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Michelle McCool

SmackDown Redux – October 17, 2008

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This week on SmackDown: Maria scored an opportunity of a lifetime in a ‘Las Vegas Pole Match’, she will now face Michelle McCool for the Divas Championship.

Thoughts & Reactions
This week’s SmackDown was a real mixed bag. Here’s the thing: I thought the work from the Divas themselves was just fine, the match in terms of ring work was good but a pole match? Really? Raw has it’s battle royals and I guess SmackDown has now adopted the pole match? It was fine when they did it the first time but three times in one year – I hope this was the last one for the remainder of 2008.

Because of the pole situation, the Divas are restricted in what they can do and the match is always formulaic. We always have girls on the outside, two Divas battling it out on the turnbuckle and such. There’s no real focus on the action. The spotlight in this match was firmly on Maryse, even though she lost the match, I don’t think we’ve seen her dropped from the title picture. Even though the focus seemed to be on Maryse and Maria, I was more focussed on following Natalya and Victoria who were really going at it. Is all not well between the BFFs? There wasn’t even any focus on this from JR, which I found slightly odd, as they are supposed to be best friends but they’re going at it. I doubt WWE will pick up on this, but it could be interesting if WWE broke them up. Maybe it’d be the push Natalya needed to be a title contender? Get away from the goofy character Victoria has become? Maria took a pretty sick bump when Maryse pulled her right off the turnbuckle, kudos to her. I really loved that spot, it seems nearly every week now we’re getting these Divas taking real risks and making the action that much more intense. I love that we have Divas who aren’t the best wrestlers as willing to take risks as the likes of Victoria. Brie Bella also took a hit, going into the ring post. Two very good spots that made this match a little more memorable.

The backstage segment with Michelle and Maria was nicely done if a little odd. Obviously they cut out some stuff, because in the spoilers we had Michelle talking about how she’s a competitor. It seems they cut that – maybe because it did come across as heel-ish as I suspected. Instead, they went the route where Michelle respects Maria. But then here’s where it gets really interesting: That cheek pinch? It came across as slightly bitchy and slightly heel-ish. I do hope it amounts to nothing because if you ask me, Michelle is the top face Diva of SmackDown and fills the role really well. I don’t want her to turn heel. As for Michelle’s promo skills lol, stiff as a board. She may have improved in the ring, but her line delivery (as some have pointed out) was almost robotic. Her accent isn’t the most appealing either.

As for the earlier segment with Maryse and Vickie, I have always said it’s kind of endearing when Maryse messes up when speaking English. I find it cute.

So Maria scores a title shot, so where do we go from here? Everyone thought Maryse had this one down. I think the Maria vs Michelle match will end up taking place next week with Maryse interfering and costing Maria the match, continuing her feud with Michelle. This could end up being a triple threat situation or just a forum for Maryse to upstage Michelle again. We’ll see next week!

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Mickie & Layla (Possibly) Wrestle & the Divas Play Dress-Up

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The most interactive deceptive pay-per-view of the year returns! Two Diva-related events have been scheduled for Cyber Sunday, which takes place in two weeks. Rock the vote to decide: • Choose which teams will go one-on-one in a Pick the Tag Team Match. Choose from one of the following matches: – Tag Team Champs Cody … Read more

SmackDown Redux – October 3, 2008

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This week on SmackDown: On the big premiere on MyNetwork TV, the Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix upstaged SmackDown’s own, Michelle McCool in a battle of the champions. Meanwhile, the rest of the WWE Divas observed from ringside as lumberjacks.

Thoughts & Reactions
As expected, the Glamazon picked up a victory over the Divas Champion. I’m in two minds about this: On one hand, it’s far more believable to have Beth go over Michelle but on the other hand, what good does it do in the long run for Michelle? SmackDown is her brand, after all and not Beth’s. I think SmackDown’s creative team did a good job in solving that problem and thus, I have no issue with Beth going over. As I wrote, it was to be expected and I think it was the right finish. Yes, SmackDown is Michelle’s show and while Beth gets to go back to Raw, Michelle must carry on in front of the MyNet audience having lost on the first night – I think the writing was strong enough in that we had an interference from Michelle’s rival, Maryse to blame for her loss. Nice set up to continue this feud and introduce it to the MyNet audience.

As for the match itself, I wasn’t sold one bit. I was really looking forward to this match, but I just felt the work was awkward and these two didn’t have any real chemistry. I love both Divas, but Michelle in particular let me down on SmackDown. I just felt she was awkward in the ring, wholly unexciting and frankly, I expected more from her. She seemed to veer towards kicks, arm locks… blah blah. None of the exciting, fast paced action we’re used to seeing from the Divas Champion. Honestly, I felt the match was sloppy. The finish was pretty strong however, not exactly making up for the poor match, but it was a good finish. The Glam Slam looked pretty sick and was an effective end to the match.

Let us not forgot the Divas on the outside of the ring! Oh the poor, unexpecting MyNet audience! I don’t know why the WWE Divas insist on looking like hookers, honestly, when they came out it looked like a hooker parade. I just wish these girls would dress decently, because it’s all their own doing honestly. It was almost as though the Divas who are less ‘slutty’ tried to slut it up to hang in there with the ‘models’, Jesus, Natalya looked like she couldn’t even walk in those stupid heels. Did they get the wrong memo? They dressed as if they were hitting up a night club (or a street corner), not dressed to act as lumberjacks for a women’s wrestling match. I think Layla is the only one who looked decent. As for the lumberjack brawl lol, all I really recall is loads of bad weaves flashing across the screen. Oh and I’m pretty certain I saw someone’s shoe come off! And apparently Lena‘s a heel… Who cares?

A lot of people brought up the fact that this match did nothing to put over Candice vs Beth and was more about Maryse vs Michelle. Actually, I’m all for it. This is SmackDown not Raw, I liked that the focus was on SmackDown’s Divas feud and building up that for the coming weeks. Sure, Candice and Beth have a Women’s Championship match at No Mercy, but it’s not their show and if Raw’s shitty creative team cannot fundamentally provide some decent booking for this ‘feud’, why should SmackDown’s writers put it over? I felt the glances from Candice to Beth after the match were sufficient. I’m excited to see where Maryse vs Michelle goes next, Maryse really is proving to be a big ole thorn in Michelle’s side and there’s so many ways they can go with this!

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Champion vs Champion Becomes Jumberjack Match

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WWE.com has changed it’s match description for the Champion vs Champion match between Beth Phoenix and Michelle McCool to a Lumberjack Match, with all the other WWE Divas surrounding the ring. The match takes place this Friday night on the SmackDown All Star Kick-Off on MyNetworkTV. Should be pretty cool, but what do you think … Read more

Champion vs Champion Announced

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WWE.com has announced a match between Divas Champion, Michelle McCool and Women’s Champion, Beth Phoenix for it’s SmackDown All-Star Kick Off next Friday! The match will be part of SmackDown’s first ever broadcast on MyNetworkTV on October 3rd. Divas Champion Michelle McCool has seen her star rise since becoming the first-ever Divas Champion in WWE … Read more

ECW Does SmackDown Redux – September 23, 2008

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The show may change but the Divas stay the same! Welcome to a very special “extreme” edition of SmackDown Redux – ECW Does SmackDown Redux that is! Last night on ECW, Divas Champion Michelle McCool tasted defeat for the first time at the hands of Maryse.

Thoughts & Reactions
For the first time in months, Divas action came to ECW last night! I don’t understand WWE’s logic, is there idea of ‘fresh’ having the same match from last week’s SmackDown but just on a different show? I can’t say I’m complaining too much because the Divas who can do no wrong, Maryse and Michelle McCool did something that Spider-Man or Pirates of the Caribbean could never do – create a perfect trilogy. It’s usually the threequels that let let a trilogy down but not this one! Once again, Michelle and Maryse delivered a great match full of intensity and fire. Would I say it was as good as their match last Friday on SmackDown? No, but let’s face it, that’s a hard one to top! Both girls really did try though and I watched this match with a smile on my face and when it ended, I loved and respected both of them that much more.

This match was more about Maryse playing the aggressor and she was fantastic. We keep saying it, but for someone who’s been wrestling for such a short time, she has not only the moves but the heel mannerisms down to a tee! Maryse has fantastic ring presence as a heel, she knows how to play the crowd and knows how to work her opponent and I have to say, she brings a lot of fire out in Michelle that we’ve never seen before. Many complain about Michelle’s lack of personality and such but if you watch this match, I thought Michelle responded incredibly well to Maryse and these two share an insane chemistry. There’s something almost charming about Michelle taking more of a backseat and jobbing for most of the match, if you’re a face champion, it’s good to look vulnerable to your opponent and then win where it counts – a title match.

To trackback, when you heard this was a non-title match didn’t you just know Maryse was going to win? It’s a good move though, as this sets up Maryse as having earned another title shot against Michelle. In fact, I can actually see Maryse going over Michelle and winning the title in the near future. At this point, I don’t care if we see Michelle vs Maryse every week as long as the calibre is the same as this and their past matches. Great stuff!

Oh and I nearly forgot to mention: the commentary for this match was fantastic. I don’t watch ECW so I never realised how good Matt Striker is, he and JR really put over the Divas and the in-ring action rather than going off on tangents like Raw. Giving focus and attention to what we’re watching really adds to the experience, I really loved the commentary and it definitely added to my viewing.

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SmackDown Redux – September 19, 2008

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This week on SmackDown: Michelle McCool toppled Maryse once more in a Divas Championship rematch. Brie Bella and Maria ran into Natalya and Victoria. And even Eve Torres teased she wanted in on the action!

Thoughts & Reactions
Last night’s Friday Night SmackDown proved exactly what I’ve been saying about the SmackDown women’s division for so long now… it’s superior. For months I’ve touted that SmackDown provides the best Divas entertainment of the week, fun matches, likable Divas, great chemistry and last night’s show, to me, was a seminal episode. For those who don’t know what seminal means:

highly original and influencing the development of future events: a seminal artist; seminal ideas.

That’s exactly what I felt about last night’s Divas action on SmackDown. The Divas Championship match between Michelle McCool and Maryse was a seminal moment in SmackDown’s Diva history. That match tore it down! I really enjoyed their work at Unforgiven and when I first read the spoilers, I thought “How are they gonna top that?” but they did in a huge way. I loved the Unforgiven match and I loved this match, I want to say it was better than Unforgiven and in many ways it was, but both matches were very different and focussed on different things. I guess if it came down to it, I would say last night’s match was better but the two matches were very different: Unforgiven was more about telling a story, having in-ring psychology whereas this match was more fast paced and action packed. It depends on what you like to see in the ring in deciding which you preferred. The SmackDown match was incredibly action packed, so much fun to watch and the work was incredible. I’m sure they edited some stuff, but in all you can’t fake great ring presence and you can’t fake comfortability in the ring – these two are no Victoria or Mickie James – but they exuded ring presence and comfortability, which cannot be edited into a show.

Seeing how well Maryse and Michelle used their surroundings (the ring, the ring ropes), it made me feel as though I was watching a match between two veterans. Both of these Divas worked so hard and the work was fantastic. There were several great spots in this match and I was honestly blown away, just when I thought they’d let down, they got even better. The match was given a great length, had many different spots and felt like ‘must see television’. I love that Michelle is using the ‘Wings of Love’ again, it’s a great move and a nice fitting end to this match. Would I have Maryse and Michelle continue to feud? No. Michelle has two victories over Maryse now, I think it’s time to move on. I honestly think these two are 2-for-2 in their singles matches and I wouldn’t want them to ruin the great work they’ve had together by having loads more singles matches together. If and when Part 3 takes place, I would want it to mean something like Gail Kim vs Awesome Kong. I felt really proud watching this match, as though my allegiance to the SmackDown women’s division was rewarded.

Later in the evening, we got Eve Torres teasing that she too, could be making her in-ring debut in a segment with Vickie Guerrero and the Big Show. How do I feel about this? The more the merrier! If she is decent in the ring, why not? I’m excited to see her wrestle if and when she makes her in-ring debut.

The backstage segment between the four other Divas was another display of fine work, this time not of in-ring ability, but promo ability. Seems as though newbie, Brie Bella is just as good at cutting promos as she is in the ring. As for Maria, I think after posing for Playboy, she needs to drop the ditzy gimmick and it seemed she tried to go back to that on SmackDown. It doesn’t really work, if you ask me. She needs to find a new niche. Natalya and Victoria were entertaining as ever and I love that this segment actually promoted a match for next week. Will Nicole finally be revealed?

If you ask me, this week’s Divas action was fantastic and perhaps I am being biased, but it proved to me just why I look forward more to Friday nights than Monday nights.

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Owning Up: McSlutHoBag & Frenchie Who Can’t Wrestle

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We here at Diva Dirt have long been accused of favoring certain Divas and shamelessly bashing others – look around in any post and you’ll witness the outrage. We have defended our opinions countless times with logic and reasoning, but the time has come to face the ugly truth – we are biased. Yes, it’s true. We specifically target your favorite Diva, pointing out faults that don’t exist and ignoring their countless glorious attributes. Whoever she is, you can bet your ass that we’re reading your mind and are determined to make her a martyr for our enjoyment. If you like Candice, we say she botches. You like Maria? She dresses like a tranny clown. What about Mickie? She’s a slut who takes nasty photos. Kelly Kelly? Her moves are too ~flashy~. Yes, yes.. No one is safe from our reign of terror. Well, that is, except for Melina and Torrie. You know, because they’re our favorites. They could fart and we’d dub it the greatest fart ever unleashed on the world. Why is that? Because we bash, we discriminate. We’re biased. You caught us red handed!

With that out of the way, we’re ushering in a new feature to Diva Dirt – Owning Up. We’ll be giving you, the readers, what you want. We’ll be taking your comments and applying them to our own viewpoints, using the same techniques many of you use to judge what we do and what the Divas do. It’s unmitigated bashing! At least now you can bitch with some basis.. WARNING: Markyness ahead. We will see what we want to see and interpret things the way we see fit. If it’s not true, so what? We bash all the time, remember? This shouldn’t be any different..

Now, on to this week’s SmackDown match between Michelle McCool and Maryse. Actually, I prefer to amend Michelle’s surname to a more apt title – “McSlutHoBag” – because, you know, she sleeps with The Undertaker, and there’s no way in hell she’d be where she is today if she wasn’t screwing one of the WWE’s legends. Maryse is French, so obviously she can’t speak well. I can’t understand her! She sounds soooo stupid with that French accent – how can anyone take her seriously? Ugh.. I know, women should be seen and not heard. Never a truer statement in this case..

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Watch: SmackDown, September 19th 2008

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Every week, we have comments with people discussing the weekly SmackDown Divas matches on YouTube before they air on television. Usually, we wait till the SmackDown Redux to discuss the matches but we’ve decided that each week, we will post the matches from the show right here every Friday for you to watch and discuss. … Read more

Awesome Kong Tops PWI Female 50

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The unstoppable former TNA Knockouts Champion, Awesome Kong has been revealed as the Diva/Knockout to top the first ever PWI Female 50. As we reported last week, Pro Wrestling Insider, a prestigious wrestling magazine chose to launch the ‘Female 50’ as a companion to the popular ‘PWI 500’ which is dedicated to male wrestlers.

Following Kong is the current WWE Women’s Champion, Beth Phoenix. First ever Divas Champion, Michelle McCool debuts at #9 and current Knockout Champion, Taylor Wilde is in at #13.

Check out the full list below courtesy of PWPIx.net:

It should be noted that PWI has opted to exclude Mexican and Japanese women’s wrestlers from the rankings – sans Sarah Stock. Regarding this. PWI wrote: “That isn’t intended to be a slight against international competitors. More so than with the male counterparts, women’s wrestling varies tremendously between the North American style, the Japanese joshi puroresu styles and the Mexican lucha libre style. With few notable exceptions (such as Sumie Sakai and Gail Kim), a wrestler who excels in one style may fare much more poorly in a different style. Besides, we wanted to shine the spotlight primarily on the U.S. and Canadians competitors first. If reader response to this special section is strong, perhaps we will consider ranking more women, including international competitors, in the future.”

On how they ranked the wrestlers, PWI wrote: “To determine this list and compile the rankings, we examined a variety of criteria. While placing special emphasis on a wrestler’s accomplishments over the past calender year, we also took note of each women’s career accomplishments as well. For example, a veteran like Malia Hosaka may not have wrestled as many matches or as many high-profile bouts as Cherry over the past 12 months, but based on her accomplishments throughout her 20-plus year career, we felt she deserved inclusion.”

PWI also went over possible controversy in regards to ranking the likes of Maria and Velvet Sky ahead of more “scientifically skilled technicians” such as Lexie Fyfe and Cindy Rogers. Prominence and marketability factored into the rankings as it’s not only based on technical ability and accomplishments. PWI wrote: “We evaluated each woman on championships held, quality of opposition faced, overall athletic ability, prominence, and marketability. To some critics, those last two criteria may be controversial. After all, some may argue that wrestlers like Maria Kanellis and Velvet Sky have no business being ranked ahead of more scientifically skilled technicians like Cindy Rogers and Lexie Fyfe. We would argue that marketability and prominence are an important aspect of pro wrestling, and that the success of these Divas and Knockouts have had on such a major stage has to be taken into consideration.”

PWI Female 50
1. Awesome Kong
2. Beth Phoenix
3. Gail Kim
4. Mickie James
5. MsChif
6. Sarah Del Ray
7. Roxxi Laveaux
8. Melina
9. Michelle McCool
10. Candice Michelle

Rest after the cut:

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Women’s & Divas Champions Collide!

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According to e-mails I received from a few readers, there will be a series of champion vs champion matches taking place on SmackDown’s debut show on MyNetworkTV on October 3rd. WWE aired a promo package on Raw last night to that affect, though I didn’t see it because I don’t live in the States. If … Read more

SmackDown Redux – September 12, 2008

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This week on SmackDown: Michelle McCool and team mates, Brie Bella and Maria picked up a pin fall victory over Maryse, Natalya and Victoria in six Diva action.

Thoughts & Reactions
A few weeks ago when I said Natalya is being treated as the new Victoria, boy was I right. Despite all the hype surrounding her arrival and an initial push, Natalya has been pushed behind Maryse and Victoria behind Natalya. There was a time when during entrances, the heel Divas would come out to Natalya’s music and she’d be the centre Diva with Victoria and Maryse on either side of her – it’s evident that Maryse is now being pushed as the top Diva on SmackDown. As beautiful and talented as she may be, there is no stronger heel on among the SmackDown Divas – hell, there isn’t a stronger heel among any of the WWE Divas – than Natalya. Natalya excels at every part of the Diva package; she’s hot, has a great entrance, is comfortable on the microphone, oozes confidence and above all else – is an amazing wrestler. Natalya’s skills not only undermine most of the Divas, but most of the men too. I dare say, Natalya has been a more effective heel than Beth Phoenix in her short time in the company. It’s sad to see her being pushed aside, WWE doesn’t know what it’s missing.

After seeing Brie so impressive in the ring against Victoria, it was time to truly bring her into the ‘Diva fold’, by having her team up with Michelle and Maria. Not only did she team up with them, but scored the win for her team. Since Brie joined SmackDown, she seemed to fit like hand to glove and I am really enjoying the gimmick WWE is doing. It’s not very often the Divas get a gimmick or an actual storyline, so Brie is definitely one of the luckier Divas of the pack. Against Victoria, she had two great matches and I think it’s a definite admission to Victoria’s extraordinary in-ring ability because this week, against Maryse, Brie faltered. Both of these Divas are still learning and growing, so putting them in the ring together isn’t effective. The work between these two felt sloppy, whereas Brie seemed to work great with Victoria and performed a great monkey flip on Natalya. Perhaps Brie needs to be led in her matches?

Michelle and Natalya have great chemistry and I love seeing them in the ring together (minus that awful Great American Bash match), I liked their start to the match. Michelle seems really polished in the ring and has ring presence and to me, that’s what sets her apart and makes her the best wrestler to come out of the Diva Search. I think Erin pointed out something about how it looks odd when Michelle does the “big boot”, personally I love it. It’s such an un-Diva thing to do which is why it stands out to me, not to mention Michelle has the height to pull it off.

As for our Maria? She wanted to pull off a few complicated moves this week, but Maria has yet to work the basics. Maria really should concentrate on those first and not try to mask her lack of basic wrestling skills by pulling off flashy moves. It didn’t work for Kelly Kelly and it doesn’t work for Maria. Maria’s timing is slow, I felt like I was waiting ages for her to pull off an inside cradle on Natalya.

Here’s a thought: How about one of these days, when Brie and Nicole switch places, Nicole actually wrestles for a little bit before getting the win? I’d love to see Brie and Nicole switch mid-match, so Nicole can wrestle a bit too. Maybe they chose Brie to run the angle because she’s a better worker? We’ll see. I don’t know why Michelle’s music played at the end, it’s usually the person who got the pin fall whose music plays. Decent effort by all, I liked the match.

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Michelle Gets All Philosophical

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Michelle McCool has taken to her Fan Nation blog to comment on a few things, mainly the amount of scruntity that she and other Divas endure: Personality/character: I had someone send me a message saying that I’m this, I’m that, I don’t have this, I don’t have that, I stink at this, I stink at … Read more

Systematic Breakdown of Unforgiven

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The first ever Divas Championship match at Unforgiven – and the first ever Divas Championship title defence – is in the books. The All American Girl, Michelle McCool retained her title against the French-Canadian hottie who just happened to dress like Iron Man, Maryse. What’s the verdict? I’d say it was positive. In SmackDown’s second pay per view outing, the stars aligned for our Divas at Unforgiven, making up for the lack of time and excitement at Great American Bash when Michelle first won her title by defeating Natalya. This time around, the two Divas involved really worked it out, using their surroundings well to make a fun match up, plus they were afforded more time than the Divas are usually given on pay per view. The result was a good match from the SmackDown blondes – if a lot sloppy at times.

All in all, I think the work was strong, there was a lot of movement and a lot of story told in this match with Maryse going after Michelle’s leg and such. Neither Michelle or Maryse are at Mickie James or Beth Phoenix level so I definitely expected some sloppiness, but I think these two overcame the odds and by the time the final bell rang, they delivered a good match. The action was fast paced which I did not expect from these two, they both showed a lot of athleticism and I think it’s a true testament to how SmackDown has developed. Anyone who reads my Raw or SmackDown Redux, knows that I think it’s great when the Divas go on the outside and get a little rough and this was Raw calibre right here. Given they are not the most experienced Divas on the roster, I think it was great that they took the risk and Maryse throwing Michelle over the barricade and then Michelle clotheslining Maryse jumping off the barricade. I don’t think I’ve seen the Divas really do that, sure they brawl on the outside and stuff but this took it to the next level.

The second half of the match told more of a story, which I appreciated, with Maryse working on Michelle’s knee and her more on the offensive. We’re used to see Michelle dominating matches, so it was a nice change of pace and we got to see some great work from Maryse. I knew from the outset that Michelle would win, but I feel both Divas got some equal time to show off their moves and even though Maryse lost, she got to work it out. As I was talking about in the live blog last night, seems as though Michelle has changed her “Wings of Love” from an Awesome Kong “Implant Buster” to a simple front suplex, it doesn’t look as good or as effective.

It could have used a little more crowd injection, I don’t think they were into the match. I have a feeling because not as many people watch SmackDown as Raw, maybe the audience isn’t as familiar with the SmackDown Divas? Or maybe they just straight up don’t like what they saw? But in all, I enjoyed the match and the work from both Divas.

Watch the match & see the photos after the cut:

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Diva Dirt’s Unforgiven Tip Sheet

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Tonight at Unforgiven, Michelle McCool defends her Divas Championship for the very first time against Maryse. It’ll be a SmackDown affair to remember. Who’ll come out on top? We’ll be live blogging throughout the show tonight live, so join us at 7:45pm Eastern (12:45am UK) for that! But now read our predictions on tonight’s outcome: … Read more

SmackDown Redux – September 5, 2008

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This week on SmackDown: the #1 Contender for the Divas Championship, Maryse was on a high roll on her way to Unforgiven with a win over Maria. Following the match, Maryse and the champ herself, Michelle McCool had an almighty staredown at the top of the rampway. Next up, Brie Bella once again scored an impressive victory over Victoria… or did she?

Thoughts & Reactions
Did not see it coming. What am I referring to? The match between Maryse and Maria on SmackDown last night. Given the two Divas involved, I wasn’t expecting a match of this calibre – okay it wasn’t exactly Beth Phoenix vs Melina, but honestly, I thought Maryse and Maria delivered a very good match on Friday’s show. I didn’t have high hopes for this match, neither of these two Divas is that great in the ring, despite Maryse really improving – she is still not of the calibre of Michelle or Natalya but the two girls really carried this match well. As to be expected, there was some awkwardness but I honestly think both Divas gave a valiant effort and this match really exceeded my expectations.

I liked that, first of all, we got to see these two Divas who were less experienced than our veterans go on the outside and really make it work. It’s nice to see both Maria and Maryse willing to take bumps and take risks on the outside of the ring, it added a nice feel to the match too. Some of you think that I seem to hate Maria, but I don’t, she’s usually just not very good in the ring. Who knew that she’d really pull it out of the bag in a match with Maryse of all people? Her hurricanrana, in my estimation, was exactly spot on. Great work, honestly, I’ve seen the veteran Mickie James pull off some bad hurricanranas and she’s a four time Women’s Champion. This is the first time I’ve seen Maria do it and it was perfection. It looks like Maryse watched Brie Bella’s match last week and took some tips, she tried to make her moves look more interesting by finding fun ways to execute them. As for her DDT at the end, I love the way she executes it, that hair flip thing looks hot and her DDT is executed perfectly. Again to make a contrast, half the time Lita’s DDTs looked pretty sloppy but Maryse’s was nice and neat.

I loved the staredown between Michelle and Maryse and I’m genuinely excited for their match on pay per view tomorrow night, it could be pretty good. Then again I did say that about Michelle vs Natalya at the Great American Bash and that match was a letdown.

Oh I nearly forgot to mention that backstage promo between Maryse and Maria before the match. Lol, “You seem in the hurry”, says our Maryse. “You’re not going in the ring wearing this, don’t you?” Honestly, I’m not trying to make fun of Maryse, in fact, I find her little mess-ups to be really cute. Obviously, not having English as her first language is a barrier for Maryse, but I thought these little mistakes were really endearing and made me go “aww.” As for Maria’s promo skills, I have to say you wouldn’t be able to tell she’s a face. Now that she’s ditched the ditzy character, in her promos she comes across really bratty and bitchy.

Anyhoo, we got even more Divas action this week and after their great match last week, I really doubted if Brie and Victoria could pull off a match of the same calibre. I’m sad to report that it wasn’t as good last week but it was still good. Victoria controlled the match much more this week, so we didn’t really get to see Brie’s impressive moveset but I felt the match really built up Brie as the underdog rising star and I appreciated the work from both Divas. I noticed this week, the announcers are dropping hints to the switcheroo business as though we’re slowly but surely uncovering the truth that Brie is switching places with Nicole. JR’s commentary certainly insinuated so, I just want this to be a slow burner. I don’t want the reveal to happen too soon because I think there’s a lot of life in this storyline that could carry on for a good few months. Again in this match, we had less experienced newbie taking risks by jumping off the ring apron onto Victoria on the outside.

Honestly, both the matches this week were a great watch and miles ahead of the six Diva tag on Raw. These SmackDown girls are really working it out!

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Michelle’s Ready For Some Football!

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Michelle McCool must be one of the many people who are psyched for the start of both the college football and NFL seasons, because her new photoshoot “Touchdown!” is shamelessly football-themed. It’s a little Maxim magazine for me, as it’s sorta cliche, but she does look quite good. At least she’s not wearing a tiny … Read more

Michelle vs. Maryse Announced for Unforgiven

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Just as we suspected, WWE.com has announced that Michelle McCool will be defending her Divas Championship against Maryse this Sunday at Unforgiven. This will mark her first title defense thus far: At Unforgiven, proud Divas Champion Michelle McCool will risk the gold she has tirelessly fought for against the cunning Maryse in a match of … Read more

One Year On, Comparing Candice

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It’s been nearly one year since Candice Michelle went down with an injury, but tonight she makes her return… her mini-comeback at WrestleMania time doesn’t count. Last year, Candice was praised by WWE, the fans and critics alike on her improvements, she was rewarded with the Women’s Championship and at the end of the year … Read more

SmackDown Redux – August 29, 2008

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This week: Maryse put herself forward as the top heel on SmackDown, as she and Natalya defeated Michelle McCool and Maria. The match ended in a big brawl between the Divas Champ and the French hottie. Meanwhile, Brie Bella made her debut beating Victoria… but there’s more to this story than just that.

Thoughts & Reactions
Okay, this week’s SmackDown Redux may read more like a rant so brace yourselves. As much as I’ve grown to love Maryse, how the hell did we go from Maria vs Maryse and Michelle vs Natalya to Maryse hijacking the Divas Championship title shot from Natalya?! I thought the tag team feud was about furthering Michelle/Natalya and Maryse’s supposed feud with Maria. Instead, we now have set up Maryse as the new title contender for Michelle McCool – and in the process, Maryse is now the top heel on SmackDown? This week’s episode really felt as though they were phasing out Natalya, who has been the biggest heel among the SmackDown Divas and pushing Maryse and this pisses me off. WWE has built up Natalya so strongly and in the course of two hours, they switch their game plan and now this division apparently hinges on Maryse who is a weaker wrestler and a weaker character than the thrid-generation Diva.

This week it seemed as though Natalya was being made to look like the new Victoria, in which case, what does that say about Victoria? Natalya was only on SmackDown to make up the odds for her team and to be the “hired muscle”, make no mistake, this match was all about putting over Maryse. I just don’t get it and after this match, I was left very frustrated and pissed off. Maryse has unfinished business with Maria and now she’s going after Michelle too?! Oh sure, let’s just give her two feuds. I don’t know what Natalya has done to piss off management or creative but after last night’s SmackDown, it seems that the third-generation Diva is on the outs. And I am not happy. The new direction seems to be Maryse as the new top heel. No offence to her, because I do like her work, she has improved so much and I’ve become a fan – but she is no Natalya. Maryse is fine as a secondary heel (sort of like the Melina to Beth Phoenix earlier this year), but I think it’s far too soon to break Maryse out as the top heel especially when you have someone as over and as capable as Natalya. NOT HAPPY.

As for the match, the work was good and I enjoyed both the match and the very impressive scuffle after the match. Michelle really went after Maryse after the match, did you see? I thought she was throwing some real stiff shots, it looked really real and looked so good on screen, so kudos to both Divas. To touch upon the segment that preceded the match, well let’s just say, Maryse spluttered her lines. Understandable for someone who’s first language is not English but if that’s the case, WWE shouldn’t be putting her in a position to cut promos.

As for the Brie-Victoria match, I already talked briefly about this yesterday but it doesn’t hurt to talk some more! Again, Brie was very impressive in her debut match. As I wrote yesterday, it seems that these inexperienced workers tend to try and pull off flashy moves (see Kelly Kelly) to compensate for their lack of knowledge. But Brie didn’t exactly go that route, her moves were pretty basic, she just found a new, innovative spin on them and that made her a lot of fun to watch. Like Melina, she is fun to watch in the ring and I thoroughly enjoyed her first effort. One match in and she is already a far superior worker to some of the girls who’ve been in the WWE and have been wrestling way longer than her such as Maria. I remind you, Brie has only been wrestling for one year down in FCW. We got a brief appearance from Brie’s sister Nicole after Brie went under the ring. You can spot the difference like so: During the match, Brie wore a belt. After “returning” from under the ring, no belt. Two very good matches, however the booking for the second was far better than the first.

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Michelle Perfects the Art of Sideways Glances

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Michelle McCool must be taking tips from that Audrina girl from The Hills, because in this photoshot, “Pretty Purple”, it’s quite obvious that she’s going for a more mysterious look by way of looking anywhere *but* at the camera. I can’t say she achieved this, because she looks more bewildered than sly. That Ed Hardy-ripoff … Read more

SmackDown Redux – August 22, 2008

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This week on SmackDown: Natalya and Maria faced off in the opener of this week’s show. Maria got the win via DQ after being attacked by Natalyta and Maryse before Michelle McCool made the save.

Thoughts & Reactions
Upon reading this week’s spoilers, I felt an initial surprise – the result was something new and different. But in execution, I felt this week’s SmackDown was the same old, same old and not very good. This week, the real question was what could the experienced favourite Natalya pull out of the inexperienced and somewhat annoying Maria? Well the answer was, a little. While I’m never really impressed with Maria, this week was an improvement on the past few weeks proving what an uber-Diva Natalya is.

The third generation Diva continues to exert her unique prowess in the ring, bringing in-ring psychology into the mix while trying to stumble from one move to the next, carrying the Playboy covergirl. I liked the whole deal with Natalya going after Maria’s knee. This was a surprisingly long match – I’m used to quickies from the Divas, but the length really helped Natalya and Maria get their story across.

If Maryse is interfering, why would her entrance music play? I didn’t really like the end, I felt this could be a good match if they had a clean win. Instead we have the involvement of Maryse and Michelle and the end, as usual over the past month on SmackDown, felt unresolved. No storyline continuations, just matches with undefined endings. I mean where is this all going? Are we just going to have a random combination of matches every week? Can they not just announce a Maria vs Maryse match for next week or something? Can they not just give Natalya her rematch already? Why do we need to go around in circles every freakin’ week? The booking leaves a lot to be desired.

Overall, the match was okay but the end I wasn’t keen on.

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