This weekend’s house shows have seen 6-Diva Santa’s Little Helpers matches for both brands. The move could perhaps be a possible spoiler for the coming week’s television. SmackDown airs on Christmas Day and is taped tonight in Orlando [going head-to-head with TNA’s pay per view]. I would expect that’s what they’ll go for at the … Read more
Welcome to a special edition of the Diva Dirt Style Jury dedicated to the Diva of the Year, Maria! Ms Kanellis has been on TV so much this week, in so many different looks, that we have opted to make her the first Diva to receive her own Style Jury special! Just like the normal edition, we’ll mark each look with a score out of ten — the score with the highest average score will win the title of Maria’s best look for the week. Click each photo to see the look in full size.
Let the proverbial runway show begin!
MONDAY NIGHT RAW Erin: The dress, with its sparkles and bright colors is perfectly Maria, but it kind of looks like a modified Wonder Woman get-up or a cheesy Spartan woman costume. Tone down the gold and it would look a lot better. The giant golden butterfly the landed on the side of her head needs to go, too. 6/10 Melanie: I like the colour of the dress and the gold fits well, but I think there’s far too much of it. I think simpler use of the gold would work better, it looks as though the designer [maybe Maria herself?] has gone for too much detailing with the gold. It’d be nice if it just accentuated the ‘v-shape’ going down her cleavage. 6/10
ECW Erin: Really, really cute. I love the shape of the dress, and the all-over sparklyness looks great and less over-the-top in a simple silver color. It packs Maria’s flashy style in a more down-to-Earth package. 9/10 Melanie: Love it! Simple, cute, fun and flirty. Maria looks gorgeous when she goes for the understated look and this is just perfect. 10/10
Read on for more outfits and to see which has been branded our winner.
In celebration of the end of the year, we have produced two audio specials reflecting on all things Diva and Knockout. It’s been quite the year for both companies; we’ve seen many new faces emerge, we’ve seen new champions crowned, Divas traded and even a new set of titles introduced. In these two audio specials, … Read more
As posted earlier in the week, Diva of the Year Maria helped co-host G4TV’s ‘Attack of the Show’ on Thursday night. The show’s website has uploaded some fun and sometimes naughty [see above] behind the scenes pictures of Maria’s experience, including several shots with her rather dishy co-host and also a picture with the director of the legendary ‘Titanic’ and the newly released ‘Avatar’, James Cameron. Check out the pictures below:
For full video of Maria hosting the show, follow the cut:
‘Superfly’ Jimmy Snuka’s daughter, Sarona will reportedly receive a WWE tryout tomorrow night in Orlando, when the company tapes next week’s ECW and SmackDown, reports Wrestling News World. Sarona Snuka has been working for Afa the Wild Samoan’s WXW, Afa also had a hand in her training.
As fans will have seen this past Thursday night, Roxxi made a surprising return to the company in a match with ODB. The Hardcore Knockout was let go by TNA earlier in the year but brought back for a one-shot appearance in July before her most recent comeback. The word that we have gotten is … Read more
It’s been the biggest week of Maria‘s career with appearances on all three brands but it ended on a sour note on SmackDown, with Beth Phoenix not only defeating her but stealing the show. Things have progressed at rapid speed for the WWE Divas over the past week; this time last week, we were talking about Michelle McCool vs Mickie James at TLC — a match that has now passed and since then, all the talk has been about Maria’s Diva of the Year win at the Slammys and now we see the rise of the Phoenix, Beth Phoenix that is.
The Glamazon was the one constant for the Divas this week on SmackDown, appearing in all three Divas segments and receiving some much needed character progression. One thing was clear from the moment Beth began speaking though — this was not the Beth Phoenix of yore. It seems as though that face turn many of our readers have been hoping for may just happen as Beth came across as more of a tweener than the big bad heel we’re used to seeing her as. Watch a more docile Beth with Maria and Mickie below:
The segment starts with Maria and Mickie playing the latest SmackDown vs Raw game, complete with silly commentary. I loved Maria’s, “We got ’em both. Got ’em both!” Perhaps my heart is beginning to thaw this yuletide but Maria’s slapstick is beginning to grow on me. In comes Beth as the ‘mom’, rather than act like the brash heel we’re used to seeing her as, it was clear that this was a different Beth. A Beth that was less threatening and more nurturing. It reminds me of that rant on America’s Next Top Model when Tyra yelled at that chick. “I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you.” Rather than get in her former rivals’ faces, she comes across as more of a ‘disappointed friend’. A clear sign that this is a new, tweener Beth. I really liked this segment, I have to say. Beth to me, came across as the voice of the people — the voice of the Diva fan. Sure it’s scripted but the way they’re scripting Beth is what the fans want and it shows that they aren’t out of touch with what the fans want because they have Beth here pretty much saying what’s on our mind. Again Maria cuts in with her humour, and again I’m amused. Damn you, Kanellis! The little ‘congratulations’ and ‘thank you’ between Maria and Mickie was cute too.
Next up, it’s time for ‘Beth goes roaming part two’ as this time she bumps into Layla and Michelle McCool.
Michelle tries to gain Beth’s favour by saying she hopes she and Layla didn’t rub her the wrong way upon her arrival to SmackDown. This then descends into another excuse for WWE to take jibes at Mickie James. Michelle shows some improvement here and there’s more inflection in her voice than ever before, she’s definitely working on adding more personality to her promos. I was quite tickled by Michelle calling Maria ‘underfed’, oh the irony. The “She ain’t getting no food” was just lame. Michelle’s ‘huge proportions’ line was well delivered but outdone by Layla, who was quite funny in her delivery. Anyway, the camera cuts to Beth Phoenix who realises that all the things they’re saying about Mickie could apply to her too and she speaks up. I’m glad they did this because it’s that old age movie convention — bullies never prosper. It puts all the weeks of ‘Piggie James’ crap into context in that eventually, Michelle and Layla will get what they deserve although it seems, not at the hands of Mickie, but rather at the hands of Beth. It definitely seems like this sets the stage for WWE turning Beth and having her feud with Michelle. And as face turns go, I think this is a very logical way to do it. The sensitive subject of a woman’s weight that WWE is exploiting on national television is disgusting and I think that many of the audience members will be waiting to see Michelle & Layla get their just desserts. Having Beth’s turn face coincide with that could be a genius move, because as a result of serving said just desserts, the crowd will be behind Beth and that will give her momentum. But while Michelle and Layla’s characters may have to pay penance for their actions, the WWE higher ups who are pretty much ‘script-bullying’ Mickie, will likely never get their just desserts. But I digress, that’s a story for another day.
TNA’s backstage interviewer extraordinaire, Lauren Brooke is set to leave the company reports ProWrestling.net. Brooke is due to be married and reportedly wants to move on from the company to enjoy marital bliss. Meanwhile, in a case of good timing, Christy Hemme debuted last week as the latest backstage interviewer after opting to retire from … Read more
As well as apearing on Raw, ECW and SmackDown this week — Maria found time to make yet another television appearance last night on G4’s Attack of the Show as a guest co-host. Watch a clip below: From the little that we see in the clip, Maria did a great job and showed off her … Read more
Tonight on Impact: – ODB vs. Roxxi in a non-title match – Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne (w/Lacey Von Erich) vs. Awesome Kong & Hamada vs. Sarita & Taylor Wilde Be sure to tune in at 9 pm EST on Spike and, as always, discuss all the Knockouts action here as the show airs! Click … Read more
WWE Hall of Famer and rumoured returnee, Bret Hart has once again praised Divas Champion, Melina — this time declaring that he’s something of a mark for the A-List Diva. Speaking to Wrestling Observer Radio, he says: “I’m kind of a mark for Melina. I think she’s really creative and I find that she’s got … Read more
Christmas is just around the corner and if you have yet to purchase a gift for a loved one, a friend or that Diva mark you know but wished you didn’t, we have the perfect gift ideas for you! We have scoured high and low looking for the best gift that Diva fans will be giving this Christmas. Hurry though, the big day is just a week away!
Click on the images for full view.
The History of the Divas Championship
This Christmas, why not relive the illustrious history of the coveted Divas Championship? That’s right, all 365 days of it — over three glorious discs! This collector’s edition is jam packed with interviews and matches. Relive the blood, the sweat and the tears as some of the greatest Divas of all time battle over the single most important title in women’s wrestling. This 3-disc edition features one disc entirely dedicated to Jillian’s five minute long title reign, a reign that some critics have described as the title’s best. Plus in her own words, did Michelle McCool really politick her way to becoming the first Divas Title? The two-hour documentary, “The History of the Divas Championship” features comments from all five Divas Champions plus comments from Jim Ross, Trish Stratus and more. Bonus footage on this collector’s edition includes: “Hair Flipping 101” with Divas Champion number two, Maryse and “Behind the Butterfly”, a look into the making of the belt, from conception to execution!
The Diary of Alicia Fox
Following the multi-platinum selling album, ‘I Am… Alicia Fierce’ which spawned the #1 smash hit ‘Singles Wrestler (Put Me in a Ring)’, Alicia Fox is back with her critically acclaimed sophomore album. The album features the current hit single, ‘Try Sleeping with a Broken Nose’ and ‘If I Ain’t Got McCool’. Alicia sings over a productions from Sketcher, BlueOne, Belgian Beatz and more. Alicia collaborates with multi-platinum selling record rapper, Miz-Z on ‘Concussed State of Mind’.
Raw brand Diva, Eve Torres along with Chris Jericho, were on Fox and Friends this morning to talk about this Saturday’s Tribute to the Troops. Check it out below: Eve looked confident and preppy when talking, correct me if I’m wrong but it seems to me this is her first big television interview, so good … Read more
WWE.com has posted the second part of their ‘Where Are They Now?’ article with former Women’s Champion, Ivory — complete with recent pictures! Speaking of her time with WWE, she says: On joining WWE: “I talked to Jim Ross,. and he said to get a tape together as they wanted to show it to [WWE … Read more
Gosh, where do I start? Everyone prepare themselves for a random column this week! First of all, hey y’all! How you doing? I hope everyone is doing great this holiday season! I sure am! Whew, I have been slammed recently with my business and it has left me little to no time at the computer! I’m not complaining though — I feel totally blessed. We are in a recession, you know! So much has been happening, I don’t even know where to start.
Well here’s some good news — I have started working out again (first time in a gym in two years) lol. Gosh, that is totally embarassing and a true athlete would never admit to that, right? Oh well, I’m honest, like me or not! It feels good though. I enjoyed being ‘skinny fat’ for the last two years but honestly, I had taken a long enough break! Speaking of ‘breaks’ I’ve also had a pretty long one from wrestling… I think now that I’m training to become to become a 5-star athlete (wink,wink, hee hee hee) again maybe I’ll give wrestling another go. I had a ‘semi-comeback’ last year but that wasn’t really working out the way I wanted. You know by the time you get to a certain age, you just really like to march to the beat of your own drum. Actually I’ve always been like that lol! So I’ve taken some time and regrouped. Oh I’ll give you a lil spoiler, you won’t be seeing Krissy Vaine at TNA for the tag tournament next week. That synchronicity thing I’ve talked about before is so funny! Timing is everything and unfortunately I was already obligated to something else by the time this idea came to fruition. This go round, because I have looked less than professional in the past (and that is not my nature) I have to do things the right way. It’s really important for me to do so. So whomever I’m with, I’ll be giving that company 100%Â — no more one show appearances for me. Its not fair to anyone involved. I do have some very exciting and interesting things going on in the New Year.
Four-time Women’s Champion, Mickie James has bitten back at weight jibes made about her saying that ‘the example being set [to young girls] is pathetic’. The comment was made as Mickie responded to a concerned fan who wrote to her on Twitter. The fan writes: I’m really offended right now with the WWE making jokes … Read more
As revealed last week, Christy Hemme has been moved into a broadcasting role due to her neck injury at the beginning of the year. Hemme has now announced her retirement from active competition. The Knockout says that she is healthy and her neck is fine, however she is considering her long-term health. Speaking on her … Read more
It’s been two months since the Diva Trade hit us like a bus and changed the landscape of Raw, SmackDown and well, ECW not so much. Since that time, the seven Divas traded have had time to find their feet on their new brands — new feuds, new storylines, new love interests. For some it’s worked out and for others, it hasn’t. Two months removed, we’re going to catch up with our Divas and find out how the Diva Trade has affected them in the ‘Diva Trade Report Card’.
The Bella Twins
The Bellas’ move to Raw has been wholly unthreatening, thankfully. Hardly ever seen in wrestling attire, the Bellas have served as eye candy to the Guest Host of the week. Not exactly something to write home about! Verdict:Acceptable. An insignificant trade that doesn’t harm or hurt anyone.
Beth Phoenix
I kicked up something of a fuss when Beth was moved from Raw in October — but I’m happy to say, I’ve been proved wrong. The move to SmackDown has rejuvenated the Glamazon. The brief ‘Glamazon Squash Tour’ provided a monster heel-like reintroduction for Beth that many would expect for a Superstar, it’s rare to see such effort go into a Diva. In my initial look at the trade, I questioned whether WWE would pull the trigger on Beth vs Natalya or McCool but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a tweener-ish Beth challenge Michelle McCool for the Women’s Championship in the near future. Verdict: Good. SmackDown should bring out a new dynamic to the Beth Phoenix character in the New Year.
As first broken by Diva Dirt, TNA will be taping a Knockouts tag team tournament next Monday (December 21st) from the Impact Zone. The plan is to have it air as a ‘one night only’ special on New Year’s Eve. Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reports that the four-hour show [7-11pm] on New Year’s Eve will … Read more
The latest bits of FCW to hit YouTube have surfaced, originating from the November 28th show. First, we have a match featuring the former WWE Diva (for all of 3 weeks) Courtney Taylor and AJ Lee. “Queen of FCW” Mia Mancini is at ringside to survey the match:
I have to say, starting a match with a rest hold doesn’t exactly allow one to hold much promise for an exciting match. Overall, it looks as though both girls were stuck in slow-mo–even the arm drags were slow. Courtney’s definitely giving me a Kelly Kelly vibe, especially with the ginger ring movements and flashy moves (what exactly was that handstand move in the corner, by the way?). AJ and Courtney just didn’t seem to have much chemistry, with mis-timed exchanges scattered throughout the match. They never got out of the starting gate and seemed preoccupied with slowing the match down to avoid any mishaps. The only excitement I got out of the whole match was AJ’s finisher, and even that was set up awkwardly.
So the match wasn’t much at all, but why did it fall so short? AJ looks to have a lot of potential, but Courtney seems to be a little uncomfortable in the ring so far, and that severely limited the match as a whole. Hopefully she can improve her ring presence and buck the inevitable Kelly Kelly comparisons (like the one I made above.. oops).
Yesterday, we had a post about Jazz resurfacing and now today, another former Women’s Champion has resurfaced in Ivory! WWE.com caught up with the three time Women’s Champ for their ‘Where Are They Now?’ feature. In the first part of a two parter, Ivory talks about her origins in the industry working for Gorgeous Ladies … Read more
Newly crowned Diva of the Year, Maria dropped by ECW last night to appear on the least watched late night show of all time, ‘The Abraham Washington Show’. What makes this both eerie yet funny is that we joked about Maria and the ‘Abe Show’ on Monday night’s Post-Raw Show. Has someone been listening? Anyway, … Read more
The brand we usually overlook had a surprise dose of Diva goodness last night, as Savannah debuted as the new ring announcer for the brand. It looks like the move will be a permanent switch after Lauren Mayhew parted ways with the company last month. Savannah had previously worked as a backstage interviewer for all … Read more
It’s only one of my favourite ex-Divas and two time Women’s Champion, Jazz! After giving birth to twins, Jazz returned to the ring this past weekend at Women Superstars Uncensored and was interviewed backstage by fellow women’s wrestling site, Lethal Wow. Check it out below: I am beyond excited to see Jazz back in the … Read more
Last night’s WWE Slammy Awards were the nail in the coffin for what has been a year of disappointment. From the Miss WrestleMania battle royal to the ‘Mayweather Melee‘ to the Diva Bowl and not forgetting the ‘Indians vs Pilgrims‘ match leading into Maryse’s lackluster return. Given the track record WWE has had with it’s Divas this year, in hindsight, we were far too optimistic for the Slammys to be the exception to the rule. From the nominations fiasco to the award being handed out on Raw, it’s been a marred process.
Clearly, it hasn’t been a good year for the Divas and last night summed up precisely what was so wrong about it. But try to make sense of the situation:
Maria’s win
Before we even begin, I’m not going to sit here and blast Maria for winning Diva of the Year, her win wasn’t under her control and it’s unfair to judge her personally for being chosen to win. It’s her moment and good for her. I can’t say I think she deserves the award but I’m not going to hold it against her.
Who deserves the blame
Let’s direct this annoyance at the people that it should be directed at — WWE. As the opening paragraph suggests, this whole year has been letdown after letdown at the hands of WWE. A year that could make even the most unrelenting Diva fan question why they continue to watch. Whether the vote was truly the results of a fan vote or if it was booked in Maria’s favour we’ll never know, but I’m sure there are theories to suggest both.
As pointed out in the Post-Raw Show and in the Raw Redux, Maria is set to be part of a big ensemble cast for the Celebrity Apprentice on NBC next year. Perhaps Maria’s Slammy win was their way of pushing her in that series. If you hear Donald Trump putting her over on the show as WWE’s Diva of the Year, then you’ll know. Especially since the show has already filmed. I mean, you gotta compensate Maria on that show somehow right? The show often boasts about the celebrities’ accolades in creating a competitive atmosphere. “Maria, WWE Diva” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as “Cyndi Lauper, multi-platinum selling artist” does it? “Maria, WWE Diva of the Year” is a little more grandiose.
One of the things everyone, fans and critics alike, have pointed out is if this was truly fan voted, wouldn’t Mickie James win? Mickie is usually the winner of all of these fan polls and is unarguably, the most popular Diva in the WWE right now. That’s not to downplay Maria’s popularity — because she is up there. She and Kelly have a great rapport with the fans and are usually second or third in past fan-voted contests. But given Mickie’s current disposition with the company, would they really award her the Diva of the Year prize? Probably not. You’re pretty much calling the girl ‘fat and ugly’ every single week with all the ‘Piggie James’ BS that we’ve seen, you’re not going to give her an award. The conspiracy theorist in me suggests that Mickie probably topped the poll but they went for the second highest polling Diva.
It’s clear that WWE has positioned the Divas division to be so much of an afterthought that the average fan won’t care what they do with the girls. And as such, they can get away with murder. I mean in reality, we’re but a fraction of the total audience, right?
MONDAY NIGHT RAW
ECW
The Bella Twins
Beth Phoenix