Well folks, we knew it was going to come and bite WWE in the ass one day! All those bikini contests, mud wrestling matches, HLA etc., etc. Pretty great ammo for a political mud-slinging competition, wouldn’t you say? According to The Daily Caller, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon‘s political opposition Rob Simmons is using many a trashy WWE segment in his bid to beat McMahon to a Senate seat.
In particular, Simmons and The Daily Caller bring to light the numerous T&A segments used on WWE television:
The wrestling league has always drawn fire from conservative critics who saw cartoon-like entertainment being marketed to kids that also happened to include two lady wrestlers locking lips, the unveiling of Playboy covers at wrestling matches, and segments flirting with bondage themes and necrophilia. The WWE’s era of explicit programming climaxed with an infamous romp under the covers in the middle of a wrestling ring.
Perhaps more interestingly however, is Simmons’ bringing to light now former WWE Diva Candice Michelle’s history of starring in fetish movies. The article however, incorrectly refers to Candice as if she were currently under employment — WWE released Candice in June of last year.
The article features quotes from Candice and let’s just say, they make for a fascinating read. Follow the cut for more:
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. Just what is the ‘Happy Hour’? Well, many of you have given us your positive feedback to The Post Raw & Impact … Read more
The SmackDown Divas this week were relegated to WWE Superstars for reasons that I can’t quite fathom. For one, the WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool has been a huge staple of the show for the past couple of years and also, Vickie Guerrero is another big selling point. Seems odd that they’d move the Divas segment from SmackDown to Superstars when such key players are involved. I guess we needed more time on SmackDown for the dissolution of Cryme Tyme, who coincidentally, spend more time on WWE Superstars than most. Nonetheless, this segment felt exactly like it would on SmackDown — it was given plenty of time and the Divas were given promos which is somewhat unusual for this show. So while I am a little confused as to why it wasn’t on the main show, it works just as well.
This week, the gear was turned up on the whole ‘Glam-a-man’ situation as Simply Flawless, lead by Michelle McCool, made their way down to the ring and out-and-out called Beth Phoenix a man. They had been planting the seeds for this direction prior to WrestleMania with the ‘Glam-a-man?’ t-shirts but as I mentioned last week in the Redux, it looks as though they are pressing ‘restart’ on this feud due to the yearly obstacle that is ‘Mania, which hinders rather than helps the Divas storylines as they have to be put on the show en masse with the Raw Divas also. Watch this week’s segment below:
First up on the mic is the heat magnet herself, Vickie Guerrero who then introduces us to the Women’s Champion, McCool who informs us that Beth Phoenix is a man. Great. More of WWE’s immature ‘potty humour’. The fat jokes with Mickie were just the start I take it. It’s a shame that every Diva feud must boil down to such elementary, vain things such as who’s sexier, who’s fatter, who looks manly etc. It just portrays the Divas as being high school bitches and not the intelligent women we know they are. Michelle McCool is in fact a very intelligent woman and dumbing her down with this character just seems silly to me. I could buy her as being a cold, calculating, meticulous heel who uses her brains instead of her brawn but that would be far too complicated to script apparently. Instead, the Divas must be dumbed down and enforce stereotypes. It’s evident that WWE doesn’t actually believe the Divas are smart as they would like us to believe with their ‘Smart, Sexy & Powerful’ slogan. Anyway, I digress. The acting here is pretty standard fare for Lay-Cool but they do it well, particularly Layla.
Vickie Guerrero announces that as a result of the new information that ‘Beth is a man’ she will have an intergender match against Layla. Out comes a super pissed off Beth Phoenix who avoids her regular entrance and marches to the ring with authority — nice touch. It sells that she’s annoyed and has no time for the happy, smiley Glamazon pose at the top of the ramp.
It looks as though FCW’s Courtney Taylor has indeed been released from her developmental contract. Sources indicate that word has been spreading to that affect amongst the FCW talent in the last couple of days. Furthermore, Taylor was not present at last night’s television tapings. Courtney, real name Beverly Mullins, had her profile removed from … Read more
It’s the old age story: Divas not getting enough TV time. In the past few weeks it has become something of a prevalent theme here at Diva Dirt with record-breakingly miniscule matches on Raw in March. We often wonder how do the Divas feel? Are they just as frustrated as us? Well, as a Diva … Read more
Former WWE Diva and aspiring singer, Maria Kanellis walked the black carpet at last night’s Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles. The ‘Fantasy’ singer, who releases her own EP ‘Sevin Sins’ on Tuesday, was one of the many guests at the annual rock music celebration and in true rock star fashion, Kanellis did her … Read more
I know we have all been super curious to see what Sarona Snuka aka Tamina can do in the ring given that her daddy is a Hall of Famer. Check out footage below of Tamina in a six-Diva match at an FCW event last month. Skip to 04:14 Obviously, not the best example of her … Read more
In a rare glimpse into her real life, SHIMMER Champion MsChif will be appearing in an documentary webseries called ‘The Secret Life of Scientists’ for PBS’ online outlet, NOVA. As many know, MsChif has a whole career outside of pro wrestling as a microbiologist. A new blog from one of the producers of the ‘Secret … Read more
How’s that for a fast turnaround? TNA has uploaded a brand new Knockouts webmatch between Madison Rayne and Tara which was only taped on Tuesday night. Watch below:
Madison is first out to the ring with Lacey Von Erich in toe. Tara walks down to the ring a little bare, now that she is without her Knockouts Championship thanks to Lock Box-gate, the name of which is ridiculed by Taz. Our sentiments exactly, Taz.
As Tara poses in the ring with her pet tarantula, Poison, Madison flees the ring for her life seeking solace in Lacey VE. Madison eventually gets back in the ring and tries to act sexy and it comes off super unnatural. I have never bought Madison as ‘the sexy bitchy girl’ and I still don’t. Not to say she hasn’t worked hard in trying to develop into the role, but I still see the girl next door trying to act all sexy~ and it’s all awkward looking. Imagine Taylor Swift gyrating. Yeah… not pretty.
With Tara ‘mesmerized’ by her Kelly Kelly-like dancing, Madison goes for a kick but Tara grabs her leg and slams her down on the mat before mounting Rayne and hitting her with several haymakers. I’d like to think that Tara is unloading her tension over the night before here. Tara hits a scoop slam, takes off her top [as you do] and hits a beautiful standing moonsault into a cover but no dice.
Congratulations are in order for former WWE Women’s Champion, Sable as she is expecting her second child with fellow WWE alumni, Brock Lesnar. The baby is due in July. Sable — real name Rena Mero — and Brock both parted ways with WWE in 2004 and were married a few years later. Mero gave birth … Read more
The Wrestling Observer newsletter reports that former developmental talent, Catalina White known ever so briefly as Saylor James in FCW has married new World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Swagger just days after he captured the gold. The pair, who have been dating for some time, reportedly got hitched in Vegas last week. If true, congratulations to … Read more
Former ECW backstage interviewer and FCW Diva, Courtney Taylor could be gone from the WWE after her profile was removed from the official FCW website late last night. Taylor had been called up to the main roster last summer before losing the position to Savannah after deciding to take up vacation days that she had … Read more
Speaking for the first time since her release from WWE in February, former developmental Diva Jenny Quinn was known in FCW as Jenny Cash and Penny Cash, sets the record straight about her release and an unfortunate injury that put her on the shelf for nine long months. Last March, Jenny tore her ACL (the … Read more
Wrestlicious will be holding it’s first public television taping in Minnesota on May 28th with a roster including former TNA Knockout, Sojo Bolt debuting as CoCo Montego. The taping marks the first time Wrestlicious’ flagship series, TakeDown will be filmed in front of a live audience of wrestling fans. The episodes currently airing were taped … Read more
Following this week’s experiment, TNA President Dixie Carter has announced that Impact will be moving to 8pm permanently as of next week. The show had been floundering against WWE’s Monday Night Raw at 9-11pm but saw some ratings growth this past Monday. Be sure to make a mental note to tune in on Mondays at … Read more
‘Sevin Sins’, the debut EP from former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis is now available to pre-order on iTunes ahead of its release next Tuesday. The EP features four tracks and a digital booklet and is priced at $3.99. For those curious to hear Maria’s music, there are 30 second snippets available of each song including … Read more
TNA Knockout, Christy Hemme has signed a new multi-year deal with the company says president Dixie Carter. On her Twitter page, Dixie gave Christy’s backstage interviewing a ringing endorsement by writing: “LOVE Christy in her new role.” Hemme, who retired from in-ring action last year, took over the role from Lauren Brooke who left the … Read more
It’s no secret that many think TNA’s overall product has declined in quality as of late. If you’re one of those people, Taylor Wilde seems to agree with you. On Twitter in the small hours of Tuesday, Taylor responded to a fan’s complaints about her recent absence from television, saying: “Yeah……….I’m not too thrilled about … Read more
Last night’s edition of TNA Impact scored a 0.9 rating with a show that aired in an earlier timeslot of 8-10pm.
The episode, which centered around the Knockouts in a game of ‘Lock Box Showdown’ leading to a striptease at the end of the show, improved immensely from last Monday’s dismal 0.56 rating.
The opening quarter with Christy Hemme and The Beautiful People backstage scored a 0.87. The match itself scored a 0.98 and 0.93 on either side of the commercial break. Finally, the overrun from 10pm onwards, which saw the results of the Showdown, Angelina winning the Knockouts Title and Daffney forced to strip, scored a 0.97.
Looking at the data, the three highest quarters were for the Knockouts match and the overrun.
Obviously, the rating can’t be wholly attributed to the Knockouts as there were other top TNA talents in two out of those three quarters including Kurt Angle and Mr Anderson in a previously advertised ladder match, however to an extent, this experiment was a success. It looks as though TNA’s constant reminders about the Showdown match as well as the results at the end of the show paid off, just as they should have done given the amount of time this was given.
Wow, I don’t even know how to start off this Write-Up. First, I guess, we all got a surprise last night when the 8-Knockout Tag Team match that was announced was mysteriously changed into this hot mess of a match with rules that were more confusing than a episode of Lost. If you want an in-depth explanation of what went down, please go and listen to the Post Raw and Impact Show or just watch this video of Christy explaining what’s going to happen with the Knockouts tonight.
So there you have it. The Beautiful People kick off the live Impact after Christy explains the rules and what’s at stake. Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne are looking adorable with their pink outfits and tag titles, but Lacey is missing in action interestingly enough. Velvet starts off by saying that the Knockouts continue to revolutionize this business and tonight the Beautiful People will own three of the four lock boxes. She claims they’re going to get the spider and squash it like they should have done ages ago. Then she says they’re going to get the open contract so they can dominate whoever they want, and last but not least, they’ll get the TNA Knockout Championship, which is apparently the highest honor for women in wrestling today. Madison takes her turn speaking next. She agrees with “Vel Vel” and says tonight the Beautiful People will get it all; everything they deserve and everything they are owed. While she’s talking, Lacey von Erich walks out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a smile and a fuzzy white towel. She takes front and center and says no one will ever forget the night they saw Lacey von Erich strutting around in her bra and panties.
LVE: “Tonight, everybody wins.”
Oh boy.
With the Knockouts basically spread through out the entire show, it’s awhile before we get another segment, but when we do, it’s Christy Hemme standing with Team Tara. Team Tara is comprised of soon-to-be former champ, Tara, Angelina Love, ODB, and Hamada.
Last week’s Raw brought a level of disappointment that made me vow to never again underestimate the WWE’s ability to undervalue the Divas. So, maybe that’s why I’m not as disappointed by Raw as I normally would be. Sure, the match this week was based on a lame and degrading idea, but at this point I’m not expecting anything better.
I’m sure most of you have heard the saying “all dressed up and nowhere to go”, which means, in a fashion, that you’re prepared for something that’s not going to happen. This applies pretty well in this case, as Diva fans, the gluttons for punishment that they are, are continuously hoping for the best. They’re prepared for something interesting, exciting, or at the very least respectable. But if you look at the last few months of booking for the Raw Divas, you would know that it’s not going to happen–at least not anytime soon. Unless they take a hard left turn, it’ll be a while until we’re treated to something that demonstrates that the Raw bookers have an ounce of respect for the Divas. Until then, we’ll be treated to matches like the one that took place tonight. Don’t get me wrong–it wasn’t a trainwreck, but the whole idea of it speaks volumes about the respect (or lack thereof) that the Divas receive. It was close to being a perfectly acceptable match, but one addition, one finishing touch, threw it out of whack. That “touch” was totally unnecessary, and served to pretty much ruin the match for me.
The match in question was a “Dressed to Impress” battle royal, in which the winner would earn a shot at Maryse‘s Divas Championship. That’s a great idea, because we all know that the only thing that could top the awkwardness of a battle royal is a battle royal where the competitors have to wear dresses. Why were they wearing dresses! Why, to fit in with this week’s GM of course! Who is he? I don’t know, but who gives a shit, right? I say bring on the hot mess!
We’re joined at ringside by Maryse, who takes her spot at the commentary table. Surprisingly, each Diva gets her own entrance, which I assume is an effort to show off their fancy dresses. I can’t say I like any of them very much, but I don’t blame them for not pulling out the good duds–you wouldn’t want to risk ruining them when you’re tossed over the top rope. Anywho, we’re joined by Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, Gail Kim, Rosa Mendes, Jillian, Katie Lea Burchill, Brie and Nikki Bella, and Eve Torres. Maryse trashes all of their looks, but puts special effort into dogging Eve. It’s not secret that she’s going to win this match; she gets the last entrance, a stare down with Maryse, and special emphasis on commentary. If that doesn’t allow you to telegraph Eve’s win from a mile away, you’re just not paying close enough attention.
The match starts and the Divas break off into pairs, all except Rosa, who charges at the Bellas and pretty much jumps out of the ring. It’s a messy exchange, but the Bellas eventually complete what’s left of her journey and heave her over the ropes and out of the ring. Rosa is eliminated. Soon after, Brie and Nikki are eliminated, with Katie Lea and Alicia doing the honors. Brie & Nikki Bella are eliminated.
WWE developmental Diva, Jemma Palmer will be facing SHIMMER star Jetta at the debut Pro-Wrestling: EVE show on May 8th, it has been revealed. Yesterday, we reported that Jemma has not yet reported to WWE’s developmental territory, FCW due to delays with her working visa under new laws recently introduced. She was due to report … Read more
TNA crowned a new Knockouts Champion tonight in Angelina Love. The move ends Tara’s three month run as champion. Love won the belt in the ‘Lock Box Showdown’, literally just winning the belt for opening a box in what has to be the dumbest title switch in history. Nonetheless, Angelina becomes a three time champion … Read more
NXT rookie David Otunga is hosting Raw, an honor he earned by winning a battle royal last week. Will he bring along celebrity finance Jennifer Hudson? Find out by watching the show at 9/8 CST on the USA Network. Discuss the show in the comments!
