This week on WWE Superstars, ‘The Paparazzi Princess’ Melina, takes on long time rival ‘The Glamazon’ Beth Phoenix, in singles action. Can Beth score a win in her first match back on the Raw roster or will Melina send the firebird down in flames? Check out the match below:
Thoughts: Another very strong showing from the Raw Divas this week’s Superstars. Whenever we the phrase “Beth vs Melina”, I’m sure most Diva fans’ minds go back to that excellent ‘I Quit’ match at Extreme Rules and rightly so. While I won’t say this match was as entertaining as that one, it was excellent in it’s own right.
Extreme Rules is tonight, so join us as we look back at some past matches at Extreme Rules/One Night Stand. First we have Beth Phoenix vs Melina in 2008:
WWE shook up the Divas roster in the annual WWE Draft today with five Divas finding new homes.
SmackDown gained three new Divas in Alicia Fox, Natalya and Tamina, while Raw gained the duo of Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly.
Thoughts: While it had been widely expected for Beth to move over to Raw, seeing her and Kelly move is a shocker. That now means SmackDown will have to build its division around a new top babyface, likely Natalya or whichever member of LayCool turns face. I hope to see a Tamina heel turn, however, because I think she has a lot of potential in a Khali/Big Show-like role.
Thanks to photographer Steve Wright Jr, we have a look at this year’s THQ Superstar Challenge which took place during WrestleMania festivities last week. Big thanks to Steve for providing his awesome pictures.
The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix and Gail Kim were the two Divas who took part, with Beth making it to the semi-finals!
FINALLY… FINALLY! CRYSSI HAS COME BACK TO THE SMACKDOWN REDUX!!!!!! Don’t you just love it?! It’s been a minute since I’ve actually sat down to type one of these up. As you all know I had the privilege of going to SHIMMER two weeks ago and that was followed up by my first ever WrestleMania week experience. It would take me hours and hours to express my thoughts and feelings on everything that happened during those twelve glorious days I was away from home so I’m not going to bother. Instead, I’m going to jump right back into the swing of things and indulge all of you in another amazing Redux. I sure picked a heck of a week to return, mind you. The rarely seen Divas known as Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly were in action. Time to put those milk cartons away, kids. They’re no longer MIA. On this hot and steamy Friday night they teamed together to take on ‘Mania losers, Michelle McCool, and lovely Layla.
Lay-Cool kick us off tonight with their ring entrance. They talk amongst themselves as they make their way down the ramp and of course, we are reminded that Michelle was destroyed by Snooki sometime during that infamous ‘Mania match. Michelle is not thrilled with the replay and Booker T makes a comment that tension has been brewing between Lay-Cool since that match. Interesting.
Raise your hand if you expected any other result last night? (Hopefully no one has their hand raised or I might question whether you enjoy Long Island Iced Teas as much as Snooki.) Going into last night’s WrestleMania 27 it was pretty much a given that this was going to be a star vehicle for Snooki. She’d win the match, have a nice little moment and Lay-Cool would run to the back with their tails between their legs.
What we may not have expected, seeing this match on paper, is just how darn entertaining this segment turned out to be! Yes, I’ll be the first to admit it: I was thoroughly entertained by something involving Snooki from Jersey Shore. Does that mean I’m going to run out and buy her book or the entire first season of the show? Hell no. But for what it was, last night’s six-person tag team match was actually enjoyable. I would say that was thanks, in no small part, to a Stratusfying comeback from Trish Stratus and in my opinion, the most consistent Diva in WWE right now, Michelle McCool.
Diva Dirt’s Mr Glamazon brings us her exclusive daily blog detailing her adventures in Atlanta for WrestleMania 27 this weekend. Check back each day for a new entry!
I admit I stress about it too much. What am I going to wear? What tie should I pick out? Did I wear this color last year? It basically takes me a few weeks to make a decision. This year I even jumped on eBay and bought a new pocket square… you know in case I wanted to go with a pocket square (what am I, 60?) I hang the suit in my closet and try all sorts of color combinations. Finally I settle on an outfit, until I change my mind a few days later. It’s exhausting.
But it’s all worth it because the WrestleMania Art Show is one of my favorite nights of the year. I had such a good time the past few years that now I have really high hopes. So yeah I go overboard but when a normal night is sitting on our couch, watching American Idol, and drinking a bottle of cheap wine, well, you tend to get really excited for these things. (I truly wish we had 4 more kids, 2 just isn’t enough work…)
So I finally put it all together: black suit, blue striped shirt, black and blue tie. Perfect.
WrestleMania festivities officially kicked off in Atlanta last night with the annual WrestleMania Art charity event — and what would a red carpet event be without some Divas?
There was plenty of flower power on show as Natalya and Beth Phoenix both opted for frilly frocks. Meanwhile, Alicia Fox is spotted all smiles in a black number.
Diva Dirt’s Mr Glamazon brings us her exclusive daily blog detailing her adventures in Atlanta for WrestleMania 27 this weekend. Check back each day for a new entry!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the WWE Art Show is the best event of the year for wrestling fans. You may not believe me but here’s the deal. It is the first event of the week so a lot of fans aren’t in town yet. It is nice and intimate. The food is great. The drinks are flowing. The art is interesting (and for sale). The WWE stars are relaxed and just hanging around. If you want to meet one of your favorite stars, trust me, the Art Show is the way to go. The Axxess sessions are a lot of fun too, but there are a ton of people there, the lines are long, and you only get a brief moment with the star. Tonight will be my third Art Show and if it’s anything like the first two, I’m going to have a blast.
Two years ago it was all about Beth.
It was all about meeting Beth and thanking her for being such an inspiration. Thanking her for being a great role model. Thanking her for the Glamasuits, the tiaras, the Glam Slam…everything. (And um, I do find her kind of attractive…so that’s nice too.)
Every week, following WWE.com and TNAWrestling.com’s photoshoot updates, we’ll take a look at the newest Diva and Knockout shoots and give you the opportunity to voice your opinions on them in a feature we lovingly call Unwrapped. Let’s unwrap this week’s eye candy, featuring Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, Michelle McCool, Rosita and Tara:
Beth Phoenix
She’s inexplicably paired with a ladder, but somehow Beth makes it look like it belongs there. Is it her tough, muscle-bearing outfit or the fact that she’s posing with it as a natural set piece rather than looking like she’s selling it like a “The Price is Right” girl? I think it’s a bit of both. While the poses here are rather limited and basic, I feel that a few of them show her true, natural “Glamazon” presence, with her posed statuesquely against the ladder. I’ve never been a fan of the “toss in a prop” method of planning a photoshoot, but Beth makes it work. I think it helps that she isn’t using it for a cheap “sexy” touch, as is the purpose of most Diva and Knockout photoshoot props. Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.
Eve Torres
Eve’s sporting a super cute dress that’s so colorful you almost expect to see rainbows shooting out of it. It’s a nice kind of colorful, though; not the assault-on-the-eyes type. The pattern is unique, and makes it look like Eve’s swishing the dress when she’s not, which makes for a interesting effect and spices up what could have been yet another studio shoot with that bloody white background. The dress looks great on Eve, and her poses keep up the fun and springy theme that the frock started. She sells it well, looking genuinely happy and care-free instead of plastering on a perma-grin. The fair weather might be the cause of her happiness, but I’m choosing to believe that it’s the dress that’s fueling her cheeriness–it certainly makes me smile. Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.
Welcome to yet another edition of the SmackDown Redux. As always it is written by yours truly and proudly sponsored by ClickWrestle dot com. Wait, this isn’t an audio show. It’s been a long week, what can I say? And honestly, speaking of long weeks, it’s a few long weeks since we last got a chance to see Beth Phoenix in action on SmackDown. This week, the Glamazon returned to the Blue Brand, teaming with her former Raw running budding, Rosa Mendes. They took on the team of former co-Diva Champions, Michelle McCool and Layla. How did the match go? Well lets take a look, shall we?
The team of Beth and Rosa make their way to the ring first. Brings back memories of Rosa being Beth’s sidekick doesn’t it? Beth is wearing her awful red Glamasuit (sorry David, but it’s an eyesore) and Rosa is wearing silver-gray and black. They pose for the fans once they’re in the ring and Lay-Cool’s theme music begins to play. Michelle and Layla, both in their eye sore outfits, do their usual shtick on the stage before they go to the ring. A video recapping Rosa’s shock win over Layla last week is shown and the dissension between Lay-Cool is teased despite the fact Michael Cole insisting everything is fine now. We switch back to the ring and Lay-Cool can’t seem to decide who will begin the match. Michelle finally takes the initiative and the bell rings. Beth and Michelle (hurt foot and all) lock up and the Glamazon is quick to get behind Michelle, lock her arms around her waist, and take her down to the mat. Beth hops up and grabs the injured foot much to Michelle’s horror. The ex-schoolteacher starts screaming and pleading, but Beth shows no mercy and slams her fist right into that boot. Michelle screams like she just got stabbed with a rusty butcher knife and while she’s withering around in pain, Beth tags in the Freakin’ Costa Rican, Rosa!
Welcome everyone to this glorious edition of the SmackDown Redux dedicated to the A-List’s show 600th episode! Congratulations to the WWE and to all the Divas and Superstars who have appeared on the Blue Brand over the years. SmackDown has proven to itself to be the home for better wrestling, better storyline, and overall, it’s just more consistent on a week-to-week basis. That especially rings true for the Divas, who usually get pushed off the show for special occasions on Raw. SmackDown’s 600th episode provided us with a tag team match that featured Diva’s Champion, Eve, teaming up with the Glamazon, Beth Phoenix, taking on the team of Layla and Maryse. An injured Michelle McCool was at ringside providing commentary.
We kick things off this week with Eve’s terrible theme music blaring throughout the arena. The champ and her partner, Beth, make their way to the stage. They do their trademark poses, play to the crowd, and make their way to the ring. Once inside they pose some more and SmackDown goes to commercial break. When it returns, ex-champ Michelle is at ringside with the trio of announcers that does NOT include Matt Striker anymore (so bitter), and Maryse and Layla are in the ring. Everyone is ready for action.
Last week during Diva Dirt Live, David decided to call me out on the fact that I haven’t written a Southern Belle Smack column in a long time. Well, I’m here to change that… sort of. This is not a SBS feature but it is me doing something other than a Redux! I figured that I would give each and every one of you a special little treat during this fine holiday. Earlier today, the Diva Dirt staff took you down a rose-petal lined stroll on memory lane with a special feature on some of the greatest wrestling couples of all time. Remembering the likes of Savage and Elizabeth, Lita and Edge, and Molly and Spike brought back wonderful memories, but it also got me thinking. For every great wrestling couple from the past, there’s an equally bad couple. Who could ever forget Bertha Faye and Harvey Whippleman, Dawn Marie and Al Wilson, or Vickie Guerrero and Eric Escobar? And thinking about all these couples got me thinking about the point of this feature. With the emergence of Gail Kim and Daniel Bryan as a power couple in the making, and Vickie Guerrero absolutely dominating SmackDown on behalf of her beloved boyfriend, Dolph Ziggler, what other couples in the WWE should be happening right now? It is Valentine’s Day afterall, and cupid’s arrow can land anywhere, so April, David, Eric, Steven, and myself have decided to play matchmaker and help cupid aim in the right direction.
MARYSE AND KING SHEAMUS
Every king needs his very own queen and what better Diva to fit the role of queen than the Sexiest of Sexy of herself, Maryse? Her relationship with Ted DiBiase has clearly run its course thanks to DiBiase’s inability to win matches and a woman like Maryse demands perfection. Or at least someone who has money, power, or a championship belt. She doesn’t seem picky and why be picky? Everyone knows true love comes in the form of presents and Sheamus would no doubt consider himself lucky to have a girl like Maryse on his arm. He would shower her with presents and worship the ground she walks on. Together, they could rule the WWE with an iron fist; the Celtic Warrior and the French-Canadian bombshell. There’s no need to understand the words they speak because no one really can. The only thing that the Superstars and Divas of World Wrestling Entertainment need to understand is that both Maryse and Sheamus will do whatever it takes to make sure no one stands in their way. Of course, this pairing likely won’t last. Expect Maryse to bolt almost the minute the King of Kings, Triple H shows up to extract his revenge on Sheamus. The first time she nearly gets Pedigreed, Maryse is gone, and it’ll be lights out for the terror-filled reign of King Sheamus and Queen Maryse. But don’t expect Ted DiBiase to take her back because…
NXT three winner, Kaitlyn summoned her inner bad girl over the weekend by teaming up with one half of Lay-Cool, Layla against the team of Beth Phoenix and Natalya. Results from the two shows: Saturday: 2. “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix and Natalya Neidhart defeated Layla El and Kaitlyn. Although not glaringly awful, this match went … Read more
Former WWE Women’s Champion, Beth Phoenix was asked about Awesome Kong signing with the company in an interview with SLAM! Sports this week. By commenting, it seems the Glamazon is the first WWE Diva to publicly acknowledge Kong’s signing, as she speaks on the possibility of her and Kong working a match together.
WWE’s annual Royal Rumble pay per view returns tonight! Join us as we reminisce on some classic Rumble moments today. Next up we rewind just a year back to when Beth Phoenix became only the second woman to compete in a Rumble match!
On the eve of the 2011 Royal Rumble, SLAM! Sports caught up with one of the people who made last year’s Rumble match so memorable: Beth Phoenix.
Phoenix eliminated The Great Khali last year before herself being eliminated by CM Punk. Beth reveals how it all came about and what the experience was like:
“It was a really, really last minute opportunity,” Phoenix told SLAM! Wrestling, adding some background. “Honestly, I put my bid in each and every year, hoping that one day I could follow in the footsteps of Chyna before me, but there wasn’t an opportunity. In 2010, they decided to give me a shot.”
“Being only one of two females that have done that before, it’s probably the most intimidating and invigorating experience of my life. I can’t imagine any scarier experience than, going toe to toe with one man is crazy enough, let alone the off chance of being in there with 29 other male superstars,” she said. “It was a very intimidating experience, but it’s one of those things where I really admired what Chyna had done in the past. I was thrilled and excited and ready to take on that challenge myself. I can’t tell you how awesome it was to be able to do that in 2010.”
Beth also says that she wants another shot in the Rumble match this year. She says:
Last week, I proudly presented each and every one of you with the good, the bad, and the ugly of SmackDown. This week, we’re not going to be so fancy because not a lot happened. We had the usual continuation and follow-up, which is more than what happens on Raw so no complaints, please. Beth took on the other member of Lay-Cool in a singles match while one reader’s prediction of a Drew/Kelly/Trent love triangle may actually end up coming true. Let’s kick things off this week with the match featuring Beth Phoenix and Layla
SmackDown’s fierce duo make their way to the ring first. Michelle McCool is dressed to thrill in a gorgeous grey mini and boots, while Layla is rocking purple better than anyone I’ve ever seen in my life. So jealous. The girls have their Slammys and confident looks on their faces despite Michelle having lost to Beth on last week’s episode. They play to the crowd and to each other, and Beth’s music starts up. The Glamazon walks to the ring with a smile etched across her lovely face. Upon seeing her opponent, Layla’s look of confidence kind of dissipates. After Beth flips onto the mat, she eyes up Layla, and the match gets underway.
The title itself should explain the theme of tonight’s Redux. This week’s edition of Friday night SmackDown truly was good, bad, and ugly. But before we jump to conclusions, lets take a minute to reflect on the week in wrestling in general. There was a horrific match at TNA Genesis (popular consensus, of course. I, myself, have not watched it). There was an axed Diva’s match from Raw and lets face it, that’s not always a bad thing. Superstars saw the underused and underrated Alicia Fox and Gail Kim square off in a match that many people are saying is one of the most enjoyable matches in awhile (again, I have not seen it). And to cap things off, SmackDown delivered.
And it delivered in a truly ridiculously wonderful way.
To kick us off this week, we’re going to launch right into the good. That’s the whole point of good, bad, and ugly right? Michelle McCool (with Layla at ringside) taking on Beth Phoenix looks damn good on paper. It certainly looked brilliant when I saw the spoilers earlier in the week. The question is, did it deliver?
Lay-Cool, aka the Dynamic Duo, make their way to the ring first. Layla is rocking a hot, blue mini-dress and boots, while Michelle is in her green ring attire that I don’t like very much. They’re still carrying their Slammys and they’re still delicious heels. They play to the crowd as only they can and they get inside the ring to wait for Michelle’s opponent, the one and only Glamazon. Beth walks out in a rather plain Glamasuit but the crowd doesn’t care because they’re in Birmingham. No offense to my fellow Alabamians, but the majority of the state isn’t really up to par fashion wise. I am the exception. Anyway, once Beth is inside the ring and her entrance dies down, the bell rings and the match begins. The two statue-esque blonds circle one another. Beth gains the early advantage when she breaks the lock-up and forces Michelle into the turnbuckle. She drives her shoulder repeatedly into Michelle’s mid-section and follows up with several nice punches to the former school teacher’s skull. Beth finally backs off and Michelle moves from the corner, but she’s still positioned by the ropes. Beth whips her across the ring and takes her down by clubbing her in the chest.
2010, what a year. Talk about highs and lows! In April all of us Beth Phoenix fans celebrated her championship victory at Extreme Rules only to have the Glamazon injure her knee several weeks later, in effect ending her title reign. When Beth officially lost the belt to Layla (and Michelle) it felt like a funeral, a cruel twist considering how well Beth’s face turn had been handled and how emotional she seemed when she won. Then it was announced Beth would be out of action for many, many months. Basically the rest of the year; it felt like ‘the longest time’.
Top of the mountain to the bottom of the barrel. Obviously this was terrible for Beth, but it was also terrible for her fans. Truthfully, I didn’t handle it very well. My inspiration, my role model, my main reason for watching WWE was going to be out for a long period of time. How could I even watch “Smackdown” anymore? How could I even watch WRESTLING anymore? I could just see myself bored to tears, basically ‘sleeping with the television on’. I shut down. I was hoping I could pick myself up and find enjoyment in wrestling again, at least until Beth returned, but I was constantly haunted by the same thought, “What if she didn’t recover?” Gulp. It was going to be hard to ‘keep the faith’ and I knew I wasn’t going to get through this alone. I started spending a lot of time with ‘Captain Jack’ (or Johnny, as I call him).
My wife is usually very supportive of my wrestling habit but she got tired of me moping around the house every day moaning about bad luck, knee injuries, and co-Women’s champions. Of course I thought she was completely overreacting. So what if I wouldn’t take off my Glamasuit…that ‘ain’t no crime’ in my book. I started resenting her as a way to channel my frustration. As a result there was a definite ‘storm front’ brewing.
Last year, we announced the launch of the Diva Dirt Legacy Award, an annual prize that will honor the career achievements and legacies left behind by some of the industry’s finest female talents. Launched in conjunction with the Female Fight League, our first recipient was none other than the multi-talented 7-time Women’s Champion, Trish Stratus.
From her hard work in the ring, to her charm and charisma, her connection with the fans, as well as her shrewd business nature, Trish was — as good ol’ JR used to put it — the quintessential Diva during her seven years with WWE. No female in this industry has able to market themselves quite like Trish, who remains a hot commodity despite retiring nearly five years ago.
While we tip our hats to Trish by honoring her with this award, a few of Trish’s friends and colleagues wanted to join the celebration too!
SmackDown tonight provided us with the perfect ending of the year. Glama-Hart and Lay-Cool put together one last blow off match (I think…) and it was nothing short of spectacular.
Happy New Year!
Backstage at SmackDown, there’s a party going on. Superstars, Divas, general managers, and a leprechaun are milling around as Rosa Mendes comes into focus. She’s hanging out with Hornswoggle for whatever reason. She’s feeding him cheese cubes from a silver platter and makes the comment that two thousand and ten was a pretty good year for her. ‘Swoggle starts making noise, so Rosa corrects herself and says that it has been a good year for “them” and that now, it’s time to celebrate. NXT rookie, Conor O’Brian, appears and stands over Rosa’s shoulder. He eyes her platter of cheese and begins to sniff it. Rosa freaks out a bit and wants to know what he’s doing, all the while turning away from him in disgust. Conor says that he admires Rosa’s cheese and his face starts to twitch. Thankfully for Rosa, the sexy Latin stallion, Alberto del Rio, walks over and demands to know what his rookie is doing. Conor motions towards the cheese and an apologetic Alberto turns to Rosa. He tells her not to mind his rookie and makes a comment about Conor looking like a rat. He then turns to Conor and warns him to leave the lady alone (Rosa smirks), as well as the thing (‘Swoggle enunciates). Alberto and Conor, as well as Ricardo, walk off and Teddy Long stands up on a platform. He welcomes everyone to the party and asks for volunteers to come up and make New Year’s resolutions.
Cue Drew McIntyre who gets up and smiles at Kelly Kelly. He says that all of us can mark it down that in two thousand and eleven, Drew will be a champion. He turns to Kelly and adds that he also wants to be a better person. A smiling Kelly seems to approve of this and unfortunately that probably means that in two thousand and eleven us fans are going to be subjected to more horribly acted segments between these two. Womp womp.
It’s that time of year once again: the Perfect 10 is back to count down the top 10 Divas and Knockouts of 2010. Based on their year’s successes, we’ve compiled (as best we can) the ten Divas and Knockouts we feel gave us a 2010 to remember in WWE and TNA. Check back over the next five days to see the countdown unfold, with the #1 being revealed on New Year’s Eve (Friday).
#8: BETH PHOENIX LAST YEAR: — 2008: #2
Perhaps the most inspirational Diva of 2010, Beth Phoenix went through hell and back with a grueling 6 months on the shelf due to injury, but you wouldn’t know it when you rack up her accomplishments this year.
In January, the Glamazon became only the second woman to compete in the Royal Rumble match and made quite the impact, eliminating The Great Khali in the 30-man match. Over a decade after Chyna first appeared in the Rumble, Beth Phoenix really did prove to be, in the words of Matt Striker, the 21st Century Femme Fatale with her awe-inspiring appearance.
Beth quickly solidified herself as a babyface on SmackDown, the first time in her WWE career, not counting that brief stint in 2006. Showing signs of being a tweener during the Mickie James/Lay-Cool feud, Phoenix eventually made a complete turn feuding with the dastardly Diva duo after a series of snide comments about her femininity — or if you believe Lay-Cool — lack thereof.
The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix is the subject of a new video at WWE.com in which she discusses her ACL tear back in May as well as her return to WWE recently. You can check out the video below: Unfortunately, the clip is blocked in several countries. So if you can’t see it on YouTube, click … Read more
