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!
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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.
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Read more to see the rest of the Thanksgiving looks and vote for your favorite.
Ironically, the most notable Diva not involved in this Sunday’s Surivor Series pay per view is the Diva contribution to WWE.com’s new ‘dream Survivor Series teams’ article. Pretty simple: the Superstars and Divas pick the four stars they’d pick to be on their team in a traditional Survivor Series elimination match. Third-gen Diva Natalya unsurprisingly … 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)
Eve Torres‘s Golden Grappler Appearance: Eve’s wearing her signature ring gear in a stunning shade of gold. The black and gold look fantastic with her complexion. Her hair looks fabulous too. The ruching and frills on the top is a little out of place, though, but I guess you won’t be seeing it up close when she’s wrestling. I just overall like her style of ring gear–it certainly sets her apart. The shorts and boots kind of give me a Lara Croft vibe. Poses: The poses don’t alternate too much, but she looks gorgeous–she certainly can do the “sexy facE” thing without it looking over-the-top. I really dig the crouching pose. Uniqueness: It’s a ring gear photoshoot, and Eve’s ring gear is unique in itself, so this shoot’s got that going for it. Grade: Sweet. I love ring gear shoots and Eve’s gear is pretty interesting, so it’s a winning combination.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Layla‘s The Heat of the Moment Appearance: Layla’s going for the “white hot” Miami Heat movement–it’s almost like she’s in the seats at the American Airline Arena during a big home game. The stark white shorts, sweatband, and Converse boots paired with the jersey would be a bit too much in a conventional outfit, but this is kind of a costume-y look, so I can accept it. The white look especially hot in this high-contrast lighting. It’s nice to see Layla’s got still got some team spirit in her. Poses: White, white white.. Layla’s white clothes, posed against the white wall make for an interesting look. One wouldn’t think that you could do much posing in a corner, but Layla uses it well. She switches from smoldering and sexy to fun without missing a beat. Uniqueness: Not many Divas (if at all) have danced for an NBA team, so Layla’s naturally got to show off her team spirit. This is one “sexy jersey” shoot that doesn’t come off as cheesy to me. Grade: Sweet. This is more than just a “chick in a jersey” shoot–Layla puts her trademark spunky-ness into it to make it interesting.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Mickie James‘s Unflappable Appearance: Mickie’s looking all flapper in her sparkly dress, long pearl necklace, and glizty hair clip. It’s costume-y, yeah, and looked kind of silly when she wore it on SmackDown, but this benefits from being in a photoshoot. The costume vibe is much easier to swallow. She fills out the dress beautifully, and her hair is wonderfully retro in a way we don’t see Mickie very often. Poses: There’s a few blank stares that derail it a bit, but Mickie manages to inject her fun personality into it regardless. I especially love the over-the-shoulder poses. Uniqueness: Not many Divas go to he roaring 20s for style inspiration. I like that Mickie’s gone a little outside the lines for this look, even if it looked a bit silly on telvision. Grade: Sweet. Now let’s just see if she can do the Charleston.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Read more to see the rest of this week’s photoshoots and vote for your favorite.
Friday the 13th may be considered an ‘unlucky’ day but mark the date in your diaries folks, because this Friday the 13th brings good luck to the Divas and their fans alike. On paper, Mickie James vs Natalya is a dream match waiting to happen and this week, the dream match became a reality…
Just moments prior to this match, we see Layla approach Mickie backstage in another badly-acted backstage segment. While Layla distracts Mickie, this allows Michelle McCool to sneak into Mickie’s lockerroom because otherwise that close-up of Mickie’s dressing room door will have been for nothing. Mickie once again calls Layla ‘Scary Spice’ in a lame attempt at humour. Note to WWE: It’s not going to catch on.
Anyway, with the rising tension set, it’s time for all to boil over, in where else, but the ring. Mickie gets a full entrance while Natalya has to make do with a Beth-jobber-sized ‘announcement’. Rude.
Easily two of the best wrestlers on the Divas roster, we finally get to the wrestling bit as the bell rings and Natalya takes down Mickie by her legs and then begins slapping her around the head. Nothing pretty about Natalya’s style, as has been much noted, but it’s fun to watch and breaks from the Diva norm. Natalya then gets to her feet and looks rather like ODB as she taunts her opponent. She goes for a clothesline but Mickie counters into a snapmare and a beautiful low dropkick which stuns the powerhouse third-gen Diva. Natalya scatters from the ring in true heel fashion crying, “You back her up!”
Mickie, taking no nonsense, goes for a baseball slide but Natalya moves out of the way and shoves Mickie into the steel steps. When was the last time the steps came into play in a Divas match? And no, Melina tripping on them doesn’t count. This was a nice display of physicality from Natalya, it’s rare to see the harsh steel steps used in Divas matches but it fits with Natalya’s rough-house style. Mickie sells the spot well as Nattie takes the lead and throws Mickie back in the ring and capitalises on hurting Mickie with a quick pin fall.
Natalya grabs Mickie by the hair and slams her straight back onto the mat, before locking Mickie into her patented surfboard submission move. With Natalya’s shoulders down, the referee begins the three-count in Mickie’s favour but Nattie breaks the hold, causing her to fall smack-flat on her face. Great spot here.
The Hart Dynasty Diva follows up with forearms and stomps Mickie in the corner with no relent. In a very nice Melina-esque spot, Natalya attempts to force Mickie out of the corner by her legs, Mickie holds onto the ropes with her arms and ends up jumping to her feet and comes at her with forearms. Natalya then comes back with a forearm of her own, then shoves Mickie into aforementioned corner and lays in knee strikes to Mickie’s body. Mickie manages to hit her patented hurricanrana from the corner and then gains momentum with clotheslines, Natalya then comes back and somehow Mickie ends up jumping through the bottom rope. O… kay…
Natalya runs at Mickie on the apron, Mickie with a shoulder block and goes up top, the two Divas then trade blows. All of a sudden we cut to Layla and McCool coming down to the ring with a few choice garments from Mickie’s lockerroom. In the ring, Mickie hits a Thesz Press from the top and goes for a cover but Natalya kicks out. Mickie becomes distracted by Layla & Michelle, who [wearing gloves, by the way] cut into Mickie’s purple wrestling top.
In the ring, Natalya takes advantage with a clothesline from behind and locks in her finisher, the Sharpshooter and Mickie eventually taps out. Meanwhile, Layla & Michelle are now cutting into Mickie’s pants. Mickie, who seems to be emotionally invested in her clothes, is visibly in tears. I know clothes can hold a sentimental value but this just came across silly. Wouldn’t you expect her to jump out of the ring and chase them? Not watch on in a flood of tears like they’ve run over her cat.
The match itself was very solid and featured great work from both Divas; it was hard hitting, it was at times rough and thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a shame that the fans in attendance weren’t more into it, which is unusual for UK crowds who pretty much cheer the whole show. The commentary also, was rather bland and monotonous for the most part and added little to the match. Perhaps those two factors could have helped a little more but other than that, I thought this was a great match and both Divas did a great job. I can’t help but feel that with more time and perhaps a little less restriction, it could’ve been even better. This came across as just 25% of what they can do and hopefully one day we’ll see them go all out.
Next up, the Glamazon Squash Tour stops by Britain:
Simmer down… Only at a house show! Yes, third-gen Diva Natalya scored a big match against Women’s Champ, Michelle McCool yesterday in Düsseldorf, Germany. While the Raw brand has a set #1 Contender [Alicia Fox] to face Melina on their European tour, women’s wrestling fans who are attending the SmackDown side of things are getting … Read more
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.
The fans in attendance at SmackDown voted Mickie James as the winner of the SmackDown Divas Halloween Costume Contest. But what do you think? Did Mickie deserve the win or would you have picked someone else? Based on the looks above & the little ‘performances’ each Diva gave, who would you have picked to win? … Read more
Note: As a result of the ‘Diva Dirt Trade’, the SmackDown Redux is now written by Melanie! Like Mickie James, I have left behind Raw after two years of the Raw Redux but left it in the very capable hands of Erin. You can read Erin’s Raw Redux every Tuesday here at Diva Dirt.
In the words of Comic Book Guy: “Worst. Costume. Contest. Ever.” Much second hand embarassment was felt for the four Divas involved; from the unflattering costume choices [that’s you Mickie!] to the ‘white people dancing’ [thanks Michelle!], this one didn’t look too hot.
However earlier in the night, we kicked things off on a much brighter note when the Glamazon, Beth Phoenix made her in-ring debut as a SmackDown Diva in a squash match. This to me was the perfect set-up. Since her debut in 2007 [let’s ignore the original debut], Beth has been pushed as the monster heel of the women’s division; the powerful and dominant Glamazon. In the past year, it’s safe to say she’s waned a little as a character as a result of poor booking but all that seems to be changing thanks to the move to SmackDown. Usually with these monster heel types, they’ll have squash matches for weeks on end against the ‘jobber of the week’, we’ve seen it with the likes of The Great Khali, Umaga, Mike Knox and most recently, Sheamus on ECW. I think it’s really intriguing for a Diva to be given similar treatment and really have that time to be put over as a ‘big bad monster’. This almost re-introduces Beth, putting out of mind what she’s been doing on Raw lately, and sort of starting from scratch. So it would Beth Phoenix versus local jobber known as Jenny Brooks, who it’s explained has some history with Beth:
Fresh from defeating Melina to take a win for Team SmackDown at Bragging Rights, Beth gets her first match on SmackDown. We kick off with Beth throwing Jenny to the mat and laying in some kicks & punches and then literally, kicking Brooks out of the ring. That definitely looked impressive.
Beth then drags Brooks back into the ring by her hair and then picks her up for a standing suplex, hoisting Jenny into the air for a good 30 seconds or so. This is something we’ve seen before in Beth’s arsenal and really is a sight to see, so it’s nice to see that it’s dusted off here. Beth then picks up Brooks by the neck and slams her over her knee, before just throwing her into the corner like a rag doll. Jenny then tries to fight back but is thrown against the ropes by Beth and then gets hit with an axehandle across the head. The end is here for the visiting Brooks as Beth sets up an epic looking Glam Slam, once again just holding that position as with the suplex, and as you’ll see she does a 360 on the spot so all the fans in attendance can see her sheer dominance which is a very nice touch, and then slams her down. Beth then takes a moment to adjust herself, looking composed and not in a rush, before pinning Brooks with ease.
I really enjoyed this. Like I said, it almost re-introduces Beth and her dominance with the use of the elongated standing suplex and Glam Slam, using Beth as a spectacle almost. She really came across great here as a non-chalant bad ass heel. The little touches like taking her time before pinning her opponent, while just a small touch, added that much more to atmosphere and I really like that. I hope they can keep this up and continue to have Beth booked strongly & break the mould of what it means to be a Diva today; as mentioned earlier, Diva squash matches are unthinkable but for that to be used as a storyline device for Beth shows some progression. Good segment.
After the cut, the Divas Halloween Costume Contest:
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!
Alissa Flash Costume: Horror movie victim Why?: It seems like every Melissa Anderson character is getting “killed off” of TNA, or at least decimated. What better way for her to poke fun at this massacre than to smear yourself with fake blood and scream your head off? Bonus points for fake wounds. Let’s see Awesome Kong do this kind of damage. Get the look: Make some fake blood, tear up some old clothes, and apply some strategically-placed dark makeup for that crucial gaunt look.
Brie & Nikki Bella Costume: The twins from “The Shining” Why?: Have there ever been two creepier twins in horror movie history? I think not. Dress the Bellas up in those famous blue dresses and place them in an empty hallway. Get them to say “Come play with us!” in unison and you’ve got something even scarier than Jack Nicholson armed with an axe. Get the look: Find your twin (or someone who bears a striking resemblance) and dress yourselves in matching prim and proper power blue dresses. Don’t forget the blank stares!
Jillian Costume: Lady Gaga Why?: Jillian’s adoration may have shifted from Britney to Lady Gaga, if her performance of “Paparazzi” following her Divas Championship win was any indication. From one outrageous Diva to another, Jillian could make the transition easily with her blonde hair. She just needs to pick any crazy outfit Gaga’s worn (such as her infamous bubble ensemble), apply some heavy eyeliner, and she’s golden! Get the look: Toss on this Lady Gaga-inspired wig, apply some bold makeup, and pick your favorite Gaga fashion statement. FYI–chances are you won’t be wearing pants.
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 Bella‘s Hallway Holdup Appearance: In head-to-toe black, Brie’s wearing a fitted dress and a loose, cardigan-like vest. I’m sure it would look a lot worse if they were in any other color, but in black it looks like one piece. Her headband this time isn’t so bad, and her cork heels are super sexy and in its neutral color go perfectly with all the black. Damn, they’re high. Poses: It looks like she’s sitting around in a hallway in the arena, using the massive curved wall of windows for a cool, futuristic setting. The way the light reflects on the floor almost makes it look like she’s sitting on a body of ice. She looks calm and relaxed in a good compliment to her casual look. I’d lose the chairs, though–they just look awkward coming out of nowhere. Uniqueness: I love this setting, and it’s unique in its almost pristine feel, as much of what we see from non-studio settings in photoshoots is relatively gritty. Grade: Sweet. Brie channels her unique style into a pretty cool photoshoot, not allowing her love for hippy-ish style to weigh her down, as the peace sign and headband are still prevalent, but in understated ways.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Christy Hemme‘s Electric Blue Appearance: Christy’s wearign a form of what’s become her in-ring signature: bikini top and a skirt or shorts in one solid color, this color being a pretty shade of blue. Absent however are shoes, which kind of irks me for some reason. I guess I just feel like the floor isn’t that clean, so going barefoot isn’t all that sexy. She’s got enough accessories to make up for them in weight, though, piling on the bangles, a shiny belt, and big hoop earrings. Poses: It wouldn’t be Christy if there weren’t a few manic facial expressions, right? They’re here, along with a bizarre jumping shot and a few strange crouching poses. They just don’t look sexy to me, and for some reason give me a dirty Lindsay Lohan vibe, especially in the 2nd photo. I don’t mean to deliver such a cruel insult to Christy, but yikes.. Uniqueness: Nothing new here.. Grade: Sour. Maybe if she actually wore a complete outfit, it’d look like more than just a half-baked photoshoot.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Eve Torres‘s Swept Up Appearance: Eve’s wearing her signature ring gear, covered in silver and bright shades of green and purple. It’s kind of 80s-like in its coloring, but I like it. She almost looks like the 80s’ idea of sexy futuristic clothing. The cut of it is unique too, giving her a different look amongst her fellow Divas. Poses: Her hair is the focus, with a well-placed fan giving her that wind-swept look that’s sending her locks flying around. It’s a little distracting, but it gives the photoshoot a unique edge to it, making it more than her just posing in her tights. It almost appears to be in slow motion, with her simple poses complimenting that idea. Some of the shots may look awkward, but most of them look artistic, almost graceful, in how her hair takes flight. Uniqueness: Like I said, the wind-swept look gives the shoot a unique edge, and if I recall correctly, this is one of the few times Eve has posed in her ring gear. Grade: Sweet. Nice ring gear and artistic hair placement? What more could a Diva ask for?
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Read more to see the rest of this week’s photoshoots and vote for your favorite.
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.
Last night, Diva fans were ‘treated’ to the first annual~! Diva Bowl featuring girls from all three brands. What’s that I hear you cry? “Lulz ‘all three brands’ sure, more like they called in the troops because most of the Raw Divas are injured.” What? You mean to say that the first annual~! Diva Bowl … 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 Double Vision Appearance: Nikki’s wearing the top that every Diva seems to own/share, and she wears it quite well, pairing it with some white jeans. Brie has on a black knitted dress with a funky headband that Mischa Barton and girls in Urban Outfitters catalogs wear. I’m not fond of it on them, and I don’t really like it on her. That, along with the peace sign necklace, makes the whole thing look like a contrived hippy outfit, which for the Bellas has become par for the course–that is to say that a lot of their looks seem way too planned out and end up looking like costumes. Take a look back at their past few shoots, you’ll see what I mean. They’re both wearing killer heels, though.. Poses: This is some high contrast, black and white photoshoot that I assume is meant to be grungy, hence the tanks. It’s kind of silly looking, but the Bellas keep it fun, tossing up peace and “rock” signs. It’s when they put on sexy face that hey look like extras in a bad 80s music video. I say lose the props, and let them have fun. Uniqueness: It’s certainly unique, but not for good reason. Grade: Bland. It’s strange, but the Bellas don’t seem to have such great chemistry together, at least in this shoot. They just aren’t clicking.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Eve Torres‘s SmackDown Stunner Appearance: Eve’s top and shoes look great, both in black. It’s when we venture beyond that that things get a little iffy. The skirt, in black and white plaid, looks a little bulky. I’m not against volume, but it looks bunched up and messy. I’m also not fond of the updo–it looks hastily pinned up, like she’s about to do housework instead of pose in a photoshoot. I’d much prefer if it was in a nice bun or something just a little neater.. Poses: The colors in the room are gorgeous–they just make the photoshoot pop, especially since Eve’s wearing neutral colors. She uses her surroundings to her advantage, sitting and standing on the seat. Sure, it looks a bit awkward, but Eve makes it look almost theatrical. I’m kind of mystified, though, at the fact that her face tends to freeze in a few photos. Uniqueness: The colors mystify me, and I can’t recall too many photoshoots where the surroundings caught my attention this much. Of course, that’s not meant to insult you, Eve.. You look pretty too. Grade: Sweet. Although the skirt and hair aren’t as fab as can be, Eve still looks pretty sweet to me.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Melina‘s Spanish Rose Appearance: Melina’s wearign an immense ethnic top in a bright bright shade of orange. It’s pretty, but it kind of clashes with the jeans. Not color-wise, of course, but in style. They just don’t seem to fit together. Maybe if the jeans were in a darker wash, it’d work better. The feathery thing hanging from her neck doesn’t look as fashion-forward as it does like a scalp prop from Inglourious Basterds. I must say though, with the Spanish surroundings, the orange looks great. In one shot, where the top drape forward and hide the jeans, it looks like a gorgeous maxi dress. I kind of wish it was one. Poses: Melina took full advantage of the overseas tour, posingin lush Spanish surroundings. The foutains and statues look absolutely gorgeous, and she doesn’t look too bad herself. Her facial expressions are reserved and simple, but look pretty sexy, not catatonic. I’m absolutely in love with the gate she poses in front of–so pretty! Uniqueness: A photoshoot that looks like it was taken while the Diva was hosting a travle show? Nope, don’t see that every day.. Grade: Sweet. See? All one needs to garner a “Sweet” grade for a photoshoot is fly cross-country and pose in some pretty scenery. Easy as pie, right?
• 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!
ALICIA FOX #1 Erin: It’s sexy without being skin tight, and I like that. The off-the-shoulder look works well on her. I love her hair too. I have to say, she probably has some of the best “street wear” style of all the Divas. Most end up looking like street walkers (see Friday’s SmackDown), but she doesn’t–not at all. 8/10 Melanie: Another solid black look from Alicia after her killer outfit last week. With the Beyonce-licious legs she has, she should show them off more! 8/10 Steven: Love this look on Alicia. The shorts really show off her killer legs and the chain on the side is a nice touch. Not sure how I feel about the top half though… 7/10 Tiffany: Alicia proved once again that she looks good in black (as most Divas do). It was an acceptable outfit for ringside attire. I’m just not a fan of loose-fitting wear that makes women appear larger than they really are. Though, she pretty much rocked it either way. 8/10
ALICIA FOX #2 Erin: This one isn’t as flattering as the last one, but I like that she’s trying different styles with the one-pieces. It’s just too busy and sparkly for my taste. 5/10 Melanie: I am not a huge fan of rompers so this doesn’t work entirely for me. That said, I love that she’s showing off her legs more and she looks utterly confident in all of her fashion choices. 5/10 Steven: Have I mentioned how much I hate animal print? Similar to her outfit on Raw, but not nearly as cute. The billowy top does nothing for her figure and I can’t stand the shoestring headband. 4/10 Tiffany: I didn’t quite understand Alicia’s choice on SmackDown. I can’t quite explain it, but it is certainly a step down from her Raw outfit. The pattern and style just don’t do it for me. 6/10
THE BELLA TWINS Erin: I think they’re cute, and the all-over lace doesn’t look as trashy when it’s in such a pretty color. The cut out back is sexy too, and the fact that the neckline is so high balances out the skin exposure. Though, it’s probably too flashy of an outfit for both of them to wear at once without looking silly. 7/10 Melanie: I really love this look, the dresses are so cute and you can’t see it in the picture, but they are also backless which makes it even more stylish. 7/10 Steven: Something about these dresses rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it’s the high neckline, or perhaps the lacey material. I do love the color though. 6/10 Tiffany: Blending in with the color of your outfit is not a good look. Seriously, do they have to match…all the time? They’re twins; we get it. 5/10
BETH PHOENIX Erin: It’s probably tough for Beth to find street clothes that don’t clash against her tough girl persona, so she’s stuck with denim and leather. I don’t hate the look, but she could have done better. Just because you’re tough doesn’t mean you automatically have to look like you just blew in on a motorcycle–not that there’s anything wrong with that. 6/10 Melanie: Not loving it. There’s something about the vest top that looks kind of ‘butch’, I would’ve like to see something that puts the glamorous in Glamazon. 4/10 Steven: I find that Beth looks her best when in casual gear and this is no exception. Feeling the belt, but the vest is a little too ‘biker chick’ for me. 8/10 Tiffany: Beth looked more biker chick than ‘chic.’ She seems to be bursting out her top, and the jeans are not flattering. Not her best. Her last backstage outfit attempt was much better. 6/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
Legendary Diva, Trish Stratus has become the latest veteran to give a rub to young rookie and Diva Dirt favourite, Alicia Fox. Since moving to SmackDown in April and later Raw this past summer, Alicia has earned compliments from the likes of Allison Danger and current WWE Diva, Melina. But is there higher praise from … 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)
Kelly Kelly‘s Little Black Dress Appearance: Kelly’s wearing a rather casual dress that reminds me of an Ed Hardy style, and that’s not a good thing. It just looks kind of trashy, especially with the way she’s got it sitting off her shoulders. Clearly it’s not supposed to sit like that, and just makes Kelly look bigger in the awkward way its crumpled around her. It’s not so much a sexy dress as it is an over-sized t-shirt, and it looks like it. Poses: This is a bit better than the standard “Kelly-bot” posing–it’s cute and sweet and she’s doing more than just the “hands on hips” stuff–but her face is still stuck with the same facial expression. I know she can’t be as vacant as she looks, but these photos aren’t giving me any proff to the contrary. Uniqueness: Kelly’s never been a barrier-breaker when it comes to photoshoots, and this one falls in line with the others. Grade: Bland. Kelly tends to rely on her clothes to make the shoot, so this one is let down by a “blah” dress.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Michelle McCool‘s Solid Gold Appearance: A gold, poncho-like dress is super shapeless, but is so short that she’s not sacrificing the sexy. Gold accessories keep her looking like a million bucks, but is it a bit too much? Poses: This is where the photoshoot hits a snag. Michelle’s trying to convey her heel persona in her poses, with serious faces and sneers, but God help me if I don’t get more of a “slow” vibe from them. It’s just the heavy lids don’t look as sexy as she’s intending, more like she was halfway through blinking when they took the photo. Michelle just needs to find a way to look evil without looking possessed. Uniqueness: Not too many Divas take the risk of wearing shapeless ensembles, but Michelle shoots and scores in that department. Grade: Bland. She’s getting more serious in her photoshoots, that’s for certain. I just don’t know if she’s got the formula down just yet.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Natalya‘s Hart Breaker Appearance: It’s yet another ring attire shoot for Natalya, and quite frankly, they’re all blending together. The pink and black might as well be the same as we’ve seen in every other shoot, but she doesn’t look bad by any means. Poses: The poses are what intrigue me–her screams and crazy facial expression as classic Natalya, and they set her apart from just about every Diva. A few are even kind of sweet. Nattie can show her personality in photoshoots better than almost any Diva, and I love her for it. Uniqueness: It’s another ring gear shoot, and Nattie is rarely seen in anything other than hot pink, so this is almost the opposite of unique in a Natalya sense. Grade: Sweet. The outfit might not be new or remarkable, but her poses are fantastic, and they elevate the shoot.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Nikki Bella‘s Indian Summer Appearance: Is it just me, or do the Bellas just throw on random costumes from time to time? And not just costumes, but horrible ones at that. Here, Nikki tackles a well-treaded stereotype by smearing on some “war paint” and tying on a couple of feathers. It just looks ridiculous and makes her look kind of dim witted–who in this day and age still dresses up like the old Pocahontas-style Native American? (I mean, aside from Mickie James.) Now, I don’t want to act like some butthurt overly politically correct person, but this is just dumb and not well thought out, down to the title.. “Indian Summer”?? Really???? Poses: The sky background is kind of cool and unique, but Nikki looks like she smells something bad. Maybe it’s the cheesiness of her outfit. Uniqueness: This is unique, but not in a good way. It’s proof that being different and unique isn’t always a good thing. Grade: Sour. Please get some common sense and stop dressing like you’ve got the mentality of a Kindergarten student on “dress up day”.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Read more to see the rest of this week’s photoshoots and vote for your favorite.
The full roster for this year’s SmackDown vs Raw game was revealed moments ago in a live webcast featuring Eve Torres. Representing the Divas will be: Beth Phoenix Brie & Nikki Bella, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, Maria, Maryse, Melina, Michelle McCool, Mickie James and Natalya. There are rumours that Trish Stratus may be … 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)
Courtney Taylor‘s Golden Girl Appearance: A slinky gold dress, covered in sequins, takes center stage in this shoot. The dress looks a lot better further away because up close, the sequins are a bit overkill. Tassel-like earrings, a few rings, and simple heels keep up the metallic theme without making her look like she stepped out of a Bond villian’s lair. Her makeup and hair are flawless and simple. Poses: Courtney could teach Kelly a thing or two–you can be cute and smiley AND look like you’ve got a functioning brain at the same time. She mixes up her poses and keeps it easy breezy, but not catatonic like her fellow blonde. Uniqueness: Nothing particularly unique about it, though I haven’t seen a Diva look this natural in photoshoots this quickly. Grade: Sweet. She knows what works for her, both style-wise and pose-wise. Like I mentioned previously, she’s a natural. So far, she’s 2-for-2 in photoshoots. I like her odds.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Eve Torres‘s Candy Girl Appearance: Eve’s wearing a tiny white dress with red pinstripes (Look closely!), accented by a red belt and heels. She, like Brie last week, is content to let the candy color dominate, but she doesn’t douse herself in it like the Bella did. With the bright red lips, she looks delightfully retro, and the flipped hair makes her look like a pin-up. She looks like she jumped out of an old postcard, and I love it. Poses: In keeping with the pin-up look, Eve does a lot of retro poses–lots of hands on hips and not-so-sexy faces. It’s simple, but works with the theme of this shoot. Anything too adventurous would’ve looked out of place. Uniqueness: I love retro-styled shoots, and no other Diva has done it lately, other than Alicia from a few weeks back. It’s a break from the norm, and a good one at that. Grade: Sweet. I could make “Eye Candy”/”Candy Girl”/”Sweet” puns all day long, but I’ll spare you..
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Jillian‘s America the Beautiful Appearance: This looks like a costume best worn in the beginning of July, but I suppose this shoot was left over from that period and released in commencement of Patriot’s Day. She’s got the over-the-top look down pat–gaudy waistcoat, a matching top hat, and a bright red bowtie. The red lingerie probably isn’t something that Uncle Sam would wear, but she’s got the body for it! Obviously, this is a costume, so it’s not fair to judge it as we do other outfits. In this context it’s cute and fun, and not overtly slutty as I’ve seen it on other women at other times. Poses: Not much variety here, just a lot of coat-clutching and smiling. I definitely notice her getting away from the “blow-up doll” look, and I’m so glad–she just needs to inject her photoshoots with the kinda of personality she puts in her over-the-top gimmick. Uniqueness: It’s costume-y, which is unique in itself, but there’s not much else though put behind it. It’s got the intention to be unique, but doesn’t quite get out of the starting block. Grade: Bland. I’d much rather see Jillian in regular outfits, showing the personality we know she has. Though, I guess at least one Diva has to don the holiday costume, and Jillian drew the short straw.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Read more to see the rest of this week’s photoshoots and vote for your favorite.
Arguably the best female wrestler on the WWE roster right now, fans and critics alike have been wondering just why third-generation Diva, Natalya hasn’t shot to the top of the women’s division. Well the SmackDown Diva has spoken out, in an interview with SunSport, saying ‘her time will come’: “I think sometimes if you get … Read more
Last time on SmackDown:Melina and Layla went toe-to-toe with Michelle again standing at ringside, this time with crutches and a knee brace. Another rough shove by Melina leaves Michelle writhing in agony.
This week: Is there retribution in the cards for Michelle? Or will she let her “understudy” do the talking/walking? What about Maria–will she continue to play the damsel in distress?
Once again we start this week’s action with a backstage segment pilfered from the daytime soaps. And what else could it be about but Maria‘s woes? I personally can’t wait to see what epic twist the story takes this week! Fake pregnancy? Evil twin? Elaborately orchestrated death? Well, at the very least, I hope someone wears an eye patch..
We see Maria and Eve in the locker room, discussing tonight’s match. Maria tells Eve that all they need to do is go in there with a lot of confidence and passion, because when you don’t have talent, a whole mess o’ confidence will solve all your problems. (Though maybe having a scheme of selling broke-ass calendars with self-indulgent and hokey slogans for $25 wouldn’t hurt either..) Michelle takes the layup that Maria tosses her way, and shows up to remark, “..and you’ll still be losers.” Michelle tears down Maria’s makeup and passion for rhinestones, saying that no matter what she does, Dolph won’t keep his eyes off of other women, like her. (OMG, is that a hint of a twist? Probably not.) She says that Maria is nothing but his “flavor of the week”. (Damn, this has been the longest week of my life..) Maria counters, calling Michelle the most egotistical Diva on the roster.
Melina appears out of nowhere (Seriously, was there a door over there?), but Maria tells her that she’s got in under control. But one insult later, Melina gets in Michelle’s face, and Michelle threatens legal action if she even lays a finger on her. Obviously not interested in filing legal papers just yet, Michelle leaves before things can unravel. Melina apologizes on her behalf, but Maria tells her to stay out of her business. I couldn’t agree more with that sentiment–let’s all stay out of her business! No? Okay..
SmackDown Divas Eve Torres and Natalya got the chance to mix it up on tonight’s edition of WWE Superstars, taking part in a mixed tag team match with their usual teammates–Eve with Cryme Tyme, and Natalya with the Hart Dynasty. It appears as though the WWE is reigniting their feud from a number of weeks ago, when Eve and Natalya mixed it up and had a few impressive matches with one another. But, like most good things, the WWE forgot about it and dropped it. But never fear, because they’ve (at least for the time being) brought it back. Let’s see how they fare:
PART 1
PART 2
After what seems like forever, with the men doing the legwork, D.H. Smith tags in Natalya, which brings in Eve. I feel like these matches would be a lot more interesting and compelling if the men were allowed to face the women–I know that they’re not gonna go toe-to-toe (Let’s not embarrass the boys!) but it would make things a lot more interesting if someone didn’t have to automatically leave the ring once a person of the opposite gender was tagged in. It feels like a function in a video game that you should be able to use a cheat code to get around. Then again, I don’t play too many video games, so there’s not much I could do other than pound on the controller and complain. Which, ironically, I’m close to doing now with this entire spiel. Enough with the diversions, onto the action!!
This week, we were promised the return of one Michelle McCool, Women’s Champion and recent victim of a knee injury. The details of her return were kept mum, so in what capacity will we see Michelle, if at all? Let’s watch and see if she turns up:
On the cards is a tag team match, teaming up Melina and her tag team partner (who we can only assume beat Eve in a coin flip) Maria. Going up against them will be Layla, Melina opponent last week, and Natalya, a Diva whom the WWE seemingly can’t decide if they want to wrestle or manage. This week, luckily, she’s on in-ring duty.
But who oh who makes the first entrance? Michelle! She makes her way (Gingerly? I couldn’t tell.) to the announcers’ table and takes a seat next to JR and Todd Grisham. We’ll see if they acknowledge her absence or just ignore the giant blonde hobbling elephant in the room. Melina and Maria then make a tandem entrance, and I wonder if Michelle visits Diva Dirt, because her first words on the duo express my sentiments exactly (“What is Maria wearing?!”). Gotta dig deeper than the obvious with these insults, Michelle.
A few more fashion-based insults pegged at Maria (Seriously, someone check Michelle’s browser history.), and Michelle shows a bit more charisma. Now, she’s not Trish Stratus or anything, but I sense some improvement. She just needs to work of her inflection and not sound dead-bored when speaking on the mic. As Layla and Natalya make their entrance, Michelle expresses some fondness towards who Todd describes as her “message girl”. Michelle refutes that claim, insisting that these past few weeks were just a vacation for her. Okay, so I guess the injury may not be as serious as once thought? You know, since they’re skirting around the issue and all..
In order to consolidate our Eye Candy coverage, we’ve developed a brand 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 Bella‘s Flower Power Appearance: Apparently, Brie’s celebrating the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, as she’s wearing a t-shirt of the poster for the famous musical festival. And, I guess to supplement that, she hippy-fied the rest of her look. Well, the shallow version of “hippy”, anyways. She’s wearing moccasin-like shoes, a tie-dye headband, and a shredded denim skirt. It’s a lot of things competing for attention, and it looks a little too costume-y. It’s like she took one person’s idea of what the 60’s were and threw it together for one outfit. I’m surprised she wasn’t wearing peace sign earrings or something. The pink is a pretty color, though–it’s the first thing that I noticed about this shoot, and as much of a mish-mash this look is, the pink makes it a little more pleasing to the eye. Poses: It’s all peace signs and sweet smiles from Brie, all while lounging on an equipment trunk. It’s pretty dull, and can’t say I really understand the significance of the trunk–if anything, it exposes a stark contrast between the “buck-the-system” mentality of Woodstock and the “corporate stiff” status of the WWE. It just shows the shallowness behind the concept of the shoot. Not very well thought out.. Uniqueness: A silly, contrived WWE photoshoot? Come on, we see those things all the time. Grade: Sour. It’s just another WWE mish-mash of a photoshoot–concept and execution don’t really meet. I know it’s ridiculous to even fathom a politically-charged photoshoot, but something like this is just silly and shallow. It’s akin to Miley Cyrus throwing around the peace sign just because it looks cute.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Follow the cut to see the rest of this week’s photoshoots.
It’s a staple of tabloid magazines: hard hitting, investigative & highly entertaining! Best & Worst Dressed lists can make or break careers in Hollywood and for a site with ‘Dirt’ in the title, it’s only fitting we take this time tested feature & apply it to our Divas! Each week we’ll bring you the best and worst looks from the week gone by, it’s pretty simple right?
Key: School-like grading scheme
Not a bad week for outfits/attire this week. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by a few. Let’s dive in:
Raw’s Alicia Fox brought back the blue to her wardrobe and what can I say, it’s definitely her colour. Bright, electric blue suits her a lot. C
The usually overlooked ECW drew my attention this week also, as Katie Lea showed us the right way to wear leopard print *cough* I wouldn’t wear it myself, but Katie has been rocking her own unique style since moving to ECW and it works for her. C+
Hart Dynasty Diva, Natalya has pretty much been rocking the same pink and black top, pants and jacket for the past few months so it was nice to see her change it up this week. The tattered tee looked really cool and the design is eye catching. B-
It’s two for two for Melina, as she sports another great top this week. However I much prefer this one. I don’t know why she doesn’t wear more yellow, it’s not a colour that suits everyone, but Melina works the hell out of it. A-
Melina’s opponent for the night rocked the Nattie colours this week, in hot pink. Layla always has a great sense of style and manages to bring a look together. I’m really not a fan of hot pink, but Layla brings it altogether with the black rims with studs. My favourite part would be the boot covers that you can’t see in the above picture, it brings a sense of completion and I’m very much a fan of uniformity in an outfit. A
Alicia Fox
Beth Phoenix
