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Raw Redux (September 27, 2010): All That Glitters is Not Gold… It’s Pink & Black!

On last week’s installment on Monday Night Raw, Melina lost her rematch against Layla, leaving the #1 Contender spot wide open for the newly formed Unified Divas Championship. You know that means, right? BATTLE ROYAL! Watch below as Melina, Gail Kim, The Bella Twins, Eve, Natalya, Tamina, Alicia Fox and Jillian compete to determine who will be the next Diva to face Lay-Cool for their Divas Championship:

We return from commercial to find all the Divas already in the ring. (All the Raw Divas, that is. Sorry Kelly and Rosa. Better luck next time!). Before the referee can signal for the bell, Lay-Cool’s music hits and they make their way down the ramp in matching hoodies/dresses. Once they settled in, the bells rings and match is underway.

Within the first few seconds of the match, it quickly breaks down into a mess of flailing limbs, as is the norm when it comes to these sorts of matches. Tamina goes straight for her rival, Natalya, but Natalya is saved by former champion Melina. Melina clings to the back of the formidable Samoan beauty, but is quick thrown down to the mat. Tamina picks Melina up and tosses her over the top rope for a shocking first elimination.

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NXT Redux (September 21st, 2010): The Most Ridiculously Awesome Episode of NXT Ever

Last week on NXT, Jamie Keyes and Kaitlyn secured their statuses as NXT winner worthy. Jamie shined in the ring and on the mic, and Kaitlyn came off as a homewrecker who could kick some ass and do an obstacle course. You gotta love this show. This week, we were treated (or not) to a game of musical chairs, a Talk the Talk challenge, two matches, and of course, the goddess-like presence of the self-proclaimed co-Unified Divas Champions, Michelle McCool and Layla. How did the show play out? Well lets take a look!

Josh Matthews is seen at the broadcast booth all by his lonesome when NXT starts tonight. Michael Cole left the show last week and everyone rejoiced. Matthews says we can take our televisions off mute tonight. The theme music of CM Punk (which I like to sing every morning on my way to school) starts to play and he walks out in his ring gear and this hideous brown jacket. He walks to the broadcast table, tells Josh to shut up, and announces himself as Cole’s replacement. He tears up Josh’s autograph picture and says that he loves women, then throws it up to our blue eyed host, Matt Striker. Striker introduces the rookie Divas: Kaitlyn, Maxine, Aksana, AJ Lee, Naomi, and Jamie Keyes.

CM Punk: “I thought she won NXT season two…my bad. I thought she was Kaval.”

Tonight is going to be epic.

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NXT Redux (September 7th, 2010): Naomi’s Night of Dominance

On the heels of last week’s shock announcement that season three would consist of nothing but rookie Divas, controversy has reigned supreme. From the internet backlash and scrutiny, to the firing of the six foot nine woman beast known as Aloisia, season three hasn’t been given much of a chance to succeed. It debut last night and instead of an epic failure of a program, we were treated to two fun challenges, some comedy, great ring debuts from the two season favorites, and the reveal of Vickie Guerrero‘s new rookie. The show was campy, a tad ridiculous, and yes, it was messy in a few spots. But above all else, the show was entertaining and has given us a lot to hopefully look forward too.

Here we go!

NXT kicks off in grand fashion with a hot entrance video for all the rookie girls and their pros, as well as a pyro, and to my delight, a lot of pink. The fans seem really excited for the all Diva show and that in turn, makes me excited! Josh Mathews and Michael Cole introduce themselves and talk about how excited they are for this special NXT season. They shoot it to Matt Striker, who looks so damn delicious I wanna take him home with me, and he says it’s time to meet the pros! Kelly Kelly walks out first and she officially introduces us to Naomi Night. She calls her rookie sassy, fun, and feisty! The Bellas come out next, and Brie Bella says that last season we watched their rookie do her thing on the mic. Nikki Bella takes over and says that this season, their rookie is going to do her thing in the ring. Why are they using their sex voices?! Jamie Keyes walks out after Nikki talks about how tight her (Jamie’s) body is. Oh Lordy.

Primo has to follow that and he gets no reaction what so ever. Maybe it’s because everyone is disgusted over his awful entrance music. No one should ever walk out to something that could be played during a ballroom dancing competition. Primo says that is rookie like a firecracker; she’s small but she will light you up. He brings out AJ Lee and wow, she’s peppy. Alicia Fox struts out to the stage after AJ and Primo, and she introduces her rookie as the meanest of the mean. Maxine walks out and immediately my eyes start to bleed. Homegirl clearly got dressed in the dark today. Yikes. Thankfully GOLDUST comes out and gets a nice pop from the crowd. He says he is going to premiere the next breakout star and he breathes Aksana‘s name out in a real creep voice. I love it so much. Aksana walks out in a hot ass gold dress and she just looks perfect next to the Golden One.

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Raw Redux (September 6th, 2010): The ‘Undefined’ Champion of Divas

Divas Champion, Melina has to be on cloud nine after single-handedly defeating BFF champions, Lay-Cool last week in a tag team match on Raw. What Melina didn’t expect is that she had to defend her title the very week, despite having a unification match at Night of Champions in a few weeks time. Watch below as Melina takes on the woman she defeated for the Divas Championship at SummerSlam, Alicia Fox:

Melina makes her way out to the ring first and poses for the fans in her usual fashion. Out next is her challenger Alicia, who apparently has something to say. Alicia informs Melina that she will not be competing at Night of Champions. Alicia goes on to say that she will become the ‘undefined champion of Divas’. Hey Alicia, ‘Undefined’, ‘Undisputed’ and ‘Unified’ do NOT mean the same thing. I guess we won’t be seeing Ms. Fox on the mic again anytime soon.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Alicia follows up by saying she has more Twitter followers than Melina and Lay-Cool combined. I have no idea how Alicia would know this since she has probably never logged into her Twitter account.

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Southern Belle Smack: The NXT Season Three Debate… Is it Doomed to Fail?

Season three of NXT is no doubt the most talked about season so far in the show’s history. Last week, during the finale of season two, Josh Mathews and Michael Cole made a historic announcement by telling us that season three is going to be comprised entirely of Diva rookies. When the average wrestling fan hears the term ‘Diva’, he automatically assumes that a hot girl with a nice set of puppies will walk out to the ring. Or what’s worse, is average fan may believe Diva time is really bathroom time. The majority of average wrestling fans are ignoramuses, but the point remains the same. What the term ‘Diva’ actually stands for is overcoming the odds in WWE land. That’s exactly what six rookie Divas have a chance to accomplish starting this week on NXT.

The decision to make NXT 3 about the Divas was met with a lot of well documented controversy. Fans, pro wrestling media personnel, and “writerz” took to their Twitters, Facebooks, MySpaces, etc. to make their feelings known about this upcoming all Diva show. A nice chunk of these people took one look at the pros and decided not to watch. Some people decided to just talk a lot of smack and back up their verbal BS with weak arguments and ridiculous ‘facts’. The saving grace in all of this were the real Diva fans. They chose to remain open-minded and optimistic.

The all Diva season of NXT could go one of these two ways: it could either be a success and the WWE could find their next breakout Diva or it could go the opposite way and be an epic failure.

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NXT Lay-Kav-Ool Watch (August 31st, 2010): Kaval Wins!

After thirteen weeks of straight up drama, season two of NXT finally reached it’s conclusion last night. The show delivered in every aspect you could think of, and for us Diva fans, Christmas certainly came early this year! The amazing finale had surprises, unexpected announcements that kept us on our toes the entire night, tears, beatdowns, and one winner who probably deserved it more than the others. So how exactly did last night’s show pan out? Well read on and find out for yourself!

Ashley Valence, who is more often than not missing in action, is in the ring tonight and she starts us off by introducing the pros. MVP, Zach Ryder, John Morrison, Mark Henry, and Cody Rhodes walk out and take their seats. Following that, The Miz struts out and announces his rookie, Alex Riley. Michelle McCool and Layla are up next and they announce Kaval. Kaval walks out and holds his arms out, which the girls gladly take and kiss him on the cheek. Finally, Kofi Kingston walks out. He announces Michael McGillicutty. All the finalists are in the ring and Matt Striker is in a freakin’s suit! Talk about sexy!

Striker motions to the front row where the eliminated rookies are sitting. Titus O’Neil, Eli Cottonwood, Lucky Cannon, Percy Watson, and Husky Harris are all introduced to the crowd. Striker reminds us all that the winner will not only be the next breakout star, but they’ll also earn a championship match on pay-per-view. Striker teases us some more and tells the three rookies that they will all be in action tonight; in a triple threat match against one another! Things start breaking down with Kaval shoving The Miz. Alex and Michael start going at one another, with Kofi jumping into the fray and clotheslining Miz over the top rope. Alex ends up out of the ring as well and Kaval spites Miz by holding up the United States Championship.

The cameras go to Josh Mathews and Michael Cole who launch into a discussion about Season Three beginning next week. And guess what diva fans, Season Three is going to consist of nothing but diva rookies!

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Raw Redux (August 16, 2010): Jillian, It’s Your Lucky Day!

As we all know, Melina picked up a huge win last Sunday at SummerSlam over Alicia Fox to win the Divas Championship, but her moment was ruined by the BFF champs, Lay-Cool. Will Melina get her revenge on the Flawless Ones? Will Alicia get a chance to redeem herself and win back the Divas Title? Will Melina come to the ring as a Vegas showgirl again? No. None of that happens. Instead we get a 6 Diva tag match pitting the team of Melina, Gail Kim and Eve Torres against Alicia Fox, Maryse and Jillian. Check out the match below:

Out first are the babyfaces and I must say, they look like a rag-tag group of super heroines. but I like it for some reason. Next, we have the heels, led to the ring by Alicia, who gets right in Melina’s face. This lead to a bit of a scuffle between the two teams. The referee finally gets control of the situation and signals for the opening bell.

Gail and Maryse start the match off for their respective teams. In her usual arrogant manner, Maryse shoves Gail, before narrowly dogding a bitchslap to the face. Maryse charge but is quickly taken down by a drop toe hold. Gail follows up by slamming Maryse’s face into the canvas repeatedly. Maryse tries to get back into the game by reversing an Irish Whip but Gail using the ropes to hit a springboard crossbody. Gail ties Maryse up it the Tree of Woe and tags in the Divas champion, Melina. Gail grabs the still incapacitated Maryse by the hair and Melina leapfrogs over her partner, coming down hard on Maryse’s mid-section.

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SummerSlam In Review: Melina is Comeback Queen, But Lay-Cool Steal the Spotlight

After Monday night hit-and-miss match between Melina and Divas champion, Alicia Fox, fans and critics alike were curious about how these two would fare at SummerSlam with the title on the line. While it wasn’t as sketchy as Monday’s match, these two hardly put on a mat classic. Check out the match below:

Out first is the champ, sporting some new attire. I’m not crazy about it, but it’s probably my favorite out of her new pinata gear. Melina is out next and… wow. Going all out for her hometown return, Melina has donned an over the top and blindingly bright Vegas showgirl outfit, complete with headdress and feathered boots. While it may not be my cup of tea, I have to give Melina points for originality and creativity. Rarely do we see a Diva put so much effort into her ring gear, so kudos to her.

After a few awkward moments of Melina removing her boot covers, the referee rings the bell and our way is underway. The two fierce competitors square off in the center of the ring, each trying to assert their dominance and show their opponent that they’re not intimidated. At long last, the Divas lock up with Melina getting the upper hand and muscling Alicia into the corner. The challenger breaks clean and they tie up again, but this time Fox get the advantage with a headlock followed by a takeover. Melina manages to get to her feet and to the rope, forcing the champ to break the hold.

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In Pictures: Divas at SummerSlam Fan Axxess (Beth, Maryse, Michelle & More)

SummerSlam may be over but the goodies keep coming! Diva Dirt reader, Rob sent in these pictures from Fan Axxess weekend. Among those snapped include now former Divas Champion, Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Jamie Keyes, Maryse and Michelle McCool. All the Divas look great. Maryse looks especially adorable! [nggallery id=402]

PPV Predictions: WWE SummerSlam 2010

Will Melina complete her comeback trail by winning the Divas Championship before her hometown in Los Angeles? She faces Alicia Fox tonight at SummerSlam. Our predictions below…

Cryssi: It seems surreal to me that this match is actually taking place this Sunday. Melina has been back on television for two weeks now and she’s already earned a championship match. Unreal. To me, this just goes to show how little thought and effort goes into the Diva’s division these days. I understand that my girl never officially lost the title. And maybe that has something to do with why she is getting a chance to face Alicia tonight. What needs to happen is Alicia retains in some ridiculous fashion and then a feud for Night of Champions should start heating up. Let these two girls have a proper rivalry and give us all a chance to watch them grow together and become comfortable in the ring with one another. I’ve NEVER gone against Melina, even in matches I knew she would lose, but tonight I’m going with Alicia Fox to retain. I doubt it happens, and my heart tells me it won’t. But stranger things have happened in World Wrestling Entertainment. They did give Jack Swagger a World Championship reign after all.

David: Years from now when I look back at SummerSlam 2010 I will remember this match differently. I will remember it as a quality Divas Title match and forget that it was booked too quickly and that it moved some deserving talent to the sidelines. Melina’s return should have been handled much differently, to show her chasing Alicia and to build great anticipation for an eventual showdown. (I would have booked it for Survivor Series in the fall.) The WWE, however, pushed Melina right over Eve, Maryse, and Natalya and gave her this high profile title match only a few weeks after her return. To that end, I think Melina is a safe bet to defeat Alicia Sunday and will leave her hometown as the new Divas Champion.

Erin: It’s wayyyy too soon for Melina to win the gold, especially given how she already defeated Alicia on Raw. Despite the WWE’s tendency to screw over Alicia mid-push, I really feel that they’re going to stretch her title reign a bit longer, if only to make for a more interesting build up to Melina’s eventual win. It would seriously shortchange this feud if they were to switch the title too soon, because I think babyface Melina is best suited at the moment to chase the title, not hold it. Alicia Fox wins and retain the title.

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In Pictures: Divas Hit Red Carpet for SummerSlam Kick Off Party 2010

The WWE is in LA and what better way to celebrate than throwing a true Hollywood-style party complete with D-list guests? That’s exactly what WWE did last night to celebrate SummerSlam this Sunday. Granted, Alcide from True Blood is rising in popularity but the rest of the red carpet walkers ranged from ‘Unrecognisable Face A’ … Read more

Raw Redux (August 9th, 2010): Only Fools Rush In

After an exceptional 6 Diva tag match and a huge return by Melina last week, Diva fans were waiting with bated breath to see what was in store between the returning Melina and Divas champion Alicia Fox. WWE decided to give us a treat this week in the form of Melina vs Alicia in a non-title bout. Unfortunately for us, the action didn’t quite live up to the hype. Check it out below:

First out is Melina, who is looking great, followed by Alicia Fox, who is looking rather… interesting. The two alpha females stare each other down before the referee starts the match. Melina goes for a lockup, but Alicia scoops her up and powers her into the corner. After a fierce elbow, Alicia flings Melina across the ring by her hair. While Melina is getting her wits about her, Alicia kicks her in the gut, forcing her to retreat to the apron. Alicia tries to follow up, but Melina lands a shoulder block and slides between the champ’s legs, pulling Alicia down over her knees for a unique backbreaker and a near fall.

Before Alicia can get back to a vertical base, Melina starts wailing on Alicia with strikes to the back. Alicia tries to get back into the mix with a clothesline, but Melina dodges with a matrix move, followed by a snapmere driver and a flying faceplant. Alicia retreats to the outside to regain her composure, but doesn’t get the chance, as Melina is hot on her tail. Melina charges around the ring to bring Alicia in the hard way, but is laid out by a vicious clothesline.

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Alicia Fox vs Melina at SummerSlam

For the first time in history, the Divas Title will be defended at SummerSlam when Alicia Fox defends against Melina. The match comes after the returning Melina defeated Alicia in a non-title match tonight on Raw. SummerSlam airs on pay per view this Sunday. Diva Dirt is pleased to announce that we are spinning off … Read more

Raw Redux (August 2nd, 2010): An A-List Return

Last week, Alicia Fox managed to overcome The Bella Twins switcheroo and pull out yet another win. She even took out her buddy Jillian afterwards, proving that no one is safe from the ‘Foxy One’s’ wrath. This week, Alicia teamed up with Jillian and Tamina to face off against the team of Eve Torres, Gail Kim and Natalya with a very special appearance by a certain A-List Diva. Check out the match below:

We start off the match with the face team already in the ring, posing to the crowd. Next the heels make their way to the ring and to be honest, Jillian doesn’t look too thrilled to be teaming with Alicia after last week. More on that later. The referee rings the bell and the match is underway with Jillian and Gail kicking things off for their respective teams.

The two Divas lock up and jockey for position, with Jillian getting the upper-hand, taking Gail down with a handful of hair and laying in with some stiff right hands. The non-melodious siren follows up with a hair beel for a two count. Frustrated, Jillian pulls Gail up by the hair and drives her head into her knee repeatedly, followed by a backbreaker for another near fall. Jillian drags Gail over to her corner and takes a moment to stare down her partner Alicia before tagging her in. Guess who’s still bitter?

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Raw Redux (July 26, 2010): Gone in Sixty Seconds

After a mysterious (and illogical) absence from last week’s Raw, Divas Champion Alicia Fox is back in action this week in a non-title bout against Brie Bella (Bella Twin #1). Will the twin Divas manage to switch their way to a upset victory over the champ? Check out the match below:

First out are The Bella Twins, who are dressed identically (I wonder why…) in electric blue. Cole and King use this time to plug the sponsor, which means I have to hear more of the Bellas entrance theme than I should. I think I’d rather watch a Khali match… The champion is out next and she’s making her way to the ring rather quickly. I guess Cena went over his allotted time this week, so the Divas have to pick up the slack as usual. The referee rings the bell and the match is on.

Alicia doesn’t waste any time going to work on Brie, laying in a kick to the gut. Alicia throws Brie into the turnbuckle, then rams her back first into the corner. Alicia snatches up Bella #1 by the hair and executes a fierce irish whip, sending Brie to the mat. Alicia proceeds to stomp out poor Brie until the ref pulls her off.

While the referee is preoccupied with Alicia, Nikki and Brie go for their patented switcheroo to turn the tables on the champ. Unfortunately for the identical beauties, Jillian makes her way to ringside and blocks their attempt to switch out. Alicia and the referee turn their attention back to the Bellas and Alicia lands a stiff kick on Bella #2, sending her down to the floor. Alicia tries to get back in control of the match, but Brie rolls her up with a school boy for a near fall. Before Brie can get in anymore offense, Alicia kicks her in the gut before landing a brutal axe kick for the win.

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Mr. Glamazon’s Hitting the Ropes – Issue #13

 

Diva Dirt’s own Jennifer recently shared a great story:

In an interview I had a few weeks ago, we were asked, ‘If money was no question, and if you didn’t have to work for your livelihood, what would you do?’ My hand shot up. I was honest; I said, ‘I’d wrestle.’ The whole room erupted into laughter. The interviewer said, ‘Really?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I would love to wrestle.’ She thought I was the most interesting person in that interview, hah. I make no apologies – I’ll admit I’m a wrestling fan and if the conversation goes farther I admit my real passion is for women’s wrestling. If folks aren’t mature enough to handle that, then sucks for them. They don’t know what they’re missing.

 
I love this story for several reasons.  First of all, I love people’s passions.  I don’t care if you love the Civil War, collecting bottle caps, or writing poetry.  I am interested in hearing more about it.  I like seeing someone’s eyes light up when they talk about something they care about.  I love how Jennifer didn’t worry about the reaction in the room.  That’s the great thing about believing in something, about having a true passion.  You feel it inside of you and that’s all that matters.  I also love this story because it made me think, “Jesh, how would I truly answer that question?”  What would I truly love to do with my life?  

Well for starters, I know I wasn’t born to be a project manager.  The job is fine, I work with nice people, and I enjoy business travel, but I don’t jump out of bed every day and mark out because I get to generate project plans.  When I was a kid I saw the movie JAWS and wanted to be a marine biologist, but now I’m afraid of the ocean.  Plus I don’t really want to be in a small boat all the time…I like my TiVo too much.  So I’m glad I didn’t follow through with that.  The truth is that I’ve always kind of known what I wanted to be when I “grew up”.  I was born to be a booker.  I was born to script professional wrestling.  I never figured out how to pursue this dream, but I started to feel this way the night I saw my first match, October 1985 at the Hershey Park Arena.  The next thing I know I am buying my first Big John Studd action figure and I’ve been booking ever since.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the actual matches, but I have always been more interested in putting together the card, of building the excitement of an entire show from one match to the next.  I think I’m pretty good at it too, because ever since 1985 I have been putting asses in seats.

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Raw Redux (July 19, 2010): The Champ Isn’t Here

After losing yet another title match at Money in the Bank, Eve Torres is set out to redeem herself against former Divas champion, Maryse. Check out the match below:

Out first is Eve in her orange and gold gear from Money in the Bank. Unlike my colleagues, I really like this color on her. The gold is a bit much, but I think she looks great. Next out is Maryse, who is being accompanied my Ted Dibiase. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… Ted DiBiase is bland as all get out and Maryse is really outshining him in this pairing. I’m actually having trouble distinguish which of them is the eye candy here.

Before the match starts, Maryse removes her expensive jewelry (Why did you wear it to the ring in the first place?) and gets in Eve’s face in her usual arrogant fashion. Apparently, Eve isn’t in the mood for Maryse attitude tonight, so she piefaces her to kick things off. Eve tries to capitalize but is taken down by a kick to the gut and a slap to the face. Maryse then kicks Eve towards the ropes and chokes her out from behind.

While Maryse is pummeling poor Eve, Ted makes sure to let the commentary team and that Maryse is NOT a golddigger (very convincing) and that this is also a #1 contender’s match. Good to know… halfway into the match. *Sigh*

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PPV Predictions: WWE Money in the Bank

Both the Divas Championship and Women’s Championship are on the line tonight. Who will make bank? The Diva Dirt team weigh in:

Divas Championship: Alicia Fox vs Eve Torres

Cryssi: This match is weird to me because honestly, it shouldn’t even be happening. Eve did nothing to deserve this title shot, and the reasoning behind the booking of this is just stupid. The only bright side to this is that it’s given us an unprecedented two diva matches on the same pay-per-view. That’s not happened since Night of Champions, when they’re REQUIRED to give us two diva matches. Alicia and Eve have proven that they don’t exactly equal magic in the ring. Eve is boring and needs to find a personality before she is given the belt again. As far as Alicia goes, it would be ridiculous for the WWE to take the title from her at this point because she’s actually bringing something to it that we haven’t seen since Maryse’s first run with the thing. I beliEVE in Alicia Fox as Diva’s Champion and I’m counting on the WWE to do the right thing tonight and keep that championship on her. Get it done, Foxy.

David: Tonight’s “Money in the Bank” PPV is a big opportunity for the Raw Divas. Eve gets a rematch with Divas Champion Alicia Fox as mandated by AOL (“You’ve Got Mail!”) and I’m hopeful the WWE gives these girls enough time to showcase their in-ring talents. I have enjoyed watching both of them lately and, although I’m not sure I love the “Alicia injury” angle, I think there has been decent build for this match. With Maryse out of the title picture for the moment, this is an important opportunity for both girls to show that the next generation of Divas can be counted on under the bright lights. I expect Alicia Fox to retain the title in a match that hopefully ends with her monster axe kick (a move that deserves its own “don’t try this at home” PSA) and not a soft continuation of the “injured” champion storyline.

Erin: Alicia’s being painted as the cowardly heel as of late, and with this match Eve seems to be getting Alicia right where she wants her. But to me, for Eve to “get” Alicia so soon would be to run to the payoff way too quickly. In my opinion, Alicia’s still got plenty of steam in her title reign, despite the WWE booking her weakly, and there’s no real reason for Eve to win the title back so soon. Let Alicia Fox have some more fun with it.

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Raw Redux (July 12, 2010): Catfights, Insults and Second Chances

Raw’s sly Diva, Alicia Fox picked a picked up a win that can only be called controversial last week when she defended her title against Eve Torres. Obviously, Eve has unfinished business with the champ, as she finds her way to commentary for Alicia’s non-title match with Gail Kim this week. Check out the match below:

We start with Eve already at ringside, posing and waving to the fans (One of her favorite pastimes, along with salsa dancing.) She joined Lawler and Cole on commentary as the Divas Champion makes her to the ring.

Alicia is clad in a brand new piñata skirt, this time in red and I must say, it’s an improvement over her last two even if it still looks like she raided a Party City store to make it. While Alicia struts her stuff in the ring and taunts Eve, they show a replay of last week’s match and how Alicia picked up the win.

Out next is her opponent, Gail Kim, who is looking phenomenal tonight. Gail does the usual babyface posing for the crowd before stepping in the ring to face the champ. The referee rings the bell and the match is underway.

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Raw Redux (July 5th, 2010): The Girl Who Cried Fox

Note from Melanie: Erin and I are excited to promote Steven to the regular position of Raw columnist. We hope you’ll enjoy his Raw Redux, as with Erin’s, every Tuesday. Congrats to Steven!

After losing her Divas Title in controversial fashion two weeks ago at Fatal 4-Way, Eve Torres finally got her chance to cash in her rematch clause on this week’s Raw. But before that we’re treated to back to back promos from Tamina (and those atypical Samoans) and the Divas Champion, Alicia Fox.

Tamina basically busts some knowledge on Josh Mathews (and the rest of us at home), helping him figure out which Uso twin is which. While Tamina may be the strongest on the mic in her stable, I always get the feeling that she’s trying too hard. I know she’s trying to be the super tough heel Diva, but it can come off a bit forced at times. Hopefully, this will improve as she gets more comfortable on the mic.

On the other hand, I thought Alicia came off great in her promo. She pretty much gets on Josh’s case about not interviewing her, despite her being the new champion. She then lets all the viewers know that her win at Fatal 4-Way was no fluke and she’ll prove it in the ring with Eve. She then struts off to the ring as we go to commercial break.

By letting Alicia cut this promo, WWE is giving the audience a sense of Alicia as a character and judging by the heat she was getting during her rant, I’d say it’s working.

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Raw Redux (June 28th, 2010): Sticking to the Formula

Alicia Fox‘s Divas Championship reign got off to a mostly underwhelming start, being saddled with a random mixed tag match right off the bat. This week, we see another tag team match, but thankfully it makes a bit more sense, as Alicia teams with Maryse against Eve Torres and Gail Kim. Watch the match below:

Maryse and Alicia enter together (I’m sure having to come out to Alicia’s music makes Maryse cheery), followed by Gail and Eve making a tandem entrance. Eve and Alicia start off the match, Alicia wasting no time, charging over and kicking Eve in the midsection. Two two trade blows until Eve is whipped into the ropes and takes down Alicia with a sunset flip on the return. Alicia halts her momentum, though, and sits on Eve into a pin, but Eve blocks it, and Alicia satisfies herself with a knee to the face. She sends Eve into the corner and nails her with a high knee and, after taunting the crowd a bit, hits her with a snapmare and attempts a pin, which Eve kicks out of at 2.

She brings Eve to her corner and, after an exchange of attitudes, Maryse tags in. They stare at each other warily and make it pretty clear that them teaming together doesn’t mean they’rre suddenly BFFs. I prefer that kind of heel interaction, because it just further sells their nasty attitudes if even kindred spirits can’t get along. Maryse kicks Eve and pulls her head back by the hair, tugging a bit before slamming her head first on the mat. She tries for a (extremely, extremely delayed) pin, which Eve of course kicks out of. Maryse pulls her up and rams her head into her corner’s turnbuckle, tagging Alicia back in.

Maryse holds Eve up for a kick from Alicia, and that seems to be the extent of their teamwork. She exits the ring and Alicia takes over. Alicia whips Eve into the corner and goes for another high kick, but Eve moves, causing Alicia to tangle herself in the corner while she tags in Gail. Gail comes in gangbusters, nailing Alicia with a flurry of offense punctuated by a frankensteiner. Alicia reverses an Irish whip into the ropes and seems prepped to flip Gail into a backbreaker, but Gail reverses it into a splash. She covers Alicia, who kicks out at 2.

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Raw Redux (June 21st, 2010): And Just When It Was Getting Good..

Last night’s Fatal 4-Way PPV left open a lot of possibilities. The mission of tonight’s Raw was to pick that up and run with it. But unfortunately (if we’re sticking to the running metaphors), they pretty much stumbled just out of the gate. They just didn’t keep the excitement going. What did they actually do? Well, good thing you asked..

The first thing we learned about the post-F4W Raw landscape is that Maryse is now managing Ted Dibiase, effectively replaced Virgil. Watch their adventures below:

They seem to have good chemistry, and while it may be seen as a demotion for Maryse to go from being in the thick of a Divas Championship feud to merely managing, it’s good to see that the WWE is still thinking of things for her to do. She wasn’t going to be at the forefront forever, so it’s great to know that she won’t just be sitting on the sidelines twiddling her thumbs until her number gets called again. Plus, this can help put to use what many fans deem to be her greatest asset–her personality. We’ll see if it goes anywhere interesting, but for now, it’s got potential.

Later, Natalya and the Harts were interviewed by Josh Matthews.

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