According to PWInsider.com, it was very recently announced that former WWE & ECW wrestlers Jazz and Rodney Mack are expecting their first child:
..at last night’s Oldskool Wrestling Entertainment event in Louisiana, former WWE stars Rodney Mack and Jazz announced that the former WWE and ECW star was pregnant with their first child.
Congrats to the both of them! Perhaps this was the reason Jazz declined that TNA offer?
This week in my PWInsider column, Divas and the City, I look at tomorrow’s WWE Draft. Readers of Diva Dirt will already know some of my choices and reasons why, but why not check it out anyway?
Click here for this week’s column!
This week on SmackDown: Layla and Michelle McCool put on another great match before the crowd as Natalya watched on from the ramp.
Thoughts & Reactions
After a lackluster Raw, SmackDown was on fine form this week and I thoroughly enjoyed the match between Layla and Michelle McCool. The duo have had, I believe, three matches alone this year on SmackDown and each has been better than the last. This time the Divas got more ring time than their last encounter and thus, were afforded the chance to be more creative. It’s a rare to see the WWE Divas take the action outside of the ring, but we had a cool spot with Layla and Michelle doing just that, battling on the outside which added to the match. Michelle hitting the ring apron face first was nicely done too.
This match wasn’t the usual “job to Michelle”, in fact Layla controlled most of the match as the aggressor and looked confident in her role. Sure, she’s still got a long way to go but she is definitely on the right track. These two Divas seem to have great in-ring chemistry and are a lot of fun to watch… I hope one day we see a real one-on-one feud between them.
Layla really made Michelle work for her victory and the end spot was again, well done and the addition of Natalya added some emphasis to the new Divas Championship. I think it’s pretty obvious Michelle will be the other title contender and I, for one, am looking forward to the match. Unfortunately, there has been no mention of the Divas Championship being decided at Night of Champions – this has been pure speculation by us fans. This has me worried! Hopefully, the match will be announced on SmackDown next week or they could even announce it earlier in the week with Vickie Guerrero explaining her decision for Natalya’s challenger on WWE.com.
I know, I know… we don’t post enough on the TNA Knockouts! Hopefully, that will change with our weekly “TNA Time” instead of reading you a bedtime story, I thought I’d share some hardcore women’s action instead. Good times! Last night on iMPACT!, former WWE developmental star Shantelle Taylor made her TNA debut, Taylor has just signed a plush deal to become a full-time TNA Knockout. It seems she will be going solely under the name “Taylor” as she wrestled last night against Awesome Kong in the $25,000 challenge:
There is a big push on the fact that Taylor really took Kong to a limit, however I don’t know about you, but I’m not sold by this angle. The way the Gail-Kong feud went, it took so much for Gail to defeat Kong and in the span of five minutes, this newbie is able to put a hurting on Kong? I haven’t really been into this storyline anyway, I think Kong as Champion should be defending her title against title contenders or just drop the belt. TNA is doing nothing to enhance the title.
Next up, Jacqueline finally got some spotlight and actual relevance in TNA this week. In what could possibly end up being her first relevant storyline since her feud with Sable in 1998, the Knockout faced off against Salinas in a pretty decent match:
Salinas doesn’t seem that experienced or confident in the ring, I think I prefer watching Michelle McCool and Layla in the ring, but Jacqueline really used her experience to drive the match and pulled off a competent match. I like that other Knockouts are getting some limelight! With the submission craze among the WWE Divas of late, it was interesting to see Jacqueline jump on board, her submission hold was pretty darn cool. I think it is definitely an asset to the arsenal of smaller statured wrestlers, perhaps Mickie could utilise it in future!
The fierce Raw Diva has been rising up the ranks faster than you can say “Jillian Hall“, Katie Lea launched her own WWE Fan Nation profile a while ago and has started blogging with her “Short and Snappy Tales of Greatness.” You know what else is short and snappy? Mickie James who just so happens to be the subject of Katie’s blog:
Katie Lea – 2, Mickie James – 0!! Hahaha! How about the look on Mickie’s face when I beat her 1,2,3 in the middle of the ring… for the second time..!? In the words of an unsung hero (a.k.a. Teddy Jr. who, in case anyone reading this has been living under a rock for the past few weeks, is the son of Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, the latest addition to the RAW roster and yes, he has been voted ‘eye candy of the month’…) it could only be described as ‘priceless’… It’s obvious hers is the only sorry carcass that is not looking forward to ‘Night of Champions’ where I will become, rightfully and officially the WWE’s very first British Women’s Champion…
Regarding Mr. Kennedy… I don’t want to be bringing up old and tired clichés about battles and wars, so suffice it to say we are only just getting started! Let me remind you… Whatever Katie wants, Katie always gets. And right now, what I want is Mr. Kennedy. Taken. Out. One thing’s for certain: Mr. Kennedy will feel our wrath…
And speaking of conspiracies: As if by magic I just disappeared from the Power 25… I don’t think I need to even mention this is a gross oversight. I feel slighted. How can Natalya have a place and I be omitted when her only claim to fame is competing for a title that does not even exist yet!! Well I can tell you now with 100% certainty I will be back and there will be no rest for the wicked when it comes to climbing that ladder right to the very top. How can I fail once I carry the prestigious gold around my waist..? Add to that my brother Paul, strong and ruthless, ready to fulfill my every need and desire- there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that my infamy and power will soon grow to previously unimaginable heights…
Believe the hype. Count down the days, the hours the minutes.
On June 29th at ‘Night of Champions’ history will be made…
Love me. Katie Lea.
Wow, what an upgrade from Ashley‘s recent MySpace blogs! A Diva that can type in correct English? You go, Katie Lea! Speaking of upgrades, I, for one will be anticipating the match between Katie and Mickie at Night of Champions. It will be a definite upgrade from last year’s Divas match (sorry Candice fans), I expect this will be a competetive match up and I cannot wait for the Natalya/Michelle match either, although I’m quite concerned as none of the promotion for the Divas Championship has mentioned the pay per view.
The Divas weighed in on Monday night’s WWE Draft in this week’s Diva Dish. Who wants to move where? Who doesn’t want to leave home? Read all about it below:
“The first thought I had was ‘Please, don’t make me leave Raw!’ But on the other hand, it makes perfect sense,†Melina told Diva Dish. “We need new Divas – how many times can we compete against each other? I love a challenge, so we need other people to work with, to push ourselves to the limit. I need somebody fresh to work with. I think it’s interesting. It’ll be a good change of pace.â€
Melina pointed out that most of her Diva friends on Raw have turned against her, so she’s not opposed to switching brands.
“I am like the Lone Ranger and I’m free to go anywhere I want right now,†Melina said. “I’d like to go to ECW because I’ve been on SmackDown and I’ve been on Raw – why not conquer all of the brands?â€
Fellow Raw Diva Jillian, who has grown apart from Melina lately, said she loves watching the Superstars and Divas swap brands.
“The whole mix-up is a lot of fun. Last year, I moved from SmackDown to Raw – I had been on SmackDown for two years, and I’ll be on Raw for a year,†the songstress explained. “I’m anxious to see if it’s possible I’ll move again. Maybe this time I’ll go to ECW – you never know. It would be cool to actually be on all three shows.â€
Regardless of which brand she’s on, Michelle McCool has only one thing on her mind: gold. Whether it’s impressing SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero enough to earn a chance to battle Natalya for the Divas Championship or moving to Raw to face Mickie James for the Women’s Championship, McCool said she’s game for anything.
“I’m ready to prove myself, I don’t care which show I’m on, to be honest, but I would like a championship around my waist,†McCool said. “The competition on SmackDown has been good, it’s helped me build my skills in the ring. I use everything as a stepping stone – if I move, I move, if I don’t, I don’t. I just want to keep climbing to the top.â€
While Natalya said she doesn’t want to be split up from her best friend, Victoria, her first priority is also WWE gold.
“Whether I’m on Raw, SmackDown or ECW, I’m going to fight for a championship, tooth and nail,†the third-generation Diva said. “You can believe that it will be around my waist. … When you see it, you believe it. I envision myself with it around my waist, so I see it, and I believe it’ll happen. Come hell or high water, I’m getting it.â€
Victoria said she’s excited for the WWE Draft, as long as she’s not split up from her best friend.
“I’ll be sad after the fact if I lost Natalya, but I get really excited for the Draft,†Victoria told Diva Dish. “Drafts are the best thing for WWE. They mix it up. We get to face people we otherwise weren’t able to. I enjoy it, and I enjoy it as a fan.â€
Eve, who made her debut on SmackDown after winning the 2007 Diva Search, said she’s looking forward to the Draft, but doesn’t want to leave Friday nights.
“A brand becomes your family – it’s who you travel with, it’s who you work with. I’ve gotten to know everyone on SmackDown and ECW,†Eve said. “I’m getting comfortable, that’s why I say it’s like home. The Divas on SmackDown are great. We have a great Divas division on SmackDown and I really like being with them.â€
Layla, on the other hand, is ready to leave the Land of the Extreme. Feeling underappreciated, the 2006 Diva Search winner is up for a change.
“I want to get in the ring some more, get more action, more experience and kick some more butt,†she said. “I started on SmackDown, then went to ECW for Extreme Exposé and I’ve been here for a while now. So I think it’s time for me to move to another venue. There is not one person I’d miss on ECW.â€
Layla’s former best friend, Kelly Kelly, told Diva Dish she’s flexible and loves every WWE brand and would be honored to be on Raw or SmackDown, although she calls ECW her home.
“I’d miss all of the Originals – they are like my family on the road. It would be really hard to adjust if I moved, but I’d learn to adjust,†Kelly Kelly explained. “I’m really excited to see what happens to me. But if I stay here, hopefully a new rival will come for me. I’d like to work with Mr. Kennedy – I think we’d make a really good duo.â€
Raw newcomer Katie Lea said she’s not worried about the Draft, as long as she’s not separated from her brother, Paul Burchill. The Diva said she’s sure she’d be dominant no matter which brand she’s on, but has no plans to leave Raw before she battles Mickie James for the Women’s Championship at Night of Champions. As the British bombshell spoke to Diva Dish about her upcoming title match, James overheard.
“Excuse me, what are you saying about my championship?†Mickie asked.
“Soon to be my championship… See, time has no real relevance, time is only perception, time is the fourth dimension – there is no time. In theory I already have your championship. It’s just a question of skipping dimensions until we get there,†Katie Lea said.
“Well, all right – I didn’t know we were on Star Trek. I didn’t know we were warping through dimensions, but if we must, we must. And in that dimension and in this dimension, I will kick your British butt,†James said.
“In your dreams. That’s the dimension of your dreams, Mickie James,†Katie Lea responded.
Find out if Katie Lea will walk away Women’s Champion or if James will retain next Sunday at Night of Champions, only on pay-per-view. Also, tune in to a special three-hour Raw on Monday at 8 p.m. for the WWE Draft.
One Diva who was missing from the line-up is Raw’s Maria, who has had quite a lot to say about never wanting to move away from Raw. If she survives the Draft on Monday, I will personally drag her by the hair to the SmackDown taping and dump her there.
Welcome to an early edition of Diva Dirt’s Style Showdown! Remember that groundbreaking bikini contest this past Monday on Raw? Yeah, it’s kind of slipped from my mind already too. However, WWE.com has refreshed our selective memory by posting studio photos of each participant, modeling their summer finest. Take a look at the photos below and tell us who you think looks best.
Oh, and here’s a history lesson for you, courtesy of music legend Tom Waits: did you know that the bikini was named after a nuclear bomb testing site? Bikini Atoll, to be more specific. Apparently the site of a woman in a bikini back then was that “explosive” – pun intended.
[poll=71]
Don’t worry – Maria‘s not “Jokerized” this time around. Despite all the talk of a possible budding fashion line with Mickie James, Maria manages to present a less-than-fashionable look in her most recent photoshoot, “Ravishing Red”. It kind of looks like a leftover Valentine’s Day shoot, what with the sparkly redness and heart jewelry. Don’t get me wrong – she’s gorgeous, facially. Not many Divas could survive that many close-up shots. However, as always, those duck lips make her look like more of an Angelina Jolie wannabe than anything else. I much prefer her earlier photoshoot, although she’s a bit Ooompah-Loompah in both. If Maria ditched the spray tans and lost her puckering instincts, she could honestly be one of the most photogenic Divas. But that’s neither here nor there..
[poll=70]
Hot diggity, I pretty much love Natalya‘s new photoshoot Gray Goddess. Natalya really does evoke her inner goddess in this shoot and I’m loving her top! It’s bold and emphatic but at the same time, it’s just plain hot! I really love how she complements it with her earrings and her hair looks on-point too. Overall, the SmackDown! Diva may be a beast in the ring but in this shoot, she is showing that she’s a beauty too.
What do you think? Check out the full set below and vote!
[poll=68]
Last month, we said goodbye to Torrie Wilson who rode off into the sunset after 7 years with WWE. Turns out that since her release, more new light is being shed about the infamous Al Wilson storyline. At the time of her release, a former WWE writer revealed he was responsible for Al’s “death” and now Dawn Marie has weighed in too!
The former Diva and ECW alumna revealed there were plans at one point to bring in Torrie’s sister to the WWE! Hmm, how do you feel about two Wilson women running wild on WWE? Read below:
One subject that James Guttman had to ask about was working with Al Wilson. Most outsiders who come in to WWE for a storyline wind up with past ClubWWI.com guests Rikishi or Mae Young sitting on their face. Al won the one-shot lottery and got to marry Dawn. He asks what it was like working with Torrie’s dad.
“It was a great experience. Al was such a great sport, wasn’t he?…When we were first talking about the storyline, they went to Torrie and they asked her, ‘Would you rather us hire an actor or would you rather we bring your father in – your real father?’ And she thought it would be a great opportunity to be able to have her real father come in. On the road you’re away so much and I think that’s what gave us such a great twist was that it was her real father. And just the surprised looks. There’s nothing like seeing your real father doing what he was doing.â€
Dawn Marie goes on to speak about setting some of the spots up, the embarrassment she had around Torrie afterwards, what the boys said about it, and more. James then asks about the angle’s abrupt end. It seemed almost unfinished and there were a number of different directions people thought it could go in. Dawn answered:
“I think it was supposed to go further and to be honest with you, I think someone pissed somebody off and it just got ended.â€
Dawn explains that she doesn’t know the truth, but she thought that’s the most likely reason for it to end as it did. She then reveals that at one point she knew they were contemplating bringing in Torrie’s sister for the angle too and doing a follow-up story centered around the inheritance.
She says she’s not sure who pissed someone off, but someone did. Guttman talks about the amount of people involved with writing the stories and it’s hard to pinpoint who causes its downfall at times. Dawn takes a guess at it:
“I know Paul Heyman had a lot to do with that angle and I’m sure he probably pissed somebody off or I pissed somebody off. I’m sure it was either me or him. (laughs) That’s about as honest as I can get. It just ended too abruptly for it to be any other reason.â€
Oh Maria, you never fail to amaze me; girlfriend has some serious delusions of grandeur. The Playboy covergirl expressed in her most recent interview with IGN that A) she wants to become Women’s Champion and B) she wants to start up a clothing line with Mickie James. No… seriously. *Deep breath* That’s a whole lotta lulz in one sentence. Read below:
IGN: Obviously, the last few months have been very busy and rewarding for you, going from Playboy to WrestleMania. How do you plan on topping that?
Maria: Well, whenever there’s a line, it’s to be crossed. I crossed the Playboy line, and the WrestleMania line, and now, I wanna become women’s champion. That’s first and foremost, and I’ll have to work my butt off, but I’ll put the work in. I’d love to do some movies with WWE, and I’d like to do something in the music industry. I have ideas about my own clothing line with Mickie James. My brother’s having a baby soon! My sister just made the dance team! The family comes first. As long as I can get them in and still achieve my dreams and goals, I can do them all.
Oh my. To be honest, I can’t fault her desire to be Women’s Champion. Who doesn’t? I think with the right improvement and being drafted to SmackDown!, she could be in contention for the new Divas Championship. It’s the line about a clothing line with Mickie James that makes my eyes tear – and not just because I have hayfever. What are they gonna call it? “House of Tack” sounds good. The fact that Maria and Mickie James believe they’re fashionable enough to launch a clothing line is just high-larious. If you’re looking for bell-bottoms or anything of the leopard print variety, House of Tack is totes for you. But for those of us who are actually sane, Halloween comes but once a year…
Poor Layla, it seems as though her 2 minute appearance on last night’s ECW was cut from the final broadcast. Layla had taped a segment last weekend, when the show was filmed, in which she provided a little dance number (what’s new?) and cut a promo about moving to another brand. Instead, the footage can be found as WWE.com exclusive. I doubt Kelly Kelly would end up on the cutting room floor and then demoted to the web…
Watch Layla’s segment below:
Oh hey Lena! Strange seeing you twice in one week! If you thought her appearance on RAW was unexpected, prepare to be amazed: she has a new photoshoot! I know, it’s mind boggling, right? Anywho, let’s not dwell on this incredible factoid – we’ve got a woman to judge! I think she looks nice, if rather unspectacular. It seems like most of her photoshoots are “eh” – pretty, but not anything to write home about. What exactly is she wearing, by the way? It looks like something I’d find in one of those seedy stores at the mall that’s named “Exotica” or “Stylez” and is decorated with Roman columns made out of cheap plaster.
[poll=67]
There’s all sorts of buzz making the rounds of late regarding next week’s WWE Draft. John Cena to SmackDown!, CM Punk to RAW… however, the only piece of buzz we care about is Diva buzz! Word has it, Layla could be lined up for shipment to Monday Night RAW! Melanie hates to toot her own horn, but I had touted Layla as one of the Divas I’d love to move during the Draft in our own Diva Draft. And it seems many of you agreed, from reading your comments, you, too think Layla would be a great fit for the RAW brand.
Supporting the latest rumours is tonight’s episode of ECW. Fans will see scenes in which Layla addresses the audience saying she hopes she’s drafted elsewhere where fans appreciate her, the show was taped last weekend. We’ll have to wait another 6 days to see if this comes to fruition but I, for one, will be crossing my fingers and toes!
This week on RAW: Divas from all three brands competed in a Summer Bikini Blowout bikini contest. Meanwhile, Mickie James evened the odds teaming up with Mr. Kennedy in his feud with the Burchills, Paul and Katie Lea.
Thoughts & Reactions
This week’s RAW was about as fucked up as it gets… a freakin’ bikini contest?! Are you kidding me?! Here I thought the women’s division was on the up and just as I was looking forward to RAW each week, they throw us a curveball. Hey WWE, why don’t you just come out and say what you really think?! This week’s RAW was like, “Here’s your weekly dose of slop, eat it up you pigs.” It really was a demeaning, counter-productive and totally shitty segment. I honestly don’t have a clue why Melina was involved in this pile of garbage, it really hurt her character and the momentum she’s gained over the past few weeks. This did nothing for storyline development in her feud with Beth Phoenix, in fact it hindered it. If freakin’ Maria can get more cheers than Melina, it kinda hurts Melina’s growth and transition to a face in her feud with Beth. There was absolutely no logic to this stupid bikini contest and it’s just unfathomable how WWE can actually go backwards rather than forwards.
Do you think WWE’s creative team are masochists? They create a hot feud that the crowd are so into, which actually gets viewers tuning into RAW each week – and then they pull crap like this. It’s like they enjoy fucking things up, they enjoy taking their good work and turning it into shit. Fucking retards.
There was nothing decent about the bikini contest, it was all boring and cliche. Charlie Haas is apparently the new Val Venis, Eve thinks it’s cool to wear sunglasses in-doors and Maria was probably happy to just be relevant again… even if it was a bikini contest. That’s right Maria, take your victories where you can find them.
As for the mixed tag team match, finally we get back to decent action. I’d like to say it made up for the shiteous bikini contest but it wasn’t nearly enough. I loved Mickie and Katie totally beating the crap out of each other, it was very physical and a lot of fun to watch. Maybe Katie can add some fire into Mickie’s character that has really been lacking during her feud with Beth Phoenix. I’m already enjoying this feud and they haven’t even had a singles match yet. In comparison, the Beth-Mickie feud was stale before it even started. I think this is the logical match-up to go into Night of Champions, but it hasn’t had much build up. WWE has teased this feud for the past month or so, stopping and starting the feud and only now are taking it off pause. This is what really pisses me off about WWE, they stop and start feuds at their whim and think they can just continue it up a few weeks later like nothing’s happened. Given a continuous storyline over the past few weeks, Mickie vs Katie could have been a great “must-see” match at Night of Champions. They’ve done the same with Michelle and Natalya, it started out very, very strong and many of us were anticipating a match-up between them… then they stopped having them appear on SmackDown! and it all kinda got less exciting. Of course, now they’re looking to restart the feud but that initial excitement is gone. We now have the same thing with Beth-Melina, they haven’t followed through this week and it’s dampened the investment, we as viewers, have in this feud.
The RAW women’s division is really in a precarious position at the moment, because someone thought it was logical to start up a feud between Beth Phoenix and Melina, a feud not associated with the Women’s Championship, in the run-up to Night of Champions. Don’t get me wrong, I really love this feud but at the same time, they should’ve developed the Mickie vs Katie feud rather than dump it on us now. The Beth-Melina feud should be reserved for RAW and Mickie-Katie should extend to the pay per view. WWE has no one but themselves to blame for poor ratings, their booking is horrible. I have no doubt that the end product will be great i.e. the eventual Mickie-Katie match and the eventual Michelle-Natalya match, but the booking leading to it has been so all over the place I can’t get as excited as I would if they had a continuous feud.
WWE.com has announced that Mickie James will defend her Women’s Championship against Katie Lea at Night of Champions, hurrah! And after last night’s mixed tag team match, I’m pretty much sold… I can’t wait to see these Divas go at it! Read the full preview below:
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James has held her title since April, defeating numerous opponents and showing the world why she deserves to be a four-time Women’s Champion. At Night of Champions, James will defend her title against Katie Lea Burchill, who – along with her brother Paul – has been introducing the Raw roster to their smashmouth brand of competition for the past two months.
On April 18, Mickie James won the WWE Women’s Championship by defeating a Diva who many thought to be an unbeatable opponent, Beth Phoenix. Proving that size and strength weren’t everything, James took down The Glamazon, and has managed to hold the powerful competitor at bay for the past two months.
At around the same time, the Burchill siblings made their Raw debut. Initially, Paul did most of the fighting, but in recent weeks Katie Lea has proven that she is more than proficient in the ring. While partnered with Beth Phoenix in a tag match against Mickie James and Melina, Katie Lea even did what The Glamazon could not, pinning James for the win. Katie Lea even went on to pin the current Women’s Champion again during an intergender tag match.
Mickie James struggled long and hard to reclaim the WWE Women’s Championship, and now she is being forced to face a Diva who has already pinned her twice in the past. At Night of Champions, will James be able to retain her title, or will Katie Lea Burchill walk away as the new WWE Women’s Champion?
This is a very interesting and logical match choice, but I wish they had more storyline going into it. I half expected a repeat of Mickie vs Melina vs Beth, because they have stopped and started a Katie-Mickie feud so many times over the past month or so. One of the big issues (which I’ll touch on more in RAW Redux) is that with the Divas, they start storylines and then drop them and go back to them. Sure, the end product is usually great but I wish there was more consistency in the execution. The Beth-Melina feud seemed to be the exception but they managed to ruin that this week as well.
Previously on Top Model: 218 votes were cast, you voted between our top 10 Divas to decide who would be going home. Ashley became the first Diva to be sent home from the competition.
And now: It’s time to vote once again, which Diva do you think has the most top model potential? Which Diva could grace the covers of the likes of Elle, Vogue and other fashion bibles? Which Diva could stomp the runway like a pro? Vote for your favourite right now. Remember, your votes will decide who stays and who goes. Tune in to The Diva Dirt Sheet on Thursday to find out which two Divas are in the bottom two and who will be sent home.
[poll=66]
Women’s Champion Mickie James was so close to having an incredibly hot photoshoot. The aptly titled “Silver and Gold” however failed to achieve top honours, due to the hideous and trashy wardrobe choice of the bra. Instead, we would gladly give Mickie the silver prize because the rest of this photoshoot is on-fricken’-point!
Wow, it’s no secret that Mickie is not exactly the most photogenic Diva, her photoshoots are usually a cross between Chucky the killer doll and a clown; however this shoot is so sleek and stylish. I love her aviator-esque outfit – minus the bra of course – I think it could have been really tasteful had they used a nice top. I realise this is a WWE shoot, but you can show skin and be tasteful at the same time. The bra ruins it. Even her hair (for once) and her earrings look fierce here. So, so close.
What do you think? Check out the full shoot below and cast your vote!
[poll=65]
Previously on Top Model: In Week 1, the ten Divas who made it through to Cycle 1 competed in the first round of the competition. You voted for your favourite Diva to ensure they stayed in the competition for another week.
And now: Voting over, it’s time to find out who will be going home tonight. This week, 218 votes were cast and now it’s time to send someone home. Melina was the Diva to receive the most votes this week, impressing you most. But now it’s time to find out the bottom two, one of whom will be going home:
Who has been eliminated? Find out after the cut:
Remember that story a few weeks ago, in which it was reported Stacy Keibler asked to do a nude scene in an independent movie? Well apparently, it’s not true. Stacy told her side of the story in a recent interview:
Stacy Keibler shot down a recent story on tmz.com that said she lobbied to do a nude scene in the upcoming film Mercy, but then turned down the role after director Patrick Hoelck acquiesced.
“I got an offer for the movie Mercy, and then they asked if I was comfortable with nudity, and I said no, I’m actually not,†Keibler, calling from Vancouver, British Columbia, told me earlier this week. “So I just politely declined because they really were adamant about the nudity part of that, and I was just like, ‘I’m sorry. That’s just not something I’m interested in exploring at this time.’
“I’ve been offered to do Playboy and things over and over again. Why would I do something like that for this small little movie? It was basically just a simple phone call, and I was like, ‘Thank you, but no thank you.’ The other thing is that I have a deal with ABC and Disney, and I have to go to them and get approval on everything I do. That’s just not even something that we would take to them.â€
Keibler said she laughed when she found out about the story on TMZ’s web site.
“Anyone that knows me or knows my personality should have laughed at that just as I did,†the actress and former WWE diva said. “I don’t know if it was just a small little movie that wanted to get some publicity so they threw something out there or what. I think it’s just a clear example that you can’t believe everything you read.â€
Unless, of course, you read it on Ring Posts. “Exactly,†Keibler said with a laugh. “Anything that’s coming from me, it will be true if it’s coming from you.â€
Meanwhile Stacy has lined up her next gig – a series on ABC Family. The Keib, who has a talent holding deal with ABC will be playing a supporting role in the series Samurai Girl premiering this fall. Given ABC Family’s track record for hit shows in recent years (Kyle XY, Greek to name a couple) , this really could be Stacy’s breakout role as an actress. Whether she rises to the challenge with her acting chops remains to be seen.
Oh the doors that Diva Dirt can open! My new weekly column at PWInsider.com continues this week, check out the second issue called “Growing Pains” in which I talk about the Divas who’ve grown and improved as wrestlers. Click here to read!
Welcome one and all to the debut edition of SmackDown! Redux!
This week on SmackDown!: It was the night of Cherry and Maryse, as they competed in the featured Divas contest. Meanwhile, we also saw the debut of Alicia Fox.
Thoughts & Reactions
Not a great week for SmackDown! Redux to debut, because in my honest opinion this was the weakest week for the Divas of SmackDown! in quite some time. SmackDown! has improved leaps and bounds in the months since WrestleMania and this week’s show stuck out like a sore thumb in comparison to the strong booking we’ve seen of late. There was just no logic this week; they introduce the new Divas Championship last week and then this week? No sighting of Natalya, who is actually in the Championship match. No qualifying match for her opponent. No storyline advancement surrounding the title at all. Instead, we revert back to Cherry vs Maryse, a feud which should have been dropped and incorporated into the hype surrounding the Divas Championship.
These two Divas, personally for me, do very little. I see no personal investment in them, thus I wasn’t too into this match. They did put on a surprisingly good match a few weeks ago on SmackDown!, but if it’s been done already why do it again?! There’s no storyline advancement here at all, they just did the same match again using the same storylines that led to the first match!!! Cherry picks up the win, whoop-de-doo the match is over and Melanie is left feeling underwhelmed. To me, Cherry vs Maryse is like a starter not the main course, so of course I was left saying, “What? That’s it?!” when I realised this was our lot in terms of the Divas this week *sigh* Furthermore, Michael Hayes returns to creative next week, which is leaving me less optimistic about the women’s division – in his absence, we have actually seen some great matches and great feuds since WrestleMania.
Next up, we had the debut of Alica Fox aka Victoria Crawford. Now I won’t be judging her too harshly based on a 30-second segment, but she looks pretty enough and I hear she’s a decent wrestler. Let’s hope that she can add to the women’s division in the near future. And please, for the love of God use her as a face when that happens. I’m sick of the mismatch in both the divisions; the Divas who can actually wrestle always come in as heels and the ones that can’t are faces. If this girl can wrestle as well as it seems, she should be able to team up with Michelle and Cherry against the likes of Victoria, Natalya and Maryse.
All in all, it was a pretty “bleh” week on both RAW and SmackDown! this week. But anyway, I am going try and be optimistic that both will step up their game next week and since SD! has already taped next week’s show, I think it’s going to be a decent match for the Divas.
Welcome to the YouTube Classics! This week, with last week’s announcement of a new SmackDown Diva’s Championship, our theme is “Golden Girls”, matches in which the Women’s Title is at stake. Today, we have Trish Stratus vs. Lita from the December 6th, 2004 RAW. This, like Lita vs. Stephanie McMahon from earlier this week, was the main event of RAW, and included many memorable moments, not the least of which is a very painful looking bump by Lita:
Edit: Victoria will actually make her debut this week, as in tonight on SmackDown! Check out for her to go under the new name of Alicia Fox.
Ex-bikini model, Victoria Crawford is joining Friday Night SmackDown! as of next week. Victoria has been training in WWE’s developmental system since being signed in 2006 and will make her debut next week, as wedding planner to Vickie Guerrero and Edge whose wedding falls on July 11th.
Crawford was infamously signed along with Kelly Kelly, when John Laurinaitis saw them posing in a catalogue. However, unlike Kelly who was thrown into a role on ECW immediately, Victoria remained in the developmental system… until now. Now an experienced wrestler, I have my doubts about throwing a talented Diva into such a role. Why must they insist on bringing in useless Divas as wrestlers and the talented ones in stupid roles? Hopefully, Victoria will become part of SmackDown!’s women’s division in the coming months.
In the space of two weeks, ECW and SmackDown! have both gained new Divas. What about RAW? I have my eye on one Milena Roucka, a former contestant in the 2006 Diva Search which was won by Layla. She too, has gone onto become an experienced wrestler and a former OVW Women’s Champion.
One minute I read the comments in the RAW Redux post, where you guys wish Maria would cover the frig up; the next minute, I’m looking at her new shoot in WWE.com, where she’s wearing more clothes than usual. What are the chances? Maria’s new “Stylish” photoshoot is a break from the norm for the Diva and for the most part, she looks rather good. Although there seems to be something up with her face, it seems porcelain almost. Those folks at WWE.com need to hire a new airbrusher. View the photos below and make up your mind in our poll:
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Damn girl, that’s a major work. Kelly Kelly‘s big spot on Tuesday night’s ECW was scripted and planned before hand, which impresses me even more so because it’s just so on-point and such cringe-tastic television. How can you plan such a thing?! Scary awesome precisiion. Kudos to all those involved in making this one of the creepiest spots I’ve seen in a long time and it’s good to know that it isn’t simply down to Kelly’s inexperience as a wrestler.
