Happy holidays everybody! I hope you enjoy my “Hitting the Ropes” Glam Slam holiday mailbag and let’s make 2011 a year to remember!
Once again, thanks to all of you who submitted questions!
Reader: The_JM
“After seeing the whole season of NXT do you think it was a good thing? Or do you think just a regular debut on Raw or Smackdown would have been fine?”
Mr. G – Overall I enjoyed the Diva’s season of NXT. As the show progressed I found myself invested in the characters and hoping that several of them would find themselves on the main roster. We’ve seen from previous seasons you don’t have to “win” the show to get a WWE contract, so I hope we see Kaitlyn, Naomi, and AJ (at least) added to the roster, which would infuse some much needed energy to the Divas division. I thought Aksana was hilarious although I am not in love with her as a wrestler. In any case I was happy to see the girls get their own show and I think it was an effective was to present them to the WWE Universe. It allowed the WWE to “market test” the girls and it appears several of them cultivated a nice fan base, which I think would have been difficult to do had they just been booked straight to Raw or Smackdown.
Now…that being said, there were problems with the show. The constant berating and belittling from the announcers was way over the top. Whatever you think about the Divas, these girls are still trying to do their best, and this is still their careers. I didn’t understand WWE allowing that type of verbal abuse from their own employees. After a while it became mean-spirited. Also, switching to WWE.com was disruptive and I’m still disappointed that Isis the Amazon was not allowed on the program.
Reader: Jack White
“Out of all the Diva-Dirt audio shows currently on the site, which is your favorite and why?”
Mr. G – Honestly I love all the audio shows currently on the site. I’m not sure people understand the dedication required to produce all of these programs so I take great pride in the amount of audio available each week on Diva Dirt. Whether it is the “Post Raw Show” or “Kristin & Friends” I think Diva Dirt presents a nice mix of shows. We try to be informative as well as entertaining. And the entire staff is so diverse that we each bring a different flavor to these programs. I will admit that my personal favorite is “Diva Dirt Live” because it is very challenging from a technical standpoint (running the switchboard, etc.) and it puts us in touch with you, the readers. Getting to interact with you all “live” has been a lot of fun.
Reader: TrishMelinaFan
“Who would you like Beth Phoenix to form a duo with in the future and what would you name them? I would pick Melina + Beth = Team Glamarazzi or Team MelaZon.”
Mr. G – I don’t really want Beth to form a duo with anyone at this point. I loved her pairing with Santino but I really didn’t enjoy when they added Rosa Mendes as her “crazy fan”. I think Beth’s dominance got lost in that drama / comedy, so I like when Beth is on her own causing destruction. If I had to pair her with someone I think Natalya is the most exciting choice because they both wrestle with strength and technique. I can’t wait to see them paired up at “TLC”. As for names? What should we call Natalya + Beth? Help me out!
Reader: thenotoriouskid
“Where do you think the AJ/Primo pairing could go? Another God awfully bad “wedding” I hope not but, I hope this has legs Thoughts?”
Mr. G – I like the AJ/Primo pairing, I think they are kind of cute together, but I don’t think they’ll go down as one of the all-time great WWE couples. Who are the all-time great WWE couples? I’m glad you asked. Let me turn this over to our resident Diva Dirt “love” expert, Cryssi, for her “Top 5”:
At number five, we have Stacy Keibler and David Flair. They were striking together given his pedigree and Stacy’s gorgeous looks. Their storyline tops as one of my favorite storylines of all time. Call me crazy, but who doesn’t love a good soap opera style pregnancy angle?!
Right at number four we have the glamorous Melina and the delicious John Morrison. Have two people ever looked more great together? They were deceitful, treacherous, and so heelishly perfect together. The backstage tease of them a few weeks ago simply isn’t enough.
Right in the middle of the pack is our favorite golden icon, Goldust and his former manager, Marlena. This duo was twisted, freaky, and sometimes just downright made me uncomfortable. Every time they walked out together, it was sheer brilliance.
My second favorite wrestling couple of all-time is no doubt Tommy Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty. Beulah was so gorgeous and the storyline concocted to bring her into ECW was so so good. She was and was just recently still featured smack dab in the middle of Raven/Dreamer rivalry. Now that is staying power.
And of course, this should come as no shock. The number one couple of all-time is Miss Elizabeth and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. I don’t feel as if this even needs to be explained. My love for them will live on forever.
Two honorable mentions: Shawn Michaels and the late Sherri Martel. They were a GREAT heel couple. Michaels did some of his best work with Sherri, imo. The second honorable mention goes to Scott Steiner and Midajah. I just found them sweet for whatever. The so-called “Big Bad Booty Daddy” always had his number one and she sure made a pretty picture at ringside.
Reader: jhonmarco
“Who was your role model growing up? Why?”
Mr. G – I had several role models growing up. All of them were professional athletes and I admired each for a different reason: former Major League centerfielder Fred Lynn because he was such a smooth and fluid athlete. He had movie star good looks and seemed like the coolest guy on the field. I wore his #19 on all of my baseball uniforms and it’s still my favorite number (Side story – I went to an Orioles-Twins game for my birthday in May 1985 and he hit the game-winning homerun. I may never have been happier in my life except for the birth of my two kids…and Extreme Rules 2010). I also admired former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman #8 for his leadership and toughness, and Celtics legend Larry Bird #33 because he was an incredible passer and made everyone around him better. Plus he could walk on water. (As a result, 19, 33, 8 are my favorite numbers, and if you follow me on Twitter they probably look familiar.)
Reader: Chenda
“We had a Retro Raw not too long ago. You have said that you have been to events during that time and enjoyed them very much. My question: were you expecting anything in particular or [did you have] high expectations towards the content, like segments/promos and matches for that show?”
Mr. G – I have made a lot of bad decisions in my life, but not driving the 2 hours to the Giant Center in Hershey, PA for the “Old School” Monday Night Raw ranks right up with there with the worst of them. I knew I had made a huge mistake when I saw the old ring ropes, the vintage WWF logo banners, and even the classic referees’ uniforms. So many great memories came flooding back to me, especially since the show was in Hershey right where I grew up. I really didn’t know about the “Old School” theme until the week before and by that point it was too late to work this out with the family (nah, kids don’t change anything…). I thought the WWE did a decent job with the show and for the most part I enjoyed the booking. I could have done without the Mae Young segment, but seeing the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and the Slickster in the ring together was so amazing I am still kicking myself for being such a bonehead. I mean, Volkoff sang the Russian National Anthem again and I missed it?! Time to stick my head in the microwave….
Reader: Ohiofan5 (Frank)
“What was your best and worst Christmas memory? What are you favorite Hanukkah traditions?”
Mr. G – Well, like I said in my “12 Divas of Christmas” column, I didn’t really like the holiday season as a kid because all my friends celebrated Christmas. I felt left out. Now that I do celebrate Christmas with my wife I love making it a special time of year for my kids. Spending Christmas with them each year now is my best memory. Although I did really like the traditional Jewish food my mom made for Hanukkah each year. The best gift I ever received was a miniature schnauzer who we loved for many years, although she did bite quite a few of the neighbors which made her unpopular in the neighborhood.
Reader: Peter Rupal
“Who do you think is the greatest woman [in] wrestling ‘pound for pound’ given their [respective] role in the industry?”
Mr. G – I think this is a tough question because each company asks their girls to do different things, both in and out of the ring, so this makes the women difficult to compare. Obviously the WWE features “Divas-style” wrestling, with the focus being on entertainment. TNA also wants the girls to be entertaining but gives the Knockouts more of an edge (as witnessed by the recent Mickie/Tara matches, putting them in a steel cage, etc.) The Independent promotions build entire shows around the women so they need them to work longer matches, usually with more bumping and high spots. My answer right now would be Mercedes Martinez because I think she continues to shine despite the lack of national exposure, but truthfully, I think someone like Michelle McCool could wrestle for any company and be successful. Her “gimmick” in WWE can cloud the fact that she is an exceptionally strong worker in my opinion. There are others…Hamada, Beth Phoenix, Sara Del Ray, etc. who are top notch but for now, given their respective roles in the industry, I would choose Mercedes.
Recently several readers complained that the Diva Dirt audio programs don’t provide enough coverage of TNA programming. I admit that I mostly follow WWE, so I asked them: “Why should I pay more attention to TNA?”
Here are a few of their responses as part of my first ever “Glam Slam Readers Redux”:
Reader: johnsmithohio1
People have been bashing TNA all year. Not me. I am a fan of TNA. I have been a TNA fan for years and will always be a fan for as long as TNA is around. I have been [asked] to write an essay on why I think the TNA Knockouts (or TNA itself) is a great product right now. So I shall. Before I do, I want to say why I became a big fan in the first place. It was back in 2004 when I first saw TNA impact on FSN. I was captivated by what I saw. I saw TNA on FSN on a non-regular basis. It was until TNA premiere on Spike in fall 2005 when I started to watch it on a regular basis and I have been watching it ever since. What has made me be a fan for this long are several reasons. Those reasons being the roster, the X Division, the Knockouts Division, the storylines, the wrestling, etc. As for why I think TNA is a great product right now, it is all of the above I just mention. A lot of things have change over the years in TNA. From losing the 6 sided ring, from losing a couple of their unique matches (King of the Mountain, Six Sides of Steel), from not having a big focus on the X Division & Knockouts division like they use to, etc.
All these change began in the start of 2010 when Hogan & Bischoff took over. A lot of TNA fans have become jaded towards TNA now due to Hogan and Bischoff & what they have done to TNA. Not me. I will admit that the product is not as great as it use to be. I also do agree with a lot of the negative things people are saying about TNA. I am not a blind mark for TNA. I know they are making mistakes [and] they are doing a lot of stuff wrong. But I can look past that. I am watching TNA as a fan. Not as a critic or at a business standpoint cause god only knows the bad business TNA is doing. TNA right now is delivering good in-ring wrestling, not the best though because that honor belongs to ROH, either way it delivers better in-ring wrestling on a regular basis than WWE.
When it comes to the Women’s Division, it is no contest; the Knockouts have always been the better division since Day 1. They have delivered the best matches, the best storylines, the best feuds, etc. since their inception. I find the Knockouts Division to be more passionate, more psychical, & more about the wrestling than the Divas have been since the end of the so called “Golden era aka the Trish/Lita era.” It is these reasons and the long time I have spent with TNA that makes me feel the way I do.
Reader: tjsmith3
I’ll start with a quote from [a recent] Diva Dirt LIVE: “A lot of the complaints that we make aren’t necessarily about the matches. It’s about the time and about the lack of storylines.” [Mr. G – I believe that quote is not exactly verbatim, but it’s close enough…] These are fair concerns for fans of women’s wrestling. However these concerns nearly don’t exist with the Knockouts. Rarely is there an Impact that does not feature the Knockouts. I challenge you to find 5 Knockouts matches that are less than 4 minutes other than Awesome Kong squash matches. Most of the Knockouts are consistently involved in a storyline that is developed week after week. There are currently 3 different story lines going on in the Knockouts division.
We have the Mickie James vs. Tara feud which is going to lead into Mickie vs. Madison Rayne. We have the ongoing story with Angelina Love and Winter. We also have the recently begun angle involving Sarita‘s wins, her push and her conflict with Madison Rayne. There was also a 4th story that was started a few weeks ago about Velvet Sky wanting to do more without Angelina in order prove herself as a wrestler. To be fair, I think that angle may have been dropped. We’ll have to wait and see.You have roster that has talented and properly trained female wrestlers. The storylines are decent. There are multiple story lines for the women and they almost always put on good matches that get a decent amount of time. TNA consistently gives us what we say that we want: good matches and story lines. WWE just finished a nice storyline with Lay-Cool and Natalya. Can you name another storyline that the Divas have had in the past few months? I’m drawing a blank.
Now I know what people who read this are going to say. What about Taylor Wilde and Hamada? I love Taylor and Hamada. In fact I think Taylor should be the knockouts champion and I’ve already booked out a 7 month title run for her. I even sent it to her and she told me how much she liked it. Yes, the KO tag titles aren’t defended much and that is a shame. I think those belts would be great to showcase on Xplosion. However, even with that being said, look at how much content the Knockouts are giving us.
Let’s move on to TNA as a whole. You have a good women’s division with good matches and story lines. You have a good tag team division with good matches and story lines AND ACTUAL TAG TEAMS. You have an X-division title with a storyline; you have non title feuds and a heavyweight division with good matches and story lines. That is my favorite thing about TNA. You get a good show with multiple story lines up and down the card to follow in just a 2 hour show. I challenge you to name one other promotion in America that gives you all of this in just 2 hours per week. You also get further storyline development on Reaction each week and there are bonus matches on Xplosion. What more could you possibly want?
I really enjoyed reading those essays. I hope you did too! For my next mailbag, convince me “Why Mickie James belongs in the WWE Hall of Fame”. Please limit your answers to 300-500 words and mail it to [email protected].
Recently I recorded my third Glam Slam reader profile, this time with Jack White. I enjoyed hearing his thoughts on today’s Divas and many other topics. Enjoy!
[slaudio:http://diva-dirt.com/download/hittingtheropes/Jack White Interview.mp3]
For everybody here at Diva Dirt, we wish you a wonderful holiday season! Cheers!
— Mr. Glamazon
PS – What are your New Year’s Resolutions?
PPS – Send your mailbag questions to [email protected].
PPPS – Follow me on Twitter at @dlb19338 or I’ll put coal in your stocking!
