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SmackDown Redux (June 3rd, 2011): Tamina Win Match For Heels

This week’s episode of SmackDown brought us a rematch of sorts from last week. The ChickBusters (Kaitlyn and AJ), with Natalya at their side, took on Team Heel featuring Alicia Fox and Tamina. The most notable difference this week is that the heels countered Natalya’s presence by adding the rarely seen Rosa Mendes to ringside (I guess she is heel again). Will Rosa’s presence bring anything to the match? Will AJ and Kaitlyn pull out the victory this week? Will Alicia continue to just be the fiercest Diva ever? Lets stop wasting time and find out.

When SmackDown returns from what I can only assume has been a commercial break, A-Fox’s music is playing in the background and the so-called bad girls of SmackDown are posing in the ring. It’s only a few seconds later that Alicia’s theme fades and Natalya’s begins to blare across the PA system. Dressed in the most gorgeous sequined mini I’ve ever seen on SmackDown, Nattie leads her rookies out onto the stage. Kaitlyn and AJ look ready for battle and they all head to the ring. Much like last week, a backstage video begins playing while this is going on.

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SmackDown Redux (May 27th, 2011): AJ Debuts In The Most Lugubrious Way

Earlier this week, SmackDown Diva Layla made an announcement that she was going to have surgery to repair two injuries; a torn MCL and a torn ACL. That announcement just happened to coincide with the debut of a new Diva at Tuesday’s tapings, former Queen of FCW and third place NXTS3 rookie, AJ. A lot of people have been awaiting the arrival of the spunky life-long pro wrestling fan and it’s unfortunate that her debut has to happen right as Layla goes out from an injury. Whether AJ was brought up to take Layla’s place, I don’t know. But what I do know is that AJ’s debut was a rather dismal one. She teamed up with NXT winner and BFF, Kaitlyn, to take on the team of Alicia Fox and Tamina. Birthday girl, Natalya, was at ringside with the faces. Lets take a look at what went down.

Tonight we begin things with Alicia and Tamina in the ring.

Random Thought: I can only assume that Tamina and her cave-woman attire are heels by default now due to the severe lack of them on the blue brand, but who knows? Maybe Rosa won the coin toss this week and didn’t have to play the heel?

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Unwrapped (May 15th, 2011): Kharma, Miss Tessmacher, Natalya, Tamina & Tara


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 Kharma, Miss Tessmacher, Natalya, Tara and Tamina:


Kharma
How’s this for a spin on the usual Diva photoshoot? Given that Kharma has demonstrated an inability to play well with others, it makes sense that she wouldn’t exactly cooperate for a photoshoot. In these photos, she poses for a few select shots and then, for reasons unknown, attacks the photographer and breaks the camera. Photoshoots usually don’t break the fourth wall like this, but it definitely works with a Diva like Kharma, who as of yet doesn’t seem to want to do much else than inflict pain on anyone who strays within her grasp. Sure, it’s a bit cheesy, but it’s the most entertaining photoshoot I’ve seen in a long time, and it’s damn creative too: they managed to get some posed photos out of Kharma without breaking her bad-tempered character. Every single shot is interesting in its own way, whether she’s gazing creepily off-camera or charging at directly at the camera. It shows that Kharma is more than just a mean-looking Diva–she’s got personality and a definite spark, even though the demonstration of said spark resulted in a “injured” photographer. I love the shoot: it’s so very fitting for her character, and the shots are so memorable.
Rating: • • • • •
View the photoshoot.


Miss Tessmacher
Posing in her ring gear, Miss Tessmacher is showing off her outfit and mugging for the camera in various ways. The color of this gear reminds me of one of similar color and texture worn by Kelly Kelly. I’m not sure which one I prefer, though I must say that the rhinestone-covered knee pads are a unique touch. The poses are hardly subtle, with Miss Tessmacher showing off her butt by hanging her jacket just under it, throwing up the rock and roll hand sign, and popping on her eyeglasses for a few shots. There’s just not a lot of consistency–it’s as if she’s just doing whatever comes to mind. Given that this is a shoot meant to show off her ring gear, I don’t really mind–I’m not really paying attention to the nuances of her poses anyways, but it’s a bit silly seen all together. Personally, I much prefer her earlier ring gear shoot, the one with her black attire. It was sexy, but she looked all business, ready to jump in the ring. Here, it’s more like she wanted to tick every box, which results in a disjointed photoshoot.
Rating: • • • • •
View the photoshoot.

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WWE Draft 2011: Kelly, Alicia, Natalya, Tamina & Beth Find New Homes

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.

The new WWE Divas rosters after the jump!

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Raw Redux (April 11th, 2011): Bellas’ Twin Magic Conjures Gold, Something ‘Awesome’ is Coming

After a couple weeks of Trish Stratus goodness, the Divas Champion, Eve Torres is back in the spotlight. On this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw, Eve defends her belt against one half of the Bella Twins, Brie Bella. Does the champ have a plan to combat The Bellas’ twin magic? Check out the match below:

We come from commercial to find both Bellas in the ring, both in ring gear (surprise, surprise). Out next is the Divas Champion, Eve and she’s come prepared. Eve whips out a permanent marker and has the referee mark Nikki Bella‘s hand, so she knows which one is in the ring. Very smart strategy from the champ. With the twin Divas successfully sorted, the official signals for the bell and out championship bout is underway.

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Mr. Glamazon Reports from WrestleMania 27 – Day 2 (Art Show)

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.

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Unwrapped (March 20th, 2011): Gail, Maryse, SoCal Val, Tamina & Tara


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 Gail Kim, Maryse, SoCal Val, Tamina and Tara:


Gail Kim
I’ve always found that outfits that might look a little trashy on some Divas manage to work with Gail. This obviously has a lot to do with her smaller frame, so certain skimpy outfits don’t look as revealing on her. Here, Gail’s wearing a tiny black halter top, black pleather hot pants and some intense accessories in the form of her heels and forearm-devouring bracelet. With the color scheme consisting entirely of black, even down to her hair, the look is very sleek and almost super spy-esque. She wears it well, and her poses are diverse and interesting, though I think, in keeping with the look, Gail probably could have been a bit more mysterious and serious in some of them. In two photos, she gets that mood perfectly right, and I think a photoshoot full of that would have been a nice departure and a full transformation from the smiley babyface Gail is right now.
Rating: • • • • •
View the photoshoot.


Maryse
Maryse’s super-long hair isn’t enough to distract us from her dress, which is detailed quite nicely around the neck. Her bracelets, with equal detail, compete with that as areas of interest, and I can’t help but think choosing one (namely the one on her left arm) would have made for a less cluttered look. She’s posing against a wall and garage door, which don’t exactly fit with her look, and while it adds interest more than a regular studio background would, the result is a shoot that looks a bit mismatched. She evens looks a bit cheerier than usual, and I find myself appreciating the typical sultry poses a bit more–the devious look is more natural on her.
Rating: • • • • •
View the photoshoot.

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Raw Redux Does WWE Superstars (March 17th, 2011): Oh Yes, It’s Ladies Night…

Hello all! Once again on Superstars, the Raw Divas are elevated to the main event in a match that pits Eve, Natalya, Gail and Tamina vs Melina, Alicia Fox and the Bella Twins. Watch below:

After making their entrances, all Divas are in their respective corners as Tamina starts off for the babyfaces and Brie for the heels.

The two sexy, smart and powerful Divas lock up in the center of the ring. Tamina pushes Brie back with great ease, showing off her strength. Brie takes a minute to regroup by the ropes before heading for one of the Pacific Islander’s legs only to be met with a headbutt for her trouble. Brie has had enough for the moment as she tags in the Fox-iest one of them all. Alicia steps in, narrowing her eyes at the babyface Diva and greeting her with a stiff kick to the quad which temporarily takes her opponent down. The redheaded Divas hits a few stiff arms to the back before bouncing off the ropes and straight into a hard shoulder block from Tamina.

The towering Diva grabs the evil Fox by the hair, dragging her back to the babyface corner, hitting a stiff arm to the bad and tagging in Gail Kim. Kim wrenches the arm of Alicia but is immediately slammed down on her back to break the hold. Alicia grabs hold of the midsection of her new opponent, lifting her up in what looks like a belly to back suplex but ends up taking Gail down onto her stomach. Miss Fox maintains the hold for a moment but the babyface Diva is able to maneuver herself out of the hold and gains the upper hand with a headlock.

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Raw Redux (February 28th, 2011): The Bella Mafia Dupe Gail, Take Out a Hit on Eve

After picking up a surprising win over the Divas Champion, Eve, one might think The Bella Twins were in line for a title shot, right? Wrong. On this week’s edition on Raw, The Bellas along with Maryse, Tamina, Alicia Fox, Gail Kim and Natalya take part in a Diva Battle Royal for #1 contendership. Can The Bellas strike gold again and net themselves a shot at the strap or will some other lucky Diva come out on top? Check out the match below:

We kick things off with the champion, Eve, on commentary expressing her thought on the battle royal and facing off with the winner. The official signals for the bell and it’s every woman for themselves. Right off the bat, Natalya grabs Brie Bella and tosses her out of ring, eliminating her. Alicia follows her soon after, also eliminated by Natalya. Meanwhile, Melina knocks Tamina out of the running with a stiff kick to the head.

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Raw Redux (February 14th, 2011): Eve is a Valentine’s Day Hart-breaker

After picking up a win over Melina and The Bella Twins on last week’s edition of Raw, Divas Champion Eve had a full head of steam going into her title match on this week’s edition. However, the #1 contender Natalya was looking to settle her tea kettle and relieve her of the belt. That said, the champion and challenger probably didn’t expect the match to be a lumberjill match. How will Natalya and Eve fare with the rest of the roster standing guard outside of the ring? Check out the match below:

We come from commercial to find Natalya in the ring awaiting her opponent, while the lumberjills lined the ring in their Sunday best. Eve makes her way to the ring next to a decent reaction from the crowd. In the spirit of friendly competition, both Divas shake hand and our championship match is underway.

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Raw Redux (February 7th, 2010): Settle Your Kettle, Michael Cole, Because Natalya’s Whistle is About to Blow!

On this week’s edition of Raw, WWE gave us yet another tag team match, this time featuring Tamina, Gail Kim and Divas Champion Eve against Melina and The Bella Twins. As an added treat, we got the #1 Contender, Natalya as a special guest commentary. Can Eve pick up her first as the newly crowned champ? Check out the match below and find out:

First out is the babyface team and I can’t take my eyes off Tamina’s gear… but I wish I could. Melina and The Bella Twins are out next, and strangely enough they get separate entrances. I guess WWE were gracious enough to spare a couple of extra seconds for the Divas tonight. We are not worthy.

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Raw Redux Does WWE Superstars (February 3rd, 2011): Melina May Be Bad, But She’s Perfectly Good At It

Just one week after being unceremoniously dropped from the Divas Championship title picture, Melina is relegated to WWE Superstars in order to work her way back up the ladder. Props to WWE, however, as we were given a fresh new match as Melina faces off against Tamina. Despite being on the roster for nearly a year now, this is our first opportunity to see Tamina in a full-length singles match. How will she fare?

Watch below:

The former Divas Champ is out first sporting her new attitude, followed by Santino’s sweetheart, Tamina now with her own entrance music and even new ring gear!

The heel Melina is feeling playful, sliding in and out of the ring, attempting to play games with the second generation Diva. Melina backs into the corner and Tamina runs after her but the referee tries to keep them apart. Tamina grabs Melina’s leg, slamming her against the mat and then hitting a slingshot. While usually, this would result in the recipient hitting their head against the top turnbuckle, Melina just kind of stumbles on the floor for what seems like an eternal second. Awkward.

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Tamina Voted WWE’s Diva to Watch in 2011

Raw Diva, Tamina has been voted one of the 11 Superstars to watch in 2011 at WWE.com. Tamina, who is the daughter of Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka, is the only Diva on the list, ranking at #9. WWE.com writes: “Tamina may be smitten with Santino Marella, but her true passion lies in the ring, where she … Read more

Raw Redux (December 20th, 2010): The Slap Heard ‘Round the World

After a decisive victory over Lay-Cool at TLC on Sunday, Divas Champion Natalya was on the market for a new challenger for the coveted butterfly belt. Lucky for her, this week’s Raw featured a triple threat #1 contender match between Melina, Alicia Fox and Eve, all former champions in their own right. Which one of the beauties came out on top? Check out the match below:

We come from commercial to find Natalya at the announcer’s table, looking gorgeous might I add, scouting her future opponent. Melina’s music hits and she does an accelerated version of her usual entrance. Alicia Fox is out next, followed by Eve. As her opponents prepare themselves, Natalya engages in a bit of playful banter with the commentary team, showing off her more carefree side. The official signals for the bell and our #1 contendership match is underway.

Alicia wastes little time and goes right after Eve with a few stiff strikes. Melina tries to get in on the action, but eats an elbow in the process. Alicia goes back to work on Eve, throwing her into the top rope, before setting her sights on Melina. Alicia takes Melina out with a flurry of strikes, before pulling down to the mat by the hair. Eve tries to fight off the ‘vindictive’ one, but Alicia tosses her out of the ring, leaving her alone with Melina.

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Raw Redux (December 13th, 2010): Lay-Cool are Slammy Queens

This week Raw hosted The Slammys, the night the Superstars and Divas wait all year for. After last year’s upset win by Maria in the category of ‘Diva of the Year, how could WWE top that? That’s right, a battle royal! But first, BFFs Lay-Cool won the “Knucklehead Moment of the Year award”. Check out their acceptance speech and the match below:

Let’s kick things off with the award. To be honest, it was more of the same from Lay-Cool in this segment. I would really love to see some kind of change in Lay-Cool in the new year, because this ‘Mean Girls’ schtick is really being run into the ground. It was amusing at for a while, but like most things in WWE, it’s being overdone at this point. Also, I thought it was very fitting that Layla accepted this award, as she’s the personality of this tandem. After making their speech, Lay-Cool says their about to win another Slammy and head to the ring for the battle royal.

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Raw Redux (November 29th, 2010): Santino Strikes Again

Last week, Natalya asserted her dominance over the Divas division in a unbeweavable singles match against the feisty Alicia Fox. This week she leads the team of Gail Kim and Melina against Alicia, Maryse and Tamina. Will she be able to be victorious once again? Check out the match below:\

Out first is the heel team and we are treated to a replay of the odd, yet entertaining exchange between Tamina and Santino. I should have known this was a precursor to what was to come later in this match, but I ignored it. Silly me.

Out next is the babyface team, who get a pretty good reaction from the crowd. After the obligatory posing to the crowd, the referee takes the belt from Nattie and starts the match with Melina and Maryse kicking things off for their respective teams. As we all know there’s no love lost between these two, so it was no surprise to see these two go toe to toe in the middle of the ring. In her usual cocky fashion, Maryse piefaced Melina, but gets a stiff forearm for her troubles. Melina mounts the French-Canadian beauty and they roll around for a bit, before Maryse manages to escape under the bottom rope.

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Raw Redux (November 22nd, 2010): Lay-Cool Denied and the Weave Flies!

Last night’s edition of Monday Night Raw was a solid show overall, but was very good to the Divas in particular. Not only did we get a solid match, we had several entertaining segments, as well. First we got a segment featuring the new Divas Champion, Natalyaand the former champions Lay-Cool. Check out the segment below:

Pretty good stuff here in this segment. I found Lay-Cool’s diva act pretty funny and seeing them get shut down by security was also pretty funny. Hopefully, this is a sign that Lay-Cool won’t be such a strong presence in the Divas division for the time being. I like Lay-Cool as characters and competitors, but they have pretty much been running the division. It will be a nice change of pace to see some of the other Divas get into the title picture.

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Raw Redux (November 8th, 2010): From the Geniuses Behind ‘Diva Bowl’, it’s the Divas Cup (with No Actual Cup)

Instead of following up on the feud going on between Natalya and Lay-Cool at the moment, WWE opted to go with a six Diva gimmick tag match. Go figure. This week, the team of Eve and The Bella Twins face off against Alicia Fox, Maryse and Tamina. But this is no ordinary battle, oh no! From the geniuses that brought us ‘Diva Bowl’ last year, comes the ‘Divas Cup’… except, there’s no cup in sight? Cheapskates! Check out the match below:

The babyface team makes their entrance first, sporting Manchester United uniforms, to a chorus of jeers from the crowd. I’m told this is because of rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool (which is being represented by the heels). I’m not really a soccer fan, so this was completely wasted on me and the majority of Americans watching at home.

Out next are the heels, and apparently Tamina missed the memo for this match. Doesn’t she know that they’re supposed to be ‘sexy’ soccer players? She looks like she’s an actual soccer player! *shock horror* All jokes aside, I kinda like the fact that Tamina doesn’t try to be as overtly sexy as her counterparts. I think it makes her come across as a more serious competitor. That said, she really stuck out like a sore thumb coming down the ramp with Maryse and Alicia. The Divas take their places in their respective corners, Mike Chioda signals for the bell and the Diva Cup is underway with Eve and Tamina kicking things off.

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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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Raw Redux (August 23, 2010): Three Champions, Two Belts, One Offer

Last week, Jillian managed to score her first win in almost a year, pinning Eve in a 6 Diva tag match. As a reward for her hard earned win, WWE decided to give her a shot at the Divas Championship against Melina on this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw. Will The Shrill Songstress be able to pull out the win over The Paparazzi Princess? Check out the match below and find out:

We come to ring after commercial to find Jillian in the ring with her ever-present headset. She lets everyone in attendance know that she’s about to become Divas Champion once again, before torturing serenading us all with her own rendition of “Not Afraid” by Eminem, prompting Michael Cole to start singing as well. Kill me now… Fortunately for us, Melina’s music hits, cutting Jillian’s performance short. Melina makes her way to the ring in her usual extravagant fashion and the referee rings the bell, signaling the start of the match.

The two start off with a lock-up with Jillian getting the upperhand and pushing Melina to ropes, forcing a break. Surprisingly, Jillian breaks clean but goes right back on the attack with a stiff forearm. Jillian tries to follow up but is stopped in her tracks by a headscissor/heel kick combo from the champion. Melina tries to keep the heat on Jillian with a kick to the gut but is caught and pulled down into a painful looking split. Jillian goes to kick Melina in the back, but the A-List Diva ducks the attempt and lands a kick of her own, sending Jillian across the ring and into the ropes.

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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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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 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 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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