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 to be a shot in WWE’s own foot, if reports are correct that they are looking for a new babyface to bring onto the brand. Having exhausted the Kelly/Tiffany vs Lay-Cool combo… the next logical step, apparently, is having no match at all. Maybe Kelly and co. got the night off to see ‘Sex and the City 2’?
What we did get however, was an unncessary albeit fun backstage skit with Layla and Michelle McCool with their usual shtick. Watch below:
I say unncessary because, with no real storyline to work with and no real feud or challenger for the belt(s), what was the point of this segment? What does it mean in the long run? Most likely nothing. However, on the other hand, I found it to be an enjoyable, silly two-minute skit that allowed Lay-Cool some screen time and the chance to show some personality and charisma.
The segment also worked in addressing/explaining the deal with the co-Women’s Championships with Lay-Cool, in their own unique tone, explaining that since it was a handicap match, they’re both champions. This was followed by a rather heel-like ode to Beth Phoenix which was well done. It’s like the male segments where the heel brags that they’ve ‘injured’ the babyface wrestler who’s now watching at home. However, usually when that happens, the ‘injured’ wrestler isn’t really injured and it’s an angle which sees them miraculously return and attack the heel. The problem then, is that here, Beth really is injured and won’t be back for several months which makes me wonder why continue as if it were still an angle? However, it’d be interesting to see them continue the Beth-teasing until her comeback, perhaps taking credit for her injury. That way, Beth is never out of sight or mind due to Lay-Cool’s continous mentions of her and it’ll create a feud for her to come straight back into — with the fans anticipating her return also.
But for the time being, it seems as though SmackDown just doesn’t know what to do with the Divas right now and WWE’s own flaws are coming back to haunt them; the release of Mickie James and the ill-advised move of Kelly to SmackDown. She was supposedly moved to SmackDown due to her popularity and was due to be given a push but when push comes to shove, they just aren’t prepared to give her the top spot. Meanwhile, Beth’s injury, obviously, can’t be chalked up to WWE and was but an accident. The saving grace of Beth’s injury was the tease that Layla and Michelle may feud after Layla seemingly shocked the world with her title win. However, it seems Lay-Cool are just as cohesive as ever — if not more.
Back to this week, it was a fun and frivolous segment that both Layla and Michelle pulled off well. However, it’s obvious that SmackDown’s Divas division is in a state of uncertainty, and sooner or later, the cracks will show.
Check back tomorrow for my opinion piece on what WWE should do with the SmackDown Divas division.
