Sunday, January 12, 2025

Perfect 10: Week of September 8th

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The Perfect 10 returns! The premise is simple: We will rank the ten Divas or Knockouts who we think have had the best week of television, similar to WWE.com’s Power 25. Who will make the grade and who will fall short? It’s all new and exclusive only at Diva Dirt!

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 8th – SEPTEMBER 14th, 2008

10. Taylor Wilde (New Entry)
The TNA Knockout Champion is the first new entry on this week’s top 10, after she scored a victory in the first ever Beautiful People Beauty Pageant. Taylor could move up even further if she successfully defends her title against Angelina Love at No Surrender tonight.

Erin: That seems pretty pointless, but it I suppose it advances the storyline. Hopefully tonight’s match makes up for that nonsense. Taylor’s been a pretty unremarkable champion, hasn’t she?
Melanie: There’s a reason it’s taken Taylor so long to make this list! Honestly, I think any Knockout Championship storyline that doesn’t include Awesome Kong is doomed to fail. And it’s a shame because there’s a great group of girls. Taylor has yet to win over the fans as champion though.

• • • • • • • •

09. Layla (Last Week: #10)
A woman who knows how to use her feminine wiles, Layla moves up one spot to #9. Ditching her suitor and leaving with William Regal on Raw? This storyline’s got all the trappings of a Grey’s Anatomy plot and has us hooked!

Erin: I’m kind of confused with what’s going on, because Layla seemed pretty hesitant in going with Regal, like he was forcing her. I guess that makes it more interesting than her outright turning on Noble, but it’s hard to tell exactly what she was doing. That said, I’m pretty interested in seeing where it goes from here!
Melanie: I’m excited to see where this goes. Katie Lea mentioned this at large in a Fan Nation blog, could she become involved in the storyline?

• • • • • • • •

08. Maria (New Entry)
Maria makes her first appearance on the Perfect 10 at #8. She was on the winning team this week with Michelle and Brie. How will her teammates fair on the chart? Keep reading…

Erin: She was a little sloppy in the match, trying to perform flashy moves instead of impressing us with the basics. I wonder what place she would hold if she weren’t just a stock face? She seems to be there simply to provide a face teammate for Michelle and Brie.. And egads – what was she wearing??
Melanie: Congratulations Maria, you’ve finally made it.

• • • • • • • •

07. Kelly Kelly (Last Week: #3)
How the mighty fall, Kelly manages to cling onto the chart thanks to her high position last week. But she’s clutching on with one hand, will Kelly slip further next week – or worse fall off completely?

Erin: What in the hell did she do on Raw? A backstage segment? I didn’t even see her..
Melanie: Kelly is on the chart still because it didn’t feel right totally axing her after she ranked so high. But as the description says, Kelly could soon slip off completely.

• • • • • • • •

06. ODB (Last Week: #4)
ODB falls two places to #6, her angle with Kong seemed as though we’d seen it all before. That’s because we just saw her do the exact same run-in last week! But ODB has a chance to redeem herself at No Surrender tonight.

Erin: It’s getting repetitive, but at least the match is tonight. It seemed like they were running out of steam right at the finish line, but hopefully tonight’s match will be as explosive as it has the possibility of being.
Melanie: I feel there was some WWE logic here, just having ODB attack Kong three weeks in a row without really expanding the storyline.

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Hit or Miss?: September 7th – September 13th

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Welcome to Hit or Miss?! We’ll be examining the week’s news bits and deeming them hits or misses. For instance, did a Diva develop some backstage heat? That’s a miss. What about a Knockout match receiving the highest ratings of the show? That’s a hit. I’ll rate each story by stars (out of 5) – more stars for a hit, less for a miss. Got it? Let’s dive in..

Story #1: Beth vs. Candice set for No Mercy.
One week after making her return to the ring, Candice Michelle was awarded with a Women’s Title match against Beth Phoenix. After Beth won her match against Mickie James on Raw, she and Candice had a stare-down, which in the wrestling world is universal code for “We’re fixin’ to fight, but not right now.” The match is set to take place October 5th at No Mercy. (See the original post.)
Rating:
Hit or Miss?: 1 1/2 stars makes it a MISS. I know it’s obvious that Candice would feud with Beth upon her return, but the reasoning behind her getting a Women’s Title match is ridiculous. The set-up was lame, (why was Candice sitting at ringside in some hoity-toity chair like she was the champ and Mickie and Beth were wrestling for the #1 Contendership?), the match has a chance of being not that great (Candice’s ring rust), and it all seems very rushed. Hopefully the match will shape up a little better in the coming weeks. 3 weeks and counting..

• • • • • • • •

Story #2: Mickie = place holder?
With Candice Michelle‘s return, it became apparent that Mickie James was set to be pushed aside for the time being. However, it’s also come to light that Mickie may have not even had the push she received earlier in the year if Candice hadn’t suffered her second injury setback. There’s speculation that Mickie wouldn’t have had her 4th Women’s Championship reign if Candice was around at the time. Mickie was the only top face, and thus had to hold the division together until Candice returned. (See the original post.)
Rating:
Hit or Miss?: 1/2 a star makes it a MISS. I don’t care if you like Candice or not – it sucks to think that these past few months could have meant next nothing in the grand scheme of things. I mean, a whole Women’s Title reign just because there’s no other face worthy of a reign? Come on, give Mickie more credit than that. It just gives me an image of Mickie working her ass off for month upon month as the brand’s top face Diva, only to be pushed aside once Candice was well enough to return to the ring. Whether you are a fan of Mickie’s or not, that’s not very fair. She had a rather uneventful Women’s Title reign, had pointless match after pointless match, and seemed to be a glorified placeholder for a woman much less experienced than herself. Any way you slice it, it’s a raw deal.

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SmackDown Redux – September 12, 2008

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This week on SmackDown: Michelle McCool and team mates, Brie Bella and Maria picked up a pin fall victory over Maryse, Natalya and Victoria in six Diva action.

Thoughts & Reactions
A few weeks ago when I said Natalya is being treated as the new Victoria, boy was I right. Despite all the hype surrounding her arrival and an initial push, Natalya has been pushed behind Maryse and Victoria behind Natalya. There was a time when during entrances, the heel Divas would come out to Natalya’s music and she’d be the centre Diva with Victoria and Maryse on either side of her – it’s evident that Maryse is now being pushed as the top Diva on SmackDown. As beautiful and talented as she may be, there is no stronger heel on among the SmackDown Divas – hell, there isn’t a stronger heel among any of the WWE Divas – than Natalya. Natalya excels at every part of the Diva package; she’s hot, has a great entrance, is comfortable on the microphone, oozes confidence and above all else – is an amazing wrestler. Natalya’s skills not only undermine most of the Divas, but most of the men too. I dare say, Natalya has been a more effective heel than Beth Phoenix in her short time in the company. It’s sad to see her being pushed aside, WWE doesn’t know what it’s missing.

After seeing Brie so impressive in the ring against Victoria, it was time to truly bring her into the ‘Diva fold’, by having her team up with Michelle and Maria. Not only did she team up with them, but scored the win for her team. Since Brie joined SmackDown, she seemed to fit like hand to glove and I am really enjoying the gimmick WWE is doing. It’s not very often the Divas get a gimmick or an actual storyline, so Brie is definitely one of the luckier Divas of the pack. Against Victoria, she had two great matches and I think it’s a definite admission to Victoria’s extraordinary in-ring ability because this week, against Maryse, Brie faltered. Both of these Divas are still learning and growing, so putting them in the ring together isn’t effective. The work between these two felt sloppy, whereas Brie seemed to work great with Victoria and performed a great monkey flip on Natalya. Perhaps Brie needs to be led in her matches?

Michelle and Natalya have great chemistry and I love seeing them in the ring together (minus that awful Great American Bash match), I liked their start to the match. Michelle seems really polished in the ring and has ring presence and to me, that’s what sets her apart and makes her the best wrestler to come out of the Diva Search. I think Erin pointed out something about how it looks odd when Michelle does the “big boot”, personally I love it. It’s such an un-Diva thing to do which is why it stands out to me, not to mention Michelle has the height to pull it off.

As for our Maria? She wanted to pull off a few complicated moves this week, but Maria has yet to work the basics. Maria really should concentrate on those first and not try to mask her lack of basic wrestling skills by pulling off flashy moves. It didn’t work for Kelly Kelly and it doesn’t work for Maria. Maria’s timing is slow, I felt like I was waiting ages for her to pull off an inside cradle on Natalya.

Here’s a thought: How about one of these days, when Brie and Nicole switch places, Nicole actually wrestles for a little bit before getting the win? I’d love to see Brie and Nicole switch mid-match, so Nicole can wrestle a bit too. Maybe they chose Brie to run the angle because she’s a better worker? We’ll see. I don’t know why Michelle’s music played at the end, it’s usually the person who got the pin fall whose music plays. Decent effort by all, I liked the match.

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Watch: Dawn & Torrie Talk Wrestler’s Rescue and More!

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Former Divas team up and tackle a radio host! Their feud was infamous and one of the most talked about angles of 2002, now six years later, Dawn Marie and Torrie Wilson are in the same room once more! Ahead of tomorrow’s Wrestler’s Rescue convention, the two former Divas appeared on a radio show talking about the event, their storyline and so much more!

I have to say, it’s been a while since we’ve seen actual footage of Torrie but she looks gorgeous! In the interview, Torrie says that looking back she is ashamed of some of the raunchy stuff she did during her WWE career such as prancing around in a bikini. Dawn and Torrie also talk about their infamous kiss on pay per view, which you can check out in part two!

Watch parts two and three after the cut:

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Pro Wrestling Illustrated Launches Female 50!

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Every year, the prestigious Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine combines it’s PWI 500, listing the 500 biggest names in wrestling for the year. Times have changed and in the past year, women’s wrestling has become more and more frequent. Thus, PWI has launched it’s first ever PWI Female 50 listing the 50 most successful Divas, Knockouts and I’m assuming independent workers of the year.

Which female will rank #1? Stay tuned to Diva Dirt, as we hope we’ll have the list available soon! And how about a round of applause for all our Divas and Knockouts? It truly has been one of the biggest years for women’s wrestling in history, if not the biggest.

The magazine will hit newstands on September 23rd or you can purchase it right now through PayPal by clicking here.

Watch: SmackDown 6 Diva Tag Team Match

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Every week, we have comments with people discussing the weekly SmackDown Divas matches on YouTube before they air on television. Usually, we wait till the SmackDown Redux to discuss the matches but we’ve decided that each week, we will post the matches from the show right here every Friday for you to watch and discuss.

As usual, we will be waiting till Saturday to post our SmackDown Redux to share our own thoughts, but you are free to use the comments to talk about this week’s SmackDown ahead of then!


BRIE BELLA, MARIA & MICHELLE MCCOOL VS MARYSE, NATALYA & VICTORIA

Diva Dirt Supports Wrestler’s Rescue

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Earlier this year, a former WWE Diva and ECW alumna did an incredible thing. That incredible thing proved that our Divas can not only be beautiful and sexy but that they have minds and can use their minds to help shape our world for the better. Dawn Marie‘s Wrestler’s Rescue charity aims to help retired professional wrestlers who have spent years and years trying to entertain the fans. This charity gives us, the fans, the opportunity to give back to those wrestlers who’ve busted, battered and bruised their bodies for our entertainment – Divas included.

On Sunday, Dawn is holding the first ever Wrestler’s Rescue convention, dinner and now even a cocktail party. You can buy tickets with all the proceeds going to the foundation as well as meet the likes of Dawn, Torrie Wilson, Sunny, Ashley Massaro and male wrestlers such as the legendary Mick Foley.

Even if you can’t afford to buy a ticket, supporting this great cause through promotion helps every little bit too. That’s why we are displaying a new Wrestler’s Rescue banner on the site, so someone who can afford a ticket, just maybe might stumble across the link and be able to give to this honourable foundation. We ask our readers to please support this charity in any way you can too =)

Hopefully, we will be bringing you coverage from the event over the weekend and interviewing Dawn herself next week. But in all the fun, let’s not forget the aim here. Visit WrestlersRescue.org for more information.

Diva Dirt Auditions: Michael

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So far, you have heard from three of our candidates (well including one disqualified candidate), now it’s time to hear from number four… Michael! Read Michael’s sample blog below and vote after the cut!

Name of the blog: Yes, I need a girlfriend

And away we go!

First off, let me tell you my name : SurpriseElement. I can’t tell you
my real name as the government has  – um, moving on…

Age, you ask? I’m out of college, and that’s the closest you’ll be
getting to guessing.

So, why does a handsome guy like me like women’s wrestling? Well, I’ve
always appreciated woman who are useful. Women who serve to do more
than stand around and look pretty. I mean, as a kid, you don’t care if
a someone can cook or clean or nail a moving target from 500 feet
away. Okay, maybe the last one, but for the most part, the look is
what gets you.

More after the cut:

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Diva Dirt Auditions: Christi

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Earlier today, Adrian shamefully attempted to plagarise his sample blog (we’ll be sending you a free copy of Jillian‘s Christmas carols CD), so we’re going to give someone else the opportunity to showcase their sample blog on the site!

Auditionee number three is Christi! Read Christi’s sample blog below and vote “yay” or “nay” on her blogging skills!

The WWE made a mistake in putting a brand new Divas Championship on Michelle McCool and heres why:
Its obvious that womens wrestling doesnt get alot of respect.Most of is due to booking, bad wrestlers, etc. Its been a tough road for women, especially in the WWE, but they have managed to get some respect from the fans. The WWE decided to create a brand new title for the women on Smackdown..in reality the Womens Title, due to its history and respect from the fans should have been interbranded, but oh well. Practically all of us say the title is hideous, but a good first matchup and a strong, capable champion would add a level of interest and respect from the fans to appreciate the title.
One problem with making McCool champion is that there was the loss of adding some history, intrigue and appreciation for the belt that is naturally possessed in Natalya. To make the first third generation diva, who is a Hart, the first champion, automatically gives the title some level of historic value. It would make the audience curious about who could beat the then unstoppable Diva from an awesome family. By making Michelle champion and beating Natalya at thier first meeting, the title became somewhat worthless in the sense that Michelle had already beaten Victoria, the other strong heel, many times, and Natalya losing to her ruined a good run.

More after the cut:

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WWE Hoards World’s Supply of Fishnet; Fans Fear the Worst

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Maryse is everywhere, it seems! She’s got a new photoshoot – “Black & Blonde” – and it’s definitely not her best. It goes without saying that Maryse can make almost anything look good, but this is stretching it a bit. I don’t know what it is with Divas and their fishnet fetish, but I disapprove. They look like they should be either waving glow sticks or covered in safety pins, because it’s definitely a raver/goth look. And the last time I checked, the WWE wasn’t located in an abandoned warehouse or the Hot Topic in the mall..

[poll id=”176″]

Gail Kim Dating Bret Hart?

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What the coconut… This must be the oddest post I’ve ever had the privilege to post here at Diva Dirt. According to Gerweck.net, the first ever WWE Women’s & TNA Knockout Champion, Gail Kim is dating legendary Hall of Famer, Bret “the Hitman” Hart. I’ll give you a second to pick your jaws up off the floor…

Hey, if they got married that would make Gail Natalya‘s aunt! Gail, please sign with WWE already and do battle with your future niece… pretty please?

Michelle Gets All Philosophical

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Michelle McCool has taken to her Fan Nation blog to comment on a few things, mainly the amount of scruntity that she and other Divas endure:

Personality/character: I had someone send me a message saying that I’m this, I’m that, I don’t have this, I don’t have that, I stink at this, I stink at that. Ok…….I get your point – you obviously don’t like or respect me. To my defense, I wish you just knew me before you felt the need to act like you do! :) This will probably come out either ungrateful and mean or extremely passionate (I hope it’s the latter b/c that’s what it’s supposed to be)! I love this business…always have and always will!!! I can only do what I am asked/told to do and I hope that whether you like a superstar or not, you can at least look past what you think you know about him or her and try to respect whatever it is they might be doing. There is a lot more to me than what you have seen on tv and hopefully, in the very near future, you will be able to see that even more. Alot of times, all of the divas are put into the same category as to how they look and/or act. I don’t want that.

We aren’t all the same, we don’t dress the same, we don’t have the same backgrounds, we don’t look the same and we don’t act the same. I myself find that refreshing! We don’t always get the opportunity to show that on tv, so whenever we get a chance to simply be on tv (no matter what the capacity), we try to capitalize on that. It’s just really funny to me….to do this job, it takes a lot of heart, a lot of athleticism, a lot of soul and a whole lot of strength (physical, mental and emotional). The people who are sending these comments obviously have nothing better to do and only see what they want to see (not just with me, with whoever they are sending them to and/or about).

The way I look at it is this…when people don’t expect much from you, you always get the praise of how wonderful you did and how much you have grown. When people think you should be doing better, they don’t look at how far you’ve come or what you may or may not be doing for the other person you are working with. It’s pretty much a double edged sword and I LOVE IT! I know we can’t please you all, but I hope we just continue to entertain you and earn a little bit of your respect. As I’ve said a million times, there are lots of hearts to win and barriers to break. It’s you guys and your feedback that keep us going. So, thank you for that!

Click here to read the full blog.

So, do you agree with her? Are fans too harsh, or do you think Michelle should suck it up and take the criticism? Personally, I feel the Divas shouldn’t be treated like little girls – we should be able to judge their performances and criticize them if we feel it’s warranted. If everything came down to “Oh, but look how far they’ve come!” there’d be no point to discussing matches and pretty much makes this blog pointless. They get paid to do this (wrestle, perform..), so I feel we have every right to question and discuss their talent and ability to do so. Some people are too harsh, but that comes with the territory, I’d think.. What’s your take? Sound off in the comments!

Gail Kim’s Final Words for Fellow Knockouts

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TNA has launched an official website for their upcoming Knocked Out DVD that is dedicated solely to our gorgeous and talented Knockouts. At the site, you can check out all the Knockouts’ entrance videos as well as pictures and trailers! Check it out by clicking here.

One of the things that you’ll find at the site is this extended trailer for the DVD, which features a final audio interview with Gail Kim after news broke of her contract expiring. I’m assuming this will be included on the DVD and if so, I think it’s a very classy move by TNA, allowing Gail’s time with the company have some closure. If you skip to the end of the trailer you can hear a small snippet of that audio interview in which Gail has some final, heart rendering words for her fellow Knockouts:

On a closing note, I’d love to say to the fellow Knockouts, thank you for everything and I think all the accomplishments we’ve achieved, we couldn’t have done without each other. And even though I’m not going to be part of the company, I want them to keep on kicking some butt and keep the women’s wrestling strong and I’m gonna try to do the same wherever I may go. And with the friends, I know everyone supports me in anything I do and what decisions I make. So with the fans I just hope no one’s disappointed because I’m very passionate about wrestling and I will always give 150% when I’m in that ring and I hope that they’ll always be entertained.

View the video below:

Maria Lands Role on New CW Series

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WWE Diva and Playboy covergirl, Maria has landed an acting role on (adorable) new CW series, Privileged starring Joanna Garcia and the scrumptious Michael Cassidy…

Oh wait, I’m lying. But Maria does seem to have a teenage doppleganger out there in the form of 19 year old Lucy Hale who does star on Privileged. Upon watching the show’s series premiere last night, I couldn’t help notice the striking resemblence between the two – perhaps the picture above doesn’t do it justice – so I’ve thoughtfully provided some screen captures of Lucy as Rose Baker on the show.

PS: The show is funny, cute… amazing! Check it out every Tuesday night on CW at 9pm. Or download it. You know. Whatever.

So what do we think? Is she the spitting image of our Maria or what?! Vote below!

[poll id=”175″]

Sunny Didn’t Think She’d Like Maria or Melina

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Legendary Diva, Tammy Sytch, better known as Sunny revealed that she didn’t think she’d get along with the new generation of Diva – Maria and Melina – when she turned up at Raw’s 15th anniversary show last December. Sunny also reveals that fellow former Diva, Dawn Marie had described to her that the Divas lockerroom was more like the set of Mean Girls, where all the girls hated each other:

I was shocked because here I am, ready to walk into the female locker room after hearing all these horror stories from people like Dawn Marie, who told me how all the girls hated each other, and every single girl in that locker room kissed my butt (laughs). They were awesome. They paid me so much respect, and the girls that I thought I would not like at all, like the girls from the Diva Search like Maria, she was one of the nicest ones there.

I’m not a big fan of the Diva Search thing. I was raised old school in this business. To bring girls in off the street that know nothing about this business and giving them a job when there are so many girls that really respect this business and have learned their craft that can’t get a job, I think that’s the wrong way to go about hiring girls. I was thinking that I definitely was not going to like these girls, but Maria came right over to me; she got me a bottle of water when I was thirsty and couldn’t find anything to drink; she was great. Melina – I didn’t like her character, so I guess she was doing her job really well because I bought into it – she was great. Now we keep in touch all the time. We talk on the phone, we e-mail, we text. She’s awesome. Every girl was just so nice. I was like, “Wait a minute. This is not the locker room that Dawn Marie was warning me about.” It was completely different from what I expected.

Sunny also had an interesting viewpoint on women’s wrestling in the WWE. Warning to Diva fans, it may make you roll your eyes:

First of all, I think if you have more than five girls at one time it’s way too much. It takes all the specialness out of it. When I was [in WWE], there were three of us, and every time you saw one of us it meant something. Now, there’s a girl in practically every single segment on the show. To have a women’s match on every show I think is just too much. I’m not a fan of women’s wrestling. Just leave that part to the guys. When you’ve got 19-20 girls on the roster, it’s redundant and it’s not a special thing. To be honest with you, a lot of girls that came from the Diva Search, I can’t tell one from the next. I don’t know what their names are; all I know is that they came from the Diva Search at some point.

I definitely agree with her opinion on the Diva Search but her old school mentality on women’s wrestling makes my skin crawl. Honestly, Tammy wasn’t much of a wrestler so I think it’s redundant for her to have an opinion on women’s wrestling in the WWE. I won’t get on my soapbox and explain the history that we’ve seen be made since Sunny’s era, such as Trish Stratus, Chyna, Lita, Victoria etc. because you all know that history too. Times have changed since Sunny was famous, I doubt she’d even be able to step into the ring with WWE’s worst Diva. And as for having just three girls? I think I’d go a little stir crazy if I had to watch just three girls every week. I love that WWE has a large Divas roster and if Tammy were to watch the product today, she’d realise that most of the Divas right now are being used in the ring and are showing some penchant for wrestling; for the first time in a long time, we don’t have an entire roster made up of hopeless Diva Search contestants. Tammy is the second old school Diva who has expressed her dislike for women’s wrestling, despite the fact that she is a woman in the wrestling industry. *Eye roll* You can read the rest of the interview by clicking here.

Diva Dirt Auditions: Adrian

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EDIT: Turns out that Adrian (God judges you!!!) plagarised this post from another site, so we have decided to discontinue voting and commenting on this post. Needless to say Adrian is disqualified from our competition. However, you guys had unanimously voted “nay” on this post and commented to that affect also, so not a big loss.

We’ve already had a great response to our casting call for a new blogger to join Diva Dirt. Like any good casting call, we have to put applicants through a rigorous audition process! So just like American Idol/The X Factor (delete as applicable), we’re going to have our candidates audition for the judges – you!

Auditionee number two is Adrian! Read Adrian’s sample blog below and vote “yay” or “nay” on his blogging skills!

This is Victoria Crawford or as some of you wrestling fans know her for her short time on Smackdown as Alicia Fox, she is one of the new Divas from developmental system down in Florida. WWE signed her and Kelly Kelly all the way back in June 2006 – only one of them made it to national TV.

Victoria Crawford would be sent to OVW (former developmental territory) where she would start out by appearing in the audience, then in backstage segments, and eventually she’d be given ring announcer duties at LIVE events. Eventually she made her in-ring debut in the first ever Womens Battle Royal for the OVW Womens Championship. After a few matches on OVW TV she would become the valet of Elijah Burke. Did you know that she once wrestled the demented Glamazon known to man as Beth Phoenix? She always once won the prestigious Womens Championship during a house show but it wasn’t a recognized victory.

More after the cut:

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Podcast: Raw vs. SD, SD Spoilers, Photoshoots

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I’ve finally gotten around to recording my own podcast! In it I talk about the differences between the latest Women’s Championship and Divas Championship matches, why SmackDown is better than Raw, and Smackdown Spoilers for this Friday. There’s even a little bit of photoshoot discussion, so check it out!

[audio:podcast10sept08.mp3]
Run Time: 12:57

WWE Takin’ the Mickie?

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Okay, bad pun, I know.

There seems to be a general consensus among fans and journalists alike that Mickie James has been drawn the short straw in Candice Michelle‘s return. Despite being Women’s Champion and at the forefront of the women’s division in Candice’s absence, the expectation is Mickie will now be pushed further and further back in the division behind Candice. This is evident as Candice, two weeks removed from her return, already has a title shot against Beth Phoenix. However, the feeling is that Mickie’s fourth title reign and her push in recent months has simply been because there was no other top face to give that push to and had Candice been around, Mickie most likely would not be a four time Women’s Champion.

It is sad that Mickie works so hard but was only awarded her fourth title out of necessity, not by of choice because WWE Creative wanted her to have a big storyline or run as Women’s Champion. This past year, Mickie has been the glue that has held the Raw women’s division together amid injuries, the Draft and releases. Mickie has worked consistently on 90% of the Raw shows produced since Candice’s injury without being rewarded any real storylines and when they began to develop storylines (with Beth and Katie Lea), the booking was shoddy. After holding together the division, Mickie has to relinquish that top spot now and that is a little disheartening.

But to play devil’s advocate, Mickie James the character has become stale and boring. Perhaps taking her out of the picture will allow WWE to refresh the character and inject some creative juice into Mickie. One of the scenarios that I see to be likely is that Mickie will turn heel by the end of the year or in the new year and challenge Candice for the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. Beth vs Candice can’t go on forever and I definitely see Candice winning the title by the end of the year, so it’d make logical sense to have Mickie turn heel and be Candice’s next challenger, setting up a programme for WrestleMania. With Melina due back by the end of the year, I think they can afford to have Mickie turn heel so long as Melina returns as a face.

Beth Phoenix Stays Golden

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With all the Candice hubbub going on, it’s easy to forget that Beth Phoenix is actually the Women’s Champion. Her new photoshoot, “Queen of Glam”, may help refresh your memories, because in my opinion, she looks positively golden! Of all of the variations on her ring attire, this might be my favorite. That, paired with a matching headband and a wavy mass of hair makes this a look that is Glamazon enough to fit her persona, but beautiful enough to make for a fantastic photoshoot.

[poll id=”173″]

Watch: Stratusphere, Episode 2

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Stratusphere is the brand new travel series from former Women’s Champion and legendary Diva, Trish Stratus. With kind permission of Tracy from 100% Stratusfied, we’ll be bringing you full episodes each week right here at Diva Dirt. Be sure to check out 100% Stratusfied for more Trish goodness!

In the second episode of Stratusphere, Trish jets off to Vietnam! Watch the full episode below:

Diva Dirt Auditions: Steven

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We’ve already had a great response to our casting call for a new blogger to join Diva Dirt. Like any good casting call, we have to put applicants through a rigorous audition process! So just like American Idol/The X Factor (delete as applicable), we’re going to have our candidates audition for the judges – you!

Auditionee number one is Steven, who was the first person to answer our casting call. Read Steven’s sample blog below and vote “yay” or “nay” on his blogging skills!

Well with the end of the year swiftly approaching, there’s no better time to rank our WWE Divas. While some divas have soared to new heights in 2008, others have plummeted faster than the 2008 VMA ratings. Here’s the roundup of who did and didn’t make the grade in 2008 (so far).

RAW

Mickie James – Raw’s Lil’ Firecracker

Early 2008 was a great time for Mickie James. She beat her nemesis, Beth Phoenix for Women’s Championship, was the top face on Raw, and possibly the most popular diva in the WWE. Fast Foward to the present: Mickie lost the title to the Glamazon, is lacking a solid character or feud, and is in danger of being pushed to the background by the returning Candice Michelle. Mickie could use a heel turn and a decent feud, (maybe a jealous rage against the overrated Candice?), if she’s to return to her former glory.
Grade: B+

More after the cut:

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SmackDown Spoilers – September 12, 2008

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This Friday is not only payday for yours truly but it looks like there’s gonna be a great SmackDown Divas match too! Double yay! Spoilers below:

EDIT: Extra details added!

Brie Bella, Maria & Michelle McCool def. Maryse, Natalya & Victoria in a six Diva tag team match. Brie switched places with Nicole, who picked up the pinfall.

Introducing Project Diva: Layla

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We’ve dreamed up yet another new feature for Diva Dirt – Project Diva! We’ll be taking a particular outfit a Diva or Knockout had worn and give our take on it. We’ll suggest improvements and – most importantly – locate it on the web so you can duplicate the look, if you so wish!

This week, we’re kicking off with the most stylish Diva in all the WWE! We were so enamored with Layla‘s look on Raw that we were inspired to find out where she purchased each piece – thus the birth of this feature. Take a look at the full outfit below:

So, what do we think? You know we’d have an opinion on the matter. ;)

Erin: I love the simplicity of the look. Layla, unlike maannnyyy other Divas, doesn’t have a penchant to over-accessorize – she’s not wearing statement earrings with a dozen bracelets and a heavy necklace. The tank-jeans-boots combo is sleek and sexy without showing too much. Layla shows that a Diva can dress rather casually without having her boobs spill out or looking like someone dumped a Claire’s store on her head. Frankly, I think she’s one of the few Divas with any real sense of style, and this look proves it.
Melanie: This is such a polished look from Layla, I always love her outfits and this is just another perfect example. When I saw her on Raw, I fell in love with her top so Erin and I did some googling which led us to create this here feature! Layla could wear a potato sack and still look hot, thankfully she isn’t wearing one though! Her outfits are always so simple and well accessorised, she proves that less is more.

To see where you can find Layla’s look online and find out how we’d alter Layla’s outfit to create a more “street style” look, follow the cut.

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Open Casting Call: Blog for Diva Dirt

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We are holding an open casting call (kinda), to find a potential blogger for Diva Dirt. Have you ever read our blogs and wished you could have a forum to write your own? Well Diva Dirt could be it! We’ve tried to find someone to join our team before and unfortunately, it’s never really worked out. Therefore we are not guaranteeing a position with the site, but if we get a response from the right type of person, we may offer you a job.

What do you have to do? Simply e-mail us a sample blog, showcasing your writing skills on anything Diva-related. Remember to be fun, witty and share your opinions, that’s what a blog is all about. You can e-mail your submissions to [email protected] and if we like what we see, you may be hearing from us.

Please note: Diva Dirt reserves the right to post your sample blogs on the homepage for our readers to read and we may even let you guys vote for who you think should join the team.

Good luck to everyone and we look forwarding to reading your sample blogs!

She Still Isn’t the Lady to Mess With..

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When I said I wanted to see more Victoria photoshoots, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. Granted, this shoot, “Don’t Mess”, isn’t downright terrible, but I’m sure there’s better of her out there. The fishnet shirt and khaki pants combo brings me back to the late 90s, and that’s not a good thing. Also, I find it strange that Victoria often goes around in bra/bikini tops. Is it because she feels the need to offset her more muscular figure? I wish she wouldn’t, because it isn’t the most flattering look, no matter what kind of figure you have..

[poll id=”171″]

Raw Redux – September 8, 2008

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This week on Raw: Beth Phoenix defeated Mickie James in a Women’s Championship rematch and it was revealed that she will now face Candice Michelle for the title at No Mercy. Elsewhere, Layla continued her storyline with Jamie Noble and William Regal. Plus some random appearances from Kelly Kelly!

Thoughts & Reactions
Last night on Raw, WWE showed a) That their Creative Team, between them, haven’t got a brain to share, as they lack logic to the extent where a two year old could poke holes through their booking and b) They fully displayed their bias for Candice Michelle.

Candice comes back one week and the very next week she has a title shot? WWE’s blatant favouritism was on show as they couldn’t even book a simple scenario to suggest that Candice deserves the title shot that she will be receiving at No Mercy. How hard is it to kayfabe, have Candice come out and attack Beth after her match with Mickie James, with the announcers putting over that Candice wants revenge? How hard would it have been to have a #1 Contender’s match between Mickie and Candice with the winner facing the Women’s Champion, Beth Phoenix? Apparently, a match with Candice is a far bigger prize than the title belt, as WWE so gratiously offered the winner of Beth vs Mickie such a “reward.” There is no logic to this booking at all.

Since Candice has come back, in no way have WWE pushed a feud with Beth and it aggravates me to no end, the pathetic booking we see from WWE when it comes to the Divas. This is not a feud. This is just Candice vs Beth, they are not promoting this feud one tiny bit. If they wanted to promote a feud they’d have Candice act all riled up and out for revenge, attacking Beth and really putting this over. But last week, in an unspectacular fashion, they have Candice come out and pin Beth right off the bat. How about booking this so that when the eventual match does happen, it means something? This match means nothing at this point. Considering Candice is WWE’s golden girl, I honestly thought for the first time in a long time, WWE would actually book a half decent feud for Candice’s comeback against Beth. The booking for this match at No Mercy is so far, non-existent. There may as well be no history between Beth and Candice, because that’s the way this thing is being booked. If WWE can’t fucking be bothered to show interest in their own work, why should we care? Honestly, I don’t care. I rolled my eyes through this entire match. The booking is lame, we have no investment in seeing this match because WWE has offered us none.

The match itself, this has to be one of the worst matches Beth and Mickie have put on together. The whole thing was pretty sloppy and awkward to watch. There were some spots that were fun, but on the whole, I think these two have produced better work. This coming from me, who has never really enjoyed the singles matches between Beth and Mickie. I don’t think I have much more to say about this match, we’ve seen it far too many times this past year.

As for the staredown between Beth and Candice, is this WWE’s idea of booking a feud? Coz let me tell you, it was not effective at all. I just felt like, “Move along…” waiting for the camera to cut to backstage or something. Speculate as you will, but I certainly lol’d that Candice didn’t have a match this week on live television. I particularly loved how Candice got her own special director’s chair, yet Layla has to make do for a shitty chair next to The King.

Nice segue there, because we’re moving onto Layla now. And finally, here’s some booking that was exciting – well it wouldn’t take much to top the Divas match. Last month or so, it was teased that William Regal and Layla may be hooking up. On the August 4th edition of Raw, I think Regal was about to say to Layla: “Every King needs a Queen…” when he was interrupted by Jamie Noble. The thought of Queen Layla certainly appealed to me at the time so hopefully, after Layla walked off with Regal last night – it just might happen!

Oh also, Kelly Kelly appeared in one or two useless segments, including one with Mike Adamle as he explained to her why he replaced Punk in the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven. Why would Kelly give a flying fuck? If I was Kelly, I’d be like, “I don’t care. What I want to know is why Candice got a title shot over me when I beat Beth in a singles match and I’ve been working like a bitch for the past two months.” Because let’s face it, Kelly has worked really, really hard since joining Raw and she does have a victory over Beth. Even if she gets a title match on Raw and loses, who cares? The fact is, she deserves it. I love how they try to compensate for pushing Kelly to the back of the division by having her appear in shitty segments.

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