In the words of Usher, “Oh my gosh!” WWE.com has a new feature to celebrate the high school graduation season with side-by-side pictures of some of our Divas as they currently look and as they looked in high school. The pictures come with quotes with the Divas coming up with something they’d tell their high school selves.
Check out the rest:
Divas beware, we judge what you wear! Welcome to the Diva Dirt Style Jury. We compile the looks from the week gone by and mark each look on a scale of 1-10. At the end of the scoring, we work out the combined score for each look and the Diva with the highest combined score is our winner and the Diva with the lowest combined score is our loser.
A few rules: We only judge outfits/ring attire that we haven’t judged before or we have already seen several times on TV before. If a Diva is seen in more than one outfit in any given week, we mark them as ‘#1’, ‘#2’ and so forth.
So, let the proverbial runway show begin!
ALICIA FOX
Cryssi: Foxy had a big night this past Monday and she picked a cute little outfit to go with it. We’ve seen Alicia in rompers basically every single time she hasn’t been in wrestling gear as of late. I’m at the point now where I want her to change it up. Her look is getting to be a big repeat of the same thing, only with different colors and prints. That said, this is my favorite romper of Alicia’s to date. I love the print and the way it fits. It’s flirty and sassy, perfect for Alicia. The boots are great too. Another nice week for Alicia. 8/10
Erin: I usually love Alicia’s little rompers, but, as I’ve probably said many times, all-over animal print is not my thing. It’s just too much going on in such a small space, with the mixing of prints and one-piece aesthetic. I much prefer when Alicia keeps it cuter. 5/10
Melanie: We all love Alicia’s rompers here at DD and this one is no exception for me. I’m not usually a huge fan of animal print but when done differently and ‘edgy’, I think it looks good. Alicia did wear something different and more edgy than the usual pants-and-top look, so I like it. 6/10
EVE TORRES
Cryssi: Eve is starting to bore me with her fashion but this look is better than the ones she’s had recently. The nice pinkish coral color really compliments her skin tone and her hair looks pretty this week too. Eve has what I like to call gypsy-like hair. It looks pretty when it’s straight and looks gorgeous when it’s wild and curly. Eve did well this week. 6.5/10
Erin: The peachy-pink color is cute and a different way to pull off the girly look. It pops a lot better than some of the other variations on Eve’s attire, and she wears the color really well. It mixes her tomboy personality and her lesser-seen girly side in an interesting way. 7/10
Melanie: I don’t like this colour at all on Eve. I don’t know why, but the colour just seems so sickly and especially against someone who is tanned like Eve. 4/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
It looks as though we have our next Divas feud on SmackDown as Team Lay-Cool scouted Kelly Kelly during her match tonight with Rosa Mendes. The co-Women’s Champions, Layla and Michelle McCool, watched on as K2 faced off against fellow her Raw import. Upon seeing spoilers for this week’s show, I have to admit, I wasn’t optimistic for a Kelly vs Rosa match — both seem so limited in the ring — so how did it all come together? Regardez:
Latina Rosa is the first out for her first match since the match that saw Beth Phoenix injured a few weeks ago. She’s followed by Miss Kelly who is having, not just a good hair day, but a great one, it seems.
The two Divas start things out with a lock-up but it’s Rosa who gets the better of the exchange with a knee to Kelly’s stomach. Mendes whips K2 into the corner but Kelly manages to gain momentum and stop herself, as Rosa comes charging at her, she uses the momentum to jump over Rosa and into a backflip. Kelly then charges at Rosa to hit a neckbreaker and pin attempt but Rosa kicks out.
Just as Kelly begins controlling the match, out come the co-Women’s Champions to the entrance ramp. Layla mocks Kelly by holding her nose, playing into the whole ‘Smelly Kelly’ thing and Michelle waves at Kelly sarcastically. Meanwhile from behind, Mendes grabs Kelly by the hair and smashes her against the canvas. Rosa kicks Kelly and goes for a pin of her own but Kelly kicks out this time.
It looks as though WWE has cut a Divas segment that was due to be broadcast on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. The pre-taped segment was aired to the crowd at Tuesday’s taping. Here’s a live report of what went down: Backstage, Kelly and Tiffany are cutting a promo when LayCool interrupt. They take credit for … Read more
Raw — by Erin
We start off the show with some Raw action, pitting Gail Kim against the woman she defeated on this show back in April, Jillian:
The match starts with a tie-up, Jillian backing Gail into a corner. she kicks her in the midsection and takes a moment to flaunt before turning back, but Gail slips out of her reach and flips over her, rolling her into a quick pin attempt, which earns her only a 1-count. Jillian, frustrated, gets to her feet quickly and slams Gail to the mat by the back of her head. She goes for a pin of her own, and Gail kicks out at 1.
Jillian whips Gail into the ropes, but on the return Gail turns the tables, latching onto Jillian’s midsection with her legs and rolling her forward into another pin attempt. Jillian kicks out. Gail goes on a rush of offense, nailing Jillian in the corner and then hitting a free-standing monkey flip. She dropkicks Jillian one last time, with sends her out of the ring. Jillian stumbles about outside, catching a breather. Unfortunately for her, Gail latches onto her neck with her legs, slipping through the ropes and hitting a hurricanrana outside the ring. Wow! I don’t think I’ve seen that done before. It’s creative, but doesn’t look as deliberate as it could have. To take full advantage of Gail’s moves, I think it’s vital to keep that unpredictable feeling in her matches and so far, this match has delivered that very nicely.
Jillian gets her revenge pretty quickly, though, pushing Gail so that she nails the ring apron face-first. She slips back into the ring and lounges a bit while Gail tries to shake away the cartoon birds flying around her head. She manages to get back inside the ring before the referee counts her out, but Jillian doesn’t give her a moment to recover, as she’s on her instantly, kicking her and slamming her face into the mat. She tries for a pin, but Gail kicks out at 2. Focusing on Gail’s loopy head, Jillian props her up against her knee, pulling her by her hair and knocking the back of her head against it. She lets go eventually but stays on Gail’s case, whipping her into the corner. Gail can barely stay vertical, though, and slams into the turnbuckle and falls back to the mat. Jillian senses Gail’s weariness and goes for yet another pin, getting only 2 again.
Here’s the footage that aired last night as co-Women’s Champions, Layla and Michelle McCool were announced as the first ever female Pros on WWE NXT. They introduce their Rookie, the former Low Ki, Kaval: NXT season two begins next Tuesday at 10pm on Syfy.
The self professed co-Women’s Champions, Layla and Michelle McCool have been introduced as the first ever female Pros on WWE NXT. The duo will mentor NXT Rookie, Kaval on season two of the competition. Kaval is an independent star previously known as Low Ki in ROH, where he was the first ever ROH Champion. He … Read more
Maria Kanellis says that SmackDown is where ‘careers go to die’, well if that’s the case — a whole division has been swallowed up by the Grim Reaper! It’s no secret that the blue side has been hurting between Beth Phoenix’s injury and the release of Mickie James. Drafting Kelly Kelly to SmackDown also proved … Read more
After getting our first glimpse of the new set-up with the Women’s Championship on Raw this past Monday, we got a full explanation on this week’s SmackDown. Team Lay-Cool have decided to share the Women’s Title despite Layla being the one to pick up the victory during last week’s match-up. Ring announcer Tony Chimel was quick to point out that Layla and Michelle McCool are the ‘self professed’ co-Women’s Champions — which, for the record books, means that only Layla is ‘legally’ recognised as Women’s Champ. Watch below:
Confusing as it may be, it’s a pretty cool gimmick to have Lay-Cool acting as though they are co-Women’s Champions. It’s not been done before with either the Women’s or Divas belts, so it’s somewhat refreshing and creative. This sets up lots of possibilities i.e. handicap matches against the likes of Kelly Kelly or Tiffany if they were to receive title shots; or perhaps us never not knowing which Diva may defend the belt and also, perhaps even a Lay-Cool sized implosion. But for the here and now, I guess they’re establishing this new gimmick and we can’t expect any storyline progression just yet.
This week, Lay-Cool once again faced off against Kelly Kelly and Tiffany. Layla and Kelly kick things off with a lock-up which turns into a side headlock by Layla. Kelly whips Layla against the ropes but she manages to counter with a quick counter pin which looked very impressive. Layla begins wrenching Kelly’s arm but K2 fights back with a forearm and then hits a springboard armdrag using the ropes. Kelly kicks Layla and whips her into the corner, Layla manages to stop herself and uses the turnbuckle to jump over Kelly and wrap her legs around Kelly’s head. However, Kelly then tosses her over the top rope, hitting her with a few forearms and then kicks her off the apron. Kelly now on the outside of the ropes is met by McCool who she also kicks off the apron.
Former — or should that be half current? — Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool says she wants to earn respect for her work in the WWE, speaking in a new interview with her official website. McCool also notes that she ‘fights for the Divas division’ and wants to see it flourish. She says: I want people … Read more
I think, if tonight’s Raw taught us one thing, it was this: less commercials means more Divas. Of course, that’s a bit of a leap in logic, but that fact is that tonight’s show, whilst being commercial free, featured more Diva face time than we’ve seen in a long time: 2 (count ’em, 2) matches, a backstage segment, and 2 faux-commercials. That adds up to a load of Divas being utilized, including 2 Divas that aren’t even technically apart of the brand. That’s a kind of efficiency I was beginning to think that the WWE didn’t know existed (that string of 1-minute-and-less matches didn’t help). Let us observe:
The beginning of our Diva-filled night was signaled by the appearance of a familiar face, home-country girl Trish Stratus. Unfortunately, that face was printed on a magazine cover rather than being flesh and bone, and we soon saw that Maryse was the face behind it. It was a slick move to get fans excited while risking disappointment, but it was smart to make Maryse be the one to “break the news”, so to speak. Let her be the one to put out the Trish Stratus bait and yank it back. It is a neat heat-generating maneuver that worked. Talking to the makeup woman, she details how Canadians suck and that fact that she’s French Canadian is a completely different thing. She starts trash talking Eve, and if summoned by the gods, Eve appears behind her, grabbing some baby powder and pouring it over Maryse’s head.
A makeup table fight ensues, with Eve smashing Maryse’s face against it a few times before the girls are separated. The fire in this feud continues to burn, and in this segment they showed real intensity. I mentioned this in the Post-Raw show, but I feel like whenever the WWE needs to inject some intensity in to a diva feud, they have the girls fight at the makeup station. But hell, it works! It allows the Divas to have a real, scrappy fight and makes the heat feel that much more real. It’s worked for countless Divas feuds before, and this one was no exception.
Having followed Layla from the beginning of her WWE career all those years ago during the WWE Diva Search, I always saw a certain something in her — I just felt that this girl was something special. Here at Diva Dirt, we’ve championed her for pretty much all of our existence; from her fashion sense, to her ever-improving in-ring skills and the personality that she easily oozes into her matches and skits. Never however, did I think I’d see the day that she’d hold the same belt that has been held by greats such as Trish, Lita and Victoria — especially not this soon.
It’s been a topsy-turvy week for the SmackDown brand; the Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix injured during last week’s taping and this week, the whole landscape of the brand was turned on its head. Watch below:
The segment opens with Rosa Mendes in the ring for a match with the homecoming queen, the Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix appearing before her hometown crowd in Buffalo, New York. The Glamazon gets an amazing response from the crowd… just wow. I don’t think I’ve heard a response like that for a Diva in years! There is some emphasis put on the fact that Beth was hurt during her match with Rosa last week on WWE Superstars, including a close-up on her Tara-like knee brace. Beth is ready to face Rosa but out comes Vickie Guerrero who reveals two things: A) that she is still the Official Consultant of SmackDown despite being the new Raw General Manager and B) that Beth will have to defend her Women’s Championship right now against Michelle McCool who has invoked her rematch clause — but it will also be a handicap match with Layla also in the match. Err, what was the point in having Rosa on the show in the first place? Surely, Vickie could’ve come out first, made her speech and then Beth could have come out? I guess it’s a case of any excuse to get a pretty face on the show…
Out come Team Lay-Cool who mock Beth’s knee injury as the make their way down the ramp. The match begins and we are told that this will be a tornado rules match with both Layla and Michelle in the ring at the same time. Michelle is the first to go after Beth, going right at Beth’s injured knee with a kick and then clubbing her across the back. Michelle applies a side headlock which Beth soon breaks free of and whips Michelle into the ropes and barges her down to the canvas. Meanwhile from behind, Layla is ready for some action but Beth turns around just in time and Layla walks into a clothesline.
Divas beware, we judge what you wear! Welcome to the Diva Dirt Style Jury. We compile the looks from the week gone by and mark each look on a scale of 1-10. At the end of the scoring, we work out the combined score for each look and the Diva with the highest combined score is our winner and the Diva with the lowest combined score is our loser.
A few rules: We only judge outfits/ring attire that we haven’t judged before or we have already seen several times on TV before. If a Diva is seen in more than one outfit in any given week, we mark them as ‘#1’, ‘#2’ and so forth.
So, let the proverbial runway show begin!
ALICIA FOX
Cryssi: This is okay for what it is. It’s really simple and there’s nothing to it. That doesn’t make it a bad look because I personally think Alicia looks amazing in it. She’s the type of girl that doesn’t need flashy clothes and accessories to make herself stand out. She does that all on her own with her beauty and self confidence. 8/10
Erin: Really cute romper. I love the print and the billowy shape is something you don’t often see on Divas (or Knockouts, for that matter). Alicia looks great, and proves that a Diva doesn’t need to wear something skin-tight to look hot. Not all of them could pull off the romper look too, but Alicia looks fabulous, a perfect mixture of cute, stylish, and sexy. 9/10
Melanie: Original and different from the Diva norm, I mean could you imagine anyone else trying to pull off a romper? I love the neckline and how it is a little baggy on Alicia. However, I’m not a huge fan of the pattern — it’s a little too distracting. 6/10
Steven: Something about the pattern of this dress is off-putting to me. Reminds me of cheap wallpaper to be honest. I also don’t like the way it’s kind of billowy on top, like she just slapped a belt on and went on her way. Not a fan at all. 4/10
EVE TORRES
Cryssi: The Divas Champion didn’t score any points with that top she’s wearing but I love those jeans. I wish I had a figure as good as Eve’s so I could wear tight ass jeans. I kinda like the fact she went for a big belt buckle too. It’s different. 6/10
Erin: Tummy-baring tops always look so 90s to me, but the metallic accents and cut of the shoulders on Eve’s top certainly give it a more modern touch. I’m still not loving it, though. If only it were a bit longer.. 6/10
Melanie: I don’t like these super tiny shirts that show off the bra, which I’m guessing is the point when you’re a WWE Diva — to show some skin. However, it looks trashy. I do like the sequins on the top and the shoulders like Erin. 5/10
Steven: Eve looked great this week! I especially loved the top and the shoes. Even her hair was perfect! 9/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
This week on SmackDown, Layla scored yet another very rare victory and like her win over a departing Mickie James two weeks ago, she can thank former Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool for the assistance. Watch this week’s SmackDown match below:
Out first are Kelly Kelly and the Diva who shall now be known as Tiffany Tiffany. The two blondes come out to the ring looking like Gym Barbie and Wrestler Barbie respectively. On the apron, Tiffany shows off her new and exciting~ entrance pose, holding her foot while pointing at the crowd — whatever works for you, Tiffany! Out next are Team Lay-Cool with Vickie Guerrero in tow. Does anyone else find Team Lay-Cool’s entrance on the ramp exhausting? So many turns…
Tiffany kicks off the match with Michelle and I’m excited because I think these two Divas have good chemistry. They lock up rather roughly before Tiffany backs Michelle into the corner and the referee breaks things up. Michelle then face-shoves Tiffany however the former ECW GM counters with a drop toe-hold, followed by an atomic drop. Tiffany then hits McCool with a back elbow before winding her arm and whipping her into the corner. Tiff goes for a monkey flip but Michelle, in a really amazing display of athleticism, lands on her feet and rightfully boasts screaming, ‘Flawless’. Meanwhile from behind, Tiffany has Michelle scouted and hits another monkey flip and this time, McCool lands on her tailbone and flees the ring.
I know what you’re thinking, who the hell is Marosa? It became evident watching last night’s episode of WWE Superstars that feisty Latina, Rosa Mendes is trying to remodel herself as SmackDown’s answer to the French poodle Maryse — complete with a bilingual promo. Where have we seen that before? Oh wait, just this past Monday on Raw… albeit in French. So, in case you haven’t already deduced: Maryse + Rosa = Marosa. In her first appearance as a SmackDown Diva — on Superstars — Marosa took on her former mentor, the Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix.
But before the match, we got a backstage segment between Kelly Kelly & Team Lay-Cool which nicely sets up a tag team match for tonight’s SmackDown. Watch below:
It looks as though Lay-Cool have picked their next target, having already picked on Mickie James and Beth Phoenix, branding Kelly ‘Smelly Kelly’. Kelly actually speaks! Not that you would know from watching her on Raw for the past two years. It was nice to see her being able to actually be part of a segment and I thought she did a good job here with Layla and Michelle. Enter Vickie Guerrero and the two pin her down as Vickie sprays her. This results in Kelly screaming at Vickie, calling her the ‘official cow’ which was pretty hilarious and almost matched Maryse clocking Eve with the Divas Title on Raw. Now enter the Glamazon who clears house along with Tiffany. Not a bad little segment, it’s rare to see something like this on Superstars.
Next up we have Beth Phoenix vs Rosa Mendes. Beth comes out first followed by Rosa who makes a really peppy entrance. I had called for Rosa to move to SmackDown in the Diva Draft feature and this is part of the reason why. She may not be a good wrestler, but she does have some personality that I think WWE could utilise. However, it becomes evident that the personality they want Rosa to show is Maryse’s… Rosa cuts a promo in Spanish and English, introducing herself and telling Beth that she’ll soon beat Beth for the title. “Adios Glamazon,” she says and I don’t know why but it made me laugh. Rosa then beats the microphone against Beth’s chest a few times, almost taunting her — resulting in the announcers calling her ‘muy loco’. Rosa definitley showed some personality and flare here.
New SmackDown Diva, Kelly Kelly proved lucky on her debut on the brand this week, teaming with new Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix against Team Lay-Cool. The young Diva who was drafted to the blue brand during Monday’s WWE Draft was firmly in the spotlight picking up the victory over Layla. Watch below:
With Michelle McCool and Layla already in the ring, out comes the new WWE Women’s Champion and boy, is it good to see her with that belt! Next we get a special announcement before Kelly comes out with Tony Chimel announcing the newest Diva on the SmackDown roster. Hmm, pretty sure there was no such announcement last year when Melina arrived and she was Women’s Champ. It was however, a nice touch that made you feel like Kelly coming to SmackDown is a big deal — in the words of Kristin Astara, “Fake it till you make it.” Even though we all know Kelly isn’t the best worker, it’s nice to see that WWE cares enough about a Diva to kind of make them a bigger deal than they are and make them feel special.
Kelly kicks things off against an extremely fresh opponent in Michelle McCool. I can’t think of a time when I’ve ever seen these two wrestle even in one of those inter-brand tag matches so this seemed fresh and new which is the whole point of the Draft. McCool immediately side-steps Kelly, wrapping her arms around her from behind and drives her into the turnbuckles before hitting her with a back elbow and stomping into her. Michelle then pushes Kelly taunting her, saying “Come on.” Kelly does, shoving McCool right back. McCool does not take kindly to this and knees Kelly in the midsection. Michelle whips Kelly against the ropes, Kelly comes back with her tilt-a-whirl headscissors complete with scream on the former Women’s Champ — Michelle sells this really well. Kelly then hits a clothesline and runs at Michelle hitting her with a hurricanrana. Didn’t we just see a headscissors? Regardless, it gets a big pop. Kelly now goes for a pin but McCool kicks out.
With last week being a bust, Diva-wise, there was considerable hope (at least on my part) that the Divas would have a significant part on the big, 3-hour Draft episode of Raw. While the actual Draft picks didn’t go the way we expected or hoped, it was the action inside (and immediately outside) the ring that surpassed expectations.
This go-round, the WWE went with a new route on Diva Draft picks. Instead of any match during the night putting a Diva up for a switch, it was only Diva matches that made them eligible for the Draft. Unfortunately, since we (like most weeks) were only treated to one Divas match, that meant we only had one girl get drafted tonight. And, for being the solitary Diva drafted during the show, it was a pretty underwhelming choice, in my opinion.
But before we get into the Draft pick, let’s see how it came to be. Michelle McCool and Layla (as always, with Vickie Guerrero) teamed up to represent SmackDown, and rivals Eve Torres and Maryse repped Raw. The winning team, of course, would win a Diva Draft pick for their brand. Watch the match to see which brand is down a Diva:
Most people’s reactions to finding out that Eve and Maryse were teaming centered on shock. Of course, these types of “strange bedfellows” matches have happened before, but not usually with such a tight-knit team as their opponents and with so much at stake. Still, they played it off to perfection, with Maryse breezing right past happy-go-lucky Eve as they made their entrance, even giving her one of the “talk to the hand” gestures as she led the way. Funny though, that they’re still pretty color coordinated.
Extreme Rules is done and over with, and the mixed reviews continue to pour in. Last night, each and every one of us were able to watch the first ever Extreme Makeover Match which starred the reigning WWE Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool, and the lovely, beautiful Beth Phoenix. These two talented Divas fought within the confines of the match regulations and delivered one of the best diva matches we’ve had in awhile. Michelle’s cohorts and resident SmackDown mean girls, Layla and Vickie Guerrero, would make their presence felt, and as the match reached it’s crescendo we all watched as the Phoenix rose again. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, Beth Phoenix was crowned the ultimate Queen of the WWE once again and Simply Flawless were sent limping to the back with their heads bowed down in silent defeat.
Before the match begins, the WWE gives us a close up of the make-up table and the so-called weapons that are going to make this match extreme. Michelle McCool and her Simply Flawless stablemates make their way to the ring first. Michelle does this unnecessary dance at the top of the ramp before she begins to saunter down to the ring. It’s not as if we were able to see her walk to the ring because the ‘E decided to get in a sponsor announcement but hey, at least they didn’t go to commercial a la TNA. Michelle and Layla are matching and Vickie is sporting some sexy mom jeans that didn’t have an elastic waist thus making me wonder if they were even mom jeans at all?
As the Vickie insults start to fly thanks to our wonderful broadcast team, the Glamazon’s theme music hits and Beth receives a massive pop as she makes her way onto the stage. As always, the shapely blonde looks gorgeous and her face reads of nothing but absolute confidence as she stalks down to the ring. As tonight’s “Buffet of Beauty” waits to get underway, Beth poses to the crowd while Laycool plus Vickie try to not look that effected. When things settle down, the referee holds the championship up for everyone to see and then calls for the bell. Michelle and Beth circle one another before locking up and jockeying for position. Beth forces Michelle to the ropes and the ex-teacher slips between them temporarily. Beth doesn’t break the hold but Michelle does get the advantage and nails the Glamazon right in the face. Beth staggers back and Michelle follows it up with a kick, an uppercut, and a whip into the turnbuckle. Beth jumps on the ropes, over a charging Michelle, and rolls her up for a quick pin. Michelle is out after the one count, but the match is off to a fantastic start.
We’ve all been wondering what an Extreme Makeover Match is, well look no further. The following was posted by WWE Universe leader, Corey Clayton in the ongoing live chat on WWE.com: I’ve received word that “Extreme Makeover Match” rules are the same as a hardcore or “Extreme Rules” match. Anything goes. Sounds promising considering it … Read more
The Women’s Championship is on the line between Beth Phoenix and Michelle McCool in the first ever Extreme Makeover Match. Who will walk away with the gold? The Diva Dirt team weigh in: Cryssi: Now a lot of people are going to assume that this match is going to be all about Beth Phoenix winning … Read more
Before this Sunday’s big Women’s Championship bout between Michelle McCool and Beth Phoenix, McCool and her Simply Flawless teammates literally ironed out the details for the match on SmackDown this week. Also, who knew that this would end up being Mickie James’ final appearance on WWE television? It’s a very interesting week for the blue brand. Watch below:
First comes the announcement of an ‘Extreme Makeover’ match between Michelle and Beth for this Sunday. What is an ‘Extreme Makeover’ match? Beats me. But I guess we’ll find out Sunday. Just as long as there’s no vanity mirror with light bulbs around it and the Divas aren’t forced to dress in feathered robes like this, I’m good.
So after months of waiting for this tag team match, it’s finally here — Beth and Mickie James versus Michelle and Layla with Vickie on the outside. It seems like this match itself has been months in the making, let alone the Women’s Championship bout. I was really looking forward to seeing a relationship develop between Phoenix and James so it’s weird to think this will be their one and only appearance together as a team.
The match begins with Layla and Phoenix, Layla smartly runs around Beth and applies a side headlock on the Glamazon but is then hoisted in the air and twirled around by the forceful #1 Contender. Layla begins to find her ground, reapplying the headlock but is picked up again and dropped by Beth Phoenix. Beth runs at Layla, who kicks her in the leg, followed by a kick. Layla then irish whips herself off the ropes, as McCool blind tags herself in, and runs at Beth who catches her by the legs. Layla is locked into a giant swing by Beth but in comes Michelle who for some reason, jumps over Layla and then gets hit with a back elbow by Beth. Not even sure what’s going on here. Beth then picks up Layla in a lateral press position, hoisting her above her head but is kicked in the back of the leg by Michelle and ends up falling to her knees. McCool then works over the leg and goes for a pin but to no avail.
The Australian airing of SmackDown reveals that Beth Phoenix and Michelle McCool will meet in an ‘Extreme Makeover’ match this Sunday at Extreme Rules. One Diva Dirt reader emailed in the following: In the preview the backdrop was pink and glittery so I’m assuming maybe some with makeup everywhere and clothes etc. I guess we … Read more
Diva fans could be getting their wish of seeing the Divas in a more physical match this Sunday when Beth Phoenix challenges the Women’s Champion Michelle McCool for the belt at Extreme Rules. The stipulation hasn’t been made explicit as of yet however, judging by the spoilers — and this is a minor spoiler in … Read more
Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool and her now former rival, Mickie James dusted off their heated feud for one more outing this week on an edition of SmackDown from London. And the result was perhaps one of the best Divas matches on TV so far this year. It’s no secret that Michelle has rarely wrestled a singles match on SmackDown in the past few months but I guess an international TV taping is a good a reason as any. Watch below:
So, Mickie is back from her little hiatus due to injury and she’s back in the ring with the woman who took the Women’s Championship from her back in February. Despite having surgery and everything, Mickie was on fine form as she skipped and hopped to the ring for her match followed by McCool with Layla and Vickie Guerrero in tow.
The former Women’s Champion gives McCool a little sly wink as she steps onto the ring apron for her signature pose, suggesting that she has not forgotten any of the animosity between them. As the bell rings and the match begins, the two Divas lock up but it’s Michelle who gets the better of the exchange, using her leverage to hit sort of an overhead throw on her. The arrogant champion then segues into press ups which become one-legged press ups, as Layla and Vickie cheer her on. Much to her surprise though, Mickie drops down opposite her and struts her stuff too leading to a nice showdown. Michelle looks surprised and confused as she says, “I didn’t know she could do that” to the crowd. Best to keep your eyes on your opponent Michelle, as James hit a great low dropkick on the champ and goes for the pin but no three count. Mickie goes for another pin attempt, this time sweeping the legs and jumping into a bridge but Michelle kicks out yet again.
Divas beware, we judge what you wear! Welcome to the Diva Dirt Style Jury. We compile the looks from the week gone by and mark each look on a scale of 1-10. At the end of the scoring, we work out the combined score for each look and the Diva with the highest combined score is our winner and the Diva with the lowest combined score is our loser. Click each image to see it full-sized.
A few rules: We only judge outfits/ring attire that we haven’t judged before or we have already seen several times on TV before. If a Diva is seen in more than one outfit in any given week, we mark them as ‘#1’, ‘#2’ and so forth.
As Steven is in Berwyn for SHIMMER, joining us this week as a special guest is John Canton from our family site TheJohnReport.net. He says: “Thanks to Melanie for the invite. I’m a closet Style Jury fan. I’m a straight male that loves women, but also has opinions on fashion because I was raised mostly by my two older sisters since our parents worked so much. I was also told by my dad that “the shorter the dress, the better…most of time” and those are words to live by, quite frankly. Style Jury combines two of my favorite pastimes: staring at women and writing. Now I’m doing both at once! I should add that it’s a shame we’re not writing about Mickie or Maryse since they’re my two favorites. Bad luck for me.”
So, let the proverbial runway show begin!
ALICIA FOX
Cryssi: On a night where the fashion made me die a little inside, Alicia managed to look the best and that’s not saying a whole lot. I wasn’t a huge fan of this dress but at least she managed to match her shoes to it which is a great achievement seeing as how the other divas mostly failed in this area. Small victories. 7/10
Erin: I know I’ve blasted animal print on dresses before (Rosa and Tiffany at the Hall of Fame), but this dress isn’t meant to be formal, as those were. The print suits this dress so much more because of that; it’s short, shiny, and works well on Alicia’s body. The colors are nice too–no tacky blue–and the print is able to dominate the dress without competing with various cutouts and necklines, so it doesn’t look like some busted prom dress. From the print to the color to the cut, this is a perfect look for Alicia. 9/10
John: Incredibly fit woman that can pull anything off, really. I like how short this dress was although that walk she does bothers me. It looks like an older woman with a broken hip or something. I know it’s a “sassy walk with attitude” but you need to get that checked out, girl. 7/10
Melanie: Absolutely gorgeous! This dress fits Alicia perfectly and complements her skin too. She really does look like a million bucks. I really like the detailing on the dress too… yes, it looks like bee stripes but personally, I didn’t see that until it was pointed out on Raw. I saw a fashionable, sexy dress. Perhaps one of my favourite Alicia looks ever. 10/10
THE BELLA TWINS
Cryssi: How shocking. They both wore red. These looks are basically identical except one has some fancy little crystal-esque designs on her dress. Neither of these looks are special and it’s to early in the morning for me to try and tell them apart. 5/10
Erin: The shape of Brie’s dress suits her really well, and I like that she keeps it simple and lets it work on its own. For once, the flower in the hair doesn’t look out of place. It’s a very simple but lovely look, and I can always appreciate when a Diva shows restraint when trying to look sexy. Nikki’s is almost identical to Brie’s look, but with detailing at the top. I loved the simplicity of Brie’s dress, and this dress lacks that. I feel that the Christmas tinsel-like detailing could be lost, and as Brie’s dress proves, it would be better without it. 6/10
John: Doesn’t matter what they wear, they always have that “wholesome” image to me. It’s fine, but they don’t scream sexy to me often enough. Their dresses were just okay. They have nice figures, so they can work anything they want. 7/10
Melanie: I think the Bellas looked prettier than they usually do in these red dresses but frankly, I think there’s far too much material here. I think they should have opted for something more form-fitting that shows off their bodies. This is just like a homecoming dress. 5/10
Read on for more of this week’s outfits and to see who’s been branded our winner and loser.
Welcome to this week’s edition of Unwrapped! As always, we will be grading all of the new photoshoots (or “eye candy”, as we like to call them) from the week gone by, judging them like so:
Sweet (Great) • Bland (Iffy) • Sour (Awful)
You, the reader, will also get the chance to grade the “eye candy” yourself by giving your opinion on each shoot and voting for your favorite out of the whole bunch. Now, dive in!
Angelina Love‘s Twisted Steel
Grade: Sour. Angelina Love, in her trademark trashy ring attire here posing backstage at the Impact Zone. I like this bright blue but seriously, Angelina’s ring attire is far too complicated and perplexing for anything to stand out. I mean just look at the top — you have blue, then you have animal print and then you have a black sequined boob tube. Good lord. The backgrounds in these shots provides an interesting contrast but honestly, it just looks odd and not nearly as abstract as it should.
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Chelsea‘s Could It Be Magic?
Grade: Sour. Poor Bellas, always stuck with the lame outfits to placate that week’s Raw guest host. This photoshoot is hilariously silly with Brie and Nikki in PVC magician’s assistant outfits. I don’t know about you but these just look like bondage outfits to me with hats and wands thrown in. Very PG!
• Click to see the rest of the photoshoot.
Read more to see the rest of this week’s photoshoots.