Spoilers for Thursday night’s episode of WWE Superstars are below. The match will be courtesy of SmackDown:
Eve def. Layla. Maria served as special guest referee.
WWE Superstars Spoilers – June 18, 2009
Raw Redux (June 15, 2009) – Rosa’s a Big Girl Now
Last night’s Raw saw Rosa Mendes finally get a match of her own and WWE marked the occasion by giving her an entrance theme to call her own & by taking off the Glamazon-shaped training wheels, as we saw Rosa send her mentor, Beth Phoenix to the back rather than accompany her to the ring. Rosa faced off against Mickie James, with Maryse at ringside. Check it out below:
I joked on our Twitter page and in my audio bulletin, that it was weird that WWE gave Rosa the spot against Mickie because it seemed very much a ‘Job to Mickie’ match, and matches of that sort tend to be right up Jillian‘s alley. I immediately thought, “Something’s going to happen to Jillian.” We’ll see.
But anyway, Rosa – in her tacky skirt ensemble – gets her first singles opportunity on Raw, and it was interesting to see Maryse at ringside during this match. Three years ago, these two started their careers out at the same time in 2006 Diva Search and while Maryse is very much one of the company’s top Divas, Rosa seems to be falling into Jillian territory.
Another interesting dynamic was the way Rosa sent Beth to the back, I have to wonder if they are going somewhere with Rosa & Beth finally, after all this time. It just seemed like an unnecessary skit to add in if it didn’t mean something, why not just have Rosa come out to the ring by herself in the first place? So we’ll see if they do anything with those two. PS: Rosa’s music is so annoying.
In the ring, Rosa manages to get a head start on Mickie clubbing her across the back, but Mickie fights back and Rosa flees the ring. When she gets back in, she does hit a nice neckbreaker but that is about it for the rest of the match, she checks out from there and it’s left to Mickie to carry her to the end mark. Gotta admit, I thought maybe if she had a singles match, Rosa may show some flare in the ring, but she hasn’t much like SmackDown’s Eve. There’s nothing impressive in their moveset, it seems like the basic moves they teach you in FCW. She hasn’t impressed me, I find her blah in the ring. Perhaps that’s a good thing, because she did have an okay match with Mickie, but not a memorable one. I could go to sleep tonight and forget it ever happened.
After the match though, we get a nice exchange between Mickie and Maryse. I really liked it, because it shows just how narcissistic Maryse’s character is. Getting up on the apron to do the hairflip could easily provoke Mickie to knock her right off, but still she does it anyway – she just can’t help it, she has to do something to piss Mickie off. In that sense, I think Maryse is the perfect heel. Nicely done and more memorable than the match prior.
Audio Bulletin: Is Jillian Gone?, PPV Hopes & Impact of Victoria Rumour
Below is my first audio bulletin for Diva Dirt, in which I discuss last night’s Raw that saw Rosa Mendes usurp Jillian‘s jobber position. Plus how I’m feeling confident for the Divas to get a pay per view match and the professional implication of that disgusting Victoria rumour.
Please bear in mind that I sound horrible when recorded, so yeah. Also I realise that it may sound quiet, so crank up your volume, put in earphones if that makes the sound go up [like me] or whatever you wanna do. I’ll try and fix that for the next one.
[audio:bulletin16june09.mp3]
Runtime: 10:53
Two Thirds of The Beautiful People on the Other Third
Two thirds of The Beautiful People were interviewed by Phil Strum of the Poughkeepsie Journal, who maintains his own blog called Under the Ring. The original two thirds, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky talk about the addition of Madison Rayne and more.
On Rayne, Sky dishes:
Madison’s really come into her own. At first, we were kind of like, ‘do we really need a third girl with us?’ We were kind of both skeptical about it, but she’s really come into her own and she’s adjusted and fit in well with us, so we’re happy to have her.
I have to be honest here, I’ve been following TNA a lot more in recent weeks and I don’t see how she’s ‘adjusted and fits in well’. I don’t think it’s through any fault of her own either. She really does feel like the less important third wheel and doesn’t feel part of the team. TV shows make a lot of casting changes that don’t just seem to fit & attempt to fix what ain’t broke, but I’m not feeling Rayne as part of the Beautiful People.
Part of the reason why is they haven’t really done anything with her since joining the team. Where’s the team dynamics? I think they should start planting the seeds for feuds and in-fighting, I could definitely see Madison and Velvet fighting to gain the ear/attention of the Knockouts Champion, Angelina. This group needs some interesting dynamic within it.
Read the full interview here.
New Women’s Champion Crowned Last Night
Last night’s SmackDown house show saw the passing of a title belt – the Women’s Championship – as Melina temporarily passed the title onto an unlikely ‘new champion’ in Chris Jericho, lol.
The Intercontinental Champion accidentally left his belt at his hotel room, which meant he had an Intercontinental Championship match but no Intercontinental title. Instead, Jericho brought a partially taped Women’s title down to the ring for his match.
I wonder if we can have Chris recognised as an official Women’s Champion on WWE.com or Wikipedia?
We need pictures please! Fly my pretties & report back here!
50 Sexiest Divas 2009: Group C
It’s here, it’s finally here! Welcome folks, this is it – the launch of 50 Sexiest Divas 2009. Last year, nearly 1000 votes were cast and you crowned Melina as the Sexiest Diva of 2008! Can the Women’s Champion successfully defend her crown this summer or will we have a new Sexiest Diva for 2009? The competition starts here and continues all summer long!
HOW IT WORKS: This year, the format is a little different. We have collated a list of 100 women from around North America, past and present. From WWE to TNA to SHIMMER, we’ve got them all! Those 100 women have been randomly put into five groups (Groups A-E), with 20 Divas in each group. Every week through the month of June, we will give you a chance to vote for your favourite Diva or Divas in each group. From each group, the 10 Divas with the most votes will secure a place in the top 50, and the 10 with the least votes will be cut. Once you have voted for every group, we will have the 50 Divas who will make up the ‘Sexiest’ list for 2009… but it doesn’t stop there! You will then vote for your favourite Diva or Divas in the top 50 to secure their place in the chart. This is when you’ll decide who is #1 all the way up to #50.
It’s week three of 50 Sexiest Divas 2009 and that means we have another 20 women of wrestling ready to do battle to earn a spot on the top 50! Another strong week of voting last week, in an incredibly tough category, so thanks to everyone who voted!
Also a big thank you to everyone who has supported us and shared the link to the contest. Particular shoutouts to our partners at the Wrestling Globe Newsletter, the online wrestling magazine Piledriver Online and the folks at SHIMMER for mentioning ’50 Sexiest’ in their most recent newsletter.
It’s now time for Group C and this group features some Diva Dirt favourites including the legendary Trish Stratus and funnily enough her greatest rival Lita, is also in this category. Plus SmackDown Divas, Maria, Gail Kim and Layla as well as Victoria, Traci Brooks and more.
Ladyyyy in Redddd.. (Sing it With Me)
Maryse in “Lady in Red”
We’re debuting a new format for our Eye Candy posts – complete with more detailed critiques and “graded” categories. View the photoshoot we’ve “hung” on our wall, read our critique, vote, and last but not least – sound off in the comments!
The Look: Maryse is, obviously, wearing her ring gear – her signature keyholed top, shorts, coat, and boot covers, all in a saucy shade of red. Red is certainly her color, as it goes well with her skin tone and make her stand out without looking too over-the-top. The flames and pyramid studs give her tights a bit of an edge, and it’s pretty interesting, as you’d probably expect those things out of someone with a decidedly less “bombshell” appearance. Maryse makes it all work, and packages herself nicely into a persona as a fashionably edgy Diva, staying true to it down to her choice in ring gear. Grade: A
The Poses: Is it just me, or does Maryse look like quite the superhero in this photoshoot? The wind whipping through her hair, the “cape”, the heroic stance, all call to mind someone like Superman. However, her attitude and persona is probably more fitted to a villianess, and you see shades of that in her smirks and steely glare. She mixes pretty evenly between the good and evil throughout the shoot, but it makes you wonder what kind of babyface she’d be. She certainly looks capable of heroism here.. Grade: A+
Uniqueness: Maryse takes what could be a rather dull shoot – posing in her ring gear, the stuff we see every week – and uses her poses to spice it up. She’s almost creating a whole persona through her poses, and showing that kind of personality in photoshoots is rare. Without that, it’s just another studio shoot. Grade: A-
Overall: You may not love her style, tights-wise, but you can’t deny that the poses and the way she owns her look and persona are excellent. Maybe you wouldn’t be caught dead in red-and-silver booty shorts, but I like them on her, and the way she handles herself makes all of it work. Grade: A
[poll id=”365″]
News Briefs: A Roundup of News on Roxxi, Victoria and More
It has been a slow news weekend, although given the manic week we’ve had, the downtime is much welcome! We usually post short news bulletins on our Twitter page, so to get the news first, be sure to follow us at twitter.com/divadirt. Anyway read on:
Former WWE Diva, Lena Yada is in talks to join Wrestlicious, a rep for the company confirmed to us this weekend. Lena was released from WWE last November, prior to that she was an interviewer on ECW and took part in the 2007 Diva Search.
Most recently, Lena competed in her first post-WWE match at a Pro Wrestling Revolution event, the match was promoted by ChickFight.
• • • • •
In regards to that sick rumour about Victoria earlier this week, the website that originally made the report has stated they will release a public apology to the new Knockout next week. As I noted on our Twitter page, if that’s not a sign of guilt, I don’t know what is. That crap was beyond the pale, I just hope everyone involved in it’s construction can understand one day just how much damage that their rumour could have caused.
• • • • •
Speaking of rumours, a less harmful one was that ex-TNA Knockout Roxxi aka Nikki Roxx had sent her resume to Mexican promotion AAA as well as WWE, in hopes of finding work with one of the companies. Nikki has responded via her Twitter and denied that she has done so. Nonetheless, I would hope WWE shows some interest in this talented free agent. We had the pleasure of interviewing Nikki last month and can attest, she’s a genuinely nice person.
• • • • •
The original Beautiful People, Team Blondage which consists of indy workers Amber O’Neal and Diva-for-a-hot-minute, Krissy Vaine are rallying up their fans to petition for them to appear on Sci-Fi Channel series, ‘Ghost Hunters’. Twitter users can sign the petition by clicking here.
EDIT: In an update to the Victoria bulletin, according to another news site, the author of the original horrible story has reportedly confessed to fabcricating the article. Click here for more details. There are no words to explain just how angered I am by this.
At the same link, you’ll find that this writer is also the person who falsely reported that Missy Hyatt was behind the ’20 Rules for the Diva Afterlife’ thing.
Before They Were Divas: Mickie James
Today on ‘Before They Were Divas’, we’re taking a look back at 4 time Women’s Champion Mickie James‘ early days in TNA. Watch below as she takes on former ECW Diva and ‘Full Bodied Italian’, Trinity:
Alexis Laree(Mickie James) vs Trinity
The match starts off strong with some impressive chain wrestling followed by a scary-looking tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Trinity. After a quick lap around the ring, Mickie manages to get the upper hand. And that’s when things start to fall apart. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Mickie’s exemplary ringwork in WWE, but once Mickie got control of the match everything looked so sloppy. Botched snap mares, mistimed punches, and horrible selling from both ladies. Really messy work here.
Things start to look up when Trinity takes a spill to the outside. After a few shots against the barricade, Mickie brings Trinity back into the ring and hits a well executed enziguri. Trinity manages to get back into the match with a flurry of strikes, culminating in a unique spin kick. Fast forward a few seconds and a few more botchy moves, Trinity eats canvas on a beautiful moonsault.
Out comes, for reasons unknown, Raven, who cops a squat in the corner to watch the match. While Trinity is distracted by Raven’s presence, Mickie tries to get the jump on her. Unfortunately for her, Trinity hits a heel kick followed by an awesome standing star press for the three count. (Why did WWE release her again?)
Post match we see Raven lay out Trinity with a DDT and drag Mickie out of the ring caveman-style, beginning her tenure as part of The Gathering.
All in all, not my favorite match from either lady. Mickie, as I said earlier, was uncharacteristically sloppy. A far cry from even her OVW days. Trinity, however was the star of this match. I can’t imagine why WWE would let a talent like go, but the same could be said for half of TNA’s roster.
Wrestling aside, I wasn’t feeling Mickie’s look. The dingy, greasy, wet look is better left to guys like CM Punk and Raven.Â
I would love to see Mickie vs Trinity in the WWE today. Their unique styles together would definitely be a breath of fresh air, compared to the somewhat basic movesets of  the majority of today’s WWE Divas.
So what did you guys think of the match? Loved it? Hated it? Leave your thoughts in the comments.Â
Why Torrie Wilson’s Already Our Queen of the Jungle
Two months ago, Torrie Wilson was announced as part of the cast of a new NBC reality series, “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” Everyone had their doubts, including me, and I know Torrie personally. Why this particular reality show? It definitely sounded gruelling – and having watched the British version – I knew it would be gruelling. For an ex-Diva that was used to appearing on magazine covers and looking pampered, I wondered how Torrie would fare in the jungle.
It’s been two weeks since the show debuted from the Costa Rican jungle and with another two to go, in our estimation, Torrie is already ‘Queen of the Jungle’. While the crown of King or Queen of the Jungle is yet to be decided and yes, there are another three female contestants also in the running, Torrie has achieved a personal goal in showing a side of her that wrestling fans have never seen in WWE.
Torrie has always been my all time favourite Diva, but given the things she was famous for in WWE [bra and panties matches, bikini contests… Playboy] I’ve always been asked, “Why are you a fan of her?” in a snooty way, as if it makes one any less intelligent or likeable for being a fan of a Diva who isn’t accepted as a ‘wrestler’. But I don’t need to lecture you Diva Dirt readers on that, I’m sure. What I admired about Torrie was not necessarily her in-ring skills or her personality on screen, I just always felt that she was an admirable person – she had a positive aura around her and came across as your ‘friendly neighbourhood babyface’. Despite what she may do on screen, I always thought [and still do] that she had a dignity and elegance about her, the way she would conduct herself in interviews and such. A few years ago, I managed to get in contact with her and over the past three years, I’ve learned that my instincts about her were right — I cannot tell you just how highly I think of her. Many ex-wrestlers [even most recently, Victoria] allude to how wrestling has it’s dark side and is seen as ‘The Devil’s sport’, but in that sport there are a few true kind-hearted people and I think Torrie is one of them.
I guess those are things that are intuitive, call it female intuition but from seeing Torrie on TV or reading interviews with her etc., I’ve always felt she would be someone I could be friends with if I knew. That’s something that doesn’t necessarily come across in the character she played on WWE television or come across in the smutty matches that WWE often booked her in.
But now on this show, however cliched or critically mauled it may be [and let’s face it, no one praises reality shows, do they?], I think fans can see the real Torrie. She comes across as an elegant, graceful and humble person – though admitedly, it’s not hard to do so when you’re in the jungle with narcissists like Heidi and Spencer Pratt. Like Victoria and Trish Stratus, she is someone that had incredible success in a sport where very few females have success and they’ve all moved on almost unaffected by their fame in WWE, they seem every bit as humble and friendly.
Fans and critics often ripped into Torrie on not being a good wrestler, and while she wasn’t on par with her counterparts, she definitely has the athleticism and conditioning of her fellow Divas and Superstars. She’s proven on ‘Celebrity’ that she wasn’t the prissy Diva Search-type, she’s done fantastically well by any standard in the trials she’s been involved in including winning a task with Patti Blagjoveich on last Wednesday’s episode.
Like one of her best friends, Stacy Keibler, Torrie is proving a lot of her critics wrong by excelling outside the scripted domain of WWE. Stacy came third on Dancing With the Stars, and if Torrie can achieve a similar feat – if not better – on ‘Celebrity’, I think she’ll achieve one of the personal goals she set for herself to show people a different side to her, a side that she never got the opportunity to show.
Torrie has shown a lot of dignity on this show, and given some of the wrestlers who’ve appeared on reality shows before [i.e. Chyna], I think she’s a great role model for the wrestling industry. Torrie’s genuineness, compassion and all around attitude prove to me just why she lasted in the wrestling industry as long as she did, despite the fact people wrote her off as an ‘awful’ wrestler or ‘just another blonde’. In WWE, pretty faces come and go and are seen as ‘expendable’ and can be replaced with the next one, but Torrie managed to carve a very good 9 year career for herself & I think we’re seeing why on “I’m a Celebrity.”
There’s two weeks to go and I have a really good feeling that Torrie can last the distance.
YouTube Classics: Gail Kim vs Jacqueline in Six Sides of Steel
Diva Dirt is dusting off an old classic, which just so happens to dust off old classics itself. Welcome back to YouTube Classics! Everyday (read: whenever we feel like it) we’ll be posting a classic Divas match/segment/moment from our trusty friend, YouTube!
A caged treat for you today, as Gail Kim and Jacqueline, two former Women’s Champions faced off in a ‘Six Sides of Steel’ cage match at TNA’s 2007 Lockdown pay per view.
SmackDown Redux (June 12, 2009) – Melina’s Faith Broken
This week’s SmackDown saw more of the same tag team action we saw last week, minus two members (though one was at ringisde). Women’s Champion Melina teamed up with Eve Torres to take on the Diva who pinned her last week, Layla and the #1 Contender for her title, Michelle McCool. Check it out below:
First of all, no Gail Kim this week makes me sad. But onto the Divas who were on the show, Layla finally ditched the fug outfit she’s been wearing but I’m still not loving the hair, leave the big hair for Alicia and go back to the straighteners! Really liking Michelle’s hair tied up though.
This one is very interesting as it combines the two Divas feuds going on right now, with the more experienced Melina & Michelle leading their partners. Eve and Layla start things out with Layla taking the lead, though she may not be the best wrestler, Layla knows how to take control and carry her opponent already and that’s an invaluable ability. Layla throws Eve into the corner, goes for a clothesline but Eve elbows her. Then here’s some weird ish, Eve climbs up to the top rope only to jump off into a forward roll? Honey, you’re supposed to hit your opponent, not roll around them. Anyway, Eve’s jumping roll manages to give her an advantage and she hits one of her awkward dropkicks on Layla. And following an awkward dropkick, an awkward rollup. Eve is definitely the weakest link in this match. Once again, Layla throws Eve into the corner, she manages to counter by setting up a leg-scissors but Layla slams her down front first.
Time for Michelle to come into the match and pick things up! The very talented and aggressive Michelle, drives her knee into Eve’s back several times before hitting a really botchy legsweep, seriously Eve is not on her game tonight, her selling is awful. Fast forward a lil bit and Melina tags in and we get a little taste of the future… Melina hits a few forearms from the outside before getting in the ring and taking care of business with her usual fast paced style. Melina hits a really nice leg-scissors into a kick. Later she goes for her patented Matrish-into-kick, but Michelle manages to counter and Melina does a backflip. Great athleticism and exciting to watch too. Then another Melina patented move, the hair-smash. Layla breaks up the three count and gets dropkicked [awkwardly] out of the ring by Eve, and they do the usual catfight on the outside shtick.
Meanwhile in the ring, Melina sets up her Last Call but Alicia interferes and Michelle reverses into the Faith Breaker, which is executed just perfectly. Very, very nice finish to the match with the exchange of finishers.
Another great effort from SmackDown and I am definitely now ready for a one-on-one match between Melina and Michelle. I really hope they get thrown out there for a good ten minutes for their Women’s Championship match.
Breaking: Victoria Takes the Gloves Off on Benoit Claims & WWE
Yesterday, a really despicable story made it’s way online that we chose to steer clear from, that Lisa Marie Varon aka Victoria aka Tara was the ‘mistress’ of Chris Benoit at the time of his murder-suicide two years ago, this month. That story was enough to send the usually dignified new Knockout over the edge, as can be expected.
The claims in that story are incredibly damaging to not only Lisa, but to Benoit’s family who are probably already in so much pain two years after the fact. Lisa takes off the gloves in her public response to the claims in a new MySpace blog. Interestingly, she happens to think her former employer – WWE – may have had a hand in the situation:
I try not to respond to rumors. It’s a lose-lose situation. If you don’t respond, it seems like you may be avoiding the rumor because it is true. If you deny it, you are bringing more attention to a lie. Well, in this case I’m gonna respond. A MySpace friend emailed me yesterday to let me know that a wrestling gossip website is claiming that they have an anonymous source or sources that say I was Chris Benoit’s secret mistress at the time of his murder-suicide. First let me say, this is absolutely false. I invite the “reporter†from that website to come to my home city, and I will submit myself to a polygraph. If this website is at all concerned with the truth, they should jump at the opportunity. But frankly, I think they are just concerned about sensational headlines, and couldn’t care less about the facts behind it.
And the timing sure is conspicuous.Years after the event, but hours before my TNA wrestling debut. Could it be that a certain wrestling organization is concerned about what kind of impact that I will make in TNA? And what kind of coward would make such a powerful claim, and hide in the shadows of anonymity. Come forward. Legitimize your claim.
I have made every effort to move on and take the high road. The worst thing that I have said is that I wanted a different role. Believe me, in nine years with that organization, I have been aware of behavior so deviant that it would shock the devil himself. But as the old saying goes, the only thing certain about a mudslinging contest is that everyone gets dirty.
And finally, let me say this. To spread a lie like this hurts the survivors of a tragedy that already have gone through immeasurable suffering. Although it doesn’t excuse his behavior, studies on Chris Benoit’s brain after his death showed severe damage from years of wrestling-related injuries. That, mixed with mood and hormone altering drugs led to a horrible outcome. Before that, as we all have heard, he was very dedicated to his family. Don’t drag these victims and their families through vicious lies for the sake of attempting to take the wind out of my sails.
Again, I think the website that first posted this should feel obligated to come out here and polygraph me. Stand by your story.
But in the end, all you’ve done is hurt some innocent people with lies, and frankly, pissed me off, and motivated me to make TNA as good a product as I can.
We all know Lisa is an incredible performer but I think we’ve seen an incredible test of strength from this classy lady over the past couple of months, as she’s battled a lot of criticism in joining TNA and leaving WWE in her past. This most recent claim is not just insult to injury, I just don’t think the implications of such a rumour can be magnified in words.
If WWE or an associate of WWE really did have a hand in this, I think that just goes to show that there really are the lowest of lifeforms in any walk of life and in any career field, people who would stop at anything to fuck things up for others — even if it means hurting the already grieving family and friends of the deceased.
I did see the original report but like I say, we purposefully stayed away from reporting it. In the original report, a former Superstar is mentioned as corroborating the story. The story said something like ‘a recently released star with two K’s in his name’. I don’t know how true that is, but if it is, what a jerk-off.
All I can say is, I admire Lisa’s tenacity and her strength.
TNA Webmatch: ODB vs Velvet Sky
Extra bonus match to kick off your weekend, courtesy of TNA. This week it’s ODB vs Velvet Sky:
Report: Vickie’s Daughter Asked Her to Quit?
According to a new story on Vickie Guerrero‘s WWE departure, Vickie’s daughters may have asked her to quit the company.
Both of Vickie’s daughters are teenagers, one of whom is said to have just finished her senior year in high school, and were becoming upset at the portrayal of their mother on national television and asked her to quit. Definitely understandable as you have to go into school the next day and everyone must be talking about you.
If this is true, I admire Vickie even more for putting her daughters above and beyond her career. Seeing your mom ‘married’ to Edge, having an affair with the Big Show, having ‘nude’ pictures of her leaked on WWE.com and being called a ‘pig’ – no matter how scripted – must be hard. As we’ve pointed out a number of times, Vickie did a great job and received an opportunity to earn an income that she would have otherwise never had dreamed of, I guess her and her daughters are now financially secure. I can’t fault someone who did what she had to do to invest in her children’s future. I hope their story is a happy one.
WWE Superstars: June 11, 2009 – Glamazon is Back Y’all!
The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix returned to top form last night on WWE Superstars, leading her protege, Rosa Mendes to victory over the Bella Twins. Check it out below:
Sure she was playing in the ‘kiddy pool’ but it’s a starting point to getting her Raw career back on track, after all a win’s a win.
Have I ever told you how much I hate when girls wrestle in skirts? *Death stare at Rosa* Anyway, Rosa and er, a Bella start off this match and as expected, it’s nothing spectacular. I admire the fact that the Bellas try to keep the in-ring style fast-paced but their work is sloppy, at best i.e. that double hip toss. One of the Bellas then hits an okay monkey flip, while tagging in the other one who hits some sort of running beckbreaker… I don’t know what that was.
Rosa finally shows some offence but honestly, isn’t showing much flare in the ring, I mean at least the Bellas try to. Rosa tags out to Beth and you’d think things would turn in her favour but not just yet, the Bellas actually manage to subdue Beth (really?) and as the match ends, even manages to hit a facebuster and go for the cover. Seriously? A Bella can knock out Beth that quickly? They really aren’t fussed about protecting her character anymore. However Beth does manage to come back and hit her Glam Slam for the win.
Like I said, it’s a start for Beth. Though this was a pretty missable, mediocre match.
Impact Feedback: June 11, 2009
Tonight on Impact: Victoria makes her in-ring debut for TNA, as she faces off against Madison Rayne of the Beautiful People.
Watch below:
Maria Responds to Diva Dirt But Doesn’t Deny Our Story
Our story on Maria yesterday has caught the attention of the Diva herself and this morning as I checked my e-mails as I do every morning, quite a few people brought her reaction to our attention. On her Twitter page, Maria responds to Diva Dirt as ‘haters’ and having ‘insulted her’. She writes:
[In response to the story] hahahaha!!!! If it is true who cares. But the honest truth is that people are just angry!! I love my job!! Haters hate.
If websites and forums want to insult me get your facts straight!! Love me hate me this is my passion!! And I am not afraid of the future!!
Looking back at the story I wrote yesterday, I feel my judgement in that post was extremely fair. I do admit, I am not Maria’s biggest fan but the post we posted yesterday simply relayed knowledge from someone we trust & is in a position to know, while adding our own thoughts and opinions – as is the daily routine here at Diva Dirt.
While I personally may not be a Maria fan [and I speak of her as a performer, not a person] I definitely gave her the benefit of the doubt, calling attention to other roles she could perform in WWE, if not in a wrestling capacity and put over the fact that she is one of WWE’s most popular women.
Interestingly enough, Maria doesn’t necessarily deny the story to be false, “If it is true who cares.” Though she later says, “Get your facts straight” and trust me, we wouldn’t make a post if we didn’t have the facts. We may not be a respected ‘news source’, but as a Journalism student, I have managed to hone my skills enough to edit content at this site and use appropriate sources for my material.
I don’t believe at all, Diva Dirt has ‘insulted’ Maria in any way. If anything, I was, always have been and will always continue to be, brutally honest. I don’t want to add more fuel to the fire but I hope if she’s reading, Maria will realise that perhaps she’s being a little over-sensitive. And to reiterate, I have no vendetta against Maria personally, I simply don’t find entertainment value in her entertaining.
It’s Better to Burn Out Than to Fade Away
Katie Lea in “Black & Blue”
We’re debuting a new format for our Eye Candy posts – complete with more detailed critiques and “graded” categories. View the photoshoot we’ve “hung” on our wall, read our critique, vote, and last but not least – sound off in the comments!
The Look: Katie Lea’s advanced towards a more gothic look as of late, and here she’s almost summoning the spirit of Luna – that spooky eye makeup can’t be a coincidence. Though, I don’t think Luna would be one to wear a lace cami and leather pants. The black lace in the gloves and top lend to the gothic theme, but the tight leather pants and sky-high heels seem more suited for a whole different persona. Still, Katie doesn’t look awful in it. It just seems like a look that’s a bit distorted in its objective. Grade: B-
The Poses: Her signature seems to be the “creepy hands” look, whether it be in framing her face, showing off her manicure, or simply gesturing. It lends well to her mysteriousness and it doesn’t hurt that she’s staring you down like she might possess you (think Mrs. Ganush in Drag Me to Hell). Here, she doesn’t stray from that signature, and it fits well with the Luna-esque eye makeup and gothic clothing. Still, it gets a bit strange to see it in every photoshoot, regardless of its theme. Where I might dislike it in a more “sexy” shoot, here it doesn’t bother me as much, mainly because it fits neatly with her look. Grade: A-
Uniqueness: Most Divas stay away from a gothic look, only going so far as to wear heaps of black and maybe some lace. (It’s probably a good thing, since they’d probably look like Hot Topic exploded on them.) So obviously, Katie Lea’s look here is certainly different. I’d like to see any other Diva draw veins around her eyes and pull it off half as well as she does. Grade: A-
Overall: Is Katie Lea our resident “creepy Diva” now? I wouldn’t exactly object to that, because we’ve got enough “bombshells” on the roster to last us a lifetime. While the look is a little hit-or-miss, the intent behind it is what intrigues me. I say stick with it, girl – whatever gets you noticed is a good thing. Grade: B+
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Is Lilian Garcia Retiring?
In a sign that WWE’s longest serving non-Diva could be hanging up her microphone, WWE is looking for a new female ring announcer that can moonlight as a singer. Perhaps they are simply looking to replicate her 10-year success for SmackDown, ECW or Superstars or perhaps Lilian Garcia will be retiring from WWE. Well either that or they’re firing her.
WWE sent out the following breakdown for a new position with the company:
WWE Announcer/Singer / Female / All Ethnicities / 20 – 30
Description: WWE is looking for a young, attractive female to sing the national anthem and be our regular ring announcer every week, for one of our most popular TV shows (WWE is estimated to be seen in 500,000,000 households in 150 countries/30 languages)…
This is a breakout job for any young singer. Please specify on submissions if anyone has appeared on American Idol, making the Band or any show of this comparison.
Rate:depends on talent
So if anyone out there is 20 or over and can sing, this could be your chance! My guess is some wannabe from one of the “Pussycat Dolls Presents…” shows will snag the job.
Lilian has been with the company 10 years this year, she started in 1999 and has been a staple of Monday nights since. Among her highlights include releasing her debut album, a Spanish album called “Quiero Vivir” and then there’s that storyline with Viscera. And that time when Charlie Haas knocked her off the ring apron and she was left in agony on the floor for a good 10 minutes.
On the flipside, Lilian has been botching her announcing of late and rumour has it that Vince is already in a foul mood. Could be that he’s had enough? I hope not.
Victoria Answers Critics (in Her Usual Dignified Manner)
One of our favourite, beloved ex-Divas turned TNA Knockout, Victoria aka Lisa Marie aka Tara, has written a new MySpace blog covering all the points of criticism that have been raised in the weeks since she joined TNA Wrestling. Among them, Lisa addresses why she left WWE, why she decided to go to TNA and even addresses how it may affect her status in the WWE Hall of Fame — a point raised here at Diva Dirt by myself.
Rather than post an excerpt, here is the entire blog, because I think it’s worth reading:
A few people have asked me why I chose to go to TNA. Not nearly as many as have suggested that I go to TNA over the past couple years, but it has been been asked. Before I can answer that, I have to address why I left WWE. I left because I didn’t enjoy my role, and I didn’t see it changing. That, in addition to the brutal travel schedule, made it an easy choice for me to walk away and leave the opportunity available to one of the scores of female wrestlers who were anxiously awaiting their chance.
TNA approached me with the offer to come to their organization, work a less rigorous schedule, and more importantly, wrestle to the best of my ability with no limitations.
Several people have debated whether this will effect my chance at one day being elected into the WWE Hall of Fame. I am flattered at my name even being mentioned with such an honor. And whether or not you believe that I am worthy, I really don’t think that WWE will hold it against me for doing other things after I left. I truly believe that I gave 100% every day with WWE, and that I went above and beyond what was expected of me. I think that if I am happy with my choices, then they are happy for me. Of course they took me off their website. They can’t promote talent with another organization. But again, I’d like to think that on a personal level, they are happy for me.
The only serious considerations I had were 1) Would I still be able to train for MMA? 2) Do I miss wrestling and want to do it on a regular basis? 3) Can I entertain TNA fans in a way that they deserve to be entertained?
I believe so to all three. I still have time to dedicate to MMA. I definitely miss wrestling. And my goal is not only to be the best in a very tough Knockout division, but to elevate the performance of the entire division.
Thursday night on TNA Impact on SpikeTV I have my first match in about five months, and my first in a six sided ring. For those who haven’t seen TNA recently, I think you should tune in. Because for those of you who do, you’ll see a female wrestler in the best shape of her life, at the top of her game, beginning a new journey.
So there you have it. It’s finally all out in the open. Never before has Lisa really talked about why she left WWE without skirting around it, but I think she’s talking to us fans here ‘on a level’ here, and I really admire that. She is a classy, dignified lady and I really appreciate the way she doesn’t for lack of a better term, bullshit fans.
I personally, have had mixed feelings about her going to TNA but throughout, I’ve understood why she may want to go there and as a fan, I respect her decision. I have seen a lot of horrible comments on message boards and stuff about her being a ‘liar’ or whatnot, she doesn’t need to appease us fans but the way she’s handled herself in this blog should be admired and respected.
Audio Bulletin #1: “Vickie Guerrero: A More Fitting Sendoff”
As you can see, the time has come for the return of our old audio features, this time in the form of Audio Bulletins. Expect to see a few of these each week, covering a wide array of topics. For the first Bulletin, I cover Vickie Guerrero‘s sudden retirement by taking a look back at her WWE tenure. It’s a quick trip down memory lane, but serves to remind us of where she started, and the various conundrums the former Mrs. Edge found herself in.
So take a listen and let us know what you think – please keep in mind that this was a first run-through; the audio isn’t going to be perfect just yet. Give us time – it will soon be flawless!
Runtime: 5:09
Maria’s Stock Dropping in WWE?
Looks like we aren’t the only ones noticing Maria has slowly been fading off SmackDown. According to sources, Maria’s stock has dropped with management, hence her lack of use over the past couple of months.
While most of the Divas on the brand are seeing an upsurge in ringtime, Maria has noticeably been disregarded or relegated to the odd backstage segment. The feeling is that Maria hasn’t shown enough improvement in the ring given her tenure and putting her in the ring could compromise the quality of matches, which is why WWE has opted to use less tenured Divas such as Alicia Fox, since the Draft two months ago.
Though we were only namechecked Alicia Fox, I think the same theory applies to the likes of Layla and Eve Torres in particular. I think it’s funny that Maria was an active performer and they decided to give Eve – an inactive performer – a storyline. I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Maria fan, so I guess I take a little pleasure in hearing that WWE is finally on my wavelength.
As I said last Friday in the SmackDown Redux, I was toying with the idea of doing a blog about Maria and her next career move. I think I’ll include the gist of it here: One can’t deny though, that Maria is one of the most popular Divas in WWE right now. But the truth is, she’s a horrible performer and I think the women’s division has passed her by. I think the company needs to find other uses for her, I wouldn’t out-and-out release her because she is popular, but maybe have her replace Eve as the backstage interviewer or perhaps as Teddy Long’s assistant.
Another thing to point out is that Maria can be seen as co-host on the new Macho Man DVD released by WWE. I guess that could be in line with the new direction for her; maybe move her away from in-ring stuff and move her into a broadcast role.
I’ve Got Chills, They’re Multiplyin’..
Alicia Fox in “Electric Blue”
We’re debuting a new format for our Eye Candy posts – complete with more detailed critiques and “graded” categories. View the photoshoot we’ve “hung” on our wall, read our critique, vote, and last but not least – sound off in the comments!
The Look: Alicia’s sporting her ring gear – a bright blue concoction reminiscent of Melina‘s gear in the design. In that respect, it’s not all that remarkable – couldn’t she have come up with a more unique design? I know there’s only so many variations the girls can come up with that’ll work in the ring, but for a girl that has such a unique look on her own (fabuloussss hair), surely she can cook up something equally as eye-catching. That said, she looks quite good in it. Her makeup is flawless. Can I say again how much I love her hair? In a sea of blondes and brunettes with pin-straight hair, it’s refreshing to see a girl go balls-out with her hairdo. Grade: B+
The Poses: She’s got the attitude down pat – the face, the hands, the “don’t mess with me” stance. It’s a far cry from the peace signs and grins of her earlier shoots. I love that she’s incorporating a lot of her character into the poses, and makes you believe that she’s, if I could borrow a common internet phrase, “serious business”. Grade: A
Uniqueness: I’ve always liked photoshoots with girl in their ring gear – it allows you to get a better look at their “signature look” and persona, as well as showcasing the hard work that’s obviously put into some of these tights. That said, there’s nothing terribly unique about them, but in Alicia’s case she’s truly putting on the air of her character, getting comfortable in her new persona. She seems to have a handle on her gimmick, and this type of focus is pretty unique, I’d say. Grade: B+
Overall: I’ve said it plenty of times, but I really like the ring gear photoshoots, so that alone makes this shoot interesting to me. Alicia doesn’t let me down either as her hair, makeup and poses all pull her persona together and package it up nicely, making for a dynamite shoot. Grade: A
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YouTube Classics: Kelly Kelly vs Natalya
Diva Dirt is dusting off an old classic, which just so happens to dust off old classics itself. Welcome back to YouTube Classics! Everyday (read: whenever we feel like it) we’ll be posting a classic Divas match/segment/moment from our trusty friend, YouTube!
I thought I’d share with you, what is probably one of my favourite matches of the past few years — Kelly vs Natalya.
SmackDown Spoilers: June 12, 2009
Highlight below to read the spoilers for this Friday’s SmackDown:
Michelle McCool & Layla defeated WWE Womens champion Melina & Eve Torres.