damaging to be truthful. It was heart wrenching and terrifying! You have to understand your ‘beauty’ tends to be the most important thing you’ve got as a female in the wrestling business. Unlike actresses, females in wrestling can never be too attractive. Jessica Biel has often stated that she hasn’t gotten specific movie or television gigs because she is too easy on the eyes… How is this possible, you ask? In acting there are different roles, different characters — the most beautiful woman in the world will receive an Oscar for dimming herself down to look ‘homely’ and ‘unattractive’. Now count how many homely women in wrestling ever ‘get over’, or better yet are ‘pushed’. Bet you can count them on one hand. I am happy to see that some places nowadays are thinking outside of the box and that is refreshing. But I can only speak of what I know…

krissyvf2I, one time tried to pitch a ‘nerd’ character while I was under contract and was actually quite good at it. Think Neil Goldman from Family Guy. I have a retainer I still have to wear at night, y’all! No joke! I sound ridiculous and look even more silly. However, it was kind of funny in it’s on way and I had an idea. Possibly a very good idea. Never have I been comfortable with being the so-called wrestling ‘sex kitten’, so I decided to suggest something different and actually portray that awkward stage that at some point in our lives, we all go through. I thought it would be brilliant for a babyface female to become this character’s ‘protector’ and help her emerge after many trials and tribulations as a beautiful swan. Redemption right? Wrong! Needless to say this ‘character’ did not go over so well with management… in fact, it was more like a turd in a punch bowl. So I was told to drop it and become as ‘sexy’ as I could be. Ugh. I was not happy, but this is the way you’re making a living so you do as you must. As I said on the Roundtable, it’s either be a ‘perfect 10’ or buh-bye Diva wannabe. Is this ridiculous? I think so… I conformed for a while, tried to be sexy. Eek! I’m not very good at that. Yes, I photograph well, but am I a sexpot in the ring? No and I don’t want to be. I think its tasteless and if you are talented, you are selling yourself short.

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Saturday Supplement: What’s in a Name?

saturdaysupplement

In the Saturday Supplement, the Diva Dirt team will aim to discuss a news story, a televised event or other relevant and current topics. The objective, like the average weekend newspaper, is to offer more indepth and lengthy discussion.

With last week’s debut of Courtney Taylor I thought, amongst other things, how awful that name was. But let’s be honest–for a girl that used to be named Wesley Holliday, you can only go “up” in the name department. That thought led me to think of how and why the WWE and TNA name their Divas and Knockouts the way that they do. Some names stick, some don’t, and others just boggle the mind with their awfulness. I’ll ponder that, and take a look at some of the aliases that have become some of the most recognizable names in business, as well as some that just don’t make a damn bit of sense.

Of course, a discussion on wrestling names wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Victoria, er.. Tara. The internet breathed a collective “Huh??” at the unveiling of the new name. After all, how would that sound on television? “Tara hits the Widow’s Peak!” Eh, not really feeling it. After having a name as fitting as Victoria, is was strange to see her suddenly have to change monikers. But let’s figure out why she had to do it: did the WWE have a trademark on the name? Probably, but WWE-to-TNA transfers have often found loopholes and ways to get around that. Christian Cage, anyone? After the recent debut of Lashley, who of course didn’t have to change his name from his recognizable WWE moniker, it makes me wonder if Victoria was forced into changing her name, and if so, why? She had a long, storied history with the WWE, and if any Knockout commanded respect right from the get-go, it was her. Unless I’m wrong and it was her idea to change names, I think it’s pretty crappy to make her switch from something she’s been associated with for so long. After all, don’t TNA love getting a rub from the WWE’s past successes? Why would they want to sever that mental tie to Tara’s success in the WWE by completely changing her name? And for the love of God, why Tara? It’s such an un-intimidating name (Yeah, I get the Tara-Terror connection), and just sounds silly in the context of a wrestling match. Maybe if she had a faux last name with it, it would be easier to digest. Though I will admit, it’s been growing on me after a while, but probably just because I’m getting more used to it.

But while we’re on the topic of TNA, that company has a pretty storied history of questionable Knockout names. ODB, for instance, stands for One Dirty Bitch, clearly a moniker fitting for her over-the-top character, but it’s so damn weird. All I think of when I hear it is the rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard, which probably isn’t too far fetched, since he often went by the initials ODB as well. Now, I can’t knock her for doing something out of the ordinary, but I personally wouldn’t name myself a bitch. I probably wouldn’t drink from a flask on my way to the ring either, so we’re probably not destined to see eye-to-eye on much.

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Dead Ringers: Layla and Marsha Thomason

Have you ever thought that a certain Diva resembled another celebrity out there? Ever done double-take while watching a movie or TV show and thought “Hang on, isn’t that so-and-so?” Well we certainly have! Diva Dirt’s Dead Ringers aims to seek out our Divas celeb dopplegangers and highlight them here, for you to vote whether … Read more

Sunday Supplement: Will The Knockout Tag Titles Sink or Swim?

sundaysupplement.In the Saturday Sunday Supplement, the Diva Dirt team will aim to discuss a news story, a televised event or other relevant and current topics. The objective, like the average weekend newspaper, is to offer more indepth and lengthy discussion.

ss7-christytaraTNA is setting out to live up to their tagline, ‘Cross the Line’, but not in the ways you would think. In an attempt to push even more boundaries and utilize their ever-growing roster of Knockouts, they’ve decided to implement a tag team division. In the coming weeks, a tournament will take place to determine the first ever Knockouts Tag Team Champions. The question is will the division work?

Serious women’s tag team wrestling has been a niche for quite some time now. During the mid-80s, it was rare to see a women’s match let alone a tag team match. However, that didn’t stop the World Wrestling Federation from making a tag team division for the ladies. In 1983, Velvet McIntyre and Princess Victoria’s NWA Women’s Tag Team Championship belts were converted into the WWF Women’s Tag Team Championship when the two defected from the National Wrestling Alliance and joined WWF. In it’s six years of existence, the belts passed through the hands of several teams before they were captured by the Jumping Bomb Angels (Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki), who would be be the last women to hold the titles before they became defunct in 1989.

Women’s tag team wrestling became all but extinct until the mid-2000s, when all-female promotions such as Women Superstars Uncensored and most notably SHIMMER brought it back into the limelight.

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Saturday Supplement: Women in Power & Representation of Divas

saturdaysupplement

In the Saturday Supplement, the Diva Dirt team will aim to discuss a news story, a televised event or other relevant and current topics. The objective, like the average weekend newspaper, is to offer more indepth and lengthy discussion.

With TNA President, Dixie Carter set to make her first official on-screen appearance for TNA this coming Thursday, this week we are looking at what it means to be a woman in power in the wrestling industry in relation to promoting women’s wrestling.

ss6-stephIt is assumed that any women in professional wrestling with a position of power would want to advocate their women. Surely they would want to create a strong, empowered representation of their Divas, Knockouts et al for the audience? Given hindsight, it can be argued that isn’t the case. In fact, looking at the McMahon family and the two women in prominent roles, Linda and Stephanie McMahon, what have either of these women really done for the Divas in WWE?

It is almost shocking that in the time that Stephanie McMahon has been in power as head of WWE’s Creative Team, that the women’s division has been on a decline. The emphasis on sex appeal rather than brain & braun can date back to the early soap opera-esque feuds on SmackDown in 2002, including a lesbian angle with Dawn Marie and Torrie Wilson. Publicly, McMahon has been acknowledged as somewhat of an advocate, including by the aforementioned Dawn Marie. In a shoot interview also featuring Torrie Wilson, Dawn said something along the lines of how Stephanie worked with the girls in order to be portrayed as having brains and not just being sold as a sex object on television.

However, looking at the television output — there has been countless situations in which under McMahon’s governing, the women of the company were perceived as just that, sex objects. The Diva Search in 2004 particularly changed the way the WWE Divas brand was run and the way that the women’s division would be considered. The after effects of which are still felt to this day. However in today’s WWE, there seems to be a bigger emphasis on wrestling due to the PG rating, yet the Divas segments continue to be an afterthought and unregarded by the writing staff which McMahon heads. It is true that the senior McMahon, Vince, is ultimately the one that signs off on most of the television but given their personal dynamic, would it not be easy for Stephanie to stand her ground if she were truly an advocate of the women in the company?

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How To Make Yourself Stand Out as a New Diva

Fans know better than anyone what they want to see. And while it seems WWE and even TNA thinks it can dictate to the fans what they think we want to see, most of the time they’re wrong. Take for example, we fans at Diva Dirt, we may be just that – fans – but … Read more

Making Sense of “Hard Justice-Gate”

For a company with a female president, TNA sure proved that wrestling is still a man’s sport. Despite boasting the most progressive women’s division on national television, TNA’s Knockouts division was not, this time, exempt from TNA’s recurrent reckless booking. Having already shot themselves in the foot several times with stale and lousy booking for … Read more

Saturday Supplement: Formula for the ‘Perfect Diva’

saturdaysupplement

In the Saturday Supplement, the Diva Dirt team will aim to discuss a news story, a televised event or other relevant and current topics. The objective, like the average weekend newspaper, is to offer more indepth and lengthy discussion.

ss5-melinaWe’re in a era of women’s wrestling where it’s not only possible, but likely for former porn stars and models to get title shots, while professional wrestlers with years of experience get put on the backburner. With that said, I ask the question: What are the components for the ‘perfect Diva’? And even if you have the total package, will you still be marketable to the WWE Universe?

The first ingredient to the ‘Perfect Diva’ recipe is skill. An extremely valuable asset to any Diva (though you wouldn’t know it judging by some of the girls in recent years) should be in-ring skill. A pretty smile and a great rack can only get you but so far in the wrestling world. If you want to be taken seriously by a wrestling promotion and their audience, you should at least be able to take a decent bump.

The next component is sass. While in-ring skills are extremely important, personality is just as vital. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best wrestler to ever step foot in a wrestling ring; no one is going to care if you have the personality of a brick wall. The biggest offender of this rule is current Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool. While McCool has come leaps and bounds since her debut, in regards to her wrestling ability, her lack of charisma has been her downfall. The fans just can’t seem to get behind (or against) Michelle and some might attribute this to absence of spunk outside of the ring.

As shallow as it may sound, another important aspect of women’s wrestling is beauty. Professional wrestling for women, especially in this day and age, is based mostly on aesthetics. If you don’t have the so-called ‘look’, chances are you won’t make it very far in a mainstream promotion. That said, in the last few years, wrestlers such as Awesome Kong, ODB and Beth Phoenix, who may not be considered ‘beautiful’ in a conventional sense, are breaking the mould of the typical Diva. They are prime examples that a female wrestler doesn’t have to look a certain way to get noticed.

Last but probably the most important part of this formula is passion. While passion is probably one of the most important tools for a wrestler, male or female, a lot of women’s wrestlers in a certain mainstream promotion seem to be lacking. It’s not surprising given how girls are recruited these days. Talent scouts seem to be looking for models they can turn into wrestlers, as opposed to actual wrestlers.

Most Divas possess some of these qualities that I have listed but a select few have the ‘total package’. There is an elite group of girls, who are able to captivate audiences with their skills, attitude and beauty. Only a minuscule percentage of ladies who have dedicated their lives to learning every subtlety and nuance of pro-wrestling. Unfortunately, these Divas never get the push.

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Your Diva Dirt: ‘Feuds From the Vault’ By Steven_D

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We are going to by highlighting some of the best blogs written by you, the Diva Dirt faithful, over at our social networking site, MyDivaDirt.com. Head over there now to create your free user account & publish blogs of your very own. If you’d like to recommend your blog for posting on Diva Dirt, visit this thread.

For our first ‘Your Diva Dirt’ post, we have a great look at SHIMMER stars Allison Danger, Daizee Haze and Rebecca Knox by Steven_D:

yourdd_dangerFeuds From The Vault: Allison Danger & Daizee Haze vs. Rebecca Knox
Feuds from the vault returns this week and on its second outing I’ll be writing on little known Irish born Rebecca Knox and her enthralling encounters with Allison Danger and Daizee Haze.

The K-Nox arrived on Shimmer shores in 2006 from Ireland and was a technically orientated athlete. Not only was she a Queens of Chaos champion but she held the ECCW Women’s championship for over nine months.

Mirroring the success of her rival; Allison Danger is no stranger to a title and is also a technically gifted athlete in her own right. She has held the ICWA Ladies Championship along with several other accolades.

The two compliment each other perfectly which added a lot to their matches, despite not being the longest feud. It was one of the best in Shimmer, through match performances alone.

Trying to do the matches justice is no easy feat, the technical ability of the two ladies is almost unrivalled in the independent scene in America.

Where better to begin than Shimmer Volume 3 and Knox’s debut match in Shimmer taking on (the dilute Canadian) Allison Danger.

Shimmer Volume three and the stage was set, with the traditional light hearted start to the match over. The fans were behind both competitors and they begin their technical showcase. The style of both women compliment each other and it is apparent from the onset.

It’s almost an obvious fact that when someone steps into the ring with Allison Danger they are going to be put over and well. This was no different, even though they were on par with one another but to me the experience of Danger gave her a slight edge. The fans in attendance seemed to be impartial as the match was relatively even throughout the early going. However as Rebecca Knox contemplates grabbing the ropes the fans gasp, is this signs of thing to come from the crowd?

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Saturday Supplement: Have the Knockouts Lost Their Edge?

saturdaysupplement

In the Saturday Supplement, the Diva Dirt team will aim to discuss a news story, a televised event or other relevant and current topics. The objective, like the average weekend newspaper, is to offer more indepth and lengthy discussion.

sstbpSince its inception, the TNA Knockouts division has been a burst of fresh air to many who have been soured to the world of women’s wrestling.  Over the past years, the TNA Knockouts have opened many eyes to what an ideal women’s division could look like during a time when its popularity was not as its highest.  A growing fanbase, a 2-hour syndication, a women’s championship, and a locker room of talented women would seem like the ideal formula for success.  However, to every victor goes the spoils, and with the spoils often comes hindrances.  TNA has not been without faults over the years, especially when it comes to the Knockouts, yet the company still manages to redeem itself and reserve its spot for quality wrestling.  So, does TNA’s booking do more harm than good or do the Knockouts still remain at the top of the food chain?

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