Thursday, May 9, 2024

The Women of the Year 2011: Brooke Tessmacher and Tara (#22)

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A la TIME’s Person of the Year list, Diva Dirt has compiled a countdown of the women we feel have best embodied the zeitgeist of the year in women’s wrestling. To compile this list, the Diva Dirt team have tracked the headlines here at Diva Dirt over the past 12 months, followed the lively fan debate on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, considered the impact that the women have made within the industry, and taken into account personal achievements as well. More information on the Women of the Year list here.

BROOKE TESSMACHER AND TARA
TNT: A Dynamite Duo

Throw two singles competitors together and put the Knockouts Tag Team Championships on them. That is a formula we regularly see in TNA’s Knockouts division. However, unlike other randomly paired teams who don’t really “go” together, in 2011, Brooke Tessmacher and Tara proved to be an exception to the rule.

With Tara taking more of a backseat from the singles spotlight this year, pairing her with the rising rookie was a breath of fresh air for her character, while Brooke welcomed a partner who has done it all and can guide her to success.

From their first match together, in which they won the Knockouts Tag Team Championships, there was an instant chemistry between Brooke and Tara — perhaps a sign that we were onto something special. As well as their chemistry in the ring, TNT gelled together just as easily, with Tara citing that both have similar goofy personalities. In a Knockouts division full to the brim of serious Knockouts, Brooke and Tara are a much needed injection of fun.

True, the Knockouts tag team division is barely existent, but even with the limitations, Tara and Brooke brought much needed attention to the belts and in our opinion, had the best run as champs in recent memory, with each of their matches together being memorable.

Individually, in an industry obsessed with you, Tara celebrated a milestone birthday — the big 4-0 — and proved that you can still wrestle on TV and look fabulous. Particularly for women in the business, who tend to only last until their mid-30s on wrestling TV shows, Tara has been inspiring, and has further cemented her legendary status. Before joining forces with her current partner in crime, Tara finally ditched her last partner in crime — Madison Rayne — following the culmination of nearly a year-long storyline. Tara won her freedom from Rayne and as the icing on the cake, defeated her in singles action.

Meanwhile for Brooke, 2011 has certainly been her breakthrough year in wrestling, as she’s impressed fans with her growing in-ring repertoire and has had the chance to face off with Mickie James amongst others. This girl can only get better.

Who’d have thought that this pairing, who were at two different points in their career, could come together and become one of 2011’s hottest tag teams? However, truth be told, we’ve barely scratched the surface. As Brooke told us in an interview recently, TNT still has a lot of in-ring magic that they haven’t had a chance to show Impact Wrestling viewers, and thus we’re hoping that 2012 will be an even bigger year for TNT, and hopefully lead to a revival of women’s tag team wrestling on TV.

PREVIOUSLY:
The Women of the Year 2011: Britani and Saraya Knight (#23)

Click here for the full Women of the Year countdown

RELATED:
Exclusive: Lisa Marie Varon (Tara) Talks TNA & WWE, Golden Age of Divas, Future in Wrestling & More
Exclusive: Brooke Tessmacher Says WWE Release Was “Expected”, TNA a “Dream Come True”
Brooke Tessmacher Found Tara “Scary” When She Was Younger, Now She’s “Like Blood”

Raw Redux (December 19th, 2011): Alicia Scores a Win, Beth Scores a Bruise, Rosa Rocks and We Have Bellas & Vickie Too!

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Due to the fact that I’ve basically been in a coma for the last 12 hours or so, watching Raw live last night was something that didn’t exactly happen for me. I’m sure the majority of you have already seen it, formed thoughts about it, and are so excited to read my thoughts on it to see if they match your own. They probably won’t, but you never know. Today you’re going to get a treat because I’m going to be writing while watching, so everything you get is going to be my live reaction. I haven’t a clue what happened last night, and haven’t been to any sites, not even this one, to see results. The last thing wrestling-wise I witnessed was the scary ending to Beth PhoenixKelly Kelly from TLC. I literally thought someone was going to die during that exchange but no matter, let’s just get on with Raw, shall we? I’m going to cue up  YouTube now!

I can honestly say that Raw has been amazing thus far tonight. It makes me kind of sad that I went to bed last night, but when you have a two-day hangover and haven’t had any sleep since Friday night, say the odd five or so hours, something’s got to give. Unfortunately, it was Raw last night. But nonetheless, backstage we see a split screen of Beth and Alicia Fox. That match is what we get tonight, and if you’re like me, you kind of hoped it would have been the TLC match. Much like the night before, Beth comes out solo and she looks great. Coming out second, is Alicia, and she has the dead animal on her head again. I do love her ring gear, so it’s okay this week.

Beth and Alicia lock up with one another, and Beth tries to work over the Foxy One’s wrist. Alicia nails the champ with a few decisive kicks, but Beth is too powerful to just go away like that. She ends up flattening Foxy with a side-walk slam. She begins punching her in the stomach, and kicking her decisively in the back. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler feel the need to tell us that Alicia is the number one trending topic on Twitter. That’s not a surprise, she’s been trending since her SmackDown days. Of course, Alicia is still on SmackDown but you know what I mean.

Is it just me or does the WWE make you hate Twitter as well?

Anyway, the match is still continuing and it’s gotten a bit dicey. Beth has picked Alicia up and looks to bounce her off the ropes. Foxy uses the momentum to stop the move, but she ends up losing her footing in the process. She recovers nicely, but the Philadelphia crowd isn’t impressed. She takes care of Beth and hits her finisher, then gets a huge pinfall win over the champ. Alicia celebrates, while Beth rolls out of the ring and is being checked on by the referee.

When the replays are over, Alicia has a mic in her hands. Oh wow. She gives a coy little “Hi…” to the crowd and they greet her with a barrage of boos like she’s the biggest heel to ever walk the face of the Earth. She just beams and tells everyone that she hopes they have a very “Foxy holiday.” Yikes.

I don’t know what’s more painful, watching Beth take the finisher or being wished a Foxy holiday? I have looked around now, and those pictures Beth posted of the injury are pretty nasty. But things like that happen in wrestling and the Glamazon is clearly fine. She probably just has a really bad headache today. That said, I wasn’t really crazy about the match. They tried to do too much in their little bit of time and it didn’t come off as clean. But as we saw at TLC, even having a lot of time doesn’t stop mistakes from happening. I’d like to see what Beth and Alicia can put together with more than two minutes allowed. I think it could be fun to watch, and it wouldn’t have to be so rushed or fast-paced. Alicia is not a bad performer, and Beth just goes without saying. She’s gotten amazing matches out of Kelly and Eve, why not Alicia?

The Diva goodness didn’t stop there. Rosa Mendes, the lovely lady who’s been accompanying Epico and Primo to the ring as of late, made an appearance with her men while they took on Jimmy and Jey Uso.

Managing is absolutely what Rosa should do. She’s great at ringside with her exaggerated reactions. These past few weeks we’ve even seen her get involved in Epico and Primo’s business and help them win. Her place in the WWE has always been hit or miss. Rosa’s never really had a solid role. She’s managed to outlast the likes of Maria, Mickie, Gail, Melina, and Maryse, so clearly there is something there that the company likes about this woman. She’s stunning to look at and having her as a manager is the best possible thing. I’m not entirely sure if this is a heel faction or a face faction, but I hope we get to see more of them on Raw in the future. I really enjoyed their match at TLC with Air Boom, so more please. And more Rosa with her Spanglish and horrible Latin dancing. It’s fun.

Speaking of fun, we have more Divas, which is a nice surprise to me. Brie and Nikki are backstage arguing with Johnny Ace in between them.

The Bellas go back and forth, apparently fed up with one another over who knows what? I suppose they’re tired of looking alike, because they talk about red lipstick and curled hair etc. I can see how that would get boring. Johnny Ace, ugh, gets them to settle down, and the girls tell him that they don’t appreciate how Teddy Long spoke to them at TLC. The SmackDown GM did seem to have a little too much spiked egg nog, and it’s understandable the Bellas are upset. They say they’re not floozies, and Nikki adds that at least she isn’t. Brie takes exception and this causes another argument between the two. Johnny Ace to the rescue again. He stops the fight, wishes them both a ‘Merry Christmas’, and they both kiss him on his unusually pink cheeks before walking away. Gross.

As the Bellas leave, Vickie Guerrero comes into the picture and she is irate. Her appearance wipes the smirks off the faces of Ace and his sidekick, David Otunga. Thank God. Vickie is violently screaming ‘Excuse me’. She’s pretty annoyed that Dolph was cheated out of his title last night and she demands that Johnny Ace book a rematch. Unbeknownst to Vickie, Hornswoggle has come up behind her. He has some mistletoe and when he finally gets Vickie’s attention, she turns around. He lays one on her, much to her horror, and that sends Johnny and David fleeing from the room. Hornswoggle scampers off too and Vickie stands there shaking and screaming from having just been violated. Ugh, poor woman.

I really do not like Hornswoggle one bit.

That said, Raw was a lot of fun tonight. For once, they had a great post-PPV show and I really enjoyed the added bonus of the backstage segment and Rosa. The match was eh, but it was what it was. It’s already caused a bunch of drama, and will no doubt cause a lot more.

Until next week, Cryssi out!

The Women of the Year 2011: Britani and Saraya Knight (#23)

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A la TIME’s Person of the Year list, Diva Dirt has compiled a countdown of the women we feel have best embodied the zeitgeist of the year in women’s wrestling. To compile this list, the Diva Dirt team have tracked the headlines here at Diva Dirt over the past 12 months, followed the lively fan debate on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, considered the impact that the women have made within the industry, and taken into account personal achievements as well. More information on the Women of the Year list here.

BRITANI AND SARAYA KNIGHT
Bigger Than The Beatles

Like The Beatles in music, Britain’s Britani and Saraya Knight caused hysteria amongst SHIMMER fans in the US this past April when they made one of the biggest debuts in company history.

In a company predominantly focused on wrestling rather than characters, the larger than life, villainous antics of Britani and Saraya had the fans eating out of their palms of their hands. The debut of the Knight Dynasty (along with the returning Rebecca Knox) was arguably the highlight of SHIMMER’s April tapings.

Returning to Berwyn in October for their second tour, the mother-and-daughter duo managed to retain their buzzy status by feuding not with other SHIMMER stars, but with each other. The emotional feud culminated in a “Mother vs Daughter Match” which saw Britani pin Saraya.

Despite having a long family history in the wrestling scene in Britain, 2011 was the year the two Knight women broke out to a wider audience around the globe, thanks, in part, to the Internet buzz surrounding Britani signing with WWE, in addition to their SHIMMER debuts.

As well as reaching the big time, the young Knight became the first ever Pro-Wrestling: EVE Champion in April, but lost the title a couple of months later to Jenny Sjodin. The title switch was steeped in controversy, however, as the result was leaked online prior to the match taking place, and the Knights withdrew themselves and talent from their WAW gym from EVE competition that same day.

Dynamic, talented — and yes, — controversial, the Knights certainly left a lasting impression in 2011.

PREVIOUSLY:
The Women of the Year 2011: Kana (#24)

Click here for the full Women of the Year countdown

WWE ’12 Divas DLC Pack Released Today

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The WWE Divas DLC pack for WWE ’12 is out today.

You can now add Alicia Fox, the Bella Twins, Kharma, Trish Stratus and Vickie Guerrero to your roster.

The following press release was sent to us:

[notice]THQ ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF NEW DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT OFFERINGS FOR WWE® ’12

Former and Current WWE Divas Trish Stratus, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Vickie Guerrero, Kharma and Alicia Fox Set to Join Extensive Playable Roster in Prominent Simulation Franchise

THQ Inc. today announced availability of new downloadable content for WWE® ’12, the recently released addition to the WWE flagship videogame franchise. Available now worldwide, the downloadable content offering via Xbox LIVE® for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®Network for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system includes the following:

WWE Divas Pack – Trish Stratus, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Vickie Guerrero, Kharma and Alicia Fox

  • The WWE Divas are available now for a suggested purchase cost of 80 Microsoft Points each or 99 cents each via PlayStation Network. Alicia Fox is available free of charge for both platforms.

Featuring a bigger game, badder presentation and better simulation-based gameplay, including critical core gameplay improvements, the most creative and extensive feature set to date and a visceral, edgy and polished presentation, WWE ’12 is available now for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and the WiiTM system from Nintendo. For more information on WWE ’12, including future downloadable content offerings, please visit wwe.thq.com, facebook.com/WWEgames and twitter.com/WWEgames. [/notice]

Gail Kim & Velvet Sky are TNA’s Queens for New PPV Poster

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Knockouts Champion Gail Kim as well as former champion, Velvet Sky, are featured on the official poster for next February’s TNA Against All Odds pay per view.

Gail has been on a roll since her return to TNA earlier this year and being utilized in a key marketing campaign — something that would have likely never happened for her in WWE — is the latest notch in her belt.

Could Gail’s career revival in 2011 rival that of J.Lo’s? Well, we’re biased, so our vote’s with Gail!

Click image for full size poster.

Beth Phoenix Injured on Raw (Pictures)

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Divas Champion Beth Phoenix gave fans a fright last night after it was spotted that she had a nasty lump on the side of her head following her match with Alicia Fox on Raw.

Fans tweeted their concern for the Glamazon last night as a trainer was spotted running to the ring after the match to check on Beth. It looks like Foxy’s somersault leg drop did a number on the champion.

Beth commented on the injury via her Twitter page, writing: “@AliciaFoxy tried her hardest to destroy my face. There will be hell to pay for trying to tarnish my beauty.”

She then added: “Another angle of @AliciaFoxy ‘s damage. After hours in the trainers room, I broke a lot of mirrors with my fists.”

Beth posted pictures of the injury here and here.

Feel better, champ!

Raw Response: December 19th, 2011

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Get your Monday night Divas fix by tuning in to Raw tonight at 9pm ET on the USA Network.

Discuss the show in the comments!

Note: Unfortunately, we’re still experiencing technical issues so won’t be able to host Diva Dirt Live tonight. Apologies!

The Women of the Year 2011: Kana (#24)

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A la TIME’s Person of the Year list, Diva Dirt has compiled a countdown of the women we feel have best embodied the zeitgeist of the year in women’s wrestling. To compile this list, the Diva Dirt team have tracked the headlines here at Diva Dirt over the past 12 months, followed the lively fan debate on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, considered the impact that the women have made within the industry, and taken into account personal achievements as well. More information on the Women of the Year list here.

KANA
International Rockstar

There’s been plenty of Joshi action in North American women’s wrestling this year. Just earlier this month, all attention turned to CHIKARA as they presented a mammoth three-night event known as JoshiMania. However, prior to that, it was this young lady who had fans getting their streamers ready for her US debut.

The buzzy Kana has been a name we’ve been hearing a lot about in the past year or so, not least of which is due to our friends at Dirty Dirty Sheets, so it seemed inevitable that we’d see her in a US wrestling ring — it was just a matter of when.

The Japanese star packed up her unique ring attire and headed to US shores in October, where she thrilled audiences in not just SHIMMER, but CHIKARA also. Facing off against the likes of Sara Del Rey and Cheerleader Melissa, Kana made a strong impact on fans in her debut tour of the US. Combine that with her large (and growing) online following, fans around the world have flocked to the altar of Kana.

Meanwhile, in her native Japan, Kana became the first ever SMASH Divas Champion defeating the US’ Serena earlier this year.

As well as her work in the ring, Kana is as intriguing outside of the ring. Proving that modern day women can do it all, Kana is a savvy business woman who knows how to control her image and promote herself. As well as that, she owns a hair salon, writes for Xbox magazine and she’s a graphics designer for video games. Pretty remarkable, no?

PREVIOUSLY:
The Women of the Year 2011: The Women of Tough Enough (#25)

Click here for the full Women of the Year countdown

Image credit: Dirty Dirty Sheets

WWE TLC in Review: The Glamazon Soars to Victory in a Night of Divas Galore

TLC has many meanings. From tender loving care, to T-Boz, Chilli and Left Eye, to the focus of last night’s WWE pay per view, and that is tables, ladders and chairs. Granted, none of these came into play during the Diva related segments, but we should all be fortunate that we even got to see the females at all! Nothing was promoted involving them, however, we were treated to an impromptu Divas Title match between arch rivals Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly. Plus, we saw Rosa Mendes (ON A PAY PER VIEW!), Alicia Fox, as well as Brie and Nikki Bella in various segments.

Without any further ado, let’s kick things off before I collapse from too much celebrating due to… you guessed it, Rosa Mendes on a pay per view.

Wait… what is this?! Suddenly we head to the arena as the Glamazon’s theme hits the sound system. Out she comes sporting her ring gear, but no Natalya (or tissue box… obviously a tactic done to make me cry since I love the tissue box entrance prop) by her side. Justin Roberts announces the following to be a Divas Championship match, as we are shown a replay of what happened Monday on Raw where Beth and Nattie tried to rain on Kelly Kelly’s parade during her Slammy acceptance speech. Following the recap, Kelly Kelly makes her way out from the back to a nice ovation from the crowd. Michael Cole actually does something right for a change and mentions that they are in the same town where Kelly defeated Brie Bella earlier this year to claim her first Divas Championship, which immediately adds some importance to tonight’s showing, in my opinion.

The bell sounds, as Beth offers to give Kelly a free shot at her face relating back to Raw where she smacked the Divas Champ. Kelly refuses to be given an unfair advantage, so Beth acts first. Kelly manages to back her head out of the way from Beth’s hand, and retaliates with the smack Beth longed for just a few seconds ago! Phoenix charges towards her opponent, but Kelly ducks and pulls the ropes down to send the Glamazon flying towards the outside. From there, she kicks Beth back and executes an awesome bulldog off the ring apron to the outside! Kelly then slams Beth’s face against the ring apron, before performing a handstand into a leg lock submission on the ropes! The referee begins the count of five, at which point Kelly breaks the maneuver as Beth heads back inside.

The challenger then runs off the ropes with her patented whirlybird headscissors which sends Beth flying into the corner face first. Kelly Kelly gets the crowd fired up, as she charges for a monkey flip… only Beth catches her and reverses it into an overhead press. Our Glamazon proceeds to drop Kelly throat first onto the ropes, and then just relentlessly beats down on her to show the frustration bottling up inside from this past week.

Beth covers for a two count, before dragging Kelly into the ropes and pulling her by the hair and turning it into a nifty submission where she stands on K2’s back. The challenger tries to hold onto the ropes, but the dominant champion then grabs her feet and flings her into the air like a soccer ball. And like said soccer ball, gravity acts and Kelly falls to the canvas in pain. Showing her pin-up strong nature, Beth wafts her hand through her hair as Kelly screams below her. Phoenix simply kicks her around, before applying a camel clutch to the almost defenseless challenger.

Kelly attempts to fight back, but Beth leaps up and sends her back down in the pain she was originally in. Phoenix continues her massacre with a few kicks to the back, but Kelly shows a brief sign of life and rolls her up for a two count! Both women get to their feet, but the Glamazon hits a brutal knee to the face and goes for a powerslam. Kelly manages to escape out the back and hit a nice bulldog out of nowhere, before slamming Beth’s head into the canvas over and over. They reach a vertical base, as Beth shoves Kelly into the corner. She runs forward, but Kelly with the boots to the face to send her back!

K2 climbs to the second turnbuckle and leaps off for her Thesz Press, only Phoenix catches her in mid-air and drops her with an awesome spinebuster for a few two counts! Beth can’t believe Kelly’s resiliency, as she just begins pounding on Kelly’s head. Suddenly, the impossible happens… Beth Phoenix ascends to the top rope! With Kelly looking to be down and out, she leaps off with a leg drop… attempt. Kelly moves out of the way and Beth collides with the canvas! Ouch! Suddenly, Kelly gets a chance at life and goes for the K2, but Beth flips her over and signals for the Glam Slam! Kelly manages to roll through for a two count, as Beth flips it to her advantage for another two count! Kelly then leaps up for a hurricanrana, but Beth nails an absolutely sick facebuster for the victory!

The Glamazon retains her title, as Kelly puts up a great fight in the final pay per view of 2011.

After a phenomenal match that saw Zack Ryder capture the United States Title from Dolph Ziggler, we head backstage to see Booker T warming up for his bout. Why is this special, you ask? Well, the only Diva to ever make his coveted “Fave Five”, Alicia Fox, can be seen lighting up the screen with her bright red hair beside him. She questions if he’s excited to face Cody Rhodes tonight, as he replies with a few “OH YEAHs”, much to Percy Watson’s dismay. The peppy Alicia tells Booker he looks really jacked this evening, to which he asks her if she’s ready to see him “do this damn thing or what”. Before she can answer though, Alicia lets out the greatest scream ever as Cody Rhodes attacks Booker from behind and slams him into a trunk while she runs off screeching for help! Cody finally has to be separated by the help our Fox got, as Booker T is left FURIOUS at what just happened.

We are taken backstage once more, to see the Bella Twins sitting on Santa Teddy’s lap, debating which one of them deserves a gift. Nikki claims that Brie has been bad this year and deserves coal in her stocking. Brie chimes back stating that she’s the good sister and Nikki’s the bad one; always has been, always will be. They then delve into the topic of which sister is Santa’s favorite, pitting the fact that Brie has been Divas Champion against Nikki being the more athletic of the two. Santa Teddy then interrupts and says that both of them have been bad, before giving them the present of… his phone number? In case they want to play any reindeer games? As I recall fond memories of Flava of Love, the two twins look on in disgust and slap him in the face before getting up and heading off screen.

Also, check out a match for the Unified Tag Team Titles pitting Air Boom, consisting of Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne, against my favorite duo, Primo and Epico… with their manager Rosa Mendes! Yes, Rosa on a pay per view. The day has come for the Mendesluverz to celebrate in victory. Okay… enough of my babbling, here’s the video:

Thoughts: For a night that had no Divas going into it, we certainly ended up having a lot of segments… and even a match! I thought Beth and Kelly put on a solid showing overall. I’m sure they barely had time to prepare since it was probably announced to them last minute, but they made the best out of the situation and put on another enjoyable contest. I’m starting to enjoy seeing Beth become so dominant with her title. Each of these pay per view matches have been so back and forth you can actually see that they are fighting to their fullest ability to either retain or defend the Divas Title. I think that adds a lot to the belt since it shows that the females want to be champion, and will do anything in their power to hold onto it. Kudos to both Kelly and Beth (and Eve) on not only tonight, but the past few months of stellar PPV matches.

Now onto the other segments, Rosa Mendes on PPV… I never thought I’d see the day, but I can’t help but cheer. This trio is everything I like in a tag team, and I love the little details they do like Rosa always wearing the same color as their gear, and planning out a unique entrance between the three. I think they work so well together and I really want them to continue being pushed to the Tag Team Titles. There is so much potential with those three, especially if they let Rosa take the microphone before one of their matches. Fingers crossed!

The other stuff was fun as well. Alicia Fox comes off so randomly funny to me and I don’t know why. She just looks like she’s always having fun on screen and not taking herself seriously, which translates on screen and makes her one of my favorites to watch. The Bella Twins slapping Teddy was also pretty funny, and I liked that they brought up stuff that fans have said about them in their argument, being that Nikki is more athletic, while Brie held the championship. Overall this was a fun show and I really enjoyed it.

The Women of the Year 2011: The Women of Tough Enough (#25)

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A la TIME’s Person of the Year list, Diva Dirt has compiled a countdown of the women we feel have best embodied the zeitgeist of the year in women’s wrestling. To compile this list, the Diva Dirt team have tracked the headlines here at Diva Dirt over the past 12 months, followed the lively fan debate on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, considered the impact that the women have made within the industry, and taken into account personal achievements as well. More information on the Women of the Year list here.

THE WOMEN OF TOUGH ENOUGH
Ariane Andrew, Christina Crawford, Ivelisse Velez, Michelle Deighton and Rima Fakih

Wrestling with Reality
In 2011, Tough Enough returned and another batch of wannabes were taken to task by trainers Bill DeMott, Booker T and Trish Stratus, as well as host Stone Cold Steve Austin.

For 10 weeks, we watched, we laughed at and we empathized with the five contestants — Ariane Andrew, Christina Crawford, Ivelisse Velez, Michelle Deighton and Rima Fakih — as they battled it out to win a WWE contract.

Who can forget the infamous moment when Ariane told Stone Cold that her favorite match was Alicia Fox vs Melina? Who can forget Michelle being dubbed Miss 11 Years? Yes, from the very first episode, Tough Enough had us hooked.

Tough Enough, while not a perfect formula by any means, had the elements of great reality television: there were characters we loved — and characters we loved to hate, there was plenty of drama (remember Christina vs Ivelisse?), and a lot of laugh-out-loud moments.

However, beyond all of that, there were still characters to be appreciated. Rima Fakih impressed as she tried to shake off the prissy Miss USA tag, while Ivelisse showed a never-say-die passion for wrestling, struggling through an injury. We even felt empathetic towards Michelle Deighton for being a quitter. (She just wanted to be with her daughter. Aw!)

Though none of the female contestants won the show, three have since signed with WWE which is a pretty good success rate. Whatever the future holds for them — and the series itself (please renew it!) — remains to be seen, but we’ll always have those 10 weeks!

RELATED:
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Exclusive: Ivelisse Velez Speaks on Tough Enough Exit, Injury, Tension with Christina and More!
Exclusive: Christina Crawford Talks Tough Enough, Giving Up WWE Contract for TE, Her Sister Alicia Fox & More

Click here for the full Women of the Year countdown

Rosita Wins PWI Inspirational Wrestler of the Year

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Former Knockouts Tag Team Champion Rosita has won this year’s Inspirational Wrestler of the Year award from Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine.

TNA President Dixie Carter posted a picture of Rosita with the award and congratulated her. Dixie wrote:

Rosita — real name Thea Trinidad — debuted for TNA in January at the tender age of 20, and has gone on to find success as one half of the Knockouts Tag Team Champions with on-screen cousin, Sarita.

2011 also marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and as has been well documented, Rosita’s father, Michael Trinidad, was one of the victims of that tragedy. Rosita has often cited that her father — an amateur wrestler — was her inspiration to get into wrestling.

Rosita achieving her dream of hitting the big time in wrestling in 2011, 10th anniversary of her father’s death, is pretty inspirational. Congratulations to her!

The Women of the Year 2011: An Introduction

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Another year has come to a close and another set of women have grabbed the headlines, broken barriers, entertained, and had women’s wrestling fans talking. As the world’s leading source for female wrestling, we felt we needed to honor the year’s biggest movers and shakers by compiling our first annual Women of the Year list.

A la TIME’s Person of the Year list, Diva Dirt has compiled a countdown of the women we feel have best embodied the zeitgeist of the year in women’s wrestling. To compile this list, the Diva Dirt team have tracked the headlines here at Diva Dirt over the past 12 months, followed the lively fan debate on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, considered the impact that the women have made within the industry, and taken into account personal achievements as well.

The Women of the Year have defined the spirit of 2011 for Diva Dirt and its readers. They’ve been memorable, entertaining, shocking, the center of controversy and debate, as well as had a place in fans’ hearts.

No doubt you’ll be seeing a lot of “Best of” lists in the coming weeks, but Diva Dirt’s Women of the Year list utilizes our own unique perspective on the year, considering the news agenda in 2011, as well as the bigger picture such as the impact each woman has had in the industry.

So join us as the countdown begins later today…

Divas Do Christmas: Who Did it Best?

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WWE.com has official gotten into the Christmas spirit! New photos of Divas in the Christmas costumes they wore during last month’s live SmackDown special (remember when they had Christmas a month early?) have cropped up, featuring AJ, Aksana, Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Kaitlyn, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes and Tamina. Take a look at the full photoshoot by clicking here.

Who do you think looks best in their holiday garb? Vote in the poll below:

The Diva Dirt Perfect 10: Week of December 11th, 2011

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It’s back! The Diva Dirt Perfect 10 makes a return as we look at the movers and shakers of the Divas and Knockouts division this past week a la WWE.com’s Power 25. Which femme fatales impressed on Raw, SmackDown, NXT, Superstars, Impact Wrestling and FCW? (Note: Pay per views will be counted the following week.)

Let’s find out…

#10. Beth Phoenix & Natalya

Last Week: 7

It was not a strong week for Beth Phoenix and Natalya, between losing out on a Slammy award, to both ladies being pinned this week…hopefully there time to shine comes soon.

The Divas of Doom are not the ladies you want to upset, so one has to wonder just what will come as punishment to those divas who tried to upstage them this week. Also, props for the creative tissue box entrance!

Continue on for #9…

WWE TLC Results: Beth Phoenix & Kelly Kelly in Impromptu Divas Title Match

Talk about an eleventh hour addition!

In an unadvertised Divas Championship bout, Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly once again did battle, rehashing their long rivalry over the summer and early fall, as 2011 comes to a close.

The match stemmed from this past Monday’s Slammy Awards where Kelly and Beth had an altercation after Kelly won the Divalicious Moment of the Year award.

In a good match between the two — their fourth on pay per view this year — there were several near falls, especially the heart-stopping final few seconds where it seemed like Kelly nearly had the title back in her possession. Ultimately, the Glamazon is still your Divas Champion!

What did you think of the last minute match?

WWE TLC Discussion Post

Though there isn’t a Divas match announced, feel free to discuss tonight’s WWE TLC pay per view in the comments below.

In Video: Mercedes Martinez in Emotionally Charged Promo About Injuries & Jessicka Havok

WSU has released an emotionally charged video from WSU World Champion Mercedes Martinez regarding her current state of health following injuries sustained last month at the Breaking Barriers II Internet pay per view.

As we reported earlier in the week, Mercedes did in fact suffer a rather serious concussion has forced her to be pulled from WSU’s January 21st event as she is being advised not to fly by doctors.

Watch the clip below:

Diva Dirt Year-End Awards 2011 Nominations Revealed, Voting Open

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Diva Dirt is excited to reveal the nominations for our fourth annual Year-End Awards!

Taking into consideration your suggestions, as well as discussing amongst the Diva Dirt team, we’ve compiled the nominations looking back at the best of women’s wrestling in WWE, TNA and the independent scene (predominantly North American).

Voting is now open and will continue until December 31st, 2011. As is annual tradition, the winners will be revealed throughout the day on January 1st, 2012.

Check out the full list of nominations below and then head over here to vote!

Nominations

Diva of the Year
AJ
Alicia Fox
Beth Phoenix
Brie Bella
Eve Torres
Kaitlyn
Kelly Kelly
Layla
Maxine
Natalya
Nikki Bella
Rosa Mendes
Tamina
Vickie Guerrero

Knockout of the Year
Angelina Love
Brooke Tessmacher
Gail Kim
Karen Jarrett
Madison Rayne
Mickie James
ODB
Rosita
Sarita
Tara
Toxxin
Traci Brooks
Velvet Sky
Winter

Independent Wrestler of the Year
Athena
Cheerleader Melissa
Hailey Hatred
Jenny Sjodin
Jessicka Havok
Kalamity
LuFisto
Madison Eagles
Mercedes Martinez
Mia Yim
Nicole Matthews
Portia Perez
Sara Del Rey
Serena

One to Watch in 2012
Allysin Kay
Athena
Britani Knight
Brooke Tessmacher
Courtney Rush
Evie
Kaitlyn
Kalamity
Lexxus
Maxine
Rosita

Televised Match of the Year
Kelly Kelly & Edge vs LayCool & Dolph Ziggler (February 4th, SmackDown)
Gail Kim & Daniel Bryan vs Melina & Tyson Kidd (March 24th, Superstars)
Layla vs Michelle McCool (Loser Leaves WWE, Extreme Rules)
Beth Phoenix vs Gail Kim (June 30th, Superstars)
Alicia Fox vs Natalya (July 7th, Superstars)
Mickie James vs Winter (No Surrender)
Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly (Night of Champions)
Beth Phoenix vs Eve Torres (Vengeance)
Knockouts Gauntlet Match (November 17th, Impact Wrestling)
ODB vs Mickie James (December 1st, Impact Wrestling)

Independent Match of the Year
Athena vs Rachel Summerlyn (January, 10,000 Tacks Match, ACW)
Angel Orsini vs Mercedes Martinez (January, Ladder Match, WSU Final Chapter)
Ayako Hamada vs Ayumi Kurihara (March, SHIMMER Vol. 38)
Jessie McKay vs Nicole Matthews (March, SHIMMER Vol. 39)
Daizee Haze & Tomoka Nakagawa vs Ayumi Kurihara & Hiroyo Matsumoto (April, ROH Takes Center Stage)
Alicia vs Jessicka Havok (No Holds Barred, June, WSU Uncensored Rumble)
Lexxus vs Mercedes Martinez (August, WSU)
Kana vs Sara Del Rey (October, SHIMMER. Vol 42)
Portia Perez vs Serena (October, SHIMMER Vol. 43)
Cheerleader Melissa vs Madison Eagles (October, SHIMMER Vol. 44)
Kalamity vs LuFisto (October, NCW Femmes Fatales Vol. 7)
April Davids vs Jenny Sjodin (October, Pro-Wrestling: EVE)
Midwest Militia vs Team WSU (Steel Cage War Games, November, WSU Breaking Barriers II)
Aja Kong vs Sara Del Rey (December, JoshiMania Night 1)
Aja Kong, Mio Shirai & TAja Kong, Mio Shirai & Tsubasa Kuragaki vs Manami Toyota, Hanako Nakamori & Sawako Shimono (December, JoshiMania Night 3)
Ayako Hamada vs Sara Del Rey (December, JoshiMania Night 3)

Television Show of the Year
Raw
SmackDown
NXT
Impact Wrestling
WWE Superstars

Independent Promotion of the Year
ArenaChicks
Ice Ribbon
NCW Femmes Fatales
Pro-Wrestling: EVE
SHIMMER
WILD Wrestling
Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU)

News Story of the Year
Chyna returns to wrestling
Gail Kim quits WWE
Kharma announces pregnancy
Lilian Garcia returns to WWE
Maryse released
Melina released
Michelle McCool retires

OMG Moment of the Year
Belle Saints break up at WSU Breaking Barriers II
Beth Phoenix’s Super Glam Slam on Eve Torres at Survivor Series
Beth Phoenix’s hometown response at Night of Champions
Chyna returns to wrestling on Impact Wrestling
Crowd reaction for Cheerleader Melissa’s title win on SHIMMER Vol. 44
Gail Kim’s return to TNA on Impact Wrestling
Hailey Hatred is first gaijin to win JWP Openweight Championship in Japan
Karen Jarrett tears Jeff Hardy a new one on Impact Wrestling
Kelly Kelly successfully defends the World Heavyweight Championship for Edge on SmackDown
Kharma’s debut at Extreme Rules
Lita returns at the Slammys
Portia Perez speared off table by Serena
Sara Del Rey main events CHIKARA with Claudio Castagnoli
The Knight Dynasty make an impactful debut in SHIMMER

WTF Moment of the Year
1-2 minute Divas matches
Britani Knight vs Jenny Sjodin match result spoiled online
Eve Torres randomly added to Divas Title match at Royal Rumble
Gail Kim eliminates herself from Raw battle royal
Kharma breaks down & cries in the ring
Knockouts Title changing hands on a monthly basis
Midwest Militia threaten Mercedes Martinez with a machete
Rosa Mendes’ Twitter antics

Best Breakthrough
AJ
Allysin Kay
Brooke Tessmacher
Davina Rose
Evie
Kay Lee Ray
Maxine
Reby Sky
Rosita
Veda Scott

Best Feud
Alicia vs Jessicka Havok (WSU)
Angelina Love & Winter vs Velvet Sky
Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly (WWE)
Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs Alicia Fox, Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly (WWE)
Britani Knight vs Saraya Knight (SHIMMER)
Cheerleader Melissa vs Madison Eagles (SHIMMER)
Gail Kim vs Melina (WWE)
Jessie McKay vs Nicole Matthews (SHIMMER)
Karen Jarrett vs the Knockouts Division (TNA)
Karen Jarrett vs Velvet Sky (TNA)
Layla vs Michelle McCool (WWE)
Madison Rayne vs Mickie James (TNA)
Madison Rayne vs Tara (TNA)
Mickie James vs Winter (TNA)
Midwest Militia vs Team WSU (WSU)
Portia Perez vs Serena (SHIMMER)

Best Champion(s)
Athena (ACW American Joshi Champion)
Belle Saints (WSU Tag Team Champions)
Beth Phoenix (Divas Champion)
Brie Bella (Divas Champion)
Brooke Tessmacher & Tara (Knockouts Tag Team Champions)
Eve Torres (Divas Champion)
Jenny Sjodin (EVE Champion)
Kelly Kelly (Divas Champion)
LuFisto (Femmes Fatales Champion)
Madison Eagles (SHIMMER Champion)
Madison Rayne (Knockouts Champion)
Cheerleader Melissa (SHIMMER Champion)
Mercedes Martinez (WSU World Champion)
Mickie James (Knockouts Champion)
Rachel & Jessica (ACW Tag Team Champions)
Rosita & Sarita (Knockouts Tag Team Champions)

Best Babyface
AJ
Alicia (WSU)
Cheerleader Melissa
Jessie McKay
Kelly Kelly
LuFisto
Mercedes Martinez
Mickie James
Rachel Summerlyn
Serena
Tara
Velvet Sky

Best Heel
Athena
Bella Twins
Beth Phoenix & Natalya
Britani & Saraya Knight
Gail Kim
Jessicka Havok
Karen Jarrett
Madison Eagles
Madison Rayne
Nicole Matthews
Portia Perez
Vickie Guerero

Best Tag Team or Group
AJ & Kaitlyn
Alicia Fox, Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly
Angelina Love & Winter
Ayako Hamada & Ayumi Kurihara
Bella TwinsBelle Saints
Beth Phoenix & Natalya
Britani & Saraya Knight
Brooke Tessmacher & Tara
Canadian Ninjas
Daizee Haze & Tomoka Nakagawa
Gail Kim & Madison Rayne
Hiroyo Matsumoto & Misaki Ohata
Midwest Militia
Regeneration X
Rosita & Sarita

Best Finisher
Alicia Fox – Somersault Leg Drop
Angelina Love – Break-a-Bitch
Athena – O-Face
Beth Phoenix – Glam Slam
Cheerleader Melissa – Kudo Driver
Gail Kim – Eat Defeat
Kharma – Implant Buster
Madison Eagles – Hellbound
Madison Rayne – Rayne Drop
Maxine – Untitled Finishing Move
Mia Yim – Corkscrew Moonsault
Natalya – Pin-Up Strong
Tara – Widow’s Peak

Best Gimmick
AJ
Beth Phoenix & Natalya
Jessicka Havok
Karen Jarrett
Kharma
Madison Rayne
Maxine
Portia Perez
Regeneration X
Rick Cataldo
Vickie Guerrero
Winter

Best Tweeter
AJ
Gail Kim
Jessicka Havok
Kaitlyn
Maryse
Natalya
ODB
Sara Del Rey
Tara
Trish Stratus

Best Interview
Jazz (March 2011)
Trish Stratus (March 2011)
Gail Kim (October 2011)
Nicole Matthews (November 2011)
Tara aka Lisa Marie Varon (November 2011)
Maryse (December 2011)

Best Photoshoot
AJ
Alicia Fox
Bella Twins
Beth Phoenix & Natalya
Eve Torres
Gail Kim
Kelly Kelly
Kharma
Rosita & Velvet Sky
Tara

Most Improved Wrestler
April Davids
Brie Bella
Brooke Tessmacher
Cherry Bomb
Courtney Rush
KC Spinelli
Kaitlyn
Kelly Kelly
Lexxus
Luscious Latasha
Maxine
Mia Yim
Nikki Bella
Niya

Most Skilled Wrestler
Ayako Hamada
Beth Phoenix
Cheerleader Melissa
Hailey Hatred
Jenny Sjodin
LuFisto
Madison Eagles
Mercedes Martinez
Mickie James
Natalya
Sara Del Rey
Serena
Tara

Most Underrated
Brittney Savage
Eve Torres
Hailey Hatred
Jackie Moore
LuFisto
Natalya
Nikki Roxx
Nikki Storm
Sarita
Tara

Most Stylish
Alicia Fox
Christy Hemme
Karen Jarrett
Kelly Kelly
Maryse
Rosa Mendes

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

WWE TLC Rewind: Michelle McCool vs Mickie James (2009)

Ahead of tonight’s WWE TLC pay per view, we take a look back at past events…

2009 | At the inaugural TLC, Michelle McCool put the Women’s Title on the line against Mickie James in the pair’s first singles encounter. However, as we know from history, this was just the beginning of a long feud between LayCool and Mickie which continued right up until James’ release in April 2010.

This first encounter capped off what was a great year for Michelle and delivered an extremely strong Divas match to end 2009.

Possible Diva Heel Turn Coming Up (Contains Spoilers)

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Due to the spoiler-ish nature of this news, click on to read…

Spoiler
The official website for the IZOD Center which will host the December 30th SmackDown live event is advertising Kaitlyn as teaming with Tamina against AJ and Alicia Fox indicating that she is due to turn heel soon.

WWE had originally filmed a heel turn for Kaitlyn last week which saw her ditch BFF AJ and align herself with Beth Phoenix and Natalya. The footage, however, did not make the air and the storyline was seemingly scrapped.

It looks like WWE still has plans to turn Kaitlyn heel in the coming weeks.

Thoughts: I’m guessing that they are still turning Kaitlyn heel but not aligning her with Beth and Natalya, instead just having her feud with AJ. I think that’s a better way to go and will hopefully give us a second feud/storyline to look forward to on SmackDown.

 

In Pictures: Former Divas Reunited

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You know we get all teary-eyed when we see beloved former Divas reunite (example), so it should be no surprise that we’ve got our nostalgia hat on and are YouTubing old Divas matches as we speak type.

Four former WrestleMania-headlining Divas were reunited today at an autograph signing event in California.

Playboy covergirls Candice Michelle, Maria Kanellis and Torrie Wilson, as well as five-time WWE champion Melina, posed for this picture which Maria posted on Twitter.

Also on hand was TNA’s Traci Brooks, not pictured.

In case you need a good starting point on YouTube for old Divas matches involving the foursome, we recommend this.

SmackDown Redux (December 17, 2011): Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow…

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This week on SmackDown, Natalya takes on the vivacious Alicia Fox in singles action. Can Alicia keep her streak alive with another win over Natalya, or will Nattie make Alicia cry? Check out the match below to find out:

Out first is Alicia, who seems to be moving in fast forward, as she damn near runs down the ramp. Perhaps there is some cryptic promo that needed running? Anyhoo… Natalya comes out next, with a box of tissues in tow. Natalya taunts Alicia for a bit, but Alicia locks her in a headlock, kicking off our match for the evening.

Natalya manages to fight out of the hold and toss Alicia into the corner, but Alicia counters with a sunset flip. Alicia tries her best to take down Nattie, but the third generation Diva stands her ground and stomps on Alicia’s midsection. Natalya stays on top of Alicia, locking in a painful looking abdominal stretch. Alicia fight her way out of the submission, only to be slammed down to the mat by her hair. Ouch…

Natalya rolls up Alicia from behind for a near-fall, but Alicia comes back with a roll up of her own and gets the upset victory and a huge chunk of Nattie’s weave.

Post-match, Alicia gets on the mic and says that Natalya is “so synthetic, it’s pathetic” and that she was “outfoxed”, before celebrating. Natalya tries to attack Alicia, but Alicia sees her coming and lays her out with her somersault leg-drop. That looked like it hurt. ;/

Good match from these two ladies, but my question is: where is the division going? Who’s being pushed? Kelly? Alicia? Maria Menounos? It seems like ever since Beth vs Eve at Vengeance the division has been at a standstill. With TLC right around the corner, WWE better work something out quick if they plan on putting a title match on the card at all.

In other news, Rosa Mendes showed off her dancing skills as part of her new found partnership with Epico and Primo. Enjoy:

Well, that it for this week’s Redux. Let’s hope the blue brand gives us a bit more to talk about next week.

Current and Former Knockouts Join TNA’s New Television Show in India

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Two Knockouts have joined the cast of TNA’s new television series in India, reports ProWrestling.net.

Former Knockouts Champion Mickie James, who is also part of Spike TV’s Impact Wrestling, will appear on the show. In addition to her, former TNA Knockout Cheerleader Melissa — aka Alissa Flash — has returned to the company for the new Indian series.

Melissa, the current SHIMMER Champion, left TNA in January 2010, however, did return for a cameo appearance earlier this year.

Melissa and Mickie recently flew out to India where taping will commence in the coming days for the first half of the season. The cast is expected to return to India in the New Year to film the second half.

The new series will air on the Colors network in India from mid-January 2012 and will consist of 26 episodes. It is being overseen by TNA founder Jeff Jarrett, while former TNA writer Dutch Mantell and former WWE writer Dave Lagana are writing the scripts.

Mantell was one of the key players in the early success of the Knockouts division, writing the Gail Kim vs Awesome Kong feud, as well as introducing Melissa as Raisha Saeed. It’s reported that Mantell is a big fan of Melissa’s, which would explain how she became involved.

Thoughts: Two great additions to this project. With just two females on the roster, it seems inevitable that Mickie and Melissa will be feuding on the show and have an eventual match. Despite both women being in the industry for so long, they have never crossed paths so this is certainly a dream match. Can’t wait to see this happen!

Maria Kanellis Debuting for ROH

Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis will be making her debut for Ring of Honor on December 23rd.

Kanellis will be accompanying real-life boyfriend Mike Bennett to the ring for his match with Jay Lethal.

The former Playboy covergirl and Celebrity Apprentice star has been seen in the audience at various ROH events supporting her boyfriend, but this will mark her first appearance on camera.

Maria’s debut takes place at the Final Battle iPPV which emanates from the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Since being released by WWE in February 2010, Maria hasn’t really done much in wrestling, however, she is due to make an in-ring comeback next year for New York-based FWE against TNA’s Tara.

Watch Mike Bennett make the announcement below:

Impact Write-Up (December 15th, 2011): One Queen Reigns Supreme As Another Vacates Her Throne

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Sigh. That’s all I can do at a time like this. For those of you hoping, much like I was, to see a fun Impact Write-Up before you, I am sorry for what you’re about to witness. In fact, if you want to see a positive recap, I beg you to please X out of this page right now. You see, last night on Impact Wrestling, the shocking discovery of the foolish stipulation to fire one of the Jarretts lead to both hitting the bricks. Nothing against Jeff, but my world has crumbled. There was no warning that this was going to happen! I was given no time to prepare myself. I can’t even continue on right now, but you can find what else I have to say on this topic below. Also, we got to see one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Madison Rayne, in singles action as she squares off with Traci Brooks, and I apologize to both ladies for spotlighting this intro on Miss Karen, but once again, I plead… there was no warning!

As we head out to the ring Christy Hemme introduces our now former Aunt Traci makes her way to the ring. We are shown a few replays from last week where Traci took the fight to the Knockouts Champion, Gail Kim, before heading back to the stage where Gail’s fellow title holder, Madison Rayne, steps out. She attempts to execute her beloved wave, but is stopped with a spear on the stage by Traci! Traci shows the same fire we saw last week, before throwing Madison’s tiara at her and dragging her into the ring. She then tosses Madison into the ring and the bell sounds as this match officially gets started.

Traci grabs Rayne by the hair and throws her across the ring before charging forward into the corner where Madison landed. Rayne gets her two boots up, but Traci catches them and blocks whatever Madison had attempted. Brooks then hits a sick clothesline, following it up with some old fashioned choking. The crowd gets behind Traci, but Madison takes control as she tosses Brooks into the ropes and proceeds to do some chokes of her own… complete with Killer Queen screaming!

Madison then uses her knees to punish Brooks some more as the crowd gets insanely behind her. Brooks lands on the ring apron as Madison drags her in between the top and middle ropes and twists her around to land an absolutely sick neckbreaker. Traci falls to the outside, while our Killer Queen smirks at the work she has done and gets the wave in that was earlier interrupted. Traci crawls back into the ring, but Madison slams her face first on the canvas for a two count. “Traci” chants erupt, as Rayne just seems relentless in her attack.

Following some choking in the corner, Madison charges forward… only Brooks moves and hits an awesome jawbreaker to send Madison into the ropes. Traci fires back with a running knee to the back, then continuing with a clothesline. She tries to pick Madison up, but Rayne with the knee to the stomach. She then connects with the Rayne Drop… for a two count?! Traci kicks out as Madison heads to the corner and gives one of the most evil glares I’ve ever seen. She then charges forward with a boot to the head for the victory! Madison celebrates with her title as Traci tries to recover from the fight she put up.

Ugh… We then head backstage after the match to see my new most disliked wrestler in the world today, Sting, questioning if Jeff and Miss Karen have had a stressful night. They agree that they have spent the night consoling each other, and that they want the other to be the one that remains hired with Impact Wrestling. Sting doesn’t believe either of them, being he is the one who spoke to both of them earlier in the night. He mentions that Jeff said a woman’s place is at home, and that Karen claimed there were a hundred “Jeff Jarretts”, and that she needs to be running the Knockouts. (TRUTH!)

They believe that Sting is trying to cause problems between the two of them; citing that he’s crazy. Sting pulls out some footage from earlier with Miss Karen talking to Sting about wanting Jeff to be the one fired. She immediately rises from her seat and tries to turn the television off, as Jeff becomes enraged. It pains me to watch Miss Karen this upset, as the world’s worst boss, Sting, just laughs at them. Suddenly, the video heads over to footage of Jeff telling Sting that Karen should be sent home to be a mother for their children.

He tries to stop the tape, as Miss Karen becomes furious with his words. She screams that Jeff is a liar, as he claims its her. Suddenly, Sting interrupts them and says that we will either have both Jarrett’s or neither… and then decides to fire them both…

I think I had an even worse reaction than the Jarretts who begin to go off on one another as the most unfortunate segment ever has come to a close… as has Miss Karen’s TNA career.

Thoughts: I’m going to discuss the match first because if I go off on that segment, there’s no way I’d be able to talk about a match after it. I thought Traci and Madison put on a solid outing. I loved the start which showed more of Traci’s aggression, in that she ran all the way up the ramp because all of her frustration has been building up for so long that she just wants to destroy Madison and Gail. Perhaps Traci could find herself a partner in the future to challenge for the titles, which I’d guess would be Velvet? Anyways, the finish seemed a little strange to me, but I liked that they easily recovered being I’m not sure if Traci was supposed to kick out of the Rayne Drop or not. Either way, I enjoyed the match and I want to see more Traci in the ring because she’s a breath of fresh air.

Now… TNA, why do you do this to me? I’ve been a big fan of the Knockouts for a while, and a good bit of that was the melodic screaming of Miss Karen. Every Thursday, I looked forward to seeing her on TV and seeing what she was going to put the ladies through, and now it’s all gone. Granted, I’m not sure if she really is leaving or not, but the mere thought of going ONE episode of Impact without her calling someone a prostitute is enough to send me into mourning. I had heard previously that it was only Jeff who had been fired, so I went into tonight’s show assuming that would happen. Needless to say, I went into a downward spiral the moment Sting uttered his vile decision. Nevertheless, I beg TNA to rehire Miss Karen, and you can expect me to start three million online petitions that I will send to Dixie Carter herself.

Tough Enough Star Ivelisse’s New WWE Name is…

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Former Tough Enough contestant Ivelisse Velez, who we reported last month signed with WWE, is now going by the name Sofia Cortez.

The official FCW website added her to the roster today.

Ivelisse joins Christina Crawford (Caylee Turner) and Ariane Andrew (Cameron Lynn) as the three female Tough Enough contestants that were signed.

You can listen to our extensive interview with Ivelisse here.