Saturday, November 23, 2024

DJs Are a Matter of Life or Death

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WWE.com has an article up in which they question Superstars and Divas on what they would put in their own personal “survival vault”. The answers from the Divas range from the trivial (a DJ?) to the sentimental (friends and family):

“I’d definitely put an iPod in there with me singing,” noted Raw’s tone-deaf songstress, Jillian. “I’d also want another human being — maybe Britney Spears? I wouldn’t want her kids, though. Just Britney, so she can entertain me.”

The Doomsday vault, however, isn’t fun and games for everyone — especially troubled pop starlets. “My father was in the Air Force, so we had a lot of that dehydrated food and green cans [of sardines],” said Victoria, who takes the subject very seriously. “I wouldn’t have anything for looks, really. It’s basically all about survival.”

For Candice, it wouldn’t be just a Doomsday vault; it would be a Doomsday party vault.

“I’d definitely put a DJ in there,” said Raw’s sexy former Women’s Champion. “[The vault] would float on top of the water [like Noah’s Ark] until it all fell through.”

Never one to fret over the material things in life, Michelle McCool stressed the importance of having family — including golden retriever Jonah — inside her survival chamber.

“Everything else, other than my family, friends and maybe photo albums for memories, is pretty meaningless,” explained SmackDown’s All-American Girl. “You can’t put a price on the things I’d put in that vault, simple as that.”

Diva Legends Immortalised Once More?

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Last week, WWE announced that they are working on a new video game, Legends of WrestleMania featuring some of the most historic stars of WWE past. Diva Dirt is already speculating which Divas, if any, we would like to see on the game! Who wouldn’t love to see Trish Stratus once more immortalised for Xbox or Playstation? Here’s our guide to some of the top Divas from years past, that deserve to be “Legends of WrestleMania!”

Is there anyone else you think should be added into the mix? It’s unsure if there’ll even be room for the Divas, but we think that the above have contributed vastly to WWE over the years and at WrestleMania and most importantly – are legends in their own unique ways.

YouTube Classics: Lita vs. Jacqueline in a Hardcore Match


Welcome to the YouTube Classics! With this week’s theme of “Bag of Tricks” – celebrating the moments where women’s wrestling has delved into those unique gimmick matches that are decidedly “masculine” in nature – we have Lita vs. Jacqueline in a Hardcore match from all the way back on the October 8th, 2000 RAW:

Roxxi’s Hair Woes

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According to the dudes at PWInsider.com, Roxxi Laveaux was the logical choice for having her head shaved this past Sunday at Sacrifice because she was looking to have her hair cut anyway:

One of the reasons Roxxi Laveaux was tapped to have her head shaved at the Sacrifice PPV was that she was open to the idea when it was presented to her – partially because the hair dye and style of her voodoo character had stripped her hair and she was looking to cut it.

All those years of abuse to your hair can have that effect, just ask Angelina Love. Something tells me that going bald wasn’t the hair cut Roxxi had in mind but we applaud her all the more for going through with it! Now that brings us onto today’s poll:

[poll=22]

Oops… Melina Did It Again

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Yes, even I am kicking myself for choosing a Britney title, but in my defence it felt fitting. I would have left it to Erin to report on this photoshoot but I couldn’t resist when I stumbled upon the above picture. Melina looks as though she’s just let out a fart however to be honest, that doesn’t lower the tone of this photoshoot because there is nothing flattering or sexy about it in the first place.

Melina does it again… delivers a poor photoshoot, I mean who can forget the hoochie prom queen from the Bronx? And now Melina will forever be remembered and mocked for this picture. Bet on it! Check out the full shoot by clicking here. ~*Melina’s not that innocent*~

[poll=23]

What’s That? ECW With a Real Divas Match?

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It has to be seen to be believed, but last night ECW pulled a real wrestling match featuring the Divas. We’re not talking about Kelly Kelly vs Layla part 13544634, we’re talking about a competetive, physical match-up like RAW and SmackDown! This was a really good match, though it is funny how the ECW Divas, Kelly and Layla got no ring time! Natalya, Michelle and Victoria all were great in the ring, though Michelle seemed a little off her game this week. I don’t like Victoria jobbing to Cherry, why couldn’t it have been Layla?! Other than that, a very good match up. Watch below!

I don’t know what’s going over at WWE HQ in Stamford but I think all of us Diva fans should band together and count our blessings, because this has been a week of unusually strong booking for the Divas! We had a fantastic night for Mickie and co. on RAW on Monday, a great match on ECW and we can look forward to not one but two Diva matches on SmackDown! and then there’s Judgment Day on Sunday!

SmackDown! Spoilers for May 16th

Things are looking good for SmackDown! Highlight below to read the spoilers:

Michelle McCool over Layla when Layla tapped out to an ankle/leg submission.

Cherry over Maryse w/ Deuce & Domino.

TNA Impact Spoilers for May 15th & May 22nd

We have spoilers for TNA’s next two Impacts. Highlight below to read:
May 15th:

• Kaz & Jay Lethal & Sonjay Dutt defeated Johnny Devine & The Rock N’ Rave Infection. After the match, Lethal asks So Cal Val to marry him at Slammiversary and she accepts with a “Oh yeah”. Very similar to the Macho/Liz angle. Sonjay didn’t look happy and had some great facial expressions here. Kaz would try to tell him to congratulate them and he just kept his distance and showed some fake happiness.

• TNA Knockouts champion Awesome Kong defeated Gail Kim with the help of Angelina Love. Most of the heels and face knockouts made their way to ringside during the match. They all started arguing on the outside and Gail went to the top but Angelina Love shoved her off causing her to hurt her ankle. Kong picked her up and nailed the awesomebomb for the pin. Gail sold the leg after the match.

• Kurt Angle came out and said he asked for airtime to read a letter to Karen asking to take him back cause she needs him. He says that she needs to get her prioritys straight and makes a list of things that come before her. 1. TNA Title, 2. His gold medal, 3. The Kids, and 4 was her. He says he hopes she comes to the impact zone next week so they can leave together.

• Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, now given the team name “The Beautiful People” defeated ODB and Roxxi. Odb took the pin. You can see Roxxi did have a cut on her head from the PPV.

May 22nd:

• Angelina Love defeated ODB when Velvet Sky interfered and Roxxi Laveaux made the save.

• Kurt asks Karen to take him back. Karen says No because Kurt will never change. Kurt is begging and Karen leaves.

• Awesome Kong challenged any woman in the crowd for $25,000. A “fan” comes out and Kong destroyed her

Ashley *Hearts* Anyone for the Right Price

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Yeah, I know.. That was harsh. Can you blame me, though? I mean, everyone knows that a new WWE.com photoshoot must mean time for a few laughs (and potshots, but that’s a given).

Honestly, it’s too easy to make fun of this – “escort” scandal or not. The fact that the Lita “thong” look was never not trashy (even Lita looked ridiculous with it) just adds to the mayhem of this photoshoot – I mean, “dirty rocker boys”?? We get it Ashley, you’re punk. I mean, you’re sporting the Bret Michaels look for Christ’s sake, and I’m including the crispy hair in that sentiment.

Overall, the look screams “white trash” to me – bandana, belly shirt, denim cutoffs, exposed underwear.. I guess it irks me because wrestling is perceived as so “trashy” in itself – they don’t need any help in that department; they need a fucking push in the opposite direction. Next stop – evening gowns and businesswear! Hey, one can dream, right? (Click here to view the full photoshoot.)

So, what do you think – is this photoshoot any good?

[poll=21]

Divas Face Judgment

WWE.com has finally confirmed the match I’ve been suspecting for the past week, the Women’s Championship will be on the line this Sunday when Mickie James defends against Beth Phoenix and Melina. Bring it on! I have no doubt that this will be a very physical, fun match-up.

In related news, I’m going to begin speculation on a second women’s match for Judgment Day. I just looked over the card and only five matches have been announced thus far and given the leaps and bounds SmackDown!’s women’s division has overcome in recent weeks, I could easily see a match between Michelle McCool and Natalya being announced at tonight’s tapings. There is room for 2-3 more matches and with RAW done and dusted, that leaves those spots open to ECW (unlikely) and SmackDown! and this feud has been a highlight of Friday nights over the past month.  Looking back to last week’s show, all signs seem to indicate that way also… I mean Michelle watching the monitor and all, maybe something will go down tonight setting up the first one-on-one encounter between these two Divas for Sunday?

If so, we promise not to say another bad word about Ashley or Kelly Kelly for all of 2.4 seconds. Diva Dirt has been pushing for a SmackDown! Divas pay per view match for over a month now, perhaps some fancy WWE writer reads the blog? This feud, these girls are worth it. What’s better than one great feud leading to a great match on pay per view? Two! For the first time in a long time, WWE has got great, meaningful feuds on both brands!

RAW Redux – May 12, 2008

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This week on RAW: The Divas were packed to the rafters as we saw memorable segments including Lilian Garcia singing “Respect”, Mickie James possibly making a lurve connection with John Cena and Beth Phoenix beating the crap out of Melina!

Thoughts & Reactions
Now that is how you do it! See, WWE’s writing team are capable of creating great storylines for the Divas… so why don’t they do it more often?! Last night’s RAW was very much eclectic and very memorable for the Divas as more girls than ever before were utilised in the two hour broadcast making for a really fun show with Divas at every turn! Lilian Garcia and Mickie James kicked things off in the opening segment, which actually made me sit through the beginning because usually I record/download it and skip through to the parts I want to watch. I was forwarding through the opening segment till Mickie popped up! This was pretty cool to have a Diva involved in ongoing storylines (in this case, William Regal’s storyline) and not just the Superstars coming out and doing the opening promo bit. Lilian then belted out an amazing rendition of “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, which I loved every second of!

Could WWE be angling towards a romance between Mickie and John Cena? I don’t know how I feel about that, I’m 50-50 but I’m leaning more towards “bad idea.” The backstage segment between these two was pretty fun to watch too although I didn’t really sense much chemistry between them; the chemistry between Cena and Maria back in the day was electric however. The tag team match itself was nothing to write home about, but it wasn’t really a match per se, I look at it as more of a segment to advance storylines and it did a great job. Beth sold incredibly well, the intensity in her eyes as she glared at Melina. Great stuff!

And to cap off the evening, we have an intense backstage brawl between Beth and Melina which was the highlight of the entire show, for me. Sure, Beth is the strong, dominant Glamazon but they did a great job of building Melina up and not making her look weak, by having her strike the first blow. This showed Melina wasn’t afraid of Beth and sets up this feud nicely. I can’t wait for the triple threat match at Judgment Day! Though one thing I don’t understand is why Jillian ran away to get the referees, did she forget that she’s a wrestler too? Jillian and Melina could easily have teamed up to take out Beth.

A very mixed bag of action, kudos to WWE for utilising all of the Divas in a useful way that contributes something to the show rather than useless segments. And extra kudos for keeping Ashley off the show entirely. I really loved all the different Diva action last night, the variety of matches, backstage segments etc. I wrote last week in my SmackDown! thoughts, that RAW usually just throws the girls out there for a match and rarely varies it up by having in-ring segments, backstage segments etc. They really did a great job with that this week.

Get It While It’s Hot: Makeover Battle Royal

Here’s your chance to watch last night’s, in the words of Christian Siriano, “hot mess” of a Makeover Battle Royal. Actually, if I were you I’d skip through and just watch the ladder match and if you like seeing girls getting scalped (okay, exaggeration) then you might wanna watch Roxxi getting her hair did too. Fierce! Anyway, get it while you can coz I don’t think it will be online for long:

YouTube Classics: Lita vs. Victoria in a Cage Match

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Welcome to the YouTube Classics! Following last night’s “memorable” hair match at TNA’s Sacrifice PPV, this week’s theme will be “Bag of Tricks” – celebrating the moments where women’s wrestling has delved into those unique gimmick matches that are decidedly “masculine” in nature. Today, we have Lita vs. Victora in the WWE’s first women’s cage match which took place on the November 24th, 2003 edition of RAW Roulette:

Stacy and Boyfriend Out of Jobs

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Former WWE Diva and Dancing With the Stars alum, Stacy Keibler and her boyfriend Geoff Stults can consider themselves jobless. As is being buzzed by the press, ABC is expected to announce that it is axing the series October Road this week at the network’s upfront presentations. Stacy’s lover is a series regular on the show, while Stacy signed a talent holding deal with ABC after finishing third on “Dancing”, as a result she was signed onto appear in a multiple episode story arc on the show.

Could it be fate? Just last week, the Keib’s BFF Torrie Wilson too, found herself out of a job. Anyway, I can’t say I’m going to miss the shiteous October Road, one of ABC’s weakest links bringing down it’s stellar repertoire of Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Dirty Sexy Money and Samantha Who?

To be honest, aside from the guest appearance here and there – what has Stacy exactly done since the ABC hit reality show? Not much by the looks of it, except attending celebrity parties and being photographed. What makes the Keib different from the likes of Kim Kardashian? Just a thought…

Fit Tips from Mickie

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WWE.com is taking part in National Women’s Health Week by offering “fit tips” from the Divas. I know we all love our Divas and respect their athleticism (well most of them, anyways), so why not take health tips from them? Mickie kicks off the week with her own advice:

First, you have to love yourself because if you don’t, then how do you expect anyone else to love you?

Second, I would say for everyone, it’s important to be healthy. I’m big on going green right now, so try to recycle and be as environmentally friendly as possible.

I think that exercise is amazing for anyone and everyone. And people make a lot of excuses not to, like, “Oh, I don’t have time.” Well, you have to make time. I don’t often have the time, but I make it.

TNA’s Backward Logic Continues

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It’s been a dark day for the TNA Knockouts, in addition to my earlier post about Sacrifice – we have read even more bad news regarding the women’s division. Remember a couple of weeks ago when Cheerleader Melissa and Daisy Haze, out of nowhere, had a match on iMPACT? Well if you thought that was leading to them being brought in full time, think again. Turns out TNA – namely asshat Jeff Jarrett (the same man who all but refused to job to Chyna all those years ago) – simply put the girls on the card for ratings. And it was ratings they delivered, the match drew a 1.10 rating, which outrated the main event featuring some of TNA’s key players!

According to reports, the show had a brief slot open and given the high ratings the Knockouts have been producing since last October, the call was made to put on another Knockout match. According to the report, TNA believes they could have put any two girls in the match, not necessarily these two talented ladies. Talk about a slap in the face. Yeah, I really doubt Christy Hemme could draw the same rating.

It’s ironic though, although Jarrett showed a complete disrespect for women in the industry all those years ago when he relinquished the Intercontinental Championship, he is now forced to rely on women’s wrestling to draw ratings for his company. What’s next? Is he gonna start an escort service using the Knockouts for more money when the shitty numbers come in for Clusterfuck… I mean, Sacrifice?

Daisy and Melissa delivered a very good match and I, for one, would love to see more of them but alas, they are stricken down by TNA head honchos, just like Awesome Kong, just like Roxxi Laveaux – can we call today “Black Monday” in relation to TNA?

Brighten Up Your Monday with Lolz @ Ashley

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If you guys out there are anything like me, you just hate Mondays. Start of the week, back to work, school, college, uni… whatever. Take the edge off today, with a piece of news that has been floating around the Internet for quite some time now. I saw this mentioned on many forums and stuff but never took heed of it, until today when I saw it posted on Lords of Pain:

The push that Mickie James is getting at the moment was actually slated for Ashley Massaro at one point.

Lol how many of you fell off your chairs? Be honest! I wonder what it was that WWE Creative saw in Ashley to warrant giving her a push for the Women’s Championship: Her rock-hard tits that are actually incredibly unattractive beauty, her ability to botch every single move she tries impressive wrestling skills or could it just be that she offered the writers an incentive? I’m just sayin’… Escort Ashley and all. Anyway, the only push Ashley deserves is a push out the door and to be honest, I wouldn’t mind if it hit her on the ass on the way out… and knocked her to the ground.

Torrie Says Goodbye… Sort Of

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Now ex-Diva, Torrie Wilson has finally updated her MySpace with her first public statement since retiring from WWE and professional wrestling, last week:

Happy Mother’s Day!

Well, I guess by now you have heard the news that I have severed my ties to the WWE. I would like to say that I have enjoyed 7 awesome years with The WWE and wouldn’t trade any of my experiences for anything in the world. I have seen more places and met more friends and wonderful fans than I ever dreamed of when I pretty much fell into this business. From the very first time I stepped out into a packed arena, I was hooked on that adrenaline rush and knew that I would be around for a while. I really did fall in love with everything about wrestling and I can tell you all that I feel so absolutely honored to have spent the time I did working for Vince McCmahon and his family and having the opportunity to work with so many really talented and genuine superstars.
You probably have heard about my ongoing back problems and it may even seem crazy….I mean, I wasn’t exactly wrestling every single week on television but I was wrestling at least 3 days per week on non-televised shows….as well as practicing more than it appeared! I just believe that sometimes people’s bodies can handle more than others and mine is finally telling me it has had enough! It might seem weird, but my thoughts in the last few months have been that if I can’t deliver beyond my expectations and I can’t continue to grow as a superstar…well, what exactly am I going to do? I may not be remembered for my “wrestling skills”, but I damn sure can tell you that anyone that knows me well knows that I don’t do sitting around too well.
I can’t begin to tell all of you how much your support over the years has meant to me and I really want you to know that I am not going to disappear…I am just on to a different chapter of my life and career at this point.
I love you all and hope that you know that I will always see the positive in every situation. NOTHING can slow me down and I hope that nothing slows any of you down either…we just have to always look at everyday as a blessing and remember that everything happens for a reason!
Thanks for an unbelievable 7 years and I will see you soon!

That’s the Torrie we know and love, able to turn a negative into a positive and send out a moral message at the same time!

One Bald Knockout, One Weak Champion

TNA’s car crash of a pay per view, Sacrifice aired last night and the real losers of the night were the TNA Knockouts. It’s no secret that we here at Diva Dirt have been overly vocal about the direction of TNA’s women’s division in the past month and rightly so. Last night’s pay per view saw Roxxi Laveaux get her head shaved in a “Makeover Battle Royal” and TNA Knockout Champion, Awesome Kong look weak in a Deuces Wild qualifying match. Needless to say, Sacrifice wasn’t the finest hour for the Knockouts. Let’s break this down:

The Match
To be really honest, the battle royal portion of the match was nothing to write home about. The action really kicked off when we got down to Gail Kim and Roxxi, these girls did some amazing (though cringeworthy) spots using the ladder. I really liked the element of Angelina Love being at ringside too and the factor that if Roxxi won the match, she would have her head shaved as Gail has immunity. Gail and Roxxi really put their bodies on the line and sold like hell, bravo to both of them, just fantastic. Gail wins a Knockout Championship opportunity this week on iMPACT!, I’m really hoping for her and Kong to pull out all the stops once again.

The Head-Shaving
Roxxi having her head shaved has got to be one of the most awkward moments to watch ever. Not to mention the bad acting from the girls at ringside: Traci Brooks, Salinas and ODB. Honestly, this was painful, car crash television but Roxxi is a trooper for going along with it. Making matters worse was that Roxxi had a bloody scalp due to the ladder match, likening this to something out of Silence of the Lambs or Hannibal. Really painful to watch. But again, TNA did a good job of selling Angelina Love and Velvet Sky.

Plight of Kong
TNA’s adventurous foray of having Awesome Kong wrestle men came to a screeching halt in all of two minutes, last night. Here I was thinking this was going to be the start of Kong now challenging the male wrestlers, being taken seriously as a competitor – it was not to be. The tag match between Kong and BG James taking on AJ Styles and Super Eric made Kong look really weak and actually, TNA was suggesting to Kong: “Even though you’re an amazing, world-class athlete… you’re a woman.” They went for the obvious with Styles not wanting to hit Kong and then having Kong look super weak to Super Eric, who picked her up and slammed her with ease. If you thought Kong could be the next Chyna, TNA quashed all chance of that happening. Way to go!

Something Stinks…

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Have you ever wondered what kind of fragrances the Divas would produce? Nah, me neither, but WWE.com did a random but sort of interesting piece on hypothetical fragrances of the Superstars and Divas – you know, because the world doesn’t have enough tacky celebrity fragrances. Above are the “bottles” of each Diva’s perfume. Care to guess which belongs to whom? Read more to find out..

Diva of the Week: May 05 – May 11, 2008

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Welcome to week two of Diva of the Week, we aim to recognise and honour the gold standard among the Divas, Knockouts and women of wrestling based on the week’s shows, news and more. This week the award has some nostalgic value as we award the Diva of the Week to the newly retired Torrie Wilson.

This week, Torrie’s decade in the industry and 7 year WWE career came to a close as WWE officially announced that they and Torrie had parted ways. Making her debut in WCW, Torrie has gone onto become one of the biggest names in the world of women’s wrestling; with feuds including Stacy Keibler, Dawn Marie, Sable, Candice Michelle and Victoria, Torrie has been a mainstay on WWE programming for seven years becoming a veteran and legend among the Divas. Torrie’s in-ring highlights include being undefeated at WrestleMania, beating Miss Jackie and Stacy at WrestleMania XX and Candice at WrestleMania 22 and being the first and only Golden Thong Winner. As well as that, Torrie is responsible for providing some of WWE’s steamiest moments: a kiss with Dawn Marie, a show-stopping bikini contest with Sable and a posedown with Stacy Keibler.

Under the moniker of “The Covergirl” Torrie has graced the covers of Playboy (on two occasions), FHM, Divas 2004 and many more magazine covers. In recent years, Torrie has improved vastly in the ring putting on great matches with Victoria, Mickie James, Lita and Trish Stratus to name a few. In 2007, Torrie returned to her first home – SmackDown! – engaging in a feud with Victoria and the world’s shortest feud with Krissy Vaine. Upon returning to SmackDown!, Torrie reclaimed her crown as the brand’s top Diva before bowing out of action in November 2007, due to back injury and relinquishing the top Diva title to real life friend, Michelle McCool.

Torrie may not have won the Women’s Championship, may not be remembered for her wrestling ability, but has had a storied and legendary career in her own right. A future Hall of Famer perhaps, Torrie will be forever remembered as SmackDown!’s first lady, the Covergirl and as one of the crowning jewels of the golden age of the WWE Divas. Torrie is the personification of the phrase “WWE Diva” and as she hangs up her boots, we want to thank you Torrie for all the memories.

The Round-Up – May 11, 2008

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theroundup.jpg

Get this week’s Diva news rounded up… with commentary! This week we discuss the release of a legend, the latest on Escort Ashley, a TNA Knockout’s opinion and who we think will get their head shaved!

• Torrie Wilson Leaves With Dignity Intact
This week’s big shocker was the release of Torrie Wilson. Torrie had been with the company for over 7 years and had been a fan favorite for years. There had been rumors that Wilson might have been a spokesperson, poster girl, or anything related of the sort for the company but according to our own Melanie, Torrie indeed asked for her release from the company.

Erin: I was shocked and bummed about this at first, but the more I thought about it, the more glad I was that it happened. Really, all Torrie would do if she stayed onboard would be promotional appearances and other useless jobs. Rather than squander the “major Diva” status she holds, it better to go out on your own terms and do your own thing. If she can’t wrestle, what’s the point? Bikini contests and photoshoots get old. Now she can focus on her store and go on other ventures. I’m happy for her. :)

Melanie: Obviously, I have a lot to say on this issue but I’m going to try and keep it brief. When I first found out the news, I was really shocked, saddened and pretty pissed off. But I got the chance to speak to Torrie and hearing her side of things made me do a complete 180 – I felt really positive and good, both for her and as a fan. Torrie will always be my favourite WWE Diva in history, I’m really lucky to have followed her entire career and even accomplish goals that I never could dream of: being able to consider her a friend, running her official fansite. It’s sad to see that this chapter in her life is over but I know that Torrie is extremely happy and therefore, I am too.

Ryan: Good for her, really. She’s been an amazing competitor throughout these past years, and I’ve loved watching her week after week. Sadly, I knew it was slowly coming to an end after reading her MySpace blog about the doctors saying she should stop wrestling due to her back issues. Torrie Wilson will never be forgotten – atleast by me. She has always been one of my favorite Diva’s. The positive side to this is now she can concentrate on her clothing store and move on with 7 wonderful years of wrestling under her belt. Good luck, Torrie. We here at Diva Dirt wish you the best of luck in everything that you do.

SmackDown! (May 09, 2008): Kelly & Natalya Deliver

Wow, never did I think I’d be writing this but Kelly Kelly really delivered the goods last night on SmackDown! The ECW Diva sold incredibly well to the aggressive and impressive, Natalya in a really physical, gritty match up. Honestly, I love SmackDown! right now, I’m going to go out on a limb and even be as bold to say that Natalya is the best female worker in WWE at the moment. Why? Because her matches are always so physical, so gritty, so much fun to watch. I guess you could put it down to her training in the Dungeon, Natalya wrestles like the men in her family – and that is not a bad thing. I’m not saying she is a man, but she puts on a match like we’ve never seen from any Diva before her. From what we’ve seen of her thus far, her matches on SmackDown! have been truly intense and lots of fun to watch. There’s story telling, there’s psychology… usually with the Divas, WWE just throws them in the ring and hopes they can pull out a decent match. The Divas don’t have the same pressures as the Superstars to put on matches that tell a story, that have psychology but that is exactly what Natalya brings to the ring.

As I was saying, Kelly deserves some kudos because she sold very well and made this match believable; hardly recognisable from that slutty girl from Kelly’s Expose (and it’s one night comeback) just two years ago. Kelly’s handspring elbow on this night was much better too – I mean compare that to the infamous time she tried to use the move on Layla.

Furthermore, I like how they built up the rivalry with Michelle also, SmackDown! is getting the opportunity to do things RAW never gets to do. On RAW they just throw the girls out there, on SmackDown! you have backstage segments, “earlier in the day” segments to help build and aid the feud and that’s something that is important to the overall story. I like how this feud is kind of a slow-burner, I can’t wait for the eventual singles match… hopefully these girls will get to go at it on pay per view! Anyway, a very good match – much better than RAW this week – and well worth the watch:

Torrie’s Own Terms

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Lifting the cloud left by the sad and shocking news that Torrie Wilson was released yesterday, I can confirm that Torrie in fact asked for her release. Torrie got to bow out on her own terms and that’s something that I felt really strongly about. I can now accept the fact that Torrie is no longer with WWE… because she left of her own accord.

There’s loads of theories going around on the ‘net, many of which are in my inbox (lovely thing to come home to after a day of work) and they are well and truly false. Hopefully Torrie will have more to say soon (well I can guarantee it actually), until then please let’s not tarnish Torrie’s release any further. I’m guilty of WWE-bashing myself today, but they are not to blame. Let’s be happy for Torrie and respect her wishes!

YouTube Classics: Ivory/D-Lo Brown vs. Nicole Bass/Val Venis

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Welcome to the YouTube Classics! Today’s offering brings with it a quite random selection – but that’s the point, isn’t it? After all, I’m here to bring you matches you haven’t seen in quite some time, and this definitely won’t be an exception to that. This match brings us all the way back to the days of Nicole Bass – remember her? Nicole Bass & Val Venis take on Ivory and D-Lo Brown in what not only is a blast from the past, but also a fond reminder of how the Divas used to differ from each other not just through their hair color:

TNA iMPACT! – May 08, 2008

  

Tonight on Total Nonstop Action, there was a small segment where all the Knockouts were crowded into Jim Cornette’s office. Cornette stated that he may have went over the top for making the “head shaving” match at Sacrifice, but planned on making it up to them by planning a special match for tonight. The match that was made was all the Diva’s that were participating in the head shaving match Sacrifice, were to compete in tonight’s “immunity” match. There would be a long metal pole in the corner of the ring, and the Knockout who climbed the pole and grabbed the pair of sheers at the top – would win immunity and be able to avoid getting her head shaved completely bald at the Pay-Per-View.

Later on, the match went underway and all the Knockouts piled out to the ring one by one. As the bell sounded each Knockout ran at one another and clobbered each other to the mat. Angelina Love and Velvet Sky double teamed everyone, Christy Hemme and Salinas battled it out quite a bit, and it kept changing variously. Out of all the Knockouts within the ring, the Knockout that seemed to be getting the biggest push out of the bunch was Traci Brooks. If anything, I can see her winning the Number One Contender’s match for Knockout Championship at Sacrifice above everyone else.

The match was pretty strong for the most part. I enjoyed it more so than WWE’s Diva matches from the past two weeks or so. TNA Production is starting to have a little more value, and I’m beginning to have a deep admiration for it’s Women’s Division.