Check below for spoilers for Friday’s show by clicking the ‘+’ to read:
Thoughts after the cut:
Wrestlicious in Talks with ‘Recently Released TNA Knockouts’
New female wrestling company Wrestlicious have released a statement in which they tease they are currently in negotiations with recently released TNA Knockouts. The company has just cleared more channels in America through syndication for their show, ‘Wrestlicious TakeDown’, the move means they are now available to 60% of American households. LAS VEGAS, January 25, … Read more
Beth Phoenix to Star in WWE’s Santino Marella Sitcom
Former WWE Women’s Champion, Beth Phoenix will co-star in a sitcom [yes, you read right] starring Santino Marella. The sitcom, entitled ‘The Santino Marella Sitcom’ will be WWE’s first foray into this type of scripted television. Beth will play Santino’s girlfriend on the show, reigniting the Glamarella couple that dominated Raw in 2008 and early … Read more
Raw Redux (January 25th, 2010) – The Clock’s Ticking…
Last week we were caught a bit off guard when the WWE decided to hold a tag team match instead of the semi-finals of the Divas Championship Tournament. It seemed to me back then that it would suck out what little momentum the tournament already had, but did it? Let’s take a look at this week’s action–two semi-finals matches–and see if the tournament has any momentum left going into the finals.
First up we have Maryse and Eve Torres in their semi-final match. Maryse gets on the microphone, telling the other Divas in the tournament that they are “just wasting their time”, and that she is most certainly going to win the Divas Championship. The Divas could have known this weeks ago if they only read Diva Dirt, but I suppose the point is made clearer when spoken in French. She is interrupted by guest GM Dulé Hill (of “Psyche” fame) messing with the pyrotechnics. He blasts the entrance ramp with pyro, and Maryse has a few choice words for him. It’s funny, and Hill provides a good foil for Maryse’s bitchy anger (he was also a good foil for another Diva’s wrath, but we’ll get to that later). Finally, Eve makes her entrance and the match starts:
They start with a tie-up, Eve delivering a few blows to Maryse and backing her into the corner. She continues with this dominance until the ref separates them. Maryse then slaps her across the face and goes for another, but Eve ducks and hits a dropkick, going for the pin. Maryse kicks out, and Michael Cole remarks how Eve winning would be a “mild upset”. Try total upset, Cole, you and me both know there ain’t no way Maryse is losing.
Maryse whips Eve into the ropes, but Eve stops her own momentum and delivers a kick to the face. She bounces off the ropes once more and slams Maryse to the mat hair first (maybe head first, but Maryse’s weave is looking mighty long these days..). Eve hits her somersault splash and attempts a pin, Maryse kicking out at 2. Maryse seeks refuge in the corner, but Eve sandwiches her with a flying clothesline, planting her to the mat with a scoop slam. She climbs to the top rope (Maryse casually~ getting into position), going for a moonsault that doesn’t connect. Maryse rolls out of the way just in time, and Eve eats mat.
Maryse looks to take advantage of this by hitting the French Kiss right then and there, but Eve reverses it into a Northern Lights Suplex. It wasn’t Molly Holly-esque by any means (she couldn’t hold the bridge, for one), but she goes for the pin nonetheless, and Maryse kicks out.
Maryse holds onto the ropes as Eve tries to drag her away, and Maryse kicks her in the stomach, pulling her to the center of the ring and planting her with the French Kiss. One provocative~ pin later, and Maryse advances to the finals.
WWE Superstars Spoilers: January 28th, 2010
More Raw Divas action for WWE Superstars! Perhaps this could be the new wrestling showcase for the lesser-used Divas? I hope so! Click the ‘+’ for results for Thursday’s show:
Thoughts after the cut:
Raw Response: January 25th, 2010
Actor Dulé Hill from USA Network’s “Pysch” is hosting Raw tonight. Tune in for the semi-finals of the Divas Championship Tournament (that is, if the WWE sees fit to actually do hold them this week). Discuss the show in the comments!
Can SmackDown Give the Women’s Division Its Respect Back?
In the past few years many people have [wrongly] assumed that the lackluster women’s division in WWE is due to the Divas themselves. With no Trish Stratus or Lita leading the pack, the division has admittedly waned but I would argue, it’s not because of the women in it. It’s because of the writing. In a post-Trish era, it all went downhill. Not to toot her horn too much, but it’s true — Trish was seemingly the only Diva that WWE had full confidence in carrying a real storyline, developing it for several months, engaging the viewer and delivering that great blow-off match that we all anticipate. When she left, the effort stopped.
It’s not that any one of the girls can’t do the same, they just haven’t been given the opportunity to. Storylines that once spanned months now span weeks, matches on Raw — once home of the coveted Women’s Championship — are now usually half as long and half as exciting. The audience itself, paying customers, have stopped lapping up the Divas action and instead feel something apathy and indifference. You may have your own arguments as to why Diva A or Diva B aren’t over but my argument is this: the audience, you know the ones that pay for the honour, don’t care because WWE has given them little reason to care over the years. Any one of those girls could be over if WWE gave them the attention to detail in character that they gave Trish, the same effort in storylining that they gave Trish and had a little confidence in the girls to do their own thing, like they did Trish.
While many have switched over to TNA or perhaps SHIMMER, it’s been a long road but hope isn’t lost. WWE does know how to do women’s wrestling because they’ve done it before and it seems, they may be looking to do it again. Last week’s segment on Friday Night SmackDown was easily the best thing the Divas have done in quite some time — the closest thing to the original ‘golden era’ of Divas that is so treasured.
This segment to me is the biggest milestone for the Divas division in years. It showed that the “smart, powerful and sexy” tagline isn’t just a load of BS. It showed a confidence in the Divas that has been less than visible of the years. And it showed that the girls can tell great stories too.
Results and Pictures from TNA’s European Tour Kick Off in Glasgow
TNA is currently in Europe for an overseas tour which kicked off in Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday night. Diva Dirt reader Gavin sent in these pictures and his own report of the show which featured Hamada vs Sarita in Knockouts action. He writes: I have to say the match wasn’t as good as they are … Read more
SHIMMER Volume 26 DVD Released
The latest edition of SHIMMER Women Athletes’ DVD series is out today. Volume 26 features yet another bout in the classic series between recently departed TNA Knockout, Alissa Flash competing as Cheerleader Melissa against Wesna Busic. The main event sees MsChif defend the SHIMMER Championship against LuFusito. Other appearances on the DVD include Knockouts Daffney, … Read more
Unwrapped: Eye Candy for the Week Ending January 23rd, 2010
Welcome to this week’s edition of Unwrapped! As always, we will be grading all of the new photoshoots (or “eye candy”, as we like to call them) from the week gone by, judging them like so:
You, the reader, will also get the chance to grade the “eye candy” yourself by giving your opinion on each shoot and voting for your favorite out of the whole bunch. Now, dive in!
Brie & Nikki Bella‘s Bronzed
Grade: Sweet. For all their matchy-matchy photoshoots, the Bellas usually find a way to differentiate their looks. Here, Nikki’s wearing boots while Brie’s got on heels. Both go great with the dress, which is quite pretty on its own. It’s rather simple in design, but the shiny bronze color looks spectacular against their skin and hair, and the requisite flower in the hair is a pretty cream color that compliments the rest of the outfit greatly, not looking as tacked-on as their “hair flowers” have in the past. The poses aren’t very exciting, but I love the different ways they pose with one another. The poses may not always work, but it’s cute to see them leaning on one another as they often do, and the chair poses (that would probably look awkward with any other pair of Divas) are cool too. Cute outfit, cute poses? It might not make for a groundbreaking shoot, but I think that makes for a nice Bella twins shoot. I guess the old adage applies here–two heads are better than one–because if this were occurring with only one Diva (the outfit and particularly the stoic poses), it wouldn’t be half as interesting.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Katie Lea‘s Redrum
Grade: Bland. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Katie Lea shoot (thanks to her ECW departure, I’m sure), but now she’s back to her old tricks–literally. This shoot is no different than the dozens we’ve seen before–spooky makeup, creepy poses, dark clothing. That said, it’s her forté, so she certainly does it well, but it’s just not that exciting when you’ve seen it so many times before. I’m not asking her to dramatically change her look, not at all. But it would probably help add some excitement to her photoshoots if she branched out into different clothing–still the same gothic feel, but more than just a top and trousers. Most Divas are able to mix up their looks without forsaking their characters, so it shouldn’t be impossible for Katie to do the same. She’s clearly perfected this photoshoot shtick, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t ever waver from it.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Read more to see the rest of this week’s photoshoots.
Perfect 10: Week of January 18th, 2010
The Perfect 10 counts down the ten Divas and Knockouts who have had the best week in television on Raw, SmackDown, ECW and TNA Impact. The Perfect 10 considers matches, promos, character development and more. Who’ll be #1 this week? THIS WEEK MOVEMENT DIVA LAST WEEK GAIL KIM Gail Kim’s winning streak continues with a … Read more
Pro-Wrestling: EVE Announces All Female Wrestling Camp in UK
New promotion, Pro-Wrestling: EVE has announced that it will be running an all female wrestling camp in the UK later this year in conjunction with the British Wrestling Council. EVE is a new women’s promotion that you will be hearing a lot more about in the coming months here at Diva Dirt.
The camp will be run by wrestler Alex Shane, who was once a mentor for Katie Lea, and is open to all female wrestlers in the UK — of all levels of experience. EVE management will be scouting talents to be part of the company’s launch in the spring. Read the full press release below:
BWC Weekend Camp In Conjunction With Pro-Wrestling: EVE
January 24 2010, London – The British Wrestling Council are proud to announce its first ever all-female weekend training camp!
The camp will give female wrestlers across the UK a chance to meet and train with their peers from other schools across the country. No matter what stage you are currently at in your career the two days will be of huge benefit to all female wrestlers hoping to get the very most out of their chosen profession.
The camp will be run by “The Showstealer” Alex Shane who is commonly regarded as one of the most successful wrestling teachers in the UK. Along with current WWE champions Sheamus and Drew McIntyre, Alex was responsible for head hunting and mentoring current WWE Diva Katie Lea.
The camp is being organised in conjunction with the brand new female only wrestling promotion Pro-Wrestling: EVE which launches Spring 2010.
Believing in the current crop of female wrestlers in the UK Alex Shane was keen to be involved with Pro-Wrestling: EVE and has brought EVE on board with the British Wrestling Council feeling they are the exactly the kind of platform the female wrestlers of the UK deserve to be performing on.
Along with the chance to learn from one of the most respected and successful individuals in professional wrestling applicants will also have the chance to be a part of the launch of Pro-Wrestling: EVE as management from the promotion will be attending day two of the training weekend in order to view the female talent for live event consideration, record green screen promos and take promotional pictures for the launch of the company.
More after the cut:
Kelly Kelly’s High Praise for Fellow Diva
Raw Diva, Kelly Kelly had some highly positive words for a fellow Diva in an interview with the Daily Star but no, it wasn’t a Mickie or a Melina — it was Katie Lea! Perhaps the fact it was a British tabloid may have helped but nonetheless, she says: I learned a lot from her … Read more
New Mobile Version of Diva Dirt
Diva Dirt has created a new mobile version of the website for smartphone users. We have been told by some readers that they aren’t able to see the site fully via their cellphones so hopefully this will be a solution. We have had an older mobile version for several months that is comaptible with iPhone/iPod … Read more
Candice Michelle Says Injuries Due to Lack of Responsibility
Former WWE Diva, Candice Michelle who is currently pregnant with her first child, spoke to fansite Candi-Shop.org recently and one of the topics she touched upon are her multiple injuries. The ex-Diva says her injuries were due to her own lack of responsibility for her body: The biggest frustration of my career has been my … Read more
Sky Sports Makes Championship Blunder
Sky Sportszine, a free magazine for Sky satellite subscribers in the UK, has made something of a blunder in its countdown of the top ten WWE Divas to hold the Women’s Championship — half of the list has never even held a belt. Five Divas included on the list have yet to hold gold in … Read more
New Picture of Bald Serena
With one of the most memorable WWE debuts under her belt, Serena Deeb looks every bit the glowing Diva in the latest candid shot of her with her new bald head! The picture is taken from Becky Bayless’ Twitter page, who writes: “Congrats to my best friend, role model and SmackDown’s newest Diva @serenadeeb! She … Read more
SmackDown Redux (January 22nd, 2010): Seminal Moment for SmackDown
It’s official: this is where women’s wrestling is at. SmackDown, in my humble estimation, is now the premiere series to be watching if you are looking for women’s wrestling on your televisual boxes. That was never more evident than tonight’s episode, where despite not even having a match, SmackDown proved that it is the show that everyone should be watching. Compelling storylines, well written characters and great performances — it’s hard not to do double-take. This is WWE, right? Despite the recent years of fluff and disappointment, WWE have delivered perhaps one of their strongest Divas storylines in quite some time and this week’s show is a seminal moment in what I expect will be a turning of the tide. There’s nothing Diva-y about this week’s SmackDown, to spin the old line used by WCW — this is where the big girls play.
Beginning this week’s Divas action, we saw the debut of Serena Mancini in what may go down as one of the most memorable debuts in Diva history.
PART 1 PART 2 Serena appears as a fan jumping the barricade during another scintilating straight edge promo from CM Punk, claiming she needs him. He says she knows he needs him. Honestly, the initial dialogue was as cheesy as a Twilight movie and I was expecting Punk to throw in a “You are my life now” at some point. That said, it did get better and Punk is golden at his whole shtick. We see Serena willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and denounce her life of addiction etc. and has her shaved head in the name of her saviour, Punk.
All in all, I think this was a good segment and Serena played the cult-like psycho very well. It’ll be interesting to see how she’s used from here with her bald head. I hope this works out for her, it’s a great sacrifice to make but she’s in the big leagues now. I hope she didn’t sacrifice this just to be the glorified bald manager for Punk’s Straight Edge Society. The setup of that group doesn’t really suggest to me that it’ll have a typical manager/wrestler dynamic ala Hart Dynasty. I expect we’ll see Serena actually getting nitty-gritty and I look forward to it. Perhaps she herself could target a Diva and try to ‘help’ them?
Next up, Mickie’s ‘going away’ party:
Royal Rumble Official Match Preview
As reported earlier in the week, Women’s Champion Michelle McCool will defend her title against Mickie James at the Royal Rumble in just over a week’s time. The bout will be the pair’s second consecutive pay per view encounter following last month’s favourably-reviewed TLC match. WWE.com has now posted an official match preview: After coming … Read more
In Pictures: Bikinis & British Flags
Check out these brand new snaps of Kelly Kelly and Maria posing in bikinis in front of the British flag… you know, as you do. The pictures are to symbolise their recent trip to the UK in a new WWE.com photo review of the week feature. See the full pictures by clicking here. Nothing says … Read more
Impact Write-Up (January 21st, 2010): Knockout Action… Diva Style?
I suppose I should begin this by introducing myself. My name is Cryssi and I’m Diva Dirt‘s new TNA correspondent. It’s an honor to be here and I promise to bring my best each and every week with whatever I do here! I’m excited for this job. Part of the excitement stems from the fact I’ve been thrust into the middle of a train wreck of a show. TNA is a soap opera of revolving doors, pointless drama, and politics. At least that’s how I view it. With the departure of Alissa Flash and Awesome Kong’s request for her release, we’re left with some questions about the Knockouts division. None of them were answered on this week’s episode of Impact and we likely won’t know much until TNA returns for more tapings. Tara was absent from this show, as were Knockout Tag Champs, Awesome Kong and Hamada. The Beautiful People and Angelina Love were the only entertainment for us Knockout fans. So with all that being said, lets get on with my first ever Impact Write-Up!
We’re treated to a backstage shot of Angelina getting mentally ready for her match but that’s not all fans. We get a video package too! The history of Angelina’s break-up with the Beautiful People is rehashed, and I’m not going to lie; I still laugh whenever I see her beat the crap out of Velvet Sky. It’s hilarious. Madison Rayne comes out first and she doesn’t look half bad tonight. She’s improving week after week and her antics toward the crowd were pretty funny. I loved when she booed the fan that was booing her, and her overall attitude was great and spot on. She does her posing with the ropes and on the turnbuckles, and it surprised me to see that she came out sans Velvet and Lacey von Erich. Angelina comes out next, to her new music, and gets a hot face reaction. The crowd seemed really excited to see her and rightfully so. She’s one of the few women left in TNA now who can actually put on an amazing, legit match.
The bell rings and Angelina goes after Madison. The referee tries to stop it seeing as how Madison is backed into the corner, and to her credit Angelina backs off. Madison uses Angelina’s sportsmanship to her advantage and goes right after her former leader. She hits a few nice punches and gets Angelina to the mat. The Canadian does her best to defend herself, but Madison doesn’t really let up until she (Madison) gets back to her feet. Angelina is up as well and is met with a few stiff forearms to her jaw, then finds herself pressed against the ropes. Madison whips Angelina to the other side, but momentum switches and Angelina slams Madison down to the mat by her hair!
With Madison down, Angelina takes charge. She mounts her and begins to unleash her angst on her former lackey. Madison takes the abuse and then gets thrown into the corner. Okay, she doesn’t get thrown. Her face eats a mouthful of turnbuckle and it looks like it really hurts. Madison stumbles to the left and is “helped” to her feet by Angelina. Angelina goes for a whip, Madison reverses it, Angelina ducks a clotheslines, and Madison gets absolutely destroyed by a sick bicycle kick! Angelina goes for an arrogant cover and gets the victory.
Diva Dirt Launches New Design!
Welcome to the new look Diva Dirt! After over a year of the same look, it was time to change it up and become even fiercer! A big thank you to Jason Deadrich for his help too. With a new design, and a new team member, Diva Dirt has so much to look forward to … Read more
Introducing New Team Member: Cryssi
We are very pleased to welcome the newest member of our team, Cryssi who will be serving as the new TNA correspondent. Cryssi has been a longtime reader of the site and will be taking over the Impact column next week. Read her statement below:
It’s truly amazing to be here at Diva Dirt. I’ve been a fan and an avid reader of the site for more than a year now, and it never ceases to amaze me how popular it is. I’ve always been impressed with the hard work that goes into the site and I’m super excited to contribute my thoughts and opinions as well. I really hope I can do the Knockouts justice, and just Diva Dirt in general. This is absolutely the best site for women’s wrestling coverage and I wanted to be a part of it in any way that I could.
I love writing and I’ve loved wrestling since I was a little kid. My favorite Diva legend is the one and only Miss Elizabeth. She brought true beauty and grace to the sport and I firmly believe if not for her, all these opportunities in the business for women would not be available. My current favorite Divas are Melina, Maryse, Michelle McCool, and Kelly Kelly. My favorite Knockouts are Velvet Sky, Alissa Flash, and Angelina Love. Despite the fact I have my favorites, I respect every woman who steps through the ropes. Some of them may be models. Some of them may have been training for years and years. But every one of them have put forth the effort and time to learn this craft, take those bumps, and entertain each and every one of us fans. For that they should be applauded and that’s why I respect every single woman who makes it in the business.
We are very excited about bringing Cryssi on board and know that she will be a valuable member of the team as was her predecessor, Tiffany. It’s a tough spot to fill but we have confidence that Cryssi will evolve into the role greatly! Please give Cryssi a warm response and we hope you’ll show her same respect as you do us!
While Cryssi won’t be debuting her new Impact column until next week, she and I would like to share with you her take on last Sunday’s Genesis pay per view which you can read after the cut.
Raw Redux Does WWE Superstars (Jan. 21st, 2010): A Slight Twist
Last week’s Superstars Mixed Tag match didn’t exactly set the world on fire, and I expressed hope that the WWE would use this program to showcase a weekly Divas match, preferably one-on-one. Well, this week brings hope that they might actually be heading in that direction, as we’ve got Kelly Kelly taking on Jillian in a singles match. It’s certainly a different Diva combination from we’ve seen lately, so I’m interested in seeing how they’ll work together–will it be good, bad, horrific? Check out the match below and find out for yourself:
Jillian makes her way to the ring, and proceeds to tell the audience about how she had felt nervous about tonight until she heard a Miley Cyrus song on the radio, that song being “Party in the USA”, which I believe is the only song in the history of music whose Kidz Bop cover sounds better (not that I’ve listened to either voluntarily.. *cough*). Jillian butchers the song, and the crowd boos her within an inch of her life. It’s weird, but I think Miley got the biggest heat the WWE’s seen in a while. Maybe they can channel that into a shitty impersonation by Santino.
Kelly interrupts the singing, getting a rather large pop. She enters the ring, and the match begins with a tie-up, Jillian immediately nailing Kelly with a knee to her stomach. She wrenches Kelly’s arm, prompting her to head to the corner and climb the turnbuckle, hitting a sitdown flip off the top rope and sending Jillian flying with the resulting armdrag. Kelly keeps the momentum going, hitting a frankensteiner and hooking Jillian’s leg for a 2-count.
She pounds Jillian’s head a bit, then attempting a kick that Jillian blocks, catching her leg. Kelly does a backwards flip to escape, but once back on her feet Jillian takes her down with a clothesline. Talk about a spinning head.. Jillian attempts a pin, getting 2. She picks Kelly up by the hair, shaking her head violently. She continues with the hair-driven attacks, tossing Kelly across the ring by her blonde locks. With the popularity of weaves amongst the Divas you’d think those types of moves would be outlawed, a la the shooting star press from a while back. Hey, it is dangerous–exposing fake hair counts as breaking kayfabe!!
Awesome Kong Unhappy in TNA Before Bubba Incident?
Today’s edition of the Wrestling Globe Newsletter suggests that Awesome Kong has been unhappy in TNA for some time before the incident with Bubba the Love Sponge this past weekend. Mike Aldren reports: Awesome Kong has requested her release following the events of this past week. She noted to friends that the altercation with Bubba … Read more
Serena Deeb’s New Ring Name
Newly called up Diva, Serena Deeb is once again going by the name Serena Mancini. Deeb appeared at last night’s FCW taping [with her newly shaven head] and was given her first name back after going by Mia Mancini for several months. Upon her developmental debut, she was initially known as Serena followed by Serena … Read more