Sunday, May 5, 2024

Race to the Double Championship: Week Two

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The WWE certainly shook things up when they drafted Melina and Maryse to opposite brands – with them went their respective championships. Thus, a new record suddenly looms, and the race is on: who will be the WWE’s first ever double champion? We’ve taken possible candidates (former Womens Champions and Divas Champions) and calculated their odds, ordering them in rank of most likely to least likely. Over the following weeks we’ll be updating this chart, taking into account wins, losses, and budding feuds. Place your bets folks because it’s happening, and it’s happening soon.

DIVA
SHOW/TITLE NEEDED
RANKING
Michelle McCool
SmackDown/Women’s Championship
#1
Mickie James
Raw/Divas Championship
#2
Beth Phoenix
Raw/Divas Championship
#3
Gail Kim
SmackDown/Divas Championship
#4
Candice Michelle
SmackDown/Divas Championship
#5


Given the Odds… Beth has slipped from #1 to #3, all thanks to a little “lady” named Santina. Her humiliation at Backlash and the events on Raw tell us that she may be tangled in the cross-dressing storyline for some time now. Beth is largely a comedy character at this point, and doesn’t look to be too strong of a contender for Maryse’s belt.

Candice in still on the disabled list, and thus hasn’t moved in the rankings, still settled at #5.

Gail blew her shot at the Divas Championship last week on SmackDown, and with the brands now officially separated, it looks like she let her best opportunity slip through her fingers. She’s still next to last at #4.

Michelle with others losing steam, Michelle stays steady and prepares for Melina’s official SmackDown debut. A feud looks likely, and with that a Women’s Championship shot looms on the horizon, making her our best bet. She tops the list at #1.

Mickie She’s still in the background somewhat, but with Beth busy playing dress-up with Santino, a great opportunity has opened up. It would make perfect sense for Maryse to battle with Mickie, Raw’s top face, and a feud is made even more likely with Beth’s preoccupation. Not much else stands in Mickie’s way, and she stays at #2.

Lacey Von Erich Denies WWE Return

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Despite rumours that have made the rounds, third generation wrestler, Lacey Von Erich has denied that she has re-signed with WWE:

Don’t believe the rumors! I have not signed with WWE nor wrestled for them latley. I’m Wrestlicious all the way baby! :)

It was reported that Lacey teamed with Angela Fong in a match against Jenny Cash and Beverly Mullins at an FCW event over the weekend. As it happens, it appears as though fans simply mistook Lacey for a new Diva signing, a blonde by the name of Carly.

Mother-of-one, Von Erich was under contract to the WWE in 2007, but left later that year. Most recently, Von Erich has signed up to all-female promotion Wrestlicious and was spotted at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony earlier this year, to see her family inducted.

Raw Doesn’t Deserve a Redux (April 27, 2009)

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Welcome to a very special edition of the Raw Redux, aptly titled “Raw Doesn’t Deserve a Redux.” And it doesn’t. Following the Divas being left off the Backlash card in favour of Santino and his alter ego, Santina, it was much of the same on last night’s Raw.

How we’ve gotten to the point where the women’s division revolves around a man in drag, fails my comprehension. Needless to say, it was quite an ‘auspicious’ start on Raw for new Divas, Maryse and the Bella Twins. I wonder how soon until Santina gets a Divas Championship shot? Next week on Raw or Judgment Day?

All I can say about this joke of a division is, don’t watch it. The real action starts later in the week; I can honestly say that Raw has lost my interest and the Knockouts are looking more and more appealing. Tune into Impact on Thursday nights and hold out for the Divas of SmackDown on Friday nights. Spoilers from tonight’s taping will be up as soon as they’re available.

Backlash 2009: Santina vs. Beth Continues (w/ a Cameo From Khali)

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Blind yet? Well, I certainly got your attention with a well-selected photo, didn’t I? As you can plainly see, though there were no Diva matches on the card, Backlash still delivered some Diva action. Questionably pointless action, but action nonetheless. Seeing as how this probably doesn’t merit an entire Redux, we’ll provide you with the results and allow you to discuss it yourselves. Check out the results below:

Backstage, Beth Phoenix and Rosa approached Santino, who pretended to be on the phone with Santina. Beth tried to get Santino to give him his charade, but he wouldn’t do it, saying Beth was just jealous. He then tried to get Beth to kiss the Great Khali tonight. Beth said she wasn’t kissing Khali, and she wasn’t kissing Santino anymore either. Phoenix walked off, and Santino said he faked “you know what” in bed with her.

From there, we move on to the “main event” so to speak, including in impromptu match between Beth Phoenix and Santina:

Ranjin Singh and The Great Khali came out for the Kiss Cam, and called out Santina Marella. “She” came out and said she would love to kiss Khali, but she isn’t what she “appears” to be. Singh said she needed to explain herself. Santina said she is not “a single girl” and said she was in love with someone else. Khali, through Singh, wanted to know who it is. Santina said it’s JR, and that Ross had been “courting” her since Wrestlemania. Santina expressed her love for Jim Ross. Ross noted he is happily married. Singh said Khali understands and that all he wanted to see was Santina kiss JR right now. Ross said “that isn’t going to happen” while Lawler and Cole were cutting jokes. Ross asked Cole who was feeding him his lines. Santina then said he, er she, felt faint. Beth Phoenix and Rosa came out, and Phoenix said she is sick of this and wanted a match for the Miss Wrestlemania crown right now. Khali was angry at the interruption, and Phoenix tried to explain to him that Santina was a man. Phoenix told Khali he had rocks in his head, assumed all women in “Punjabi” were ugly if he likes Santina, and that Khali must be an idiot. Khali bopped Beth in the head, then shoved her to the mat. Santina told the referee to ring the bell, shoved Rosa out of the way, then covered Phoenix for the pin. Khali approached Santina, who tried to run away, and Khali pulled off her bra. Santina ran off, covering her/his chest, while Khali and Singh celebrated with the bra.

(Results source – PWInsider.com)

Did you happen to catch the show? What did you think? Did you enjoy this lame excuse for more Santina fuckery? Discuss!

EDIT: And for your viewing pleasure, here’s footage from the “Kiss Cam” segment:

PART 1:

PART 2:

Rhaka Khan, Roxxi Suspended

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Contrary to rumours that they are in the midst of being released, we can reveal that TNA Knockouts, Rhaka Khan and Roxxi have been suspended following their legit backstage brawl, which we reported on last month. Both have been suspended for two months.

Rumours began circulating last week, that they along with Jacqueline, would have their contracts expire soon and it wasn’t expected that TNA would pick them up for renewal. While I can’t comment on their contractual status, it looks like rumours of the pair being released can be quashed, as they have simply been sidelined due to a backstage altercation.

As great a performer as Roxxi may be, I feel TNA did the right thing here by suspending the both. Whatever may or may not have happened between them, it’s not professional and TNA has to look out for the welfare of it’s employees and cannot risk such behaviour. Kudos to them.

WWE Signs A New Diva… Sorta

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Looks like WWE is feeling a little generous. It appears that they’ve resigned former developmental diva and second generation wrestler, Lacey Von Erich. According to reports, Von Erich teamed with Angela Fong to beat Jenny Cash and Beverly in a tag match.

For those who don’t remember Lacey left WWE on less than good terms, so I’m surprised to see her back. My only gripe about the situation is that WWE has hired (or rehired in this case) yet another girl who they have to build from ground up. Lacey Von Erich might have wrestling in her blood, but she no Natalya. No offense to Alicia Fox, Kelly Kelly and the numerous other divas signed through less conventional means, but why not hire someone who is ALREADY well versed in the ring. There are plenty of girls on the indies who have both the looks AND talent to make it in WWE. Alas, that’s another post for another time.

The biggest shocker about this news however, is that Lacey gave up the bright lights of Wrestlelicious for WWE. I guess she isn’t as Wrestlelicious as we thought.

P.S: On a totally unrelated note, today is my birthday! YAY! Birthday wishes can be sent to [email protected] and monetary gifts are always welcome. :P Just Kidding.

Sunny: “These Girls Wouldn’t Have Jobs If It Wasn’t For Me”

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Seriously, someone needs to lay off whatever prescription pills she’s popping and sit the fuck down. Yes, Sunny, I’m looking at you girl. This isn’t exactly news – well recent news anyway – but run with me on this one. I just uncovered a couple of interviews that Sunny recorded earlier this year, I’m not sure if they’re pre or post-WrestleMania. And let’s just say homegirl is sipping from the same cup as Paula Abdul. Long story short, bitch is crazy!

In such interviews, you shall hear such hilarities as:

After insulting fellow former Diva, Sable by saying she looks 60 years old, Sunny says: “I’m 36 and I get told I look 28 everyday.”

On the emergence of Divas: “I consider myself the first total package as far as females go in the wrestling business.” In the process, she can’t help but make a pitstop and spit on Miss Elizabeth and Sherri Martel‘s graves, insulting the both. Sunny continues that apparently Vince  realised that women could be successful and marketable too, from using her. Okay there, sport… To hear that clip, click here.

It don’t stop there boys and girls! The “Sunny: Self Wank” tour continues in a second interview clip which can be heard by clicking here. And here’s where we think that Sunny, real name Tammy Lynn Sytch, overdosed on her meds. When regaling us with a delightful story of an independent show she worked, Sunny refers to a girl who was founded in one of WWE’s talent searches (i.e. Tough Enough, Diva Search) that *Gasp* dared ‘disrespect’ the almighty pioneer and founding mother of all things Diva. Sunny explains:

– She walked into the lockerroom and started getting ready like she owned the place. Like she was this queen diva. And the first thing she should’ve done was was come to me and introduce herself to me and basically thank me for, you know, the possibility of her having a job because I opened the doors for all these women.

– She definitely did not have the respect that she should have, especially like I said I did open the doors for all these girls. These girls would not have jobs if Vince didn’t learn how to use a girl correctly and that’s what he did, he used me as the mould. He learned how to use a girl and market a girl correctly, through me and these girls wouldn’t have jobs if it wasn’t for me.

*Blink* Has her head exploded yet? ‘Fraid not. So basically we’ve learned that all the great females we’ve seen pass through our lives in the past 15 years or so are all because of Sunny. But of course! I’ve always thought Sunny was a tad *cough* outspoken but this is beyond outspoken, she must have neck and shoulder pain from carrying around that big ole head.

It seems to me that homegirl seems to have some grandiose, distorted memory of the past because she wasn’t all that and a bag o’ peanuts, as she seems to think. Not even by a long shot. Divas like Trish, Lita, Victoria, Mickie, Gail and so many more wouldn’t have jobs if it wasn’t for her?

All those years of interviewers kissing her ass calling her ‘the original Diva’ seem to have gone to her head as Sunny thinks she can rewrite history, saying she took great photoshoots, knew how to work a microphone and even get in the ring. Hold the fuck up…. “I could get in the ring if I had to?” Really? Girl, you never competed in a match in your entire WWE career until three weeks ago, WrestleMania 25 was Sunny’s first official wrestling match in WWE. Honestly, she’s worked up such an inflated ego and such a deluded legacy of her time in the industry, it’s pitiful but laughable at the same time.

Say what you will about Sable – and trust me Sunny has – but she is the true pioneer of the Divas. Sure she, too, got in on the prima donna act but at least she accomplished things. I credit Sable 100% for the Divas roster we see today, I wouldn’t even spit shine on Sunny’s shoes. It seems everything Sable accomplished, Sunny seems to take credit for herself; Sable was truly the first Diva to cash in on being as marketable as her male counterparts. Sable was a bonafide draw for the company and eventually learned the in-ring aspect of it too and of course, became a Women’s Champion. She wasn’t the best wrestler granted, but she paved the way a hell of a lot more than Sytch ever did.

KMT ’bout “They should be thanking me.” Girl, you should be the one thanking. Thanking the industry, thanking WWE and thanking Sable for giving you the ‘high school stories’ you keep spouting to anyone who’ll listen to this effin’ day. I wash my hands of this haggard, nasty piece of work. Sunny, you and Diva Dirt are done professionally! (Unless you do something of note)

Perfect 10: Week of April 20, 2009

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Welcome to the Perfect 10! Following a week of rough-and-tumble Diva and Knockout action, where do our ladies rank? Who scored an impressive victory? Who faltered in the ring? Were championships decided? The Perfect 10 ranks the ten best Diva performances for the week! Check back every Sunday for a new countdown!

THIS
WEEK
MOVEMENT
DIVA
LAST
WEEK
BETH PHOENIX
A non-mover this week is the Glamazon, who failed to capture the Women’s Championship from longtime rival Melina on Raw.
NATALYA
Two losses in one week is more than the average for a WWE Diva. Natalya’s turn as an ECW star isn’t getting off to a good start.
MICHELLE MCCOOL
A huge drop for last week’s #2, as Michelle didn’t even appear on television this week. That didn’t stop McCool from blogging on WWEUniverse.com though!
AWESOME KONG
Kong’s Knockout Championship reign finally came to an end at Lockdown last Sunday. However, new champion Angelina Love better watch out!
GAIL KIM
Last week’s #1 falls down the chart as she failed to measure up in her first championship opportunity on SmackDown.
ODB
All hail your Queen of the Cage! ODB defeated three other Knockouts for the crown inside a steel cage at Lockdown.
SOJO BOLT
Sojo Bolt competed – and won – only the second Knockouts ladder match in TNA history. She now earns a title opportunity!
MELINA
The exiting Women’s Champion scored a huge win on Raw, beating Beth Phoenix to retain her title.
MARYSE
Ooh oui! In her final SmackDown appearance, Maryse left with a bang, retaining her Divas Championship against Gail Kim.
ANGELINA LOVE
Your new Knockout Champion takes the top spot this week. Ang’s years of hard work finally paid off at Lockdown. Congratulations, Angelina!

The Weekly Roundup (April 19 – 25, 2009) – A Week in Television

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Welcome to Diva Dirt’s new feature – The Weekly Roundup, a look at the week in television! From Raw, SmackDown, ECW and TNA too, we look back at the week’s highs and lows as well as giving you the opportunity to catch up on what you’ve missed!

APRIL 19TH – APRIL 25TH, 2009

This week has been huge for the Divas and Knockouts, possibly the most action packed week of wrestling so far in 2009! Over the past week, we have seen all three of the major women’s titles on the line; the Women’s Championship, the Divas Championship and the Knockout Championship were all defended.

Best Bet: My standout of the week was the Women’s Championship match from Raw, as Melina successfully defended the title against rival, Beth Phoenix before moving over to SmackDown.

Close Call: Angelina Love‘s Knockout Championship victory at Lockdown was definitely a highlight of the week, as she finally captured the belt, but I personally preferred the Raw match.

Low Point: This week’s low comes from ECW’s booking of their new Diva, Natalya, as she jobs not once but twice to Hornswoggle in the same week. Pitiful.

Check out all of this week’s videos after the cut:

Continue

The Big Torrie Wilson-“I’m a Celebrity…” Post

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Since yesterday’s announcement that Torrie Wilson will be competing on NBC’s new celebreality show, “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here” a lot of news, photos and videos have come flooding in! So as I struggle to keep Torrie’s official fansite updated, I figure I’d give Diva Dirt some of the love too!

As promised, Melanie got some exclusive scoop from Torrie herself on her jungle stint, Torrie tells us:

Hey guys and gals! In case you haven’t heard I am going to be on a new reality series on NBC entitled “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” I will definitely be testing my survival skills but am feeling confident. I met the cast members this week and have to say I am looking forward to this most likely life changing experience of surviving in the Costa Rican jungle! I really hope you tune in and vote  for me in the month of June. It will be airing 4 days per week and parts of each show will be live! I will also be playing for a charity so it’s going to make me even more competitive than I already am! I will keep y’all posted….

As you can see above, NBC has released official cast promos for “I’m a Celebrity” and as any good Diva would do, Torrie uses this opportunity to bust out a bikini! Of course! And as you can also see above, the Covergirl attended a press conference featuring some of the cast and the show’s executive producers. Check out all the pictures below:

And last but not least, check out this video of Torrie talking about the show from NBC.com:

Impact Watch: That Knockouts Ladder Match

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Did you forget to watch Impact on Thursday night? If so, here is that much awaited Knockouts ladder match to determine the #1 Contender for Angelina Love‘s Knockout Championship! Watch as Sojo Bolt and Taylor Wilde duke it out…

If you’re a fan of TNA’s recent ‘stipulation’ booking of the Knockouts, I hear they’ve got a stretcher match on next week’s Impact…

Stacy Keibler-Hornswoggle Rumor Returns

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Talk about beating a dead horse! That horrible rumor WWE started itself about former Diva Stacy Keibler is being initiated again by WWE insiders. Now at Diva Dirt we pride ourselves on not being an online tabloid agency, gossiping about the whereabouts of Divas and who is dating who, but this is just despicable.

If you didn’t know, officials within the WWE intentionally planted a rumor to UK-based media agencies around the time of WrestleMania 25 that Stacy Keibler and Hornswoggle were actually dating in real life, and that Hornswoggle convinced Stacy to make her grand return debut to the WWE at the Miss WrestleMania 25 Diva Battle Royal. This was all done in hopes that this “gossip” would spark interest and hype up the big event, resulting in more media coverage and more buyrates for the event. In addition, it was speculated that WWE did this to Stacy because she turned down their offer to appear at the event. I’m more inclined to believe that WWE just wanted free publicity over a bashing of Stacy, but… you never know.

Well, that rumor has had fuel added to its fire. The same agency that covered the story in the first place, The Daily Star, has released another insider report from WWE officials on April 20th that Stacy Keibler was actually in Houston for WrestleMania, and she even stayed in the same hotel room as Hornswoggle. The paper stated their surprise to this news by saying, “We’re assured it is not a joke, but to say it surprised everyone here would be an understatement.”

Thankfully, the rumor is being met with a lot of resistance. It is very clear that Stacy Keibler was not even in Houston for the entire week of WrestleMania, much less the same hotel as other WWE Superstars. Several other UK agencies decided to actually investigate the story before going with it and discovered it had no validity (or they just didn’t care). Aside from this, Hornswoggle himself is fighting back. Upon learning of this report, Hornswoggle said that this report is completely false, and that if it was true he would have issued a press release of his own.

This whole situation really bothers me, and that’s why I decided to follow up on the story. I really can’t wrap my mind around why the WWE would be so terrible to Stacy. Garnering free publicity at the expense of Stacy’s personal life or even worse, acting immature and “getting back at her” for turning down the offer to appear at WrestleMania is just downright low and degrading. I am glad Stacy has kept silent about the situation because if she commented on it at all, it would give media agencies something to talk about and think that the story held any truth to it. If the WWE was looking to hype up the event, why not do it the old fashioned way and hype up a big match that you’ve put a lot of thought and time into and not just throw 25 Divas in a ring for a few minutes of chaos? I’m really irritated that a Diva like Stacy Keibler who did no wrong to the WWE is suffering for it. We all know WWE would never start up such a rumor for Trish or Torrie, why Stacy?

SmackDown Redux & Watch (April 23, 2009) – Maryse Leaves on Top

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In her real final match on SmackDown, Divas Champion Maryse offered Gail Kim a title opportunity, after the rising SmackDown Diva gained a non-title victory over her last week on the show. Watch below:

Even though she was drafted to Raw two weeks ago, it looks like the Draft won’t officially take place until after WWE’s European tour (which wrapped last night) and this Sunday’s missable Backlash pay per view. So how did Maryse celebrate her final night on SmackDown? Much like Melina on Raw, she celebrated with a title match against her rival, Gail Kim. But unlike Melina, there were no emotionally-charged tears from the departing Divas Champion.

First of all, while the booking behind the Melina-Beth match on Raw was kinda ‘throwaway’ (even though the match was fantastic), the booking behind this match works. I’m actually really glad that after their recent rivalry and Gail’s non-title win last week, they gave her the opportunity to have a title match. So in that sense, the European tour worked in this feud’s favour, as if they were back in America, Maryse would be travelling with Raw by now. Following last week’s SmackDown, I felt Gail deserved a title opportunity for the Divas Championship because she had a victory over Maryse and I thought they could get away with it by having it at Backlash, which as a pay per view is ‘neutral territory’. However with the new rosters not taking affect till next week, this works too.

Unlike a lot of you guys, I wasn’t a big fan of their match last week on SmackDown. Looking back on it, it wasn’t that bad but it wasn’t memorable, I think is a good way to describe it. If I look back in a few months time, that match won’t jump to the forefront of my mind. I just thought I’d clarify that.

This week, while the match was shorter compared to last week, I felt it was a more polished match. Some spots in last week’s match didn’t necessariily work or looked botched but this week, I felt that such spots worked much better. I wish this match had been the same length as last week’s, however. I think this week’s match was ever-so-slightly better, however again, I don’t think it’s a memorable match. It won’t stand out for me in a few month’s time. There was good work, good chemistry but unlike the Beth-Melina match on Raw, I won’t be raving about it in a few months time.

Gail’s jump through the ropes into an over the top rope roll-up worked much better this week, it looked seamless. The crossbody was much better this week also. I wish we got to see some of the spots we saw last week incorporated into it; Maryse’s backbreaker for one and Gail’s diving neckbreaker. I loved Maryse’s aggression though, the way she repeatedly smashed Gail’s head into the mat and then wiped the mat using her head… for some reason was unintentionally hilarious; I think I was imagining Gail’s movements almost akin to a mop.

This week’s ‘Gail Kim big spot’ comes in the form of a hurricanrana which was well executed and got the crowd to react.

I really liked the end of the match actually, with Maryse attempting to walk out on Gail. Very Maryse-esque, she’s never done it before, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it in future. This of course sets up Gail throwing Maryse back in the ring and Maryse capitalising in the time it takes Gail to get back in the ring. Again, a very aggressive and believable neck-snap on the middle rope and then some more aggression by Maryse, as she drags Gail – not by the arm – but by the hair and sets her up for the French Kiss DDT. Nicely executed, great selling. A good little match.

Breaking: Torrie Joins Cast of “I’m a Celebrity…”

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Breaking news people! Former Diva legend, Torrie Wilson has joined the cast of the American remake of British celebreality competition, “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.” The original British show sees a group of celebrities trying to survive in the Australian outback, far from the luxuries of hotel rooms etc. The celebrities must fend for themselves, living in a camp and competing in ‘bushtucker trials’ to earn food for camp.

According to E!, Torrie will be joined by The Hills stars, Heidi ‘Bitch, Please’ Montag and Spencer ‘The Devil’ Pratt as well as modelling legend and UK “I’m a Celebrity…” alumna, Janice Dickinson!

Other celebrities taking part include Sanjaya Malakar and Stephen Baldwin. Unlike the British series, the American version will be filmed in Costa Rica.

The show will air on NBC from June 1st.

Hopefully, I’ll have word from Torrie soon. Stay tuned!

McCool Responds Part 2: Does Michelle Read Diva Dirt?

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Following her somewhat controversial blog last night, it seems Michelle McCool has caught blogging fever. The Diva seemingly woke up to an influx of messages on her WWE Universe page from fans bringing up, as we did, Trish Stratus‘ comments to Times & Transcript earlier this week and decided to set the record straight, in an early morning blog.

However, not to sound big headed, but her latest blog seems almost like a reply to my post earlier today, where I kinda criticised Michelle for her brash, stern response to the fans. Perhaps it’s just coincidence or maybe Michelle reads up Diva Dirt, like all of you guys! What makes me think this? Because Michelle addresses the ‘bitchy’ tone I suggested she had in her first blog last night and does a complete 180 in this new blog, harkening back to the days when her blogs were all sweetness and light. What do you think?

Some of you expressed how much you loved it, others thought I was being a little blunt on my response. If you were offended or don’t think I elaborated enough, I am truly sorry. It’s just a topic that I have commented on several times and don’t think I’ll ever be able to make everyone happy (it’s taken me 29 years to realize this and try to accept that I won’t be able to make everyone happy all the time).

Perhaps it’s just coincidence and I’m not the only one who brought up Michelle’s change in attitude? Speaking of coincidence, Michelle insists it is simply a coincidence that both she and Trish Stratus mentioned the crowded Divas lockerroom, in the same week. Michelle writes:

A few of you asked if I was responding to a comment about the “girls locker room” that Trish Stratus apparently made. I’m not sure what you are talking about or what comments she made, so no. I would if I knew what her opinion was or was 100% sure what you guys are talking about. However, I was just answering the general questions that were coming in about whether or not I feel there are too many girls, is it hard to get storylines because of all the girls, etc. That was it…just trying to answer your general statements. I was wondering though why I was all of a sudden getting so many of the same concerns…maybe you answered this question. :)

That’s one happy coincidence, right? I’m not saying Michelle is lying and I’m sure she isn’t, but an interesting coincidence nonetheless. Two Divas (well one past Diva) mention the overcrowding situation in the same week, I personally think that says a lot about the state of the Divas roster in WWE. I will say this in WWE’s defence, they may have a much larger roster than they have in the past, but they have the highest number of workable girls than they’ve ever had before. And by ‘workable’, I mean Divas who can wrestle (albeit in most of their cases, not very well). Out of 20 Divas, there’s about 2-3 who don’t or can’t wrestle. That means there’s 17-18 girls who are ring ready and can wrestle on any given week. However the downside to that is, the Divas that are over and are being pushed aren’t getting screentime every week. Just ask Michelle, she hasn’t appeared on SmackDown for two weeks now.

Anyway whether or not she does read Diva Dirt, I admire the fact that Michelle is able to stand up and address the situation when fans, me included, think she’s gone a little too far. Classy lady.

McCool Responds to Trish & Melina Heat… Kinda

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Former Divas Champion, Michelle McCool took to her blog last night and indirectly responded to Trish Stratus‘ claims earlier this week, that there are far too many women on the WWE roster. She also briefly touched upon, I’m assuming, rumours that Women’s Champion Melina has backstage heat. So what did SmackDown’s finest have to say?

Note: Just for those of you who may not be familar with Michelle’s blogs, she usually comments in and out of character on situations, since she turned heel last December. So ‘ITR’ means ‘Inside the Ropes’ i.e. in-character. ‘OTR’ means ‘Outside the Ropes’ and is more her general feeling:

ITR: Yes there are alot of girls. Sometimes, entirely too many for my liking. Simply put, quarters can get a little cramped & I get tired of hearing about how they wanna do this and wanna do that….I have a great idea. How about learning how to work inside the ring and give me a little competition. How about that?

OTR: Some of you were very specific with things you’ve read, stuff you’ve “heard,” “heat” that some supposedly have. I’ve said it a ton of times…I could sit here and defend myself & defend others until I’m blue in the face, but where would that get me? Nowhere! Truth is, if you’re reading whatever websites produce these statements, you’re going to believe what you want to believe anyway. All I know is that some of the things you guys are wondering about really are laughable. It’s just funny how so many people know so much about the superstars personally and we’ve never even met them.

Interesting response, to say the least. However one thing I must point out; doesn’t her ‘OTR’ response still come across a little mean and somewhat bitchy? Just saying, it’s a far cry from the bible-quoting ‘Faith, love and whatever’ blogs of yore. There seems to be a definite change in attitude from Michelle ever since her character went heel. Where does in-character Michelle end and the real Michelle begin? You wouldn’t really be able to tell from those two paragraphs. Now I like Michelle, I really do, but that’s just the vibe I’m getting from her these days.

The ‘Outside the Ropes’ response is a little puzzling, because I’m guessing she’s responding to Trish’s comments in an interview earlier this week but somewhow she turns it around on the fans? Okay, a tad bitchy, if you ask me. If she is referring to Trish’s comments, it’s not a “website producing these statements” it is the opinion – and a very valid opinion – of a former Women’s Champion who has sat in that very lockerroom.

Even though she’s a heel and all, I’d like to suggest that Michelle edit herself every now and again because she’s in danger of alienating her fanbase.

Reunited and it Feels So Good!

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Diva Dirt here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Divas elite. Spotted in LA, could it be? Best friends reunited! Okay enough of the Gossip Girl shtick… I’m no Kristen Bell.

Anyhoo, lookit, ain’t it cute? Former Divas, Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson reunited for a night on the town over the weekend. Long gone are the trashy short skirts and barely there tops we became accustomed to on WWE television, no they’ve left those behind to the likes of Candice and Kelly. Our girls are all grown up now and look the picture of perfection and ultra stylish to boot! Though I can’t help but reminisce to a time gone by, when the Divas were like a family, it brings a tear to my eye… (That wasn’t supposed to rhyme. Honest.)

Check out the pictures below and join me in reminiscing!

Impact Spoilers: April 30, 2009

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Earlier today, Melanie expressed hope that Sarah Stock or Ayako Hamada would debut at tonight’s Impact tapings. Highlight below to read spoilers for next week’s Impact and see if they do:

– Awesome Kong defeated Madison Rayne in a Stretcher Match.

Matches taped for Xplosion:
– Sarah Stock defeated Taylor Wilde
– ODB defeated Velvet Sky

Here We Go Again… Melina Has Heat, Apparently

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The words ‘Melina‘ and ‘Heat’ have reared their ugly head again… Reports have surfaced that there is some backstage heat on Women’s Champion, Melina following her Draft move from Raw to SmackDown. Apparently the A-List Diva has shown some ‘open distaste’ and if my understanding of ‘open’ in that phrase is correct, I’m guessing they’re referring to her public reaction to the drafting.

Now, I’m not sure if this another ‘online newz report’ or if there really is heat against Melina backstage, but I feel I should step up and side with her. It’s a shame when a woman’s emotional nature is taken as a sign of ‘open distaste’. Perhaps these reports refer to Melina’s emotional farewell with Kelly and Mickie following her match on the Draft show? Maybe these reports refer to her emotional farewell to the audience after her successful title defence on Raw this past week? Either way, it seems that people have taken this and turned it back on her and that’s such a shame.

Diva Dirt‘s own Erin can attest to the fact that Melina is a very emotional person and we have seen many a tear from the Women’s Champion on Raw in the past; for example when she was injured during last year’s Draft show, then there’s Mickie James’ near-injury last December on Raw.

In fact, Melina was in good spirits just moments after being drafted last week, telling WWE Universe’s live blog:

I’m ready for this change. I believe the talent in Smackdown is great. There is definitely good opponents there. Some may be newer but when you want something and you are a fighter, sometimes it doesn’t matter how long you have been around.

Does that sound like the attitude of someone expressing ‘open distaste’? I think Melina handled her move really well, many Divas could consider the move a demotion (i.e. Maria last year), but for Melina to take her Women’s Championship with her to SmackDown, puts her at the top of that brand’s roster and keeps her in good standing.

After competing on the Raw brand for three years, surely she’s bound to – and entitled to be – upset? I just think people are taking a situation and twisting it. From what I’ve seen, Melina was sad to be leaving her friends behind on Raw and not upset because she’s leaving Raw itself.

Either way, I may be biased, but I’m on Melina’s side here. I just think it’s unfair to judge someone because they’re a little emotional and homegirl is a lot emotional.

Happy Earth Day From Brie Bella!

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Today is Earth Day, of course, and in true WWE fashion, they’re celebrating through a photoshoot. This time it’s Brie Bella‘s “Earth Diva” shoot. She’s sporting a trendy recycling t-shirt which I assume is from Victoria‘s Secret (note the PINK on the bottom). She looks cute all casual, going barefoot in a t-shirt and jeans. It’s obviously become pretty damn trendy and popular to be all “green”, and while it’s one thing to say it and another to do it, it’s nice to see that conservation is being a really big thing – I mean, hello! People are actually acknowledging Earth Day. If that doesn’t say it, then nothing will. But hey, if you want to do a little good and see a good movie, see Earth this week and Disney will plant a tree in your honor – seriously, they will. Check out the cute polar bears and help the Earth at the same time – I’m sure Brie would approve.


[poll id=”340″]

No Backlash for Divas

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Sticking the second WWE pay per view of the month, Backlash, three weeks after WrestleMania, two weeks after the Draft and the week of a money-spinning European tour essentially makes this Sunday’s pay per view a throwaway show. It doesn’t look as though WWE will be announcing any Divas matches for the event, which makes this pay per view less watch-worthy than it already is, however for once I’m glad the Divas have been left off of a pay per view.

Coming off the heels of the Draft, a lot of the matches for the event are being thrown together at the last minute, which doesn’t exactly entice anyone to waste money on purchasing an expensive PPV. And rather than throw together a random Divas match for the sake of it, I’m glad they’ve kept them off the event – although I doubt they did this in the best interest of the Divas.

The snub will allow the new rosters to take shape the night after Backlash and allow the two brands to set up new feuds and storylines, going forward into the next pay per view.

If they do opt to go for a last minute Divas match at Backlash, might I suggest an ‘exhibition’ match for the new rosters? A match that wouldn’t be out of place on an episode of Raw, bearing in mind Backlash is pretty much a ‘throwaway’ event. Maybe Mickie, Kelly and the Bella Twins against Beth, Maryse, Jillian and Rosa?

Or perhaps not. We’ve got better things to watch like, y’know, Santina kissing the Great Khali. Just a thought.

Tomorrow Night’s Impact Spoilers & Notes

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As we teased on Monday, this week’s Impact will see a ladder match to determine the #1 Contender for the Knockout Championship. Check out the spoilers below. That show airs tomorrow night at 9pm ET on Spike.

– Sojo Bolt def. Taylor Wilde to become the new #1 Contender for the Knockout Championship in a ladder match

– The Beautiful People host an in-ring celebration for new Knockout Champion, Angelina Love complete with male dancers. Awesome Kong hits the ring however, the Beautiful People manage to retreat. One of the male dancers is Awesome Bombed.

Rumoured new TNA Knockout, Sarah Stock was also at the taping and worked a dark match with Awesome Kong. Meanwhile, it was expected that another new female, Japanese star, Ayako Hamada would make her debut post-Lockdown but was not used at last night’s taping. TNA will be taping next week’s episode of Impact tonight, so hopefully one or both will make their company debut.

You Know What, Trish? You Got A Good Point.

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As we reported here on  Diva Dirt earlier this week, Trish Stratus recently gave her opinion on WWE’s current women’s Division and she didn’t pull any punches. Some might think that she was slamming WWE and the present roster, but I happen to believe otherwise. Trish brought up some valid points that I agree with. Let’s face it, ever since Trish retired, the women’s division has been on a slow downward spiral. Despite gaining a new title, having rookies develop into solid wrestlers (Michelle, Kelly and Maryse), and signing ACTUAL talent (Natalya and Gail), Diva matches are still just a glorified bathroom break for many fans. If WWE wants to restore the division to it’s former splendor(which is doubtful), they need to take some of Trish’s tips(as well as mine):

Step 1: Narrow down the roster.

I hate to see anyone lose their jobs, especially in our fickle economy, but the first step that needs to be taken is to hand out some pink slips. WWE’s female payroll is the largest in company history. However, the vast majority of these Divas have nothing going on at the moment. While Candice and Maria are majorly over with the fans, their ringwork leaves a lot to be desired. This is inexcusable, as they have been in the company for several years. Part of the reason WWE fans pay no attention to the Divas, is that they tend to have some sloppy matches. They would the first casualties if I was the one looking to cut costs. Besides the weak links ring-wise, Divas who are utterly missable could be at risk. Katie Lea is one of the most talented wrestlers to be signed in a while, but we barely get to see her. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but if Katie gets released, there aren’t many of us who would even bat an eye.

Step 2: Develop and establish rising stars.

In the ever growing crowd of Divas, there are a few standout stars that are sure to be major players in the near future. These girls include: Alicia Fox, Natalya and possibly The Bella Twins(if they’re used properly). If the WWE wants to get them over with the fans and let them live up to full potential they have to properly showcase their talent. Stop booking them in these multi-Diva tag matches, where only two or three diva compete and book some single matches. The fans aren’t going to acknowledge them if they’re just being fillers in some pointless tag match. Kelly Kelly and Maryse are perfect examples that this method works. Both Maryse and Kelly came in as relative nobodies and developed into top divas. Kelly managed to score several single victories over Beth Phoenix, Maryse roped in some gold and both have the fans firmly behind them or against them in Maryse’s case.

Step 3: Invest in storylines with the top divas.

Last but definitely not least, WWE needs to develop some storylines with their top Divas. For months upon months we, the fans, have seen several matches that served no purpose but to fill a quota. The last decent feud and storyline we’ve seen was Mickie James vs Trish and that was ages ago. The matches we’ve been treated to as of late have done nothing for character development or storyline advancement. The closest thing to an actual storyline at this moment is the Santina/Beth which says a lot for the state of the division. Maybe Mickie could revert to her old psycho self, or giving some of the rookies an actual character to build upon. A good storyline and a high profile feud could be the first and most important step to restoring the women’s division and getting people to care again.

In conclusion, I just want to thank Trish for giving her opinions on the state of the WWE Divas. Us Diva fans have been saying these things for months, but maybe now that our thoughts have a public face, WWE will take notice and do something about it. Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments.

Spoilers: WWE Slaps Natalya & Diva Fans in the Face

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This post has spoilers for upcoming WWE shows, therefore the entire post is under a cut.

Beware of the spoilers:

Continue

SmackDown Spoilers from London: April 24, 2009

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Spoilers for Friday’s SmackDown are below, highlight to read:

Maryse def. Gail Kim to retain the Divas Championship

Opinions after the cut:

Continue

Raw Redux (April 20, 2009) – Melina Bows Out, Beth Pinned Clean… Gasp

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The Women’s Champion said goodbye to Raw last night with a huge exclamation mark ending her three year stint on the Monday night show. Melina‘s Raw farewell (for now) closed the chapter on the past three years of her life as well as her feud with Beth Phoenix in grandiose fashion and we loved every second of it!

As I wrote yesterday in the spoilers post, it looks as though WWE is opting for blow-off matches for the Divas before they move over to their new brands. Last week on SmackDown, Gail Kim and Maryse finally went one-on-one before Maryse moves to Raw and last night, it was Beth and Melina. I know some were disappointed that the new rosters didn’t take affect last night; there was no Maryse, Bella Twins – or for that matter, any of the Raw mainstays such as Mickie James and Kelly Kelly. However I must point out that because of the current ‘WrestleMania Revenge’ tour, the rosters are currently pre-Draft as advertised, thus Maryse is still touring with SmackDown and likely competed at their house show in Scotland last night. It does mean that we may see Maryse on SmackDown this Friday, spoilers should be up before the end of the day. However, this does call into question the point of the Draft – as the new rosters won’t shape up until two weeks after the fact. So we will likely see the new rosters finally take shape next week on Raw, the night after Backlash. Why not just do the Draft after the European tour then?

Anyway back to last night’s Raw which emanated from glorious London! A befitting end to Melina’s time on Raw as she faced off against her most recent rival and quite possibly, her best rival, Beth Phoenix for the Women’s Championship.

This match was one that Melina can be extremely proud of, her final match on Raw and quite possibly one of the best Divas matches on Raw in 2009 so far. I think I’d go as far as to say it was even better than their Royal Rumble match. The chemistry these two have was one of the highlights of 2008 for many a Diva fan and it was on show tonight. Beth’s brute force countered by Melina’s agility and flexibility; from the outset there were some great, memorable spots throughout this match.

One thing I immediately noticed was Melina’s fantastic selling of the powerslam by Beth; being able to take the most simple of bumps and sell them well is something that some of the newer Divas have but Melina demonstrated here just how to take a bump and sell it well and it looked awesome. Then we saw some of that great flexibility we’ve seen from Melina in the past in her matches with Beth, as Beth almost contorts Melina’s whole body around her shoulders, reminiscent of their One Night Stand match last year. A very unique submission move and it was great that the fans got into it as Melina was seemingly out and the referee was starting to count her out. And now in shades of the Royal Rumble match, we again see Beth use Melina’s foot to club her over the head… ouch. But a true testament to what a great worker Melina is, her matches always have that extra flare and uniqueness.

Melina’s newest addition to her moveset, the handspring elbow could use some polishing judging the two occasions that I’ve seen it used, but the one legged drop kick into the split was again, another great unique move. I wonder if that could rival Gail’s leg jawbreaker? Melina’s bringing all her top moves out for her final night on Raw, we see the return of the hair smash from the top rope! This segues into the finish…

And here’s where things get interesting. Beth spears Rosa off the apron, which nicely sets up eventual friction between these two. I have no doubt we’ll be seeing a feud between Rosa and Beth in the near future, so it was great to see them start to build what could be Beth’s next feud. And for the first time in, well ever I think, Beth is pinned clean! Melina hits the Last Call with perfect precision for the three count and what a defining moment it is for her, she finally topples the Glamazon without having to resort to a shifty roll-up.

I’ve been saying it for ages, it’s about time Beth was pinned clean. She’s been doing the Glamazon shtick for two years now and has never really lost to a finishing move and it’s about time she did. I felt that Melina should have won using her finisher at the Royal Rumble to win the title but they opted for a roll-up there, which sucks. But at least we got definitive closure on this feud last night on Raw.

This match was really enjoyable, if you haven’t watched it, definitely seek it out. Beth is a great wrestler and all, but I honestly think Melina brings out the best in her because she’s able to use her flexibility and agility to help create new, unique situations that you wouldn’t see in a Beth-Candice match or a Beth-Mickie match. These two have had a great feud, probably one of my favourite Diva feuds in recent memory and I think the way it ended was perfect; all wrapped up with a bow on it.

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