Looks like the Divas made it onto the Judgement Day card after all. The PPV dark match saw Mickie James beat Beth Phoenix w/ Rosa Mendes. Seems Mickie is on quite the roll as of late, picking up wins on Raw’s top heel divas. Maybe we’ll see a title match come tomorrow night. Only time will tell.
FCW’s resident gossip queen, Jenny Cash has a brand new gimmick. The most recent  episode of Florida Championship Wrestling saw Jenny managing Le Frenchmen (Trent Baretta aka Girl From Mexico and Caylen Croft) under the new ringname, Fifi. So does that mean no more Express News and Gossip?! No more ‘CHA-CHING!!!’ Oh, no! My heart is breaking *sniff, sniff*. So what do you guys think of the sudden image change? Do you want OctoMom the old Jenny back. Sound off!
P.S: I’ll have the video up ASAP.
Update: As promised, here’s the video of FiFi’s debut.
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: When it comes to Maria, you can always count on her to pull out the flashy stuff – for better or worse. Usually, the latter applies. However, this time she’s keeping it pretty tame (well, for her at least). It all stays in the same color family, save for the blue art class creation on her head. I love the gray color of her dress, and the ruffles are edgy enough without looking ridiculous. Her ever-present single glove has always kind or irked me, but I’ll look past that, since it seems to be her “signature”, and won’t be leaving any time soon. The suede boots are cute, save for the tassels. Maybe they’d be more appropriate with a more casual look. Her hair is about 20 feet high, and the craziness isn’t helped by the aforementioned Carrie Bradshaw-esque blue accent. It seems as though every piece is competing for attention, which is typical with Maria, but I have to say that it’s less schizo then most of her looks. Grade: B
The Poses: Maria should always smile. When she does, she looks stunning. Luckily, in this shoot, the pouting is at a minimum and the smiles are out in full force. Save for a few “deer in the headlights” looks, Maria keeps it fun and mixes it up, to pretty good results. Grade: A
Uniqueness: You can always count on Maria to break from the norm, and however bad or good you think this shoot is, I can guarantee you won’t see any other Diva looking quite like this. The blue accent alone is enough to make this entire shoot stand out. Grade: A
Overall: Maria’s photoshoots usually put me off, but I’m liking this one. I don’t think I’ll ever fully embrace Maria’s exuberant style, but as far as it goes, this isn’t all that bad. Grade: B
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Tonight’s Judgment Day pay per view is yet another disappointing one for us Diva fans, marking the second consecutive pay per view that the Divas have been left off. In fact, 2009 thus far has been wholly disappointing in the pay per view stakes.
WrestleMania not withstanding, and let’s be honest, who’d want to count it… we have only received one Diva match on pay per view this year. That was five months ago when Melina defeated Beth Phoenix for the Women’s Championship at the Royal Rumble.
In comparison to last year, the first five months of 2008 brought us three Divas matches at WrestleMania, Backlash and Judgment Day.
I guess pay per views are hit and miss and we can’t always expect a match, but thus far, the lack of Divas matches hasn’t excited me to watch these events. And I think that’s a market that WWE is missing out on. If we’re really honest, the only pay per view we are guaranteed a Divas match is at Night of Champions this summer.
What say you on the disappointing way that the pay per view calendar has unfolded this year?
We’re really proud to team up with the Wrestling Globe Newsletter on a new feature for the site, the Diva of the Day. The Globe is an extremely popular newsletter published daily with the latest news and gossip from inside and outside the ropes, sent directly to your e-mail!
Each issue features a Diva of the Day, which we are very pleased to now be housing as part of Diva Dirt. You can check out the Diva of the Day, everyday at www.diva-dirt.com/divaoftheday.
To subscribe to the Wrestling Globe Newsletter, all you have to do is send an e-mail to [email protected] and receive a free newsletter everyday! It’s as simple as that! You can also check out an archive of back-issues by clicking here.
Today we’re taking a look back Michelle McCool‘s early days in DSW. Here Michelle takes on Hawaiian Diva Tracy Taylor. Check it out below:
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This was a pretty good match albeit very fundamental. For we saw McCool being carried through a match, as Tracy has the upperhand in experience. There was several spots in the match where both girls seemed to be at a loss as to what to do. Headlock? Roll-up? Aww hell, let’s just wing it. Even with all the flaws in the match, McCool show flashes of brillance throughout. A future champion, indeed. What did you guys think of the match. Sound off in the comments!
After a brief hiatus, SHIMMER Spotlight is back! In case you’ve been living under a rock, SHIMMER Spotlight is a Diva Dirt exclusive where we highlight talent from everyone’s favorite all-girl promotion, SHIMMER. This week we’re featuring one half the new SHIMMER tag team champions, Portia Perez.Â
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Name: Portia “Frickin'” PerezÂ
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Aliases: XstasisÂ
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Age: 21Â
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Entrance Theme: ‘Edge of Seventeen’ by Stevie NicksÂ
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Finisher(s): Kosher Pickle (Flipping Inverted Double Underhook Facebuster); School’s Out(Swinging Reverse STO); SuperkickÂ
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Associates: Nicole MatthewsÂ
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Accomplishments: GCW W.I.L.D Champion (1 time); MEW Women’s Champion (1 time); SHIMMER Tag Team Champion (1 time – current) – with Nicole MatthewsÂ
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If you ask Portia Perez what phrase describes her perfectly, you can be sure her response will be ‘totally frickin’ awesome!’ and I agree. While Portia is short on years (and inches), this Ottawa native has half a decade of experience under her belt.Â
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Portia made her debut at sixteen, working indy shows in Canada. A year later the Canadian youngster began taking booking in the states. 2006 saw her debut in Mexico as masked luchadora, Xstasis as well as her official SHIMMER debut in a dark match against Daizee Haze.Â
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In the three years since her SHIMMER debut, Portia has definitely made her mark. After being sidelined with a broken hand, courtesy of MsChif, Perez returned to SHIMMER starting a feud with top star and co-founder Allison Danger. She even tried to attack Danger while she was pregnant.Â
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Along with fellow Canadian Nicole Matthews, (collectively known as the Canadian NINJAs) Portia has managed to win the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship from Ashley Lane and Neveah at the last SHIMMER taping. Portia also had a TNA dark match against current Knockout Champion Angelina Love in December. You can also try to spot her in the Wrestlicious videos (she’s in the school girl outfit)Â
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If had to pick between TNA and WWE for Double P, I would pick TNA. Even with their overcrowded roster, I think she would be able to shine more there than in WWE. I wouldn’t be surprised if TNA offered Portia a contract sometimes soon. Taylor Wilde, Sarah Stock and Madison all had dark matches before being offered contracts.Â
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So do guys find Portia Perez ‘frickin awesome’? Would you like to she her in the big leagues? As always, here’s a few vids to get you familiar:
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: The Bellas are going with a very simple look this go-round. The silk robe-and-heels combo has been seen many a time in the WWE, but moreso in bikini contests and the like. In a photoshoot, it looks a bit cheesy and put-on, especially with the obsession the WWE has with doing the “same-yet-different” thing with the Bellas. It doesn’t look very good, even more so when the Bellas don’t “work” the look. They’re just standing there, relying on the “she’s wearing black and I’m wearing white” schtick to do the work. As a twin, I grew out of that when I stopped letting my mother dress me – it’s not cute nor (as they’re obviously going for) sexy. Their hair and makeup are a lot better – they make the girls look gorgeous and natural in a way the clothes don’t. Grade: B-
The Poses: Like I said, the Bellas aren’t doing much other than standing next to one another. Though, they’re obviously trying to invent some new dual poses – look at that awkward crane pose they’ve got going on in the middle! Now that’s revolutionary! But seriously, I know there’s only so much posing you can do in a double-Diva photoshoot, and since they’ve had so many, I’d understandable that the Bellas are running low on creativity juices. However, when that’s all the WWE is marketing you on (OMG there’s two of them!!11), you could muster up a little bit more than 5 variations of a “back-to-back” pose. This just makes them look they have zero personality and delivers them dangerously close to “Fembot” territory. They’re two sets of machine-gun breasts away from becoming Austin Powers villains. Grade: C
Uniqueness: I’ve said this a few times already in the post, but it doesn’t hurt to reiterate – the Bella’s are practically one-trick ponies at this point. They’re here to do the “two chicks that look alike” thing, and I doubt the WWE has much else planned for them. I mean, look at how much they invested in the feud they started and erased in a matters of weeks! I’m sure WWE.com has plenty of dual photoshoots done and ready to upload, so there’s probably even more of this tired gimmick to come. Hooray! Grade: D
Overall: The Bellas are pretty much a package deal, so I realize it’s too much to hope for separate shoots and personalities. Still, they can do much better. With the robes, high heels, and teased hair it doesn’t get more try-hard than this. Grade: C
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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!
Yeah, I’m taking the “Beth/Breath” pun and running with it – so sue me. I’ve answered a few requests to cover Beth’s photoshoot from earlier this week – enjoy!
The Look: I’ve never been a really big fan of lace – especially when worn like this. Seeing her bra (in a bright shade of purple only seen on Bruce Banner’s pants) isn’t so much edgy as it is tacky. Maybe if the bra matched the lace a bit better, it would look a little more sexy and less trashy. The miniskirt, while doing nothing to “class” up the look, doesn’t exactly hurt it. It works decently in the context of the look, though I can’t imagine how comfortable it is to walk in. Sheesh. Similarly painful-looking are the shoes, which would probably work better in a more subdued look, what with their Oxford style. Call me blind, but I never noticed the lowlights in Beth’s hair before now – not sure if I like them or not. It’ll take me a bit to get used to them, but I like that she’s changing it up a bit. She looks gorgeous facially, and with that, Beth manages to make a very street walker-ish ensemble and make it look a helluva lot more presentable than it should be. I keep looking at it, knowing I shouldn’t like it, but some tiny, tiny part of me does. This is me conflicted. Grade: B-
The Poses: It’s kept very low-key, which is a good idea given her ensemble. Though, I don’t know if the serene poses and facial expressions really match up with the leather and lace. In another outfit, these would translate a lot better. Grade: B
Uniqueness: Beth’s wearing a look that doesn’t really match her personality – she’s never one to wear a miniskirt or run around in heels. She’s supposed to be a “different” type of Diva – one that doesn’t submit to regular Diva standards. Not that I don’t appreciate someone deviating from the typical, but when you’re swimming in a sea of girls that dress exactly like that on a regular basis, it’s not really beneficial to contradict your character just to have another chick showing her bra on WWE.com. Grade: C
Overall: I’m not digging this too much. Beth doesn’t get that many photoshoots, and that’s a shame, especially when the few she does get look like this. It’s not even close to a flattering depiction of her character. We all know Beth can pull of “sexy” really well, so I hope she gets more chances to prove that. Grade: B-
What do you think? Vote in the poll below and be sure to comment!
[poll id=”344″]
This week, most of our favourite television shows are winding down for the season and it’s usually in the season finales, that show writers go all out. Deaths, weddings, big reveals and plenty of high drama! WTF at Lost? Oh my God at Grey’s Anatomy and so forth… Now if WWE programming ran in seasons, this week’s episode of SmackDown saw the Divas capturing the high drama and excitement that it takes to put on a show-stopping, jaw-dropping finale.
Needless to say, I can’t wait to begin raving about what I thought was an excellent match; when we saw the SmackDown debut of Melina teaming up with Gail Kim to take on Alicia Fox and Michelle McCool. Watch below:
Very rarely do I use the word ‘excellent’ in these Redux posts, but in my humble opinion, I felt the Divas tag team match this week was excellent. Melina’s SmackDown return didn’t disappoint, despite being sidelined for a few weeks she looked absolutely glowing, I have to say. Not that she doesn’t look beautiful usually, but I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I thought she looked ultra-sexy this week. In this match we have three women who I think the SmackDown women’s division will and should be built around; three very different, unique women. All three of these Divas are exceptional in the ring, they all have innovative styles and they all have different looks. We rag on WWE about their ‘cookie cutter blonde’ image, but I think it’s very strong imaging that your top two babyfaces on SmackDown don’t conform to that standard.
This match kicks off straight away, pulling no punches, with what I think is a future pay per view caliber match – Melina vs Michelle. As Todd Grisham points out later on commentary, Melina’s very first match on WWE television was against Michelle on SmackDown in 2005, so it’s great to see just how far these two have come four years later. Starting the match we have what looks to be a very intense scuffle, before Michelle tags out to Alicia ‘Battering Ram’ Fox. Since joining SmackDown, she’s competed in two matches and both of them have seen her get in very little offense on her opponents.
This is a true test for Alicia, can she hang with three of the best female wrestlers on the WWE roster? And the answer is yes. I think Alicia has developed so much, she had some great matches with Natalya and Katie Lea on ECW and while she may not get in much offense, she can work a match believeably and sells very well. Some good work from Melina, who hits a great arm-drag and then we see Gail tag in. Here’s where I think the match really picks up. With the reports last week that WWE is ‘souring’ on Gail, looks like Vince and co. need to take a look at this match because Gail was on-point. I think this is Gail’s breakthrough match with the company during this current run; she was the MVP of this match. We saw more fire and intensity and more innovation, than we’ve ever seen from Gail in the past couple of months. From the hurricanrana, which was sold very nicely by Alicia, to her use of the ropes, she was on fire. Then we have a spot that looked awesome but definitely had me going ‘Ouch’, Michelle pulling Gail off the apron… wow.
Michelle tags back in and we get to see some more work between Gail and Michelle, following their awesome work together in the past few weeks. These two have a good chemistry and as always, worked very well together here, with Gail showing more of her unique style. The way she climbed the ropes into that modified Sliced Bread #2 was fantastic.
From there Melina gets the hot tag and seems to have Michelle’s number until Alicia interferes. Alicia is sent through the ropes by Gail (Kelly and Jillian take note), and a very nice dropkick through the ropes by Gail. Meanwhile in the ring, Melina executes one of the best Diva finishers going – the Last Call for the win.
An awesome match from start to finish.
Later in the evening, we also saw the continuation of the feud between Eve and Layla. This time Eve gets the upper hand, with a little coercion from Cryme Tyme. Hopefully they’ll go at it in the ring next week and eventually be integrated into the rest of the women’s division, maybe Gail, Melina & Eve vs Michelle, Alicia and Layla? Watch below:
For fiery redhead, Christy Hemme, her injury earlier this year couldn’t have come at a worse time. Hemme was being pushed as TNA’s top babyface Knockout and was placed into a title programme with Awesome Kong for the Knockout Championship. However in January 2009, she was abruptly sidelined after suffering a neck injury and from then, seemingly fell off the radar.
Little was known of Hemme’s progress – until now. Five months later almost, finally there is an update on Christy’s status – unfortunately for her fans, it doesn’t sound like good news. In a recent interview, Christy updated:
“I opted not to have neck surgery because I don’t like the idea of fusing bones together when you can heal it naturally,” Hemme said. “I haven’t wrestled since November and I’m feeling really good and getting a lot stronger and waiting it out until I can get back in the ring.”
I don’t know about you, but to me it almost seems like that Candice-esque situation where she’s gotten injured and seemingly falls off the wrestling radar. Hemme, like Candice, has worked on a lot of outside projects during her time away from the business which makes me wonder if she’s long for this industry.
Furthermore, there are shades of Torrie Wilson‘s situation there. Torrie was sidelined with an injury that never really went away and eventually, she quietly left WWE. I have to wonder if that’s a similar situation for Christy, she’s been on the shelf for a good while and each day, a comeback looks slimmer and slimmer.
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: Layla’s always been great at pulling off more casual looks. Where other Divas fall short, Layla succeeds, looking stunning in a simple cami and pair of jeans. Her accessories fit nicely – they pop without dominating the look. Her belt matches her boots, which doesn’t look as bad as it sounds, actually. I love that shade of gray, and the boots themselves hit her leg at just the right spot. I really love the way all of the colors work together. Grade: A
The Poses: The “windswept” look doesn’t look too cheesy, as it can often be. Layla keeps it relatively simple, but still wows me with poses like the bent over stance (center of the frame). Grade: A
Uniqueness: Layla shows that you don’t need an over-the-top wardrobe to make a memorable photoshoot. She keeps everything simple, yet still catches your eye. It’s not a photoshoot that will be burned into your brain, but it’s far from dull and forgettable. Grade: B
Overall: If you haven’t guessed already, I really like this shoot. There’s a reason Layla’s one of the top Divas when it comes to photoshoots – she just knows what she’s doing. Being gorgeous certainly doesn’t hurt matters.. Grade: A
What do you think? Vote in the poll below and be sure to comment!
[poll id=”343″]
Apologies for the late Raw Redux this week, sick baby at home. I guess you might think that these Reduxes are pretty easy to write and take up 30 minutes of my day, but I really do have to sit down and re-watch the matches a couple of times before I can start analysing. I haven’t had the chance to re-watch Raw after it’s initial airing, until now!
This week on Raw, we saw the logical next step following Mickie James‘ victory over Maryse last week – a tag team match. And tagging along for the ride were Kelly Kelly and Jillian. Mickie continued to be booked strongly against the Divas Champion, pinning her for the second straight week in a row but it was all moot-point, as a match wasn’t announced for Judgment Day as I had expected it might be. With the way this one’s being booked, I think the early title match at Judgment Day would have been perfect, dragging it on any longer won’t work… I mean how many more times is Mickie going to pin Maryse before getting a title shot? I would have had a match announced for Judgment Day and have Maryse retain at the pay per view, as a receipt for the wins Mickie’s clocked up over her and then the following night on Raw you could continue the feud leading to an eventual rematch.
Anyway thoughts on the match… well sorta. We kick off with gasp – a promo? What the deuce as Stewie Griffin would say?! For the first time in what is probably years, a Diva is actually allowed to speak but oh wait – in French. Which means that most of the audience have no idea what Maryse is saying. Kelly kicks off what seems like her first Raw match in ages and looks pretty good. Who knew in 2006, when she was a pathetic glorified stripper she was so athletic? The little sommersault using the ring ropes into an arm-drag was nicely done. But then she just begins to show off, doing a backflip into a pretty shoddy dropkick. Maybe we could tone down the gymnastics and hit the moves properly, Kelly? Kelly then goes for a headscissors takedown which was also nicely executed, like I was talking about in last week’s Superstars Redux, I like that Kelly attempts to bring the fans into her matches. Honestly, I don’t recall seeing any other Diva even bothering to rile up the crowd, so Kelly’s got that working for her I guess.
And from womanhandling Jillian, Kelly isn’t much of a match for Maryse who is just a few years older than her. I think in a few years, Kelly and Maryse will be the company’s top Divas and that could be a pretty good match to see. But right now? The pace of any match can slow down when you’ve got Maryse in there, as she goes for her patented camel clutch before Kelly begins to fight back. Maryse knocks Mickie off the apron and another miscalculated dropkick from Kelly, this time on Maryse.
Mickie tags in for the first time in the match and it’s all over for Maryse from this point. Mickie does her regular 1-2-punch shtick and eventually Jillian and Kelly get involved too. Maryse seemingly has the upperhands in the battle of the DDTs, but nope for the first time (I think) a Diva manages to counter Maryse’s DDT as Mickie hits one of her own for the win again.
Overall not a bad little match but I fail to see where they can go next with this unless they award Mickie a title shot. I’m sure they’ll do something really stupid like having a Divas Championship match next week on Raw when you could’ve had it on the pay per view that’s the night before.
So with that constituing the ‘solid effort’ part of Raw, later we got the ‘not-so-solid effort’. Santina is now a lesbian folks! Lesbian Santina, having already made out with Rosa Mendes, had a match with Beth Phoenix where once again, the Glamazon jobbed out. Honestly, it doesn’t even bear reviewing but I have to wonder where else they can go with this incessant storyline? Santina has gotten Beth’s number far too many times for a payoff of Beth unmasking Santina and winning a match against ‘her’, pointless.
Good News SHIMMER fans! A new SHIMMER compilation video has hit YouTube and it’s awesome! The video features clips from Volumes 19-22 and a cool 80’s song to boot. Look for familiar faces like Roxxi, Awesome Kong, Cheerleader Melissa, Sarah Stock (Sarita) and Madison Rayne who became one half the inaugural SHIMMER Tag Team Champions in a 5-team gauntlet match on Volume 22. Enjoy and keep your eyes peeled for a brand spankin’ new SHIMMER Spotlight this weekend.
The WWE certainly shook things up when they drafted Melina and Maryse to opposite brands – with them went their respective championships. Thus, a new record suddenly looms, and the race is on: who will be the WWE’s first ever double champion? We’ve taken possible candidates (former Womens Champions and Divas Champions) and calculated their odds, ordering them in rank of most likely to least likely. Over the following weeks we’ll be updating this chart, taking into account wins, losses, and budding feuds. Place your bets folks because it’s happening, and it’s happening soon.
| Mickie James |
Raw/Divas Championship
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#1
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| Michelle McCool |
SmackDown/Women’s Championship
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#2
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| Beth Phoenix |
Raw/Divas Championship
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#3
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| Gail Kim |
SmackDown/Divas Championship
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#4
|
Candice Michelle |
SmackDown/Divas Championship
|
#5
|
Candice remains at #5, still injured. Until she makes her return, she’ll be setting up camp at this spot.
Gail lost to Michelle McCool twice, once teamed with Maria and the second time one-on-one. She stays at #4, with her string of losses and permanent SmackDown status making her odds at winning Raw’s Divas Championship highly unlikely.
Michelle has a friend in Alicia Fox, and with her has been victorious in both tag team action and singles action. Yet, with no Champ appearing on SmackDown yet, she slips to #2. With Melina‘s return looming on the horizon, will Alicia be Michelle’s good luck charm in a possible feud with the Women’s Champion?
Mickie jumps from #2 to #1, thanks to two weeks of wins over Maryse under her belt. First, she beat her in one-on-one action, then pinned the Divas Champion again in a tag team match. It looks like Mickie’s got Maryse’s number, and if she keeps this streak up, it’s looking highly likely that Mickie could become our first Double Champ.
Have you ever thought that a certain Diva resembled another celebrity out there? Ever done double-take while watching a movie or TV show and thought “Hang on, isn’t that so-and-so?” Well we certainly have! Diva Dirt’s Dead Ringers aims to seek out our Divas celeb dopplegangers and highlight them here, for you to vote whether there’s a passing resemblance or not! Also feel free to suggest your own dead ringers by e-mailing us at [email protected].
TRISH STRATUS & YVONNE STRAHOVSKI
The Diva: The legendary 7-time Women’s Champion, Trish Stratus.
The Celeb: Australian actress, Yvonne Strahovski. Yvonne stars in the ridonkulously funny NBC series, Chuck along side Zachary Levi and Adam Baldwin. She plays the ultra sexy CIA agent assigned to Chuck, moonlighting as his ‘cover girlfriend’ and working in a frozen yoghurt shop.
This isn’t just a case of ‘all blondes look alike’, I don’t know why but I’ve always noticed a similarity between these two blonde bombshells. Perhaps it’s in the facial features? Another reason they both look alike could be due to the fact that both are of Polish descent.
Anyway, let’s turn over to you. What do you think? Is Yvonne Strahotski a dead ringer for our Trish or do I need my eyes tested?
[poll id=”342″]
PS: Feel free to recommend your own dead ringers by e-mail or comment.
New TNA Knockout, Sarah Stock made a less than auspicious introduction to TNA fans through a Spanish web show on YouTube. Stock, now going under the TNA ringname of Sarita, is shown in the video below being interviewed by Hector Guerrero. They also show footage of dark matches Stock worked last month and a taster of her first official photoshoot:
No sign as to when she’ll make her ‘real’ debut on Impact, as of yet.
Highlight to read this Friday’s spoilers:
– Alicia Fox & Michelle McCool vs. Gail Kim & Melina. Melina pins McCool with her version of the Code Red.
– Cryme Tyme is back stage stirring the pot between Eve and Layla. Eve is now inspired to start a cat fight with Ms. El at the makeup table. Cryme Tyme “break up” the fight.
Every week all us women’s wrestling tune in to RAW, SmackDown, or ECW hoping to see our favorite Diva in action. With all the glitz and glamour of WWE, it’s easy to forget where our girls got started. That’s why I’ve decided to send to guys on a trip to the past, to see your favorite Diva’s humble beginnings. Let’s kick things off with one of Smackdown’s newest Divas: Alicia Fox.
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BEFORE:
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AFTER:
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Wow, what a difference a few years can make. In her first singles match against Beth Phoenix, Alicia looked like she was in the middle of her first week of training. She wasn’t horrible, but the whole match seemed really stiff and rehearsed, a far cry from her recent work. As you can see above Alicia has surpassed expectations by putting out a great match with a season veteran like Natalya. If she can keep up this progression, I imagine we’ll see her with gold before too long.
The Sun based here in the UK has posted news that a British would-be Diva is currently training in Florida. Rachael Carr, based in the States, is reportedly training at FCW five days a month.
Prior to signing with the company, model Carr was a body double for the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Kylie Minogue:
“I spent years doing body double work for Britney Spears.
“Through that I also ended up working with Christina Aguilera and Kylie Minogue – doing the same for them. They even made a BBC3 show about it.
“I work mainly in the US now doing modelling and was out there one day doing a shoot for the magazine Ocean Drive.
“I met a guy who recruits for the WWE, called Lou Maggio, who asked me to come for an audition.
“That went well and now I’m in training.â€
Rachael goes to Florida for five days every month to hone her craft.
Read the rest of the interview by clicking here. Though she is training in FCW, Carr has not signed with the WWE but hopes to receive a ‘full contract’ very soon. The company signed 22-year-old April Jeanette last week.
In case you missed the commentary last night on Raw, WWE have seemingly launched a new moniker for the WWE Divas – “Sexy, smart and powerful.” The phrase was uttered several times during the two Divas matches on Raw and has since been added to the WWE.com Divas page.
It looks as though “Sexy, smart and powerful” replaces the old moniker of “The sexiest women on television.”
What do you think? Are you for or against? Do you prefer the old one?
The two Divas did further battle over the weekend at various Raw house shows and the unthinkable happened – they managed to get pretty good reviews for their work:
Friday, May 8th
Maryse pinned Mickie James to retain the Divas Championship. Mickie James got a giant pop. Biggest of the night so far. No reaction for Maryse. It was kinda weird because some pushed Maryse through the curtain and she ran back in before finally making her entrance. Maryse won with her DDT. Very good Divas match.Saturday, May 9th
Mickie James pinned Maryse with the MickieDDT in 9:28. Non-title, of course. Maryse appears to have gone to the Larry Zbyszko School of Stalling, which I guess is better than the Terry Garvin School of Self-Defense. Decent opener once it got started.Sunday, May 10th
Show started with Maryse vs. Mickie James. This was apparantly non title as Mickie won following her DDT finisher. It was an all right opener that got the crowd into the contest. Near falls, sadly I was alone in the 2 chant.
From such house show reports it’s looking likely that the pair will make it onto the Judgment Day card this Sunday. I would expect a match announcement tonight. Given the decent-to-good reviews their live event matches have gotten as well as their good match on Raw last week, I’m really hoping they put on an amazing match at the pay per view. Bear in mind, last year’s event gave us one of the highlights of the year in terms of Divas last year when Mickie defended the Women’s Championship in a triple threat match against Beth Phoenix and Melina.
Also, these reports speak for Maryse in a sense. With the comments surrounding her move to Raw being largely negative, saying she’d fall flat on live TV… I think she is proving the naysayers wrong. In fact, it’s something she’s done pretty much throughout her entire WWE career thus far.
You’ve read the rumors that Melina is currently off the road due to heat she’s received for complaining about her move to SmackDown. Whether the “heat” rumors are true or not is still up for debate, but the real question is: Why hasn’t she debuted on SmackDown? Could things really be that bad that they keep their Women’s Champion off TV for several weeks? Well, according to the wrestling news sites, there may be another reason she hasn’t graced our television sets just yet:
WWE Women’s champion Melina has been off the road due to a bout with strep throat.
So which is it – uncontrollable bitchiness or a medical condition? I’d like to think the latter, but who knows – if Melina has complained half as much as the rumors suggest, she must have developed quite the sore throat.
Just two weeks from her big Hollywood break, as a contestant on NBC’s “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!”, Torrie Wilson has been on a promotional spree for the series. In an interview with AOL today, Torrie blows the whistle on Divas partaking in backstage politics – something we hear less about in comparison to the men:
We often hear about the backstage politics with the male wrestlers. How much politics exists between the WWE Divas?
It’s hard to say. I know that there are girls that did, you know, live or die by what TV exposure they got that night. I just never really fell for any of that, and kind of did my own thing. I just always had that mindset that if I was going to be used it’s great, and if I wasn’t, it’s not going to affect the way I feel about myself when I look in the mirror.
Not naming any names, but I’m sure I can take a guess as to who Torrie could be talking about. I guess it’s harder to get on television when you’re a Diva, I remember back in 2004-2005, when Torrie was SmackDown’s top Diva but was barely seen on TV for weeks at a time. Let us not forget, that in the present day the Women’s Champion is considered ‘disposable’ so that pretty much throws the whole balance up in the air…
Interviewer, Ariel Helwani also talks about drug abuse among the Divas – again, something we never hear about:
How prevalent is the use of performance-enhancement drugs with the WWE Divas? Is that a big problem?
No, not at all. I never once in my eight years in wrestling felt any pressure to use drugs at all.I have read that it was an issue only because you are expected to look just as good as the men, yet you are always wearing very little and being judged mainly on your looks.
I honestly don’t know. I wouldn’t know, personally, if any of the other women used drugs. I can only speak for myself in saying that I am a very anti-steroids and anti whatever agents that you need to look the way you want to look. I believe in the old adage of eating well and working out. I’m a big runner, so as long as you’re running, you can get in your bikini.
I think a lot of people consider these issues when it comes to the men, but never stop to think about the women. So thumbs up to the interviewer and Torrie for touching upon this subject.
This week’s house show results vastly contradict the picture painted by reports late last week of WWE officials ‘souring’ on Gail Kim. The Diva notched up a weekend of victories at SmackDown live events, teaming with Eve Torres in matches against Layla and Natalya.
If said rumours were to be believed, one would think Gail would be jobbing out to her rivals. As I wrote last week, I think that it’s highly coincidental that these rumours surface at a time where Gail is on a losing streak on television. I wouldn’t read much into televised wins and losses as they are used to push storylines, and as it happens, Michelle – not Gail – is currently being pushed, one must assume as the top contender for Melina.
PS: Gail & Eve vs Layla & Natalya? Can we get that on TV?
A mysterious but rather hilarious list has been circulating on the Internet for the past week. “20 Rules for the Diva Afterlife” was supposedly written by a former Diva. Whoever wrote it really should consider a book deal, because this was a great – if a little bitter – read.
My first thought was Sunny, she’s got an acid tongue for certain, but the writer disses her. My next thought was Dawn Marie, but again she’s dissed here too. So just who could it be? I doubt it was anyone like Trish, Lita, Torrie or Victoria. An unlikely author could be ex-SmackDown Diva, Kristal… but then I wonder if she’s even versed in the history of the WWE Divas to know who the likes of Sunny and Dawn Marie are?
1. Don’t worry, it will grow back fine… just cut it down and stop bleaching it dummy. Now your natural color will be seen as a “new look” and you will experience refreshed marketability. Take some brand new all natural 8×10’s at Wal-Mart and work it girl!
2. Remember you can always bleach your hair again back to the “classic look” to boost your self esteem for a week. If you ever get cancer from the dye, just ask Dawn Marie to sell her unwashed panties through Wrestlers Rescue to help pay for the medical bills.
3. If your just coming off TV, then your used to the schedule. Always starve yourself before every appearance and pig out at your favorite fast food restaurant afterwards. Nothing new. Eating disorders and binging cycles are totally normal and healthy. It’s a Diva’s way of life, 4-life.
4. If you haven’t done so already, you need to go F**k either Scott Levy, Batista or Ric Flair before he dies. Do a few lines of coke with them too. It makes for a great tell all shoot and high self worth.
5. The wrestling convention circuit is 10×200. The same 10 money marks will book you and the same 200 losers will show up each time. Milk ’em for all they are worth cause it’s all you got left. Virgil will be at every show so you might as well get to know him too. And yes, he is a real creep.
6. Appearing at 3 Flea Markets per week is officially known as “doing a tour”. Congrats on the success!
7. Letting men touch your breasts for an extra $5 during photo-ops is an excellent business strategy.
8. If the photo-op printer ever stalls and delays, just give them an index card with your own lip prints on it. It will make their day that you were soooo selfless, giving and thoughtful of their patience.
9. It’s perfectly normal to refer to other human beings as “fans”, “clients” and “followers” but to their face- always call them “friend”.
10. Always smile and play nice with the co-workers you haven’t seen in 5 years. These are your “best friends in the whole world”….somehow? That’s how the wrestling family illusion rolls on.
11. Treat the disabled extra nice. Them pockets are deep with Social Security money and they spend like mad at the gimmick table.
12. You will never draw like Trish Stratus, you will never look like Trish Stratus and you will flat out never be Trish Stratus… but don’t ever stop trying hun’.
13. But yes, I know you are still a big star… right in your head.
14. Even if you got fired, always say that you left “on your own terms” or because of an “undisclosed dispute”. This will always make you appear above the business.
15. Always say that a WWE return is “right around the corner” and “never say never” when you know damn well they wouldn’t take you back if you begged.
16. When the going get’s tough, selling your used tampons on eBay is a great way to make some additional cash.
17. I know the crows feet and wrinkles are building up. It’s ok, no one is going to seriously book your used up, worn out ass after age 45 anyway. It’s now time to assume the Moolah role.
18. There’s nothing wrong with forever living in the past. Tammy Sytch still lives in 1996, and look there’s nothing wrong with her.
19. Why have any normal relationships? You can have every lonely pervert from Philadelphia to Oakland lusting after you. Being emotionally unstable is F U N!
20. Remember that Jesus forgives you for all of your sins, so everything listed above is A-OK. Just rinse and repeat.
In closing: Yes this is one sad life but hey it’s all you know…. so do it like a professional!
Discuss! What are your favourite ‘rules’? Mine is definitely #12! And who do you think posesses the poison pen? Sound off in the comments.
