As most will know by now, next week’s edition of Raw will be a three hour special dedicated to the WWE Slammy Awards. In a possible spoiler for the category of ‘Diva of the Year’, a WWE.com promo package shows four Divas — likely the four nominees for the award. If last year is anything … Read more
A gaggle of Divas were flown to Iraq last week for the annual Tribute to the Troops. The Divas attending included Alicia Fox, the Bella Twins, Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly and Layla. Something tells me there was a reason why this group were picked — eye candy for the troops! Check out pictures of the … Read more
We’ve compared the WWE Diva to comic book heroes before (Exhibit A & Exhibit B), but it looks like the WWE is taking a step towards making that comparison a reality. The Bleeding Cool comic book blog is reporting that the WWE is teaming up with Titan Publishing to roll out a comic book line … Read more
Welcome to the Diva Dirt Style Jury! No more are the separate ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ lists, instead we have come up with a scientific approach *cough* to compiling our weekly fashion column. The Diva Dirt team will weigh in on the different looks from the week gone by & mark each look with a score out of ten. The look with the highest average score will be our best look and the look with the lowest average score will be the worst look. Click each photo to see the look in full size.
Let the proverbial runway show begin!
BETH PHOENIX Erin: The phoenix on the tights kind of looks like a slapped-on decal. The whole thing is rather dull–I really prefer Beth’s more colorful outfits. 5/10 Melanie: I’m not a huge fan of her brightly coloured Glamasuits [the red, blue and green ones] but I much prefer them to this. They have more spark and personality. 4/10 Steven: Nice to see The Glamazon getting back to some normal ring gear. Those shiny numbers were kicking my ass. Nothing different from the norm here, but Beth looks great nonetheless. 7/10
EVE TORRES Erin: The silver and black aren’t anything special, but I still like the shorts Eve wrestles in. Maybe if there were more color in it, it’d look more interesting. 6/10 Melanie: I really dislike Eve’s ring gear; the shorts could be cute but the tops are just awful. 5/10 Steven: Same gear, different color. This silver one is a tad bland though. I definitely prefer her other metallic corsets over this one. 6/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
In celebration of Thanksgiving, this edition of Unwrapped will feature the Divas’ Thanksgiving-themed photoshoot, in which each dress in their best (or most stereotypical) Native American costumes. (Click here to see the full photoshoot.)
We’ll give you the chance to give your own grade to each photoshoot, “branding” each like so: Sweet means it’s great, Bland means it’s on the fence, and Sour means it’s just awful. Now, let’s unwrap this eye candy:
Alicia Fox Grade: Bland. The color and fit of the dress make it look more like a potato sack than a dress. The matching blue trim and headband are cute, though, and the red feather absolutely pops. But still, for someone we’ve dubbed “Alicia Fierce”, she could have cooked up a far more fierce costume than this!
[poll id=”450″]
Beth Phoenix Grade: Sweet. I love that Beth went pretty bare-bones and wore (what looks like) a deer skin outfit fashioned with her own two hands. I’d totally buy it if you told me Beth took down and skinned the deer herself. So sexy! ..Not the “killing animals” part, of course. You know what I mean.
[poll id=”451″]
Read more to see the rest of the Thanksgiving looks and vote for your favorite.
Back in the 1920s, showbiz had a slang term for a failure or flop: they’d call it a turkey*. Fitting, given the failures we witnessed tonight on this Thanksgiving episode of Raw where a certain Diva went so far as to dress in a turkey costume for her big return. So, was it cleverly self-referential or just a bad idea? I think we know the answer to that, but just in case let’s watch the situation unfold and decide for ourselves:
Predictably, the Divas have dressed up for a “Mayflower Melee”, AKA Thanksgiving-themed 6-Diva tag match. The faces–Mickie James, Melina, and Kelly Kelly–are decked out in (*cough* super un-P.C. *cough*) Native American garb, while the heels–Michelle McCool, Layla, and Jillian–are Pilgrims. All look pretty ridiculous, even Kelly, who apparently decided to put on a tan dress and some Nikes and call it a day. But hey, at least she doesn’t look like she’s doing a Kindergarten Thanksgiving play like Michelle & co. I must say, I love how pissed they looked to be dressed in those Pilgrim costumes. At least they’re acknowledging how lame the idea is, unlike so many times in the past.
Before the match starts they are joined by the guest time keeper, the Gobbledy Gooker! …You know, the giant turkey that hatched on live television in what was known as one of the biggest “WTF” moments in WWE history? I guess since they had two Thanksgiving cliches represented, they decided to go for the trifecta. Gooker stands in the corner and awkwardly rings the bell, signaling the start of the match.
Melina and Jillian start out the match, probably praying that they can scrub off some of the bad mojo they’ve had with each other as of late. They start with a tie-up, Melina getting the upper hand by wrenching Jillian’s arm. Jillian gains control, slamming Melina to the mat. Melina reverses an irish-whip into the corner, sending Jillian into the turnbuckle and proceeding to send a shoulder into her stomach. She lays Jillian across the second ropes, prepping her a double-knee attack. Before she can do it, however, Jillian yanks her by her dress, pulling her to the mat. She tosses Melina by the hair and taunts the crowd a bit.
Jillian whips Melina into the ropes but Melina hangs on. Before she can do anything, though, Jillian meets her with an elbow to the face. She whips Melina into the turnbuckle, prepping for her handspring elbow attack. Before she can do any damage, Melina catches her with her legs, choking her and chopping her on the head. Once back on their feet Melina takes down Jillian with a (almost malfunctioned) facebuster. She goes for the pin, but Jillian kicks out.
Raw Diva, Kelly Kelly spoke to British WWE retailer Silvervision.co.uk on the recent European tour and revealed the frosty reception she received when she was initially signed by WWE. For those not in the know, Kelly along with Alicia Fox were scouted after Vice President of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis saw them in a catalogue. … Read more
Last night’s Survivor Series match was billed as Team Mickie vs Team Michelle but it was Divas Champion, Melina that scored the final pinfall and took the win for her team. When originally announced, it seemed odd that the Divas Champ would be playing second fiddle to someone else as team captain, which it makes … Read more
Mickie James & Michelle McCool lead their teams to war tonight at the 23rd annual Survivor Series. Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool has proven to be quite the thorn in Mickie’s side, reducing the Diva to tears in recent weeks. But when it comes to battling it out in the ring, who will have the last … Read more
Welcome to the Diva Dirt Style Jury! No more are the separate ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ lists, instead we have come up with a scientific approach *cough* to compiling our weekly fashion column. The Diva Dirt team will weigh in on the different looks from the week gone by & mark each look with a score out of ten. The look with the highest average score will be our best look and the look with the lowest average score will be the worst look. Click each photo to see the look in full size.
Let the proverbial runway show begin!
ALICIA FOX Erin: I usually like it when Divas go with unique colors for their ring gear, but I just can’t like this pukey shade of green. Not to mention the outfit itself kind of looks like a weapon, what with all the pointy-ness sprouting from it. 4/10 Melanie: As I wrote somewhere, she looks like she could double as a bike light. Seriously, it’s like she stuck deflector stickers over a set of pants/bra. 3/10 Steven: I hated this gear when she only had the top, and I hate it even more now that she has the bottoms to match. I would suggest setting it on fire, but all those burning sequins could be dangerous… 2/10
BETH PHOENIX Erin: I hate those types of tops–the tight, uncomfortable blouses that never look right on anyone. This one looks especially awkward on Beth’s build: the sleeves cut into her arms, the blouse itself is too short, and the jeans do nothing to compliment it. 4/10 Melanie: Predictable for Beth. Not an exciting look but not a bad one either. Just blah. 5/10 Steven: Go ‘head, Ms. Glamazon! Loving this look on Beth. After her ‘look-at-my-bra’ debacle, I was starting to lose faith in her. 8/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
With just two weeks of buildup, we finally have our ~big~ Divas Championship match, pitting champion Melina against challenger Alicia Fox. Will this match live up to fans’ expectations, or will it–like its own build-up–be a mere shell of what it could be? Needless to say us Diva fans are used to disappointment, but we still hope for the best (against our better judgment). Let’s see if this match delivers:
Of course a big one-on-one Divas Title match in Madison Square Garden was too good to be true, because soon after Melina and Alicia’s entrances it is announced (by 30 Rock’s Judah Freedlander) that this will be a Lumberjill match. No, adding Lumberjills (as we’ve learned numerous times over) does not make a title match ~epic, it just sucks the attention away from who it should be on: the challenger and the champion. I understand that this is meant to build up Survivor Series, as the lumberjills are the participants in Sunday’s match, but surely there was a way to have this match and buildup the other match without needlessly combining them? I was actually looking forward to a good, long one-on-one Divas match for once and this move just neutered the match from the get-go.
Alicia starts the match by kicking Melina in the stomach and attempting to toss her out of the ring. Melina, however, gains control and tosses Alicia out to the wolves instead (Somehow I doubt throwing Melina out to the babyface side would’ve accomplished much of anything). Alicia dashes back into the ring before any of the lumberjills can touch her, taunting them when she’s safely back in the ring, and getting rolled up by Melina for her troubles. She kicks out, and attempts a clothesline that Melina matrixes away from. She continues on an offensive drive until Alicia tricks her, allowing her to fall out of the ring to the heel side. Melina takes a beating from the heels and the babyfaces come to her rescue, allowing her to be rolled back into the ring.
Alicia tosses Melina by her hair and goes for the pin (“Not very logical”, says Spock). She attempts to lock Melina into a hold, but Melina drives her into the turnbuckle. When Alicia charges after Melina, she’s met with a flapjack and a series of clotheslines. Alicia irish-whips Melina into the corner and gets two boots to the face, but is still able to counter a charge by Melina into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. She goes for the pin, but only gets a 2-count.
Hoping to keep her momentum going following last week’s #1 contendership win, Alicia Fox takes on the woman she beat not too long ago on WWE Superstars, Kelly Kelly. Will this match shine or pale in comparison to that bout? Let us see:
Inexplicably, Gail Kim and Jillian are at ringside, supporting their Survivor Series teammates. I’ll assume that’s the reasoning for this, because there really isn’t any other. The match starts with both girls getting in the other’s face, both looking pretty sassy. Alicia wins the sassy contest, however, because she outright pie-faces Kelly. Kelly responds with a Lous Thesz press, pounding on Alicia’s head. A bit groggy, Alicia wanders over to the corner, drawing Kelly over and sending her face-first into the turnbuckle with a drop toe hold.
She continues the facial punishment by slamming Kelly’s face to the mat and attempting a pin, which Kelly kicks out of. Kelly attempts to find some salvation in the ropes but Alicia drags her to the center of the ring as Melina (or should I say one side of Melina’s face) watches on from backstage. Melina seems impressed, but also kind of like she’s plotting murder, rubbing her hands together in evil speculation.
Alicia plants a boot into Kelly’s midsection, preening for the crowd before dragging Kelly up by her hair. Kelly fights for control though, delivering a few shots to Alicia’s stomach. Alicia puts an end to this offense, sending her to the mat with a clothesline. She again grabs Kelly by her Barbie doll locks (careful, you might pull out a few), pancaking her face to the mat. She locks Kelly into a sleeper, and Kelly fights for freedom as the crowd slowly gets behind her. She gets to her feet and drops to her backside, sending Alicia’s jaw straight onto her shoulder, breaking her free. She goes on a string of offense, ending in a Frankensteiner that she hooks into a pin for a 2-count.
Welcome to the Diva Dirt Style Jury! No more are the separate ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ lists, instead we have come up with a scientific approach *cough* to compiling our weekly fashion column. The Diva Dirt team will weigh in on the different looks from the week gone by & mark each look with a score out of ten. The look with the highest average score will be our best look and the look with the lowest average score will be the worst look. Click each photo to see the look in full size.
Let the proverbial runway show begin!
THE BELLA TWINS Erin: I like the cut of the tops — it’s unique. But that gold color is kinda putrid, especially seeing it in two places at once. 5/10 Melanie: Enough already! Too much of the same colour, break it up please. 3/10 Steven: Sweet Lord, how many colors do these outfits come in?! Please change it up ladies. 4/10
EVE TORRES Erin: She kind of looks like she’s wearing a bunch of those reflective safety stickers. I like that she’s going for a unique type of ring gear with the non-matching top and shorts, but it just doesn’t fit together well and makes the outfit look kinda slapdash. I like the purple, though, if that’s worth anything. 6/10 Melanie: The shimmer-y purple is off-putting to me, to be honest. I like purple but not like this. I think there’s far too much Bella-like matchy-matchy going on here too with the arm bands etc. 5/10 Steven: ame old gear, new color. I like the color though, even if it is a little bright for my taste. 6/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
Diva Dirt reader, Lucy sent in the following results from tonight’s house show in Liverpool: The match was Kelly Kelly and Melina vs Jillian and Alicia Fox. Jillian and Alicia came out and Jillian sang “A Hard Day’s Night” in honour of The Beatles. She got seriously booed for that. Then Kelly came out to … Read more
This week’s guest GMs Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne spoofed Sharon’s popular reality show “America’s Got Talent”, opening the door for any a misfit WWE toy to come out and embarrass themselves. This, of course, is right up Jillian‘s alley, so she of course showed up to croon a song for the judges, the results of which are below:
Jillian, with Chavo by her side, sang a duet of Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford’s “Close My Eyes Forever”. Before they could get very far the judges hit the buzzer, Ozzy saying that he was going to re-title the song “Close My Ears Forever”. Upset, Jillian told Sharon that she had always been jealous of Lita Ford. In response, Sharon told her to come to the ring (but in much more flowery a way).
As she and Chavo walked to the ring, Jillian began to sing a song by someone she deemed a “true rock icon”, belting out Britney Spears’s “Ooops, I Did it Again”. She gets in Sharon’s face, and gets a slap across the face in response. Jillian cowers in the corner as Chavo gets his due too–a chop to the head by Khali.
The segment played to Jillian’s strengths, namely making a bit of a fool of herself. But hey, no other Diva could do it quite like her, and she’s pretty funny in a shameless way. It must sting to be relegated to the goof-off spot after being in a feud for the Diva Championship just a week ago, but at least if she has to be slapped she’s getting slapped by Sharon Osbourne–it could be a helluva lot worse.
Directly following these shenanigans we have a Divas battle royal for the #1 contendership to the Divas Championship. We have Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, the Bella Twins, Gail Kim, and Alicia Fox all in the ring. Eliminations, of course, can occur by any means, even by sliding under the bottom rope. That’s Divas battle royals for ya..
We’re again bringing you a special edition of Unwrapped, where we cover multi-Diva shoots in a miniaturized version of our regular “unwrappings”, focusing on the looks and ensembles our Divas have put together. Today, as it is Halloween, our “Eye Candy” will be the kind associated with jack-o-lanterns and bags of sweets. We are looking at the 3-part “Scream Queens” photoshoot, in which the Divas show off their Halloween costumes. Click the following links to see the full photoshoots: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Alicia Fox Costume: Vampire Creativity (on a scale of 1-10): 7. A vampire is one of the most cliche Halloween costumes, sure, but I like that she put some effort into it, wearing a cape and fangs and not being too concerned with looking sexy. Her poses are cool too, and make what could be a rather bland costume pretty exciting. Bonus points for looking a like an old school vampire, too. Grade: Sweet. She looks cute and the extra thought put into it–not just plastic fangs and lingerie–makes it interesting.
Beth Phoenix Costume: Nurse Creativity (on a scale of 1-10): 1. Talk about cliche–what’s a more cheesy “sexy” costume than a nurse? Frankly, I expected better from Beth, but she seems content to pose in a skanky costume suggestively holding a stethoscope. Come on Beth, I didn’t think you were that uncreative. Grade: Sour. This looks so strange on Beth. It’s just not “like” her, if you get my drift, and this is not an instance where that would be a good thing.
Brie & Nikki Bella Costume: Belly dancers Creativity (on a scale of 1-10): 4. The sexy “belly dancer” costume is pretty cliche, especially in so scantily clad a fashion. But hey, it’s kind of cool, what with all the veils and such. There’s more to it than other “sexy” costumes. Grade: Bland. It’s not original by any means, but they certainly look cute. There’s just so much potential with twin costumes, and they sort of dropped the ball on this one.
Read on to see the rest of the Divas’ costumes and vote for your favorite.
We’re baaack! You may remember us offering costume advice last year to Divas participating in the now-defunct Cyber Sunday Halloween costume contest. Well, we’re extending that tradition this year, extending the love to TNA’s Knockouts as well. We’ll offer costume possibilities to nearly every Diva and Knockout over 3 installments, all leading up to Halloween night. Get your popcorn ready! (Check out part 1 here, and part 2 here.)
Awesome Kong Costume: Tinkerbell Why?: 364 days of the year, Kong is an intimidating, destructive force that barely ever cracks a smile. For her Halloween costume, why not go in the complete opposite direction? Tinkerbell, Peter Pan’s fairy companion, is pretty much everything Kong isn’t–dainty, sparkly, girly–but she still can be pretty spiteful when crossed. I guess they’re more alike than I thought! I think it’d be hilarious to see Kong poke fun at her serious image (and we know she doesn’t take herself too seriously–just look at her Twitter page) by putting on the green dress, wings, and slippers, sprinkling pixie dust with her magic wand wherever she goes. Get the look: Check out this website to see a variety of full Tinkerbell costumes.
Eve Torres Costume: Sally Jupiter from “Watchmen” Why?: Eve has a classic look about her, evidenced by some of the retro looks she sports from time to time. Considering all of that, a perfect costume for her would be that of 50’s-era Sally Jupiter–aka Silk Spectre, crime fighter from the “Watchmen” graphic novel and movie adaptation of the same name that was released earlier this year. Sally’s hot and she knows it, but that doesn’t keep her from stopping all kinds of evil-doers. She eventually gave birth to the second Silk Spectre, who eventually picks up where her mother left off, but not nearly with the same sense of style. Get the look: Try this this costume, even though the wig’s not red. You’ll need to find your own boots and hosiery, though.
Gail Kim Costume: Max from “Where the Wild Things Are” Why?: In the book and movie, Max is a little boy who escapes into his imagination, voyaging to an island that inhabits large, wild creatures. With how Gail has been disappointingly treated since her return the WWE, one could suggest that a little escapism is in order for Gail. I mean, after losing to Kelly Kelly, wouldn’t you want to escape? (I’m kidding of course.. Maybe.) Gail would look adorable in Max’s wolf suit, needless to say. Of course, she would need Max’s crown too–what is a king without a crown? Get the look: Splurge on an adult-sized costume. But at that price, you might end up wearing it year-round like Max.
This week on Superstars, Kelly Kelly makes her second appearance in as many weeks, taking on Alicia Fox. Will this week’s match be as entertaining as last week’s bout? Let us see:
They start with a tie-up, Alicia roughing Kelly up to gain control and wrench her arm into an arm bar. Keeping the hold locked, she slams Kelly by her hair to the mat, crouching to get the best angle on the hold. Kelly hops up, but Alicia won’t let go, wrapping it even tighter. Kelly seeks refuge in the corner, climbing the turnbuckle, hopping down butt-first onto the top rope, flipping backwards and tossing Alicia across the ring with an arm drag. Not gonna lie, that was pretty impressive..
Alicia is stunned, but manages to beat Kelly to the punch, whipping her into the opposite corner. Kelly stops herself on the turnbuckle, though, pushing herself backwards and over Alicia. She does a back tuck to keep momentum, then meeting Alicia with a dropkick when she charges towards her. Kelly goes for the pin, but is unsuccessful.
Both get to their feet at the same time, trading blows until Kelly runs the ropes, going for an attack that Alicia telegraphs, hoisting Kelly up and into a backbreaker. Alicia goes for a pin, but gets a 2-count. Not satisfied (and obviously feeling that Kelly will change her mind and stay down), she goes for another pin, but gets the same result. She circles her prey before grabbing her by the hair and planting a knee into her back, wrenching her by the neck.
With Kelly’s struggle, the move does a 180, Alicia shifting to her feet but keeping the knee firmly in place. Kelly slowly gets to her feet, but before she can counter, Alicia scoops her up. Kelly scoots over Alicia’s shoulder though, rolling her up into a pin attempt that Alicia kicks out of. Damn, the way Alicia reacted to that counter made me think it was a botch. Just good selling, though. Alicia is obviously pissed off by this, delivering a blow to Kelly’s face and taking her time, pacing the ring and taunting the crowd. This elicits a decent reaction, but I’m not sure if that’s more due to Alicia’s heel spark or Kelly’s success as a babyface.
The SmackDown team may have been led by WWE Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool but it was the newest addition to the roster that was a blue beacon of success for the brand. Decked in SmackDown colours, a royal blue Glamasuit [as we have affectionately started calling them], Beth Phoenix Glam Slammed her way to victory and had a helping hand in SmackDown taking the Bragging Rights trophy last night.
To the beginning now, let’s take a look at the match as it happened… Team SmackDown make their entrance first with the Women’s Champion debuting a new piece to her attire — a robe. Proving she can do nothing right, this one has already hit a sore spot on the interwebz with “AJ Styles rip-off” comments. Mmm… trivial. Meanwhile, Beth Phoenix is looking mighty Glamariffic in royal blue. While Team SmackDown have opted for eye-popping colours like royal blue, emerald green and hot pink, Team Raw are much more subdued in their colour choices.
We kick things off with Beth Phoenix and Gail Kim, in something of a dream match. Beth starts off with a kick to the gut followed by the Divas exchanging forearms. The crafty former Women’s Champion, Gail Kim goes for a mid-rope crossbody but is caught but the powerful Phoenix. Gail manages to flip things over into a pin attempt but Beth kicks out. The Glamazon begins woman-handling Kim before Michelle McCool blind-tags herself in. Gail manages to subdue the Champ with a lovely hurricanrana that is sold well by McCool, who then cowers into her corner allowing Natalya the tag.
Another dream match here; Nattie vs Gail. The physical third-gen Diva slams Gail to the mat. As things progress Gail hits her lovely launch through the ropes on Natalya followed by that unorthodox jumping butt bump. Kelly Kelly is then tagged in to the biggest pop so far, Kelly works well with Nattie and keeps the pace up with a twilt-a-whirl hurricanrana. Natalya then hangs Kelly on the ropes, showing her prowess. Natalya, with her brute force, drives Kelly into the corner and begins kneeing her. This all looks rather ferocious which is perhaps the biggest difference between Natalya and the Glamazon; while both share powerhouse quality — there’s nothing pretty about Nattie’s offense while Beth is a little more Diva-esque. In the corner, Kelly goes for a sunset flip but to no avail as Michelle tags in. After a short exchange, in comes Beth as Team SmackDown begin their ‘wear down’ of Kelly. Kelly makes a desperate effort to tag in Melina or Gail but the powerful Beth manages to drive her back to the Team Blue corner. Michelle is back in now and hangs in there with her team mates, throwing Kelly around like a rag doll. Beth Phoenix then blind-tags herself in much to McCool’s shock, Kelly begins fighting back with a hurricanrana into a rollup but Beth kicks out. Kelly with a jawbreaker on Beth and finally hits a tag to Melina.
So the WWE Divas return to pay per view tonight for the second time in a month, but this time rivalries are put aside for brand pride. Melina, Kelly Kelly & Gail Kim will represent Raw as they go into battle against SmackDown’s Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix and Natalya. Which trio of Divas will win … Read more
In order to consolidate our Eye Candy coverage, we’ve developed a new feature: Unwrapped! We’ll take all the new photoshoots from the week and grade (or “brand”) each based on the following criteria:
• Appearance(hair, clothes, makeup.. you get the drift)
• Poses(are they versatile or just glorified statues?)
• Uniqueness(have we seen this photoshoot a billion times before?) Grading scale: Sweet (Great)/Bland (Iffy)/Sour (Awful)
Brie & Nikki Bella‘s Sticking to the Pattern Appearance: Brie and Nikki are wearing matching patterned dresses; Brie is in red, Nikki in gray. I’ve got to say, it’s mile ahead of the directly matching outfits. The girls don’t look as much like they’re in Kindergarten and their mother dressed them identically. It’s a more creative way to embrace their ‘twin’-ness. I can’t say I love their dresses on their own, though–they’re cute, but they wouldn’t look half as interesting on just one Diva instead of two. Poses: The poses are rather dull, and seem to just be based on them standing next to each other and switching positions slightly. I know there’s only so much you can do with two people in one shoot but this is astoundingly boring, like a cheesy family portrait. Uniqueness: Brie and Nikki are dressed similarly! What a novel idea! Grade: Bland. The duo photoshoots are quickly losing their shine. Just let Brie and Nikki do their own things–the results are much more interesting.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Kelly Kelly‘s Enchanting Appearance: Kelly’s wearing a long blue gown in a pretty aquamarine color. It’s pretty, but looks sort of out of place in a WWE photoshoot. Maybe if the dress was shorter or looked a bit more casual it wouldn’t look like Kelly was about to go to a ball or compete in a Miss America competition. Poses: It’s your standard Kelly Kelly photoshoot, with not much going on around the face. She uses her arms and the rest of her body to make this a bit more interesting, but her posing still bears shades of a mannequin. The floor-length dress doesn’t do much to dispel that illusion. Uniqueness: A Diva wearing a floor-length dress is something of an anomaly around these parts, I must say. Grade: Bland. Kelly never seems to put much effort into making her photoshoots interesting. I don’t know why.. Maybe she’s just letting her looks do the talking.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Maria‘s En Fuego Appearance: It’s Maria, so we know a few things are for certain: there will be bright colors, bold prints, and a single glove. Check, check, and check. I can’t say a red leopard print vest is my cup of tea, but it certainly fits her style. The shiny black pants and silver heels keep the wild theme running, but somehow keep it grounded a bit with their neutral tones. Poses: This is where the shoot goes off the tracks. I understand and appreciate the attempts to excite and surprise the viewer, but posing with a random fire extinguisher just looks odd, and balancing on a chair and the wall don’t look surreal in a Salvador Dali sort of way–it just looks kind of weird. To be fair, I’m always telling Divas to mix it up and makes things exciting, but I think this is taking that a bit too far and into the deep end. I don’t think the objective of a WWE shoot should be to get people gawking, like you’re modeling in a high fashion magazine or something. Uniqueness: Well, it’s definitely unique. I’m sure that was the intent of this mess. Grade: Bland. I appreciate her gumption, I really do. It’s just.. not unique in a good way–more of a head-scratching way.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Read more to see the rest of this week’s photoshoots and vote for your favorite.
Welcome to the Diva Dirt Style Jury! No more are the separate ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ lists, instead we have come up with a scientific approach *cough* to compiling our weekly fashion column. The Diva Dirt team will weigh in on the different looks from the week gone by & mark each look with a score out of ten. The look with the highest average score will be our best look and the look with the lowest average score will be the worst look. Click each photo to see the look in full size.
Let the proverbial runway show begin!
THE BELLA TWINS Erin: Going for business casual? I guess they’re just trying to compliment Snoop’s dapper look, but it looks so faux-classy. But wait, is Brie wearing anything under her blazer? Okay, not even faux-classy. 4/10 Melanie: I don’t get how Snoop Dogg = business attire. Well at least we didn’t have the Divas coming out dressed as video vixens, no we’ll save that for when Flo Rida guest hosts. Like Erin, I felt this looked faux-classy rather than genuinely classy. I guess I just can’t buy the Bellas in this type of attire. 5/10 Steven: On their first week back on the Raw roster, The Bellas go for classy as opposed to trashy. They definitely look a lot better in darker colors than their usual bright red. Good to see them leave the big ass flowers home, as well. 7/10
BETH PHOENIX Erin: I like layering as much as the next person, but this is ridiculous. Cover up your bra, girl! 4/10 Melanie: Is Beth trying to pass on lingerie as an outfit? Good Lord… 2/10 Steven: Did the lights blow out in the Divas’ locker room, because Beth obviously got dressed in the dark this week. Did no one feel obligated to tell her that her bra was showing? The only thing saving The Glamazon from a 0/10, is the hair (which is looking great). 2/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
Key: Hot; this was well done. Tepid; this was middle of the road. Cold; this was miserable.
Diva Dirt prides itself on original content, which is why we have totally jacked a fabulous idea from Alan Carr — the topical barometer! Every week, we’ll be looking at the highs and lows and finding out where they rank on our topical barometer. What’s hot? What’s tepid? What’s cold?
Tara & Kim Couture Altercation, Bound for Glory
Tara got a shock at Bound for Glory last Sunday when MMA fighter, Kim Couture showed up in the crowd! The duo got into an altercation that has lead to conflicting reports as to whether it was all an angle or whether it was real. Verdict:Tepid. I thought the angle at Bound for Glory looked good and came across well, but the lack of follow-through and conflicting reports on what was going to happen here have lead this feud to drop from being ‘hot’ to ‘tepid’. Though TNA seems to have gone to the trouble of bringing in Kim Couture, none of the MMA press or wrestling press for that matter, were too favourable of the angle. Then there’s the lack of mention on TNA Impact also. It looks as though this was a one-shot deal that served very little purpose.
Daffney Goes Through Barbed Wire Table, Bound for Glory
Fearless TNA Knockout, Daffney went through a barbed wire-laden table at Bound for Glory last weekend, marking yet another crazy bump that she has endured in the past year. Since joining TNA, Daffney has been part of several crazy spots and this one was perhaps the biggest yet. Verdict:Hot. While I must be concerned for her health, for Daffney to take part in yet another spot of this caliber should be praised. This was a ‘holy shit’ moment that rivals some of the craziest spots performed by the male stars in WWE and TNA. Daffney truly does deserve an award for her fearless nature.
Diva Dancers, Monday Night Raw
Welcome to Raw, Eve! It was disconcerting to see Divas that can wrestle like Eve Torres, Gail Kim and Kelly Kelly relegated to ‘Diva dancers’ on Raw, this past Monday. Serving as Snoop Dogg’s Diva escorts, Eve, Gail, Kelly and the Bella Twins danced in the ring with the hip hop star like video vixens. Verdict:Cold. If you consider the wealth and talent that Eve and Gail have, it seems pathetic to rub them with the same brush as the Bella Twins. No offence to them, but the only reason they were brought to Raw was to serve as eye candy for the guest host of the week. On the other hand, Eve, Gail and Kelly have carved out decent careers as wrestlers and as such shouldn’t be treated as glorified dancers.
This week on Superstars, Raw girls Gail Kim and Kelly Kelly are set to have a friendly match–or so I think. Watch below and see if these two babyfaces play nice:
Gail takes early control in the tie-up, taking Kelly to the mat. She keeps her down in a headlock position, which Kelly flips into an unsuccessful pin attempt. Gail reverses back to the headlock position, but Kelly soon snaps Gail into a headscissors. Gail quickly snaps up to her feet, but Kelly sweeps her, going for a pin but only getting 2. Gail gets up and does the same thing, also getting a 2-count. These girls are showing some great speed early on..
They slow down a bit, catch their breath, and slap hands. Guess this will be a friendly match after all.. They start with another tie-up, Gail getting control once again with a side headlock. With a few punches to the midsection, Kelly gets free and shoves Gail into the ropes. On the return, Gail knocks Kelly to the mat. Another pin, another 2-count.
Gail pulls Kelly to her feet, twisting her arm into an arm wrench. Kelly backs into the ropes and uses them for momentum, flipping backwards and using the momentum to take Gail down with an arm drag. Kelly charges towards Gail in the corner but Gail slips out of the ring, hopping back over the ropes and taking Kelly into a schoolboy pin. Kelly kicks out, and Gail pulls her up, irish-whipping her into the corner. Kelly hops backwards over a charging Gail, doing a back tuck for good measure. She armdrags Gail, who then backs into the corner. Kelly peps up the crowd, climbing the turnbuckle for a monkey flip. Gail, however, hangs onto the ropes, sending Kelly to the mat back-first. Gail bridges into a pin for a 2-count.
So I woke up this morninMg and wondered, “Did last night really happen?” A brief moment later, after rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I realised no, I wasn’t in some parallel universe or WWE’s beloved Bizzaro World. Last night did happen. Jillian the Jobber really did win a major championship. Melina really did return to Raw. Mickie James really did get traded to SmackDown. On top of all that, Raw ‘guest correspondent’, Maria Menounos got in the ring and wrestled — and looked better than the real Maria!
Watch the craziness unfold, all over again:
Divas Championship Matches
So apparently title opportunities are no longer earned as Jillian, who has a larger loss record than Paris Hilton has sexual conquests, is handed a title shot. For the record, I absolutely hate title shots that are just handed out. But after Kelly, Mickie, Beth, Gail & even Alicia Fox were given Divas Title shots on Raw this year, it only seems right that Jillian gets one too, right?
Honestly, though as short as it was, I enjoyed the work between Jillian and Mickie. Jillian proves here just what a great worker she is, able to have a nice, kind of fast paced exchange with Mickie. We start with a lockup which goes into a headlock, Mickie throws Jillian against the ropes and goes for a hip toss but Jillian nicely counters into a monkey flip. Mickie sells it oddly, which is covered up as a ‘counter’, getting on her feet & charges at Jillian with a Thesz press. Mickie with a dropkick & pin attempt. She then sets up the tornado DDT but Jillian counters and goes for her facebuster, but Mickie manages to block it and goes for a flip into a pin. Mickie kicks Jillian and throws her into the corner, Mickie launches at Jillian, she ducks and Mickie ends up climbing the ropes. Jillian hits a powerbomb, goes for a pin using the ropes for a leg-up and gets the win. Jillian is the new Divas Champion!
Incredibly short, but I enjoyed the little work that we did see and would’ve liked it to be a little longer. These two work well together and are able to go from one move to another seamlessly without the awkward moments that usually linger in Mickie matches. Good effort, I’d say. Rushed finish which is explained by what’s to come…
So Jillian celebrates her title win with a rendition of my favourite Lady Gaga song, ‘Paparazzi’ and messes up the lyrics. [Yes, I paid attention!] Nancy O’Dell, who sounds kind of annoying if you ask me, interrupts and announces that Jillian will defend the title right now against Raw’s newest acquisition, Melina!
This here, was PRICELESS. Jillian realises what we all realise: her title reign is about to be cut incredibly short. Her acting here was pure genius, the facial expressions, the amazing way she clinged onto the belt as the match was about to start. “It’s mine! Please, it’s mine…” The comedic acting was perfection! And the way her head kinda sank when Justin Roberts took the belt, a little “Aww” moment. Seriously, the acting here was so good.
So it’s time for Melina vs Jillian, and you just knew this was going to be short as hell. Melina almost instantly goes for the leg-split drop but it’s botched by Jillian, who goes down too early. Melina doesn’t quite know what to do but mounts Jillian, I guess they were having a little impromptu pow-wow here with Melina telling her to go into another finish. The set up into the Last Call was a little awkward, though understandable due to it being impromptu. Melina hits it and becomes the Divas Champion.
I really appreciate the work ethic here, yes the match was so short and incredibly botched but the fact Melina showed a cool, collectedness and an ability to think on the spot proves just why I think she should be WWE’s new top Diva. Showing initiative and opting to go for a second finish rather than pinning her on a botched leg-spit drop was a good move. In comparison, Mickie in that match with Gail… A world of difference. Melina showed initiative and handled the situation and it was nicely done given the unfortunate circumstance.
I also want to point attention to Melina’s reaction after the match. This girl is really sweet in real life and very emotional at times and that often comes across on TV too. Melina and Jillian are really great friends and you have to think that it was bittersweet for her to pin her friend, who I’m sure she would want to be champion too. After pinning her, she sort of looked at Jillian a little sadly, and again looked down at her sort of “I’m sorry” as her hand was being raised. At the end of the clip, you’ll also see her saying “I’m sorry,” more in character this time, but still not consistent with her role as a babyface. If you’d just won the title, you’d be flaunting it in your opponent’s face. For Melina, I think her some of her real personality & her real emotional nature came across and I thought it was really sweet. Looking at some of the comments being made towards Melina, I don’t know how one can be pissed off at or ‘hate’ someone who doesn’t even make the decisions; it’s as though the girl booked herself to be the champion.
We’re again bringing you a special edition of Unwrapped, where we cover multi-Diva shoots in a miniaturized version of our regular “unwrappings”, focusing on the looks and ensembles our Divas have put together. This time, we’re taking a look at the “Diva Bowl” photoshoot, in which last Monday’s participants in Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s tag team match show off their football-themed ring gear. Click here to see the full photoshoot.
Alicia Fox Grade: Sweet. Cutting her jersey into little bits, Alicia took the bland heel jersey (what, no Pittsburgh rival jersey?) to the next level, giving it some spunk. It’s refreshing to not see something modified merely to show more chest or stomach. The studded headband is awesome too, and gives the look that Alicia touch. I love it–the whole thing screams “Alicia”, but still fits the theme perfectly.
Beth Phoenix Grade: Sweet. Of course, her requisite Glamazon headband is there, but it fits in perfectly with the white attire. I like how the jersey is cut into slits like male athletes to do the back of their shirts. It’s sexy, but not cheeky. If you look closely, the sleeves are braided too–nice touch. I love the close-up pose too–I’ve bet you’ve never seen a holder look that intimidating.
Brie Bella Grade: Sweet. Finally, a place where the Bella headband works! Granted, its an sports headband, but still.. Brie made a unique modification to her jersey, snipping out the front completely but leaving the back hanging. It’s strange, but I kind of like it. Did you notice that she and Nikki are sharing a pair of gloves? Ah, the sacrifices of being a twin!
Eve Torres Grade: Sweet. A few yellow touches with ribbons and yellow high-top Converse look really cute, especially with her hair tied into pigtails. Perhaps it’s a little too cutesy, but I’ll be damned it she doesn’t look adorable. Someone needs to tell her to take the stickers off the bottom of her shoes, though..
Follow the cut to see the rest of the Divas in the photoshoot.
BETH PHOENIX
EVE TORRES
Tara & Kim Couture Altercation, Bound for Glory
Daffney Goes Through Barbed Wire Table, Bound for Glory
Diva Dancers, Monday Night Raw
