Unfortunately it’s not good news for WWE Women’s Champion, Beth Phoenix. The Glamazon has been diagnosed with a torn ACL after suffering an injury at last week’s SmackDown tapings in a match against Rosa Mendes. It had been hoped that the injury was a minor ankle injury and Beth was taken off last week’s Mexican … Read more
TNA Knockouts Champion, Madison Rayne insists that she has great real life friendships with her Beautiful People teammates, Velvet Sky and Lacey Von Erich. Speaking to the Coshocton Tribune, she says: I actually lucked out, because sometimes girls can be catty, but I was paired up with two girls I did not know previously to … Read more
‘Are You With Me’, the first single from former WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James is now available on iTunes. You can download the track for $0.99 by clicking here. James will release her debut album, Strangers & Angels, next Tuesday.
For more spoilers from this week’s episode of SmackDown, click the ‘show’ link:
Melanie’s thoughts after the cut:
Spoilers for this week’s episode of SmackDown below:
TNA has signed independent worker, Betsy Ruth to a contract reports Wrestling News World. Ruth took part in a somewhat infamous tryout with the company last month which saw her opponent, the veteran Knockout Daffney, injured and taken to hospital. In a tweet perhaps referring to her signing last night, Betsy wrote: “One of the … Read more
Former WWE Diva and TNA Knockout, Shelly Martinez who has been actively campaigning for a return to TNA, posted the following on her Twitter page today: So [Director of Talent Relations] Terry Taylor said there is no opportunity at TNA for me :( Tough break for Shelly. I personally think she has a great look … Read more
You could say that last week’s confrontation between Maryse and Eve Torres could be described as wham, bam, thank you ma’am, but in a good way. It brought a sense of unpredictability to the feud, and packed more excitement into a few seconds than we’ve seen in this entire feud (save their intense fight at ringside two weeks ago). The feud seems to be building into something more than quick little matches and petty insults, and I’m glad for that. This week’s action, while not nearly as compelling, seems to be continuing in that same direction.
We see a video package reviewing Eve’s Divas Title win from three weeks ago. We don’t often see video packages for the Divas, so that’s cool, and it probably helped to refresh the memories of fans who don’t pay as strict attention to the Diva goings-on as we do. The package continues on to tell us more about Eve. Or, rather, illustrate what they’ve been repeating in every match of hers in recent memory. You see, Eve is Smart, Sexy, and Powerful™, has brains to back up her beauty, and has a background in Jiu-Jitsu. It’s a bit ham fisted and obvious in its attempt to get fans to embrace Eve, but at least they’re making the effort. I only wish they tried to do something about it a few weeks ago when they initially decided to push her. That way, they wouldn’t have to pack it all into a video package like it’s some Miss America profile. But hey, at least they didn’t run down her turn-ons and turn-offs.
We then cut to footage from Maryse earlier in the day. She appears to be training in Jiu-Jitsu herself, but also appears to be dressed like she’s in a Britney Spears music video, so who knows what’s going on. She does pretty well at first, hitting a few take downs. Her trainer then instructs her to sweep his feet, but she can’t, and he tells her he doesn’t think she’s trying hard enough. Maryse takes the news as you would expect–she slaps him, kicks him in the knee cap, and departs, tossing out her trademark hand gesture for good measure.
Tonight’s Raw will be hosted by reality TV star and former member of Public Enemy, Flavor Flav. Cross your fingers that this doesn’t result in some knockoff “Flavor of Love” segment. As always, tune in at 9/8 CST on the USA Network. Discuss the show in the comments!
Spoilers for Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars below:
The debut show of new European all women’s promotion Pro-Wrestling: EVE is now in the books, and your intrepid hosts Stew & Lee were front and centre. Not only that, but we brought recording equipment for our own post-show episode! We talked about the retirement of Jetta on the last episode, and on this show … Read more
Recap of last night’s episode below, courtesy of our friends at Maria Kanellis Online. Please head over there for more including pictures and videos from the show! This week’s task was to create an apartment for someone to live in, as well as create a ‘celebrity’ room. Holly was the project manager to Bret & … Read more
Divas beware, we judge what you wear! Welcome to the Diva Dirt Style Jury. We compile the looks from the week gone by and mark each look on a scale of 1-10. At the end of the scoring, we work out the combined score for each look and the Diva with the highest combined score is our winner and the Diva with the lowest combined score is our loser.
A few rules: We only judge outfits/ring attire that we haven’t judged before or we have already seen several times on TV before. If a Diva is seen in more than one outfit in any given week, we mark them as ‘#1’, ‘#2’ and so forth.
So, let the proverbial runway show begin!
ALICIA FOX
Cryssi: This is okay for what it is. It’s really simple and there’s nothing to it. That doesn’t make it a bad look because I personally think Alicia looks amazing in it. She’s the type of girl that doesn’t need flashy clothes and accessories to make herself stand out. She does that all on her own with her beauty and self confidence. 8/10
Erin: Really cute romper. I love the print and the billowy shape is something you don’t often see on Divas (or Knockouts, for that matter). Alicia looks great, and proves that a Diva doesn’t need to wear something skin-tight to look hot. Not all of them could pull off the romper look too, but Alicia looks fabulous, a perfect mixture of cute, stylish, and sexy. 9/10
Melanie: Original and different from the Diva norm, I mean could you imagine anyone else trying to pull off a romper? I love the neckline and how it is a little baggy on Alicia. However, I’m not a huge fan of the pattern — it’s a little too distracting. 6/10
Steven: Something about the pattern of this dress is off-putting to me. Reminds me of cheap wallpaper to be honest. I also don’t like the way it’s kind of billowy on top, like she just slapped a belt on and went on her way. Not a fan at all. 4/10
EVE TORRES
Cryssi: The Divas Champion didn’t score any points with that top she’s wearing but I love those jeans. I wish I had a figure as good as Eve’s so I could wear tight ass jeans. I kinda like the fact she went for a big belt buckle too. It’s different. 6/10
Erin: Tummy-baring tops always look so 90s to me, but the metallic accents and cut of the shoulders on Eve’s top certainly give it a more modern touch. I’m still not loving it, though. If only it were a bit longer.. 6/10
Melanie: I don’t like these super tiny shirts that show off the bra, which I’m guessing is the point when you’re a WWE Diva — to show some skin. However, it looks trashy. I do like the sequins on the top and the shoulders like Erin. 5/10
Steven: Eve looked great this week! I especially loved the top and the shoes. Even her hair was perfect! 9/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
Former TNA Knockouts Champion, Awesome Kong made her Ring of Honor return just moments ago facing Sara Del Rey in a SHIMMER dream match at Supercard of Honor V in New York. Diva Dirt‘s Steven is on hand and sent in the following match report: Match starts with a ‘Fuck you, Bubba’ chant. Kong is … Read more
When former Knockouts Champion, Tara’s contract with TNA expires on May 21st, there will be a gap in the Knockouts division that needs to be filled. For the past year it seems, the entire division has revolved around Tara in one way or another, she is without a doubt the star power of that division and has been the top Knockout from the moment she came in to the moment she leaves. One woman doesn’t necessarily define a division, but with a spate of departures including the high profile loss of Awesome Kong and the streamlining of lesser used Knockouts including Traci Brooks, Alissa Flash and Roxxi, TNA hasn’t positioned itself very well for a division without Tara. So what happens when she leaves?
The ideal candidate to helm the new Knockouts division as top babyface would be the recently injured Angelina Love, but TNA has done themselves no favours by limiting the roles of two former Knockouts Champions — ODB and Taylor Wilde — in recent months because there’s no strong secondary babyface to help prop up the division and make up the numbers along with Angelina. The heel side looks stronger as currently, The Beautiful People at the moment hold all the gold. Daffney is another extremely strong character and worker that could be a real asset to the division. Then there’s Sarita & Hamada, arguably two of the best female wrestlers in the world, just sitting on the sidelines and going to waste. TNA has given us little reason to care about most of these Knockouts over the past several months. And with that, I think that post-Tara, TNA needs to draw a line under everything that the Knockouts division has stood for so far and ‘reboot’ the division almost. Do something bold, imaginative and attention-grabbing to draw attention back to this division.
Tonight sees the launch of Europe’s Pro-Wrestling: EVE at the Delphi Club in Sudbury, Suffolk, UK. Tonight, EVE will be taping two DVDs worth of content. Check back throughout the day for results from the tapings courtesy of Women of Wrestling Podcast co-host, Stew Allen. * Doors open. Venue’s really nice. Not a lot of … Read more
Congratulations are in order for SmackDown Diva Tiffany and Superstar Drew McIntyre as Scotland’s Sunday Mail reports that the pair married in Vegas recently: “SCOTS wrestling star Drew McIntyre has secretly married his former Playboy model girlfriend. WWE Intercontinental champion Drew tied the knot with fellow wrestler Taryn Terrell in Las Vegas. Drew’s parents, from … Read more
On the April 30th Smackdown, WWE Women’s Champion “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly defeated Michelle McCool and Layla. Read that sentence again, because I think it is THE turning point in Kelly Kelly’s career. I think it might be the most important match Kelly has ever wrestled. Teaming with the current women’s champion and picking up the victory over the hottest heel group in the company is a major step in the right direction for her. And the best part? Not a leprichaun, talking car, magician, or game show host anywhere in sight. Just a solid wrestling match that saw Kelly trade actual wrestling holds with girls who know what they’re doing. Heck, Beth even let her get the victory for her team.
Was Kelly great in this match? Hardly. Did Kelly do her “whirly-bird” flying head-scissors thing that looks really goofy? Take a guess. Did Kelly stumble through her “Kelly Killer” leg drop finisher? A big, big yes. Does Kelly have a lot of work to do to elevate herself to the class of Melina, Beth Phoenix, and Michelle McCool? Obviously. But she won’t have the chance to do that…to learn, grow, and improve…just wearing bathing suits on RAW. But here is the thing, we know (right or wrong) that the WWE is going to market this girl, to use her as one of the most prominent faces of the Divas. Therefore Kelly needed, repeat absolutely NEEDED, to move to Smackdown. The entire division will benefit from Kelly becoming a legit star and that can only happen on Friday night with this current group of writers. My fellow Diva Dirt writers and I don’t necessarily see eye to eye on this, but I felt it was the most critical move of the entire draft. (Please don’t stop reading, give me a few paragraphs to explain.) Along with Natayla (moving to RAW) and Mickie (moving to RAW), I felt these were the 3 most important “draft” picks of the year (well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad right?!) Miss you already Mickie…when’s the CD coming out? Here is what I wrote before the draft:
It’s the end of the week and it’s time to have some fun! Join us every Friday night for a brand new show featuring the whole gang called The Diva Dirt Happy Hour. The Happy Hour features discussion on not just the Divas but about anything and everything in general. Each week, we’ll all bring … Read more
This week on SmackDown, Layla scored yet another very rare victory and like her win over a departing Mickie James two weeks ago, she can thank former Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool for the assistance. Watch this week’s SmackDown match below:
Out first are Kelly Kelly and the Diva who shall now be known as Tiffany Tiffany. The two blondes come out to the ring looking like Gym Barbie and Wrestler Barbie respectively. On the apron, Tiffany shows off her new and exciting~ entrance pose, holding her foot while pointing at the crowd — whatever works for you, Tiffany! Out next are Team Lay-Cool with Vickie Guerrero in tow. Does anyone else find Team Lay-Cool’s entrance on the ramp exhausting? So many turns…
Tiffany kicks off the match with Michelle and I’m excited because I think these two Divas have good chemistry. They lock up rather roughly before Tiffany backs Michelle into the corner and the referee breaks things up. Michelle then face-shoves Tiffany however the former ECW GM counters with a drop toe-hold, followed by an atomic drop. Tiffany then hits McCool with a back elbow before winding her arm and whipping her into the corner. Tiff goes for a monkey flip but Michelle, in a really amazing display of athleticism, lands on her feet and rightfully boasts screaming, ‘Flawless’. Meanwhile from behind, Tiffany has Michelle scouted and hits another monkey flip and this time, McCool lands on her tailbone and flees the ring.
TNA Knockouts Champion, Madison Rayne has taken to her MySpace page to dismiss recent rumours that she missed house shows due to financial difficulty. Rayne writes: First of all, the reports about me “missing appearances” lately due to financial trouble are false. When Daffney and Angelina were both injured a few weeks ago, other girls … Read more
I know what you’re thinking, who the hell is Marosa? It became evident watching last night’s episode of WWE Superstars that feisty Latina, Rosa Mendes is trying to remodel herself as SmackDown’s answer to the French poodle Maryse — complete with a bilingual promo. Where have we seen that before? Oh wait, just this past Monday on Raw… albeit in French. So, in case you haven’t already deduced: Maryse + Rosa = Marosa. In her first appearance as a SmackDown Diva — on Superstars — Marosa took on her former mentor, the Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix.
But before the match, we got a backstage segment between Kelly Kelly & Team Lay-Cool which nicely sets up a tag team match for tonight’s SmackDown. Watch below:
It looks as though Lay-Cool have picked their next target, having already picked on Mickie James and Beth Phoenix, branding Kelly ‘Smelly Kelly’. Kelly actually speaks! Not that you would know from watching her on Raw for the past two years. It was nice to see her being able to actually be part of a segment and I thought she did a good job here with Layla and Michelle. Enter Vickie Guerrero and the two pin her down as Vickie sprays her. This results in Kelly screaming at Vickie, calling her the ‘official cow’ which was pretty hilarious and almost matched Maryse clocking Eve with the Divas Title on Raw. Now enter the Glamazon who clears house along with Tiffany. Not a bad little segment, it’s rare to see something like this on Superstars.
Next up we have Beth Phoenix vs Rosa Mendes. Beth comes out first followed by Rosa who makes a really peppy entrance. I had called for Rosa to move to SmackDown in the Diva Draft feature and this is part of the reason why. She may not be a good wrestler, but she does have some personality that I think WWE could utilise. However, it becomes evident that the personality they want Rosa to show is Maryse’s… Rosa cuts a promo in Spanish and English, introducing herself and telling Beth that she’ll soon beat Beth for the title. “Adios Glamazon,” she says and I don’t know why but it made me laugh. Rosa then beats the microphone against Beth’s chest a few times, almost taunting her — resulting in the announcers calling her ‘muy loco’. Rosa definitley showed some personality and flare here.
In perhaps one of the most bizzare stories ever, earlier this week, we reported how a Mickie James ‘uber-fan’ made threatening phone calls to WWE’s offices in Stamford, saying that he would blow it up. In an interview on Busted Open Radio, James offers this rather dignified response: I have a lot of friends that … Read more
WWE Women’s Champion, Beth Phoenix has been pulled from the SmackDown tour of Mexico following an in-ring injury at Tuesday night’s WWE Superstars taping, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Though Phoenix insisted on her Twitter page that she is fine, it looks as though there is more to the story as Beth was scheduled to … Read more
Former TNA production manager, Randy Ricci is claiming that Knockouts Champion, Madison Rayne has been forced to miss recent TNA house shows as she is unable to pay for travel to make it to the shows. Ricci makes the claims on his blog, which you can see by clicking here. All I can say is … Read more
Having listened to the Awesome Kong interview here at Diva Dirt and read a recent radio recap from her, one thing is perfectly clear to me: Awesome Kong wants to work for World Wrestling Entertainment. She’s not outright campaigning for it, but if you listen to her, you can tell she’s interested. The question is, does WWE have the same interest? I have no idea. The thing is, they definitely should and I’ll be happy to tell you why.
By signing Awesome Kong, WWE would be breaking the mold of what they believe a WWE Diva should be. Look at the women they have under employment. More than half of them had little or no wrestling experience before they were signed by the company. Awesome Kong is not like that. Kong started wrestling eight years ago, she had a lot of success working in Japan and then made a name for herself in 2007 with TNA. Anybody that saw her work with Gail Kim in TNA could see immediately how much talent she had. I had never seen her before that feud and it took my breath away. They told an amazing story by simply having Kong dominate due to her size while Kim came back with her athleticism. A lot of people took notice of her after that feud and it turned out they were a ratings draws too. Kong was unlike anything we’ve seen in American women’s wrestling.
The majority of the WWE Divas are also thin. We all know how shallow the WWE writing team can be if they feel somebody isn’t thin enough. They call them fat. They insult. They act like a bunch of eight year old kids on the playground. Awesome Kong is not thin. She’s a physical force standing in at 5’11” and 270 pounds. When she walks into a room, you notice her.
How do you bring her in? Easy. As a heel monster. On either brand. The easiest story to tell in professional wrestling will always be the bigger wrestler versus the smaller wrestler. The backstory doesn’t even matter. Let the picture do the talking. Big person = mean, small person = heroic. Easy. Done. A five year old kid can understand just as well as a seventy-five year old senior could. Let’s look at the easy way to bring her in on both Raw and SmackDown.