For the past two weeks you have been voting for your favourite Divas match in WrestleMania history. We have counted over 5,000 votes and now it’s time to reveal the winner.
Will it be Jazz vs Trish vs Victoria from WrestleMania 19 or will it be Mickie vs Trish from WrestleMania 22?
The winner is…
Diva Dirt correspondent and Beth Phoenix super fan, David aka Mr. Glamazon is on hand at this week’s WrestleMania festivities and will be checking in daily with his experiences in Phoenix. Check back everyday to find out which Divas he’s rubbed shoulders with in Phoenix — complete with exclusive pictures!
Saturday, March 27th (Day 4)
A HALL OF FAME NIGHT AND A HALL OF FAME DRESS
I tried. I really did. I tried to report the events of WrestleMania in an unbiased way. I think I have done a decent job, at least until Beth picked out the most incredible dress ever for the Hall of Fame ceremony last night. Stunning. Classy. The dress itself will go into the WWE HOF in 5 years. Our favorite Glamazon was radiant and people who met her at the Fan Axxess session later that night couldn’t believe how magnificent she looked. I know this was Wendi Richter’s night, but as a self-professed Beth mark, this dress was the highlight of the trip. I may never be the same.
My friend and I enjoyed the HOF ceremony last night and… wait, who am I kidding. Other than Wendi, Bob Uecker and Stu Hart it was a snoozefest. I’m pretty sure most people didn’t even know who Bob Uecker was judging by the comments I heard (although Jamie & I are big baseball fans so we liked him). His inductor was Dick Ebersol – a GIANT in the TV business – so that was cool to see him. He told a story about Vince, Jesse the Body, and himself flying to Arizona in 1987 to convince Mr. Baseball to host WM3. Good stuff.
Bret Hart was cool, K2 and Eve looked stellar as the stage escorts, and Ted DiBiase told us we could all be bought and had money fall from the ceiling (sadly not enough to refund our ticket price). Otherwise the stories lacked any real passion and after the energy of Stone Cold’s induction last year this was pretty bland.
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:
Sweet (Great) • Bland (Iffy) • Sour (Awful)
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!
The Bella Twins‘s Rosy Zebra
Grade: Bland. Here are the Bella Twins wearing the same outfit & posing with each other, everyone! Nothing you haven’t seen a million times before. The pattern on the dress is a little odd, zebra print with roses overlayed. It just looks distracting. Honestly, the dresses are boring, the poses are boring and the whole shoot just lacks any excitement. It’s pretty much your standard ‘Bellas pose together’ photoshoot.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Chelsea‘s Silver Chic #1
Grade: Sweet. New TNA Knockout, Chelsea has a memorable first photoshoot — why? Because a certain WWE Diva wore the exact same dress in her photoshoot too. But more on that later. Chelsea, who is a model, models the dress like a model should… any surprises here? Chelsea sells the dress perfectly. I really like the detailing on the dress and the colour. Chelsea doesn’t look too bad either and it’s definitely a passable first photoshoot. We’ll get tougher as the weeks go on, I’m sure.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Read more to see the rest of this week’s photoshoots.
Diva Dirt reader Tommy sent the following report on his experiences at Axxess: I spent the majority of my Saturday at WWE Axxess sessions 1 and 3. A vast number of Divas made appearances throughout the day and I first met Natalya. She was extremely sweet and was truly happy to be there with all … Read more
Diva Dirt reader, Rob Pagano sent along the following report from yesterday’s Axxess festivities: I got last minute tickets to this. The WWE changed things up at the last minute. Apart from Vickie none of the Divas who were announced actually appeared. The Divas who did signings or photos between 8am and 10:00 were Vickie, … 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: Hmm, I’m torn on this. It’s one of those outfits that I can’t decide if I like or not. I think that on someone else, this might be an epic fail. But Alicia is so naturally gorgeous that she pulls off the top better than almost anyone could. It’s actually a simple look, but that’s never a bad thing I suppose. Love her hair this week as well. 6.5/10
Melanie: I really, really love this top on Alicia. It’s a little complicated looking but Alicia is slender and model-esque enough to pull it off. I love the colours and the detailing. The neckline just avoids being trashy. My only gripe would be Alicia’s hair, the braids don’t look great. 8/10
Steven: Not usually a fan of the big, billowy top, but manages to make it work. I love the color as well. Also, props to Alicia for getting a half decent weave, but the braids across the forehead have got to go. 7/10
EVE TORRES
Cryssi: Eve can rock silver and it’s not really a color for everyone. I don’t like this one as much as some of her other outfits, but it isn’t bad. The black detailing is what’s throwing me off, but what else can really go with silver? Don’t really like her boots either with this outfit. Of course, if not for the black accents she’d probably end up looking like the Silver Surfer so I’ll just stop and give a rating. 5/10
Melanie: I don’t know what it is but something about this particular ring attire captivates me. The silver looks amazing on Eve. 7/10
Steven: Eve’s ring gear has always been rather hit or miss for me, but I’m absolutely loving this one. I’m particularly partial to powder blue, so that’s definitely one of my favorite things about this outfit. My only complaint is the silver shorts. This look could have been so much better if the shorts matched the top. 8/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
WWE.com have posted edited clips of some of tonight’s Hall of Fame inductions including Wendi Richter‘s speech. The former Women’s Champion was inducted earlier tonight by fellow Hall of Famer, Roddy Piper. This isn’t her full speech, which I guess will only be available on the WrestleMania 26 DVD but it gives you a fair … Read more
Tonight, WWE will induct former Women’s Champion, Wendi Richter into the WWE Hall of Fame. Wendi will become just the fourth woman to receive this prestigious honour. We will have live updates from inside the Dodge Theater courtesy of correspondent, David. Stay tuned throughout the night for updates. * Wendi Richter is being inducted now … Read more
Diva Dirt correspondent and Beth Phoenix super fan, David aka Mr. Glamazon is on hand at this week’s WrestleMania festivities and will be checking in daily with his experiences in Phoenix. Check back everyday to find out which Divas he’s rubbed shoulders with in Phoenix — complete with exclusive pictures!
Friday, March 26th (Day 3)
STAYING MCCOOL IN ARIZONA
WWE Axxess continued on Friday, March 26th at the Phoenix Convention Center and most of the WWE Universe came to see the feature star of the night, the Undertaker. ‘Taker came out to his usual entrance and cut a 5 minute promo about the “Streak vs. Career” match and then turned around and walked (slowly) to the back. It was a little disappointing… all the other stars took questions from the fans and seemed to enjoy the interaction. Undertaker came out and did his usual routine and then left. Guess it was time to rest in peace. I will say the crowd was a split, there were plenty of HBK fans there chanting his name.
I wanted to add something I forgot to mention yesterday – during the Hart Dynasty vs. Cryme Tyme match at Axxess on Thursday, Natalya worked the crowd hard and played the heel perfectly. Everything from taunting the fans to threatening announcer Justin Roberts to selling the defeat, Natalya showed great energy and reminded everybody again that she is a solid worker with a great future. Kudos Nattie! (This was similar to a house show I attended with my family in November 2009… Natalya stole the show outside the ring).
Back to Friday’s Axxess, Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Vickie Guerrero, Katie Lea Burchill, and Jillian Hall made appearances. It was nice to see Mickie! She looked happy and healthy, although I guess the question still remains whether she can work on Sunday night (even though the program shows them on the card). Mickie fans should feel good, she looks to be on the road to recovery! My buddy and I were checking out Mickie’s legs quite a bit, strictly looking for signs of her surgery/recovery, umm… and for no other reason. OK, let’s just move on.
WrestleMania isn’t just the grandest stage of them all for wrestling — it’s also the one time of year when Superstars and Divas put that extra mile into creating show-stopping ring attire. WrestleMania for ring attire is like the red carpet at the Oscars, this is the one outfit that you must get right because it will be etched in the annals in history forever! So, being the style hounds that we are, we’ve delved into the history books to bring you some of the best and worst looks from WrestleManias past!
Beth Phoenix, WrestleMania 25
Just last year, the Glamazon certainly looked dramatic in all the right ways for the Miss WrestleMania battle royal in her silver Glamasuit complete with a cape. This had a Roman gladiator feel to it that fits perfectly with Beth. Too bad that given the nature of the awful match she wore it in, we barely got to see Beth’s outfit on the show but it was definitely a striking look for Beth. Perhaps she could get away with wearing it two years in a row tomorrow night? After all, no one really got a good look at it last year and it seems like such a waste! I mean, we’d be pissed. However, Beth can seek comfort in the fact that we consider it to be Glam Slam-ingly breathtaking.
Chyna, WrestleMania 17
Not to sound offensive but Chyna was never really known for her femininity during her time with WWE. Often seen in black and built like one of the guys, Chyna’s venture into the women’s division in 2001 saw a more feminine side to the 9th Wonder of the World. For WrestleMania 17, Chyna ditched the black and went with a captivating purple ensemble and even accesorized! Not dissimilar to Beth’s headband above, Chyna sported some funky headgear too and even a choker around her neck. This was not the hard-faced, braid-wearing Diva we had met several years prior. Chyna looked great and had a picture perfect moment that night when she added another accessory to her outfit — the Women’s Championship.
More after the cut:
The final SmackDown before WrestleMania promised a Beth Phoenix vs Vickie Guerrero match, but anyone could see a mile away that it wouldn’t be a straight one-on-one match. Last week I predicted that Vickie would likely change it to a 3-on-1 match with her teaming up with Lay-Cool but oh no, that wasn’t enough — Raw’s Maryse and Alicia Fox were tacked on too. Why? God knows. I get that it’s all in the name of WrestleMania, as the Divas will have a last minute multi-Diva tag match but there’s been no reasons given as to why the various Divas of Raw and SmackDown are coming together and fighting. And frankly, it’d be a waste trying to figure out why.
The big story however was not WrestleMania, which wasn’t even mentioned on the show. Instead that match was quietly announced on the WWE website, and I do mean quietly! Not even a slide in that flash player thing on the homepage, it was literally just tacked onto the ‘Mania page where only those who were looking to find it, would find it. Doesn’t instill a lot of confidence about this match, does it? Anyway, I digress…
The big story was the continuation of a rather fun feud on SmackDown where Beth Phoenix once again, looked golden and Vickie Guerrero, well we saw a little too much of her. Watch below:
So as explained earlier, before the match begins Vickie announces that it will now be a 5-on-1 match. Despite the switcheroo, Beth shows no signs of being intimidated and can’t wait for Layla to get in the ring to start things out. Beth extends her hand to bump knuckles with Layla [really?] but as Layla comes closer, she nails her with a forearm. Layla tries to tag out but is dragged across the ring by Phoenix and cue some funny screams from Lay-Lay. Layla begins fighting back with some forearms and again, some beautiful kicks. She then tries to hightail it to her corner but Beth grabs her in mid-air. “Michellllllle… Please help me!” Gotta love this girl!
Beth runs into the corner with Layla and begins stomping into her but is dragged away by the referee and somehow, she herself falls straight on her butt. As Beth exchanges insults with the other Divas on the apron, Layla mounts a comeback and hits Beth in the jaw with an elbow. She then tries to jump on Beth who picks her up and hoists her in the air in gorilla press slam position. Meanwhile from the outside, Michelle tags Layla and hits Beth in the back of the head. Beth uses Layla as a human weapon as it were, using her to hit Michelle off the apron before dropping her to the canvas.
Over the next few days, in the lead up to this Sunday’s big WrestleMania 26 event, we’ll be taking a look back at some of the memorable moments in WrestleMania history that involved the WWE Divas. Each of the Diva Dirt team have picked a moment that they loved to share with you all. Today, … Read more
While her former WWE family geared towards WrestleMania last night, Maria Kanellis embarked on a new journey — MMA. Kanellis made her debut for HDNet’s King of the Cage promotion as a backstage and ringside interviewer joining the broadcast team of Michael Schiavello and Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller. Watch a few clips of her below: Interestingly, … Read more
Five time WWE Women’s Champion, Mickie James performed last night at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville in Phoenix and a whole band of fellow Divas showed up to lend support. James performed her debut single ‘Are You With Me’ as well as other tracks from her album, ‘Strangers & Angels’. Divas that were there to support Mickie … Read more
Diva Dirt reader, Rob Pagano was at Axxess yesterday in the Phoenix Convention Center and sent along the following: Michelle came out at 6:00 and had a large line that steadily moved throughout the 2 hours she was there. Once she left Katie came on. Vickie was also doing an autograph session. Melina and Mickie … Read more
The WWE Divas were officially been added to the WrestleMania card tonight as WWE.com posted an official preview of the match. Yesterday, the information leaked after programs for the show began circulating at Axxess. Read the preview below: Nine of the most talented Divas from Raw and SmackDown — and Vickie Guerrero — will collide … Read more
As viewers in the US and Canada are able to see this week’s pre-WrestleMania SmackDown before fans internationally the Redux will be delayed until this week’s Divas match appears online. However for those watching on TV, be sure to discuss the Beth Phoenix vs Vickie Guerrero match in the comments!
Diva Dirt correspondent and Beth Phoenix super fan, David aka Mr. Glamazon is on hand at this week’s WrestleMania festivities and will be checking in daily with his experiences in Phoenix. Check back everyday to find out which Divas he’s rubbed shoulders with in Phoenix — complete with exclusive pictures!
Thursday, March 25th (Day 2)
THE DIVAS KICK OFF WWE AXXESS IN STYLE
On Thursday March 25th, the WWE fan-friendly Axxess sessions started in the Phoenix Convention Center and the WWE Universe came out in full force. The event was sold out and you could tell people are really excited for this entire weekend. For those of you who haven’t seen what attractions are at Axxess check out WWE.com and they run down the list. Honestly, it is pretty impressive and can be a lot of fun as long as you don’t mind waiting in long lines. (It’s a little like Disney World, you probably need several days to do everything there).
Like I said, the event was sold out Thursday night and most people think that was because John Cena and Bret Hart were the featured guests, but I’m pretty sure it is because Beth Phoenix was scheduled to appear. Beth was the first Diva out and spent the next two hours taking pictures with several hundred people (props to anybody who can wear high heels and stand up for 2 hours while STILL smiling!) Beth was super nice to everybody and seemed to enjoy herself. I felt pretty good about meeting her again because I didn’t 1) pass out, 2) start crying, or 3) ask her to elope with me. (Honestly, the only reason I didn’t ask her to elope with me is that I heard a rumor that “married guys with 2 kids” are not Beth’s type). So it was a pretty successful night. The only downside, I was pretty woozy for the next 60 minutes and missed the chance to get Gail Kim’s pic/autograph. There are still several days to go however, and we’ll track her down at her next signing.
Fan footage from tonight’s SmackDown has popped up on YouTube and let’s just say, it’s worth spoiling your appetite before you watch the full show on MyNetworkTV tonight! Watch the fan footage in the spoiler tags: Also a quick note on this week’s SmackDown Redux. The show usually finds its way online before it airs … Read more
Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is one of the most prestigious honors a wrestler can achieve and in this business there is no bigger Hall of Fame than that of the WWE’s. Over the years, many amazing superstars of the sport have enjoyed their night including three of wrestling’s most talented women. The Fabulous Moolah, Sherri Martel, and Mae Young have all enjoyed getting immortalized in the WWE Hall of Fame and this year, Wendi Ritcher will have the same privilege. Ritcher’s accomplishments certainly speak for themselves and every Diva fan will enjoy watching on Saturday as Wendi Ritcher takes her rightful place among wrestling’s elite. Wendi Ritcher isn’t the only one with the credentials to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. We’ve seen many women come and go over the years and quite a few have made enough of an impact to be considered Hall of Fame worthy. This column is going to take a look at who could potentially be the next four women to enter into the WWE Hall of Fame. Three of these should be a given, one is a bit of a long shot. All of them have reasons as to why they could be considered Hall of Fame material.
Joanie “Chyna” Laurer’s chances of getting into the WWE Hall of Fame range slightly higher than unlikely. With Vince McMahon proving he can bury the hatchet with people he’s had problems with in the past, Chyna could very well end up in the Hall of Fame someday. She was one of the biggest Superstars, male or female, of the Attitude Era, and she was the true definition of sexy, smart, and powerful. Chyna was one of the first WWE Divas to grace to pages of Playboy and she was also the first Diva to break down the gender barriers in World Wrestling Entertainment. She debuted for the company in February of 1997 after being pursued by both WCW and WWE. Chyna started off as a mere valet/bodyguard to Hunter Hearst Helmsley and eventually became a part of Degeneration X. When her DX days were over, Chyna emerged as a singles star and became the first woman to ever compete in the Royal Rumble, hold the Intercontinential Championship, and qualify for the King of the Ring tournament. She had memorable and feuds with Chris Jericho, the late Eddie Guererro, and Ivory. During her time in World Wrestling Entertainment, Chyna was embraced by fans, male and female, and looked to as a role model for her ability to never back down from a fight or challenge. She was also a one-time Women’s Champion.
Chyna departed the WWE for personal, real-life reasons, and those reasons are the ones that could stop her from achieving Hall of Fame status. Her post-WWE career has been less than memorable and it’s fair to say it’s sort of been a trainwreck. She’s had numerous substance abuse problems, a failed relationship with another trainwreck, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, and a sex tape that the majority of us wish we could erase from our memories. It’s a miracle that Joanie Laurer hasn’t become another sad wrestling statistic and so many people hope to see this woman pull herself together. It’s never too late for a person to get their life back on track and for all we know Chyna could be doing just that. What matters to this article is that if any Diva or woman in wrestling deserves Hall of Fame status, it’s Chyna. She opened doors for women in the mainstream wrestling world that had never before been open. If not for Chyna and her determination to work her hardest to become a success, us fans may never have gotten to see Beth Phoenix compete in this year’s Royal Rumble. Chyna’s truly a trailblazer for the sport and it’s interesting to ponder of what could have been had she not left the WWE under such messy circumstances. Who knows how many more accolades we could have added to her Hall of Fame worthy career.
Eerie coincidence or swagger jacking? WWE Diva, Rosa Mendes and new TNA Knockout, Chelsea both got new photoshoots on their respective company’s websites this week — and were both seen wearing the same dress. See the pictures of Rosa here and the pictures of Chelsea here. Who rocked it better? Vote below:
Diva Dirt correspondent and Beth Phoenix super fan, David aka Mr. Glamazon is on hand at this week’s WrestleMania festivities and will be checking in daily with his experiences in Phoenix. Check back everyday to find out which Divas he’s rubbed shoulders with in Phoenix — complete with exclusive pictures!
Wednesday, March 24th (Day 1)
MR. GLAMAZON MEETS THE GLAMAZON AT THE WWE ART AUCTION
On Wednesday March 24th, the WWE kicked off WrestleMania week by hosting the 3rd annual WWE Art Show at the magnificent Montelucia Resort & Spa in Paradise Valley, AZ. The weather was perfect and the resort was set in the Arizona hills – a great backdrop for the event which served as a fund raiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. I loved the Art Show last year in Houston so I was pretty excited! (Random note… we’re checking in at the hotel before the Art Show and standing right next to us: the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase! Then, out by the pool – Triple H and Steph (with their private security). Not a bad start to the week!)
Fans cheered while the WWE Superstars and Divas arrived on the red carpet and met with the local press. There was a nice list of WWE Superstars at the event: The Miz (who got a HUGE pop), Jerry Lawler, the Hart Dynasty, Cryme Time, Santino, Hornswoggle, Tony Atlas, Slam Master J (celebrating his birthday), Matt Striker, Tony Garea, and the true star of the night, Bret Hart. Bret got a great reaction from the crowd and seemed genuinely touched. (In general he seems to be enjoying this run through the WWE, and as a former Hitman mark, that makes me smile.)
Here is the picture proof, folks! As mentioned a short while ago, the Divas are set to be a last-last minute addition to the WrestleMania 26 card after programs began circulating at the WrestleMania Axxess event earlier today. Diva Dirt correspondent, David who will be our roving reporter in Phoenix sent along this picture of … Read more
The official WrestleMania 26 program which is available to fans at the Axxess events today in Phoenix lists a Divas match as being on the card. The match, as some may have surmised from this past week’s Raw, will pit the team of Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly & Mickie James vs … Read more
For the past two weeks, you have been voting for the greatest Divas match in WrestleMania history. We’ve had thousands of votes cast already in the prior three rounds and now, we are down to our top two. This is it, it’s the grand finals! One of these two matches will become ‘The Greatest Divas … Read more
Diva Dirt correspondent David is currently in Phoenix for WrestleMania week and will be covering all the festivities in a daily blog here at the site. Last night, David attended the annual WrestleMania Art Expo where he ran into — and bought artwork from — the Simply Flawless one herself, Layla! Turns out that Lay-Lay … Read more