This week’s SmackDown! tapings brought an end to the SmackDown Diva Contest and introduced a possible feud. Highlight below to read the spoilers:
Teddy Long came out and awarded the Diva contest and motorcycle to Michelle McCool, to nobody’s surprise. Thank God for taping because she couldn’t start her motorcycle. Victoria came out to attack McCool & Cherry.
WrestleMania 24 is in the history books, folks! And you know what? Despite my initial scepticism *coughunderstatementcough* about BunnyMania, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! Join me in looking back at the match:
Despite the “BunnyMania” tagline, this one was pretty much a normal tag team match and the Diva lumberjacks didn’t offer much to the match itself. Though it was fun to see the likes of Victoria and Mickie at ringside. It’s unfortunate that they didn’t send Torrie out there too, I for one am saddened she has broken her record of WrestleMania appearances. One Diva that I noticed was missing, was Eve. I don’t think she was missed though! Some honourable fashion mentions: Candice looked really pretty in her dress, Mickie looked unusually glamourous and beautiful, Layla looked extremely hot too!
As for the Divas involved, Ashley looked as per usual but despite the spotlight being on her tonight – what was up with Maria? I don’t know what kind of look she was going for but it was all kinds of wrong; it always makes me laugh when WWE tries to make out how fashion-forward Maria is when really, her fashion tastes are laughable. Once I got past the horror of her hair and moved onto the outfit, the first thing I thought was: “This was obviously inspired by Melina.” Maria’s attire was just like a bad version of Melina’s unique, well accessorised, polished-looking outfits that I’ve been a fan of forever! Beth didn’t look any different than usual either; but I love that one Diva truly gets the grandeur of WrestleMania – Melina looked frickin’ smokin’ head to toe! Wow, wow, wow! Needless to say, I loved it! Melina pulled out the stops at WrestleMania 23 for a special addition to her ring attire and this year, she outdid herself. The peacock feathers were unique and fun and her wrestling attire, while in a similar style to her usual outfits, was just gorgeous! I loved the colours, I loved everything about it. Okay, I should save something for the Fashion Focus piece I need to write after this post!
Read more including thoughts on the match, high points, low points and most importantly – who I voted the Most Valuable Player of BunnyMania after the cut:
Yesterday, we looked at the best and worst WrestleMania matches in history and today, Diva Dirt delves into the best WrestleMania matches that never were. Some of these matches could still occur, it’s just a case of they haven’t yet. And in other cases, due to retirements, firings etc. they haven’t been able to take place. Featuring some of the most legendary Divas and Divas that could go onto become legends, without further ado here is our guide to the best WrestleMania matches that never were!
10. Chyna vs Trish Stratus
Both have their own unique, individual accomplishments. You put two of the most decorated Divas in WWE history and you have WrestleMania magic. Sure, when these two were on the same roster, Trish wasn’t up to par with the dominant Ninth Wonder. However, we think that Trish in her prime could give Chyna in her prime a run for her money.
9. Lita vs Victoria
Two fierce competitors, fans loved Lita for her daredevil persona and fans love Victoria because she is an all out brawler. These two Divas competed in the first ever steel cage match, but were never given a storyline feud. We think that Victoria as the Vicious Vixen she was when she won her first Women’s Championship and Lita, during her 2003-2004 era could put on one hell of a WrestleMania match.
8. Ashley & Maria vs Candice & Torrie
A step up from WWE’s idea of BunnyMania, we think this match is way more appropriate! Old school vs new school, Ashley and Maria teaming up against Candice & Torrie seems a little more logical than Beth and Melina. All four are Playboy covergirls and with Candice and Torrie’s real life friendship and storied on-screen history, it would be a great reunion for Vince’s Devils/Ladies in Pink.
7. Lita & Trish vs Melina & Mickie
We believe that Melina and Mickie are the next Lita and Trish, unfortunately WWE just hasn’t realised it yet. These two Divas could have one heck of an epic rivalry, coming close to that of Lita and Trish’s. Wouldn’t it be fun to put the old school against the new school in a similar logic to the match above.
6. Candice vs Victoria
Sure these two Divas have some on-screen history, but with Candice’s improvement in the ring and Victoria being well, Victoria – these two Divas could have a rivalry similar to that of Trish and Victoria. Victoria, being the aggressor with Candice as the underdog going into a WrestleMania match.
I think it’s unanimous that no one truly cares for tonight’s BunnyMania match, so we want to know what match you would want to see take place at WrestleMania 24 from our list below, given WWE’s storylines over the past few months and some general ideas that we thought seemed logical. If you have your own suggestion, there’s also a “A match not listed here” option, please comment and let us know your idea!
[poll=7]
For the first time in 7 years, the Women’s Championship will not be defended at WrestleMania. While many of us have been up in arms about WWE’s craptastic Diva booking for WrestleMania, this fact remains little expressed among the Internet wrestling community. For the last seven, consecutive years the Women’s Championship has been part of WrestleMania and come tonight, that tradition will be broken.
If you ask me, that’s something to mourn. It just goes to show the emphasis WWE bases on the belt – in fact, Beth Phoenix‘s whole reign has been overshadowed by other Divas. From Candice Michelle‘s injury to Maria posing for Playboy, aside from a brief feud with Mickie James (that was just dropped at a moment’s notice), Beth’s title reign has been background knowledge. It is almost like the title doesn’t exist. Hell, even the Michelle McCool-Chuck Palumbo storyline got more thought from Creative than Beth’s title reign. Not once has WWE mentioned the belt when promoting BunnyMania, scarcely referring to Beth as the Women’s Champion.
From legendary Divas such as Chyna, Trish Stratus, Lita to the current breed such as Victoria and Melina – all have been involved in Women’s Championship matches at WrestleMania over the last 7 years. Is this what the future holds for the Women’s Championship, when it isn’t even considered to be placed on the biggest show of the year? Let’s hope I’m wrong.
Over the course of the week, we’ve posted many features which will become regular assets to Diva Dirt. So in case you haven’t seen them, here’s an A-Z guide of what’s been going down at Diva Dirt this week!
Soundtrack: In the first edition of Soundtrack, we compiled our soundtrack to WrestleMania 24’s BunnyMania match.
Click here to read »
Diva Debates: In the first ever Diva Debates, Erin and I went head to head as we argued for and against why Ashley and Maria should win the BunnyMania match at WrestleMania. You can vote for who you most agree with.
Click here to read »
Box Office: Erin looks at this week’s new movie releases, in a break from Diva-dom.
Click here to read »
Playlist: Music commentary courtesy of yours truly, in the first edition of the Playlist.
Click here to read »
NB: As Erin is off to WrestleMania today courtesy of Air Melina (lucky bitch!), this week’s edition of The Round-Up will be delayed. Stay tuned for that!
Former Women’s Champ and two-time WrestleMania headliner, Victoria spoke to WWE.com about her most memorable WrestleMania moment. Being her usual charming and hilarious self, the Vicious Vixen definitely put a smile on my face and after tonight’s BunnyMania match, I think you’re gonna need to read this too:
My most memorable moment was shaving Molly Holly’s head in WrestleMania 20. I remember I wanted her to be completely bald by the time we went off air or back to sponsors. I rushed so much. I didn’t know how to shave a head. I’m ripping her skin out, which I didn’t really want to do. I just wanted to humiliate her. I was nervous to see her in the locker room because I didn’t know if she was going to come and attack me.
Being the charitable Christian that she is, I would think Molly Holly would be the forgiving type – even after being scalped!
WrestleMania 24 is just 24 hours away and every year there is usually some controversy about the Divas match involved. For you see, unlike the Superstars who are piled onto the card by the bucketload, there is usually just one spot reserved for the Divas. And as such, it is a race to see which Diva can bag herself a coveted spot on the ‘Mania card. This year, four Divas make the grade when BunnyMania explodes onto our screen! It will be Ashley & Maria taking on Beth Phoenix & Melina. As we look toward this match, Diva Dirt is recounting some of the best and worst (in no particular order) Diva matches in WrestleMania history!
THE BEST
• Chyna vs Ivory, WrestleMania 17
Before Chyna became cuckoo, she was the most prominent women’s wrestler in North America. After dominating the men’s division for so long, WWE decided to pit her against the Women’s Champion, Ivory. No doubt, Chyna being the stronger and bigger of the two, laid waste to the “Right to Censor” star and became the new Women’s Champion in a moment that left fans in attendance and watching at home, cheering on their feet. Chyna captured the minds and hearts of fans among the T&A-driven WWE and finally, fans had a Women’s Champion that they cared about. Cool ‘Mania moment if you ask us. Of course, then she went onto, you know, make a sex tape and become a trainwreck…
» Watch on YouTube •
Welcome to the Playlist, a new feature here at Diva Dirt looking at the latest music and music-related news! From wrestling Divas to musical ones, this week as we look at the triumphant chart success of Leona Lewis and Danity Kane! Fitting, as this is Diva Dirt after all!
Following in the footsteps of Whitney Houston and Destiny’s Child, divas in their own right – say hello to the new class! Leona Lewis and Danity Kane both made headlines, #1’s and history this week as they topped the single and album charts, respectively.
The Great British Invasion
As someone that’s been on this girl’s bandwagon for nearly two years, I’m happy to report that Leona Lewis made (even more) history this week as she became the first British female to top the US Billboard Hot 100 in 20 years! The songstress from Hackney, East London (that’s in the UK for some of you out there) has had whirlwind, worldwide success since winning The X Factor (the British equivalent to American Idol) in 2006. Leona topped the Hot 100 with the smash-hit single, “Bleeding Love” which was last year crowned the biggest selling single of 2007 in the UK and held the #1 spot here for 7 weeks. The British diva’s accolades don’t stop there, she also had the biggest selling single of 2006 in the UK with a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This.” Her debut album, “Spirit” was also dubbed the biggest selling debut in British history. Oh and not to mention, this girl has one hell of a set of lungs on her!
We’ve been receiving a lot of messages about We Love Divas which disappeared overnight, with the domain name now forwarding here. Erin and I decided to close the forum, because to be honest it wasn’t doing great business and was just sitting there gathering dust. We thank everyone that continued to be part of WLD and who knows, some day we may try to open a new Divas forum but for now, we’re content with breaking new ground with Diva Dirt.
Thank you once again everyone who stuck with WLD and I hope you’ll continue to visit Diva Dirt and stay in touch!
“21” – starring Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, and Kate Bosworth
Plot summary – “21” is the fact-based story about six MIT students who were trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.
My take – I quite liked Sturgess in “The Other Boleyn Girl” (Poor George!) and somewhat in “Across the Universe” (I loved the music and stylistic elements – I just didn’t buy the love story for a second.) As for Spacey (aka Lex Luthor in “Superman Returns”), he’s excellent in most of what he does, so I’ll trust that he is at least decent in his role as the ringleader of the students. Kate Bosworth (Oh look, another “Superman Returns” alumni!), has never been a great actress to me, but I trust she holds her own in the film. The casino story has been done to death as of late, but the element of college students in a sort of non-school sponsored “heist club” helps differentiate it a bit.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying about lemons, but have you heard the one about oranges? “When life hands you oranges, pose like a Diva…” No? Just me? Okay. WWE continues to subliminally advertise WrestleMania in Diva photoshoots this week, as well as the boxing photoshoots featuring several of the Divas; they also have ECW vixen Layla posing with oranges. Mmm, zesty. View photos »
I thought I’d use this as a segue to express why I feel Layla is the most underrated and underused Diva Search winner/contestant in recent years, as well as the bright future (no pun intended) I believe she has ahead!
I think we can agree that Beth looks like she could Hulk-smash just about anyone, but is she comparable to the comic book amazon She-Hulk? Maria thinks so, comparing both of her WrestleMania 24 opponents to superheroes in an interview with Marvel.com:
..I think all the WWE Divas are examples of super heroes, it’s not just me. Look at Beth Phoenix, the Glamazon. Beth is as strong as the She-Hulk; she’s tough as hell. There’s also Melina, who’s like Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff). Melina’s beautiful and sexy, but you can tell by looking at her it’s wise not to mess with her. She also does these splits before entering the ring so that reminds me of Natasha’s gymnastic skills. (Click here for the full interview.)
I can buy Melina as a deadly super-spy, but honestly – I think we all know that she was born to be She-Hulk. Edward Norton would be proud.
Ha – see what we did there? Anywho, in anticipation of the upcoming Floyd Mayweather/Big Show bout at this Sunday’s WrestleMania 24, several of the WWE Divas have pulled a Madonna (exhibit A, B, & C), dressing up in their best boxing duds and posing for the WWE.com cameras. So far, Eve, Melina, Lilian, and Kelly have donned the gloves, each sporting their own unique look. The question is – as it always seems to be – which is the best?
Check out the photoshoots by clicking here, and then vote for your favorite below!
[poll=5]
Diva Dirt will be dishin’ dirt with Gail Kim very soon, and we want your help to make it happen! Got a burning question you want to put to the very first TNA Knockout Champion? Well we want to hear from you!
Gail is the first woman in professional wrestling history to have held both of the major women’s titles in North America, as a former WWE Women’s Champion and TNA Knockout Champion. She has helped revolutionise the way we see women’s wrestling as part of TNA’s Knockout division and just happens to be one of America’s most eligible females as voted by Forbes magazine!
Send us in your questions for Gail, by leaving a comment in this post or e-mailing us at [email protected].
In an interview with CollegeHumor.com, Melina spoke of the perils of the ring, centering in on the age-old achilles heel of your average WWE Diva – the dreaded wedgie.
Truth is, there’s nothing you really can do. Sometimes you’ll get a match with someone who keeps pulling at it, and you’re like “Dude! Just stop! Leave it alone!” You don’t have a choice, you just have to work with it. I’m not going to stop in the middle of hitting somebody and be like “Oh, I have to be comfortable.” I get hit in the face all the time, I’m always uncomfortable.
I say let it be. Wedgies, like most things, manage to work themselves out.
Welcome to Soundtrack here at Diva Dirt, a hopefully regular feature where we offer you the soundtrack to the big Diva matches of the moment. We’re just five days away from WrestleMania 24 when Beth Phoenix and Melina will team up against Ashley and Maria… so without further ado, allow us to introduce you to our soundtrack to BunnyMania.
Torrie wrote into me last night for her latest iTorrie blog, with an update on her WrestleMania status, her injury and more! The covergirl is off to Orlando this morning for the big weekender, however is feeling rather sentimental:
It’s kinda hard for me to be going to Wrestlemania and not getting a chance to be a part of the show, but I am super glad I can be there to cheer everyone on.
It looks as though fans may read a little too much into the above statement. My understanding of it is as Torrie is injured, she won’t be on the advertised card. I still believe there’s a chance of Torrie making a cameo appearance on the night, after all the Superstars don’t usually know who’s going to appear in segments and such as WWE Creative works right up until the last minute on the script!
So from Candice and Maria teaming up, in the span of a week, we get Ashley and Maria teaming up this Sunday night at WrestleMania. Wow, whoever on WWE Creative thought that up should, quite frankly, be shot. Why is it every year, WWE pulls out all the stops with the Superstars to make ‘Mania the best show possible, but with the Divas quality goes right out the window?! Wouldn’t they want to put on a consistent, amazing show; show the world what WWE is all about? No, that would be too logical. To be honest, as long as they get their $55, they could care less about the quality of the show. Putting Ashley and Maria on the WrestleMania card, let alone in the same match – teaming up no less – is like Erin said last night on the site, not a car crash waiting to happen but a 25-car pile-up waiting to happen.
I’m sure we all have our opinions and are damning Vince and his merry band of mysgonists, but we want to ask you to take five seconds to take part in a poll! So, Ashley and Maria… but who’s better in the ring? In recent years, Ashley has had more exposure as a wrestler; she got to headline WrestleMania and even appeared in a match at WWE’s second biggest show, the Royal Rumble in 2006. However, as exposed as she is – she is also injury prone. Meanwhile, Maria hasn’t had the chance to shine as a wrestler, oft stuck behind her microphone. However, in the occasions she has wrestled, has done a sufficient job. Many would level both of these Divas, ring-wise as equals. But what do you think, who’s the better in-ring worker? Vote now!
[poll=4]
All this emphasis on WWE, it’s time to mix things up a little bit! This Thursday night, TNA hopes to capitalise on the influx of WWE fans heading to Orlando for WrestleMania with a live edition of iMPACT! on Spike TV. On that broadcast, you will get to vote for Awesome Kong‘s opponent in a live interactive vote! Although it is unknown at this time, the pool of Knockouts you can vote from – all will be revealed during the broadcast on Thursday night.
Granted, it is rather like WWE’s Cyber Sunday, but there are no T&A fulfill your fantasy battle royals here folks! Given the amazing action we’ve come to expect from the TNA Knockouts over the past few months, this should be just another notch on their belt as the continue to dominate women’s wrestling in North America! We advise you to tune in, this Thursday night, iMPACT! on Spike TV – if only to see how this groundbreaking interactive vote plays out!
Question: Why not stick a competent wrestler in the match? (*cough* Mickie) I know Ashley posed for Playboy and all, but Mickie doesn’t wrestle like a two-year-old and break like a china doll. Do the math, monkeys. Barf.
Edit: Now with a super-professional-looking match photo!
Diva Dirt will be dishin’ dirt with Gail Kim very soon, and we want your help to make it happen! Got a burning question you want to put to the very first TNA Knockout Champion? Well we want to hear from you!
Gail is the first woman in professional wrestling history to have held both of the major women’s titles in North America, as a former WWE Women’s Champion and TNA Knockout Champion. She has helped revolutionise the way we see women’s wrestling as part of TNA’s Knockout division and just happens to be one of America’s most eligible females as voted by Forbes magazine!
Send us in your questions for Gail, by leaving a comment in this post or e-mailing us at [email protected].
Get this week’s Diva news rounded up… with commentary! This week we discuss TNA Knockout drama, Lita‘s WWE snub, WrestleMania weather, Candice’s injury, the SmackDown! Diva contest and much more!
• Maria: “I’m Still a Baby†– Maria spoke to the Winnipeg Sun, touching on a (uncomfortable) array of topics, jumping from an encounter with her father to discussing how Playboy has pursued her since she was a teenager. In a possible sign of coercion, (In the WWE? No way!) Maria claimed that “They approached me again and I turned them down again, but WWE came to me two weeks later and said it would be good for me to do it.†Yay for feminism! Click here for the full interview.
Erin – Sounds about right to me. I love how the annual Playboy storyline centers on the “It’s my choice!†mantra, and behind the scenes, they couldn’t contradict themselves more. Does “good for you†translate to “it’ll make you slightly relevant for a few weeks� Because someone needs to tell them that Playboy’s past its sell date and it’s not really worth the effort anymore.
Melanie – The amount of press Maria has been doing lately is kind of mind-numbing. WWE has really pushed for Maria’s Playboy media-wise, as opposed to Ashley last year. Maybe because no one has a clue what Ashley says half the time? Either way, I can’t wait for this debacle to be over so Maria can sit her ass back down.
The game of “Will she? Won’t she?” continues with Candice Michelle as just one week away from WrestleMania, her BunnyMania tag team partner Maria revealed in an interview that Candice had reinjured her clavicle:
Q: That’s right, Wrestlemania is now only a week away, so what can we expect from your in ring Wrestlemania debut in the playboy bunny match?
A: Well its gonna be a very interesting night, as of right now, Candice Michelle re-broke her clavicle on Monday, and I don’t whats gonna happen with that, she was my tag team partner, and as of right now she has been saying Im gonna do it, no matter what, im gonna be in the ring, but I don’t know how much she can be, and I don’t know how she is gonna be feeling when she gets out there, so it’s my first time ever wrestling at Wrestlemania, so im gonna put all the stops out, Passion is my motivation, and that night im gonna be extremely passionate, especially if im down one partner.
With more twists and turns than an episode of 24, will we learn Candice’s fate tonight on RAW?
According to Main Event Radio in Montreal, Candice Michelle plans to tough it out and work WrestleMania 24 despite injury.
In other words, if you were devastated at the thought that WrestleMania 24’s BotchMania er, BunnyMania match might suck significantly less with replacement player Mickie, never fear – Candice is still here!
Four WWE Divas will be mixing it up with the guys in the 6th annual THQ Superstar Challenge on Thursday, March 27th. Among them are Ashley, Beth Phoenix, Layla and Michelle McCool. WWE.com revealed the brackets and it will be:
Yikes, I think Ashley just saw the “vs” part and injured herself. Calm down, it’s a gaming tournament, no wrestling required. Which of the above do you think has the most game? Our money’s on the Glamazon! Vote below:
[poll=3]
