Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Raw Redux (April 6, 2009) – Divas Get Their WrestleMania Moment

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It wasn’t at WrestleMania per se, but for the 10 Divas involved in the last night’s Raw vs SmackDown tag team match – they got their WrestleMania moment a day late. The Divas of Raw united to take on the united Divas of SmackDown, under the guidance of the Women’s Champion, Melina and the Divas Champion, Maryse. The result was a well executed, well timed match that helped ease the sour taste left by the ‘Miss WrestleMania’ battle royal the night before.

Speaking of which, the Raw ‘debut’ of Santina was also a nice change of pace from the match we saw earlier in the night. WWE showed last night, that the Divas can wrestle and do comedy, without one hindering the other. Following the huge storm that came after WrestleMania, I think that WWE made good, turning the Santina-Miss WrestleMania crap into fun, comedy fluff. I’m not gonna lie, I laughed my butt off . This sort of stuff is okay in moderation, as long as it’s used in addition to a real Divas match rather than instead of.

Back to the Raw vs SmackDown match, following WrestleMania, I really felt from the Divas that they went out there with a chip on their shoulder and with something to prove. Rather than wasting ringtime on Maria, Eve, Kelly or Layla – we got straight down to business with talented, competent wrestlers. I got to see a little taster of three of my dream matches for the current division: Melina vs Gail Kim starting out this match. What I love about both of these Divas is that they have such innovative, fast paced, flexible styles and I think if you throw them out there for 10 minutes, they’d make you stand up and applaud. I will say, that they took a little while to get going, the chemistry wasn’t there straightaway but as the match progressed we got some good action from both of these women. I like that they played up the rivalry between Gail and Maryse too, by having Gail tell Maryse off for attacking Melina on the outside of the ring.

Then we get another dream match: Natalya vs Melina. First of all, let me say, I kinda popped when I saw Natalya’s Bret Hart inspired jacket with the tassles on the shoulders! And here we get a change from the more technical style we saw between Gail and Melina. Natalya is just an absolute powerhouse, she is smash-mouth and in your face. That offsets Melina nicely, who is more energetic. I love seeing Natalya wrestle!

So Melina tags out to Mickie James, bringing on dream match number three. Again, Mickie is more fast paced in the ring and this match sped up when she got tagged in. It’s a shame that Natalya got barely any offense in on Mickie, who dominated this portion of the match. But that slam from top rope had to have hurt! Layla’s one spot in the match was near perfect, a very nicely executed low-dropkick on Natalya. And then out the ring she goes to the floor, ouch that had to have hurt!

My only problem is that while the SmackDown Divas did play up some tension, the Raw Divas seemed all friendly. Doesn’t Melina hate Jillian? Isn’t Layla meant to be a heel? Yet she goes and hugs Mickie. The post-match celebration could have been toned down a little more. Nonetheless, the whole match was enjoyable.

Later in the evening, we got a fun segment between Beth Phoenix and Santina who seems to have hijacked Rico’s old music. I can’t lie, I was laughing hard. “I’m more woman than you’ll ever be!” The interaction between Santina and Beth was gold. The match was hardly technical and nothing to write home about, but it did it’s job. Sure, Beth had to job to a man in drag, but in terms of storyline I think this will help send Beth over the edge and we’ll get more entertaining programming for the next few weeks.

Santino’s acting was top-notch, it kind of reminded me of Chris Lilley playing Ja’mie in Summer Heights High.

Videos after the cut:

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News & Notes From Tonight’s Raw

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In case you missed Raw, there was a few things to note. First of all, the 5-on-5 Raw vs. SmackDown match was actually not half bad. We saw Raw’s Mickie James, Melina, Jillian, Layla, and Kelly Kelly take on SmackDown’s Maryse, Natalya, Maria, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres. Hopefully the WWE is listening to the flood of feedback they got from WrestleMania and are attempting to clean up their mess. Although, if you haven’t sent in your feedback, I still encourage you to do so as it’s the only way to let WWE know they need to treat the Divas division much better. This isn’t a Redux, so I’ll leave the match dissection to Melanie.

Aside from that, it was announced that interim General Manager of Raw, Vickie Guerrero, will now be taking over full time on Raw. Will there be a replacement on SmackDown? We know Ric Flair turned down Vince’s offer, so it will remain to be seen who takes over SmackDown.

Finally, the battle between Beth Phoenix and Santina continues. If you didn’t read what Santina said after the Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal, check it out:

I’m Santino’s twin sister. We share the same birthday. He is 3 minutes older than me. We were very competitive growing up because we are twins, so I became developed and strong. I’m the newest and most powerful Diva. I can beat anyone, even the Glamazon. I’m the new Diva!

It looks like WWE will proceed with making Santina a new Diva, as Melanie mentioned, and when Beth and Santina clash again in this developing feud, well, it just might be the end of Glamarella!

10 Diva Tag Match for Raw

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WWE loves the multi-Diva action, what can I say? Following last week’s 18 Diva tag team match, last night’s 25 Diva battle royal, tonight we will be treated to a 10 Diva tag team match between the Divas of Raw and SmackDown.

Hazzarding a guess, Team Raw could consist of: Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Melina, Mickie James and Jillian. While Team SmackDown will be Gail Kim, Maria, Maryse, Michelle McCool and Natalya.

I guess you could give or take Natalya for Eve Torres too. I wonder what role ‘Santina’ will play?

Rumor of the Week: Joy Giovanni To Sign With WWE

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Sometimes, I really wonder who comes up with these rumors and how they get around the Internet so fast. Maybe Joy herself WWE did it to spark interest in an otherwise lame match. Anyway, reports are circulating that after last night’s tragic display of a match, Joy Giovanni was offered a contract by the WWE. I’ll admit, she looks much better than she did in her first stint with the WWE. But I’m not quite sure why she would be getting offered a contract; she didn’t really do anything in the match. I didn’t even see her enter or exit the ring. Plus, she must be really busy promoting Amy vs. Joy, the DVD set based on her feud with ex-Diva Amy Weber.

At a time when the Diva’s roster is already so crowded with more Divas than ever before, and reports that Angela Fong will be joining Cryme Tyme on the Raw roster, it doesn’t really make sense why they would bring Joy on board. The only reason I can see the Divas roster getting so big is if some of them head over to ECW in the draft because reports are making rounds that Vince wants to grow ECW.

The same thing happened at the 25th Anniversary of Raw, where rumors were running wild that Sunny was going to be signed, and I believe Sunny herself thought it was going to happen. Alas, nothing came of that and if you ask me, nothing will come of this rumor either.

WWE Grandstanding Over Trish’s Absence at ‘Mania

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Word is that WWE is telling people that Trish Stratus wasn’t ‘brought’ to WrestleMania after saying she’d only appear if she won the match.

Something sound wrong with that sentence? That’s because that’s the word WWE’s higher ups are spreading, as the official ‘company reason’. In a more likely scenario, Trish may have turned the company down after hearing of their direction for the match i.e. a ‘Santina’ victory.

PS: No one ‘brings’ Trish to WrestleMania. If she wanted to be there, she would be. Thank God she declined.

‘Santina’ Is Here To Stay, I’m Afraid

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‘Santina’ Is Here To Stay, I’m Afraid

For those of you hoping that last night’s debut of Santino Marrella’s slightly disturbing cross-dressing act was a one-off, think again. In fact, as much as I hate to admit, I think ‘Santina’ is here to stay and will factor into Raw’s women’s division for the foreseeable future. So folks, be prepared: Expect ‘Santina’ to become part of the Raw women’s division, expect ‘her’ to get her own WWE.com profile and be added to the Divas homepage and I wouldn’t even put it past WWE to put ‘her’ into the Women’s Championship picture. Oh Santino, your daughter must be so proud.

Starting tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised to see ‘Santina’ introduced as the newest Raw Diva. Furthermore, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that we may see Santina vs Melina in a non-title match on Raw this evening. I’m not opposed to seeing a fun, camp, kitsch storyline between ‘Santina’ and Beth Phoenix, which is where I eventually see this going, it pains me to think that ‘Santina’ will be given higher priority over the actual women’s division. And if the past couple of weeks is anything to go by, that’s exactly what will happen.

I guess Santino and Beth’s relationship will begin to implode over the next few weeks, as Beth tries to get to the bottom of the ‘Santina’ mystery and finally realizes that ‘Santina’ = Santino. But the question is, when will WWE give us the big payoff? This could be either relatively short, i.e. a matter of weeks leading to Beth vs Santino at Backlash or it could play for a number of months with ‘Santina’ even becoming Women’s Champion. I wouldn’t put it past them.

The moral of the story: The next few weeks will be somewhat painful viewing. It’s time to start investing your time into SmackDown.

The WrestleMania 25 Post-Game Column

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Depending on who you ask, WrestleMania 25 was either OMG-I-soiled-myself-bad or batshit-crazy-horrendous. And that’s just the Divas standpoint. If you ordered WrestleMania to see Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, you most likely went to bed satisfied. If you joined us for our live blog last night, the reaction was almost unanimous as the Divas battle royal got started – there was shock and there was awe. I was utterly speechless for nearly 5 minutes last night.

I could turn this into a rant with loads of effing-and-blinding, but I choose not to. More than sixty of you have already made it obvious that last night was just horrible. So instead, I’m going to look back specifically at all the parts where it went wrong.

Let’s be honest, WWE isn’t going to respond to disgruntled fans shouting their heads off. Nor is WWE going to respond to this here blog. But for the fans, the critics, the Divas and anyone else who reads Diva Dirt, I want to pinpoint what WWE did wrong so that you will get a clear picture of just how debilitating this is to the women’s division.

I hate to say it, but last night’s ‘match’ had me yearning for the Playboy-themed matches of yore…

Let me convey something to you straightaway, my issue is not with the match and not with the talent involved. My issue is with WWE’s piss poor handling of the match. So with that said, let’s play a game of “Spot the problems”…

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Should WWE Hire a Female Commentator?

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sunnyWrestleMania is over and it’s time to get back to business. Well as you may or may not have heard, we have an opening in the announcing teams! SmackDown colour commentator, Tazz left the company last week leaving JR short a partner. It had been expected that after retiring last night, JBL would take up the position but in his farewell blog at WWE Universe, he denied he’d be staying with WWE.

So JR needs an announce partner… Who else could it be? It got me wondering, what if we had a female announcer? Back in the day, Lita did some commentary on Sunday Night Heat, but it’s unlikely she’d be willing to come back to WWE full time. If a ex-Diva were to take up the position, it certainly couldn’t be someone like Joy Giovanni (Oh hey girl, nice seeing you last night). The chosen Diva should be someone that could add some life and colour to the commentary, a Diva that’s outspoken and full of personality. Which brings me to two options: Sunny or Victoria.

Both of the Divas have the gift of the gab and could come across very well as a replacement for Tazz, Victoria in particular. Unfortunately, I don’t see her willing to come back to WWE full time as she’s set her heart on training for MMA. As for Sunny, she’s not got much going on these days so it could be a perfect arrangement. The Diva has done some hosting work for WWE in the past too.

Okay, so we all know that a female announcer is highly unlikely, but I’m just putting it out there!

Diva Dirt Posts WrestleMania Photoshoot, Remains Defiant While Doing So

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WWE.com has posted a photoshoot with all the Miss WrestleMania window dressing participants titled “WrestleMania Backstage Beauties”. As always with our lovely Divas, it’s a delightful mix of cute (Molly Holly‘s old tights!), sexy (Lilian), head-scratching (Jackie Gayda and Eve), skanky (Joy), overkill (Brie Bella), and cross-dresser chic (hey Maria, I thought Santino was supposed to be the one looking like a man in drag!). All in all, it’s nice to actually see the girls, although if I’m honest, I didn’t recognize 1/2 of them in the ring last night. Then again, it’s tough to differentiate one blonde-headed blur from another blonde-headed blur.


[poll id=”326″]

Introducing Your Queen of the Ring…

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TRISH STRATUS

As we first revealed last night during our WrestleMania live blog, you have voted Trish Stratus as your first ever Queen of the Ring! In the final of the tournament, Trish defeated Lita by just four votes. In total, 968 votes were cast!

Thanks to everyone who voted in the tournament and congratulations to Trish!

Watch: Miss WrestleMania Match at WrestleMania 25

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For those of you that want to watch last night’s WrestleMania match (why would you want to?), check it out below:


WRESTLEMANIA 25: MISS WRESTLEMANIA

Angry At The WWE? Yeah, So Are We!

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If for some odd reason you didn’t know by now, the highly anticipated 25 Divas Battle Royal at WrestleMania was turned into a complete fluke, and a mockery to us Diva fans. Here at Diva Dirt we work our tails off in support of the Divas, and in return we get that excuse of a match at WrestleMania. The “Legends” in the match turned out to be Miss Jackie, Sunny, Torrie Wilson, Victoria, Joy Giovanni, and Molly Holly, yet a huge majority of Diva fans, myself included, never even saw them. I saw the back of Torrie’s head when she was thrown out the ring and laying on the floor. There was not a suitable entrance, there was not even a ring announcer to introduce the Divas. What could’ve been a great match turned out to be a huge mess and a disgrace to Diva fans. WWE clearly could care less; first they send out threatening e-mails to fansites and then they try to get away with a match like that. I can’t wait to see how much fun of the this match TNA is going to make.

Enough is enough, I say. So what can you do? Well, your options are limited, but there is something. Voice your opinions. Don’t stay quiet. I’m not saying write to WWE Corporate Headquarters at 1241 East Main Street, Stamford, CT 06902. Nor am I saying to call them at (203) 352-8600, but if you did want to, by all means go for it. This information is all on WWE.com and they encourage fans to voice their feedback. Why should Diva fans stay quiet? Randy Orton staring into a camera in a backstage segment and walking to the ring got more air time and Creative thought than the Divas match, and it is unacceptable if you ask me.

I think the best thing for us to do is simply go to this link and fill out this form. It is a feedback form, and all you have to do is enter the event (WrestleMania 25, Divas Battle Royal) and some basic information so they know you aren’t a robot, then give them a piece of your mind! From what I’ve seen around the Internet, there is an army of Diva fans already doing this and flooding WWE’s Inbox with their disapproval of how the Divas division is going, how little time they get, and just how bad this match was. I think Diva Dirt has some of the best Diva fans, so I encourage you all to follow suit and voice your opinions. Every e-mail counts!

‘Santina’ Wins Miss WrestleMania Match

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I am beyond words. It really angers me to report that Santino, dressed as a tranny, won the Miss WrestleMania match tonight.

Riot in the comments.

Diva Dirt’s WrestleMania 25 Tip Sheet

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Tonight’s the big night! WrestleMania 25 is nearly upon us. It’s going to be hard to call the ‘Miss WrestleMania’ 25 Diva battle royal, but our writers have put their thinking caps on and predicted who they think will win the title! Find out if they’re right, by watching WrestleMania live on pay per view tonight and join us for our exclusive live blog from 6.45pm (11.45pm UK).

Erin
This could be a big mistake, but I feel that Gail Kim is going to come out on top. She famously won the Women’s Championship in her first WWE match, and that turned out to be one big flop, and this could risk doing that again, but it’s essential to get Gail back over with the crowd now that she’s returned to the company. And *techinically* this wouldn’t be her first match back, so it won’t be too much like last time.

Live event reports have stated that fans didn’t even know who she was – and that’s pretty sad. So, it’s very important to have her exposed to as many people as possible – and what would be better than having her win a big match at WrestleMania? She can pull off all her insane moves, narrowly escape elimination numerous times, and face off at the end with a top heel (Beth? Michelle? Maryse?) and after a nice, long, suspenseful exchange between the final two, Gail comes out victorious – but by the skin of her teeth. Putting on an exciting Divas Battle Royal is like turning air into gold – it just seems impossible. But, if the WWE plays their cards right, they can get a memorable match and a career resurrection in one fell swoop. They get the fans paying attention to Gail again, and boom – a star is born! Show TNA how it is done WWE, and don’t waste her talent. (Er, kind of like you did before..)

Hassan
I’d be perfectly happy with any Diva walking out with the win as long as it’s clean, to be honest. My main concern is that the WWE will turn this hyped event into some sort of fluke with someone like Santino or Mae Young picking up the win, which would really ruin a match that actually has potential. I also hope they don’t throw all 25 Divas in the ring at once; that would be one hot mess to keep up with. Having said that, my pick for the winner of the Battle Royal and the first ever Miss Wrestlemania is Maryse. As I said in my WrestleMania Spotlight feature, Maryse just seems to me like she has the most to benefit from winning the match out of the other Divas without giving it to an underdog like Tiffany to “make her career.” Vince thinks highly of Maryse, she is in the midst of a big push, and she plays a great character that would further grow from picking up the win. Giving the win to a Legend wouldn’t disappoint me, but odds are it would be Trish Stratus and, no offense to Trish, that would just be kind of… boring. A “present” Diva needs to get the win, unless of course Sunny wins and gets a contract out of it. Having Gail Kim win the match would also probably be a bad move and it would be deja vu all over again. She’d get such a big push right off the bat that it would probably ruin her character development much sooner than if she spent a while fighting for the top spot on SmackDown. Maryse getting the victory would solidify her top-Diva status on whatever brand she ends up on after the Draft and whether or not she remains the Divas Champion in the future. If I didn’t pick Maryse, I would have to go with Michelle McCool, just because she has a lot to gain with a win character-wise as SmackDown’s newest heel, but I think I’m going to stick with Maryse!

Melanie
This is so hard to call. There are 25 options, but as I wrote in my ‘WrestleMania Rub’ blog, I think it’s really narrowed down to six options and of those six options, it’s hard to pick one favourite to win this. But I am going to agree with Erin here (we’ve worked together so long, we’re on the same wavelength!) and go with Gail Kim. I think that the ‘Miss WrestleMania’ title and along with it, the ‘WrestleMania rub’ should go to a Diva that they’re trying to put over as their ‘next big thing’ and Gail is it. WrestleMania is all about creating stars and I think tonight is the perfect opportunity for WWE to go, “Look, Gail Kim has landed.” Her acquisition to the WWE was huge news, she’s reportedly being paid $400,000-500,000 for her contract, which is twice as much as some of WWE’s top Divas. You have to make the investment last and you have to push Gail as the top Diva in the company, she’s certainly got the talent. Putting her over the likes of Maryse, Beth Phoenix, Melina and Michelle McCool will make her stand out and be acknowledged by the entire WWE audience and not just the knowledgable fans that read sites like this. Putting her over Trish Stratus, will give her a decent rub for her new run with the company too. I am rooting for Gail tonight.

Steven
The 25 Diva Battle Royal is a hard match to call due to the amount of competitors involved, even though the vast majority of them can be crossed off my list of potential winners. Under normal circumstances I would pick Melina or Maryse as they’re both the “Queen of The Hill” on their respective brands, but the past Divas are wild card that changes everything. That being said, I’m putting my money on one the past Divas winning. Even though she hasn’t been announced, I think its safe to say that Trish Stratus will be a ‘surprise’ and take home the win. She is WWE’s golden girl, after all, contracted or not. Gail would be my second pick. After a lackluster debut and a passable return match, she needs a push if WWE wants the fans to actually care about her return.

The WrestleMania Rub: Who Will Be Miss WrestleMania?

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25 Divas will participate in the Miss WrestleMania match tomorrow night, but we know that in all honesty, only a select handful have a real chance at winning. WrestleMania is the event where dreams come true, where Superstars are made – so for one lucky lady tomorrow night, they will get the ultimate rub as they defeat the entire Divas roster and a few legends to boot. So who will be Miss WrestleMania? We’ve got the inside track on just who the winner may be…

Let’s be frank, no Tiffany, Bella or Torres has a cat’s chance in hell of winning in the long run. And while you’re at it, you can rule out Layla, Jillian, Alicia and Rosa too. So that leaves us with a smaller selection pool.

WWE’s creative team must make a choice and the options are as follows. Do you give the Miss WrestleMania title to…

– The Top Diva (in order to solidify her spot)
– The Rising Diva (in order to push them as top-tier and get them over)
– The Diva Legend (for the nostalgia of WrestleMania)

Then we must calculate which Diva goes in which category and effectively, we can cross a few more names off the list. For example, Maryse and Melina. As the Divas Champion and the Women’s Champion respectively, they don’t need to win this match and most likely won’t. So here’s the breakdown:

The Top Diva
Besides Maryse and Melina, there are really only three established top Divas on the roster right now. Winning this match, could help them solidify their spot and even bring them back into the championship fold. Those three Divas are: Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool and Mickie James. All three of these Divas have received monster pushes in the past and continue to do so, however without championship gold around their waste they could use that extra push and the ‘Miss WrestleMania’ title could be it.

The Rising Diva
The rising Diva is a Diva who’s not exactly established as top-tier yet, but WWE has pushed them substantially. By having them win the ‘Miss WrestleMania’ title, it could be the push they need to turn them into a Divas division superstar! Of the Divas who fall under that category, I can think of three, however unfortunately I’m going to have to rule out Natalya as she hasn’t been pushed too much in comparison to the other two. Those two Divas are Raw’s Kelly Kelly and SmackDown’s Gail Kim. By giving the win to either of these two, WWE is showing confidence in them to join the ranks of the ‘Top Divas’ and pushing them as their new one to watch. WrestleMania is all about creating new stars and by giving the win to either of these two would establish them and offer them multiple opportunities for the year ahead much like the ‘Money in the Bank’ winner.

The Diva Legend
Of all the returning Divas coming in for WrestleMania, only one has an actual shot at winning. I could totally see WWE giving this Diva the win over all the others and that’s Trish Stratus. Despite being retired, her popularity hasn’t waned and she is still a high priority for the Divas division. Giving her a win here plays into the nostalgia of WrestleMania and sends the fans home happy.

So who do you go with? I think those are our six options. We’ll find out who wins tomorrow night at WrestleMania.

But for now, who would you go with? The Top Diva? The Rising Diva? Or the Diva Legend? Vote below.

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Looking Back at WrestleMania 24

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Tonight’s ‘Miss WrestleMania’ 25 Diva battle royal has been a major talking point at Diva Dirt for the last month. But last year, it was the BunnyMania match that had us all talking. Let’s take a look back at last year’s event, which featured Beth Phoenix and Melina beating Maria and Ashley:

Originally posted in March 2008

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: Eve 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!

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WrestleMania Blast From the Past: WrestleMania XXII

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With this week being dubbed WrestleMania Week by us here at Diva Dirt, we will be offering you many WrestleMania-themed features over the course of the next few days. With this feature, Blast From the Past, we’ll be looking back at memorable WrestleMania matches from the event’s storied history.

For our grand finale, we have a match that had arguably the biggest buzz and longest buildup of any Diva match in WrestleMania history. Of course, I’m referring to the Women’s Championship match between champ Trish Stratus and obsessed-fan-turned-psycho-enemy Mickie James at the 22nd WrestleMania. It had all the intensity you’d want in a WrestleMania Women’s Championship match, without the Playboy sideshow or typical “jealousy” motivations.

Without further adieu, please enjoy our last Blast From the Past!!:

WRESTLEMANIA XXII: Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James – Women’s Championship match

PART ONE:

PART TWO:

The Comprehensive Guide to WrestleMania 25

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Over the past month, Diva Dirt has put out a lot of content in anticipation of tonight’s big event, WrestleMania 25. Our writers have been hard at work creating entertaining, informative content for your pleasure and we’re pleased to say that it has been a huge success!

Tonight at WrestleMania, 25 Divas past and present, will compete in the first ever ‘Miss WrestleMania’ battle royal. We hope you’ll join us live from 6.45pm Eastern (11.45pm UK) for our exclusive WrestleMania live blog! Until then, we’re gathering all of our ‘Mania-centric content in one place so you can browse it in order to pass time till tonight!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the Diva Dirt writers for taking the time out to put together these great pieces of work! And thank you to all of the readers who’ve responded so highly to them too.

WrestleMania Spotlight
– Alicia Fox
– Beth Phoenix
– Bella Twins
– Candice
– Eve Torres
– Gail Kim
– Jillian
– Katie Lea
– Kelly Kelly
– Layla
– Maria
– Maryse
– Melina
– Michelle McCool
– Mickie James
– Natalya
– Rosa Mendes
– Tiffany

The WrestleMania Seven
– Miss Jackie
– Molly Holly
– Nidia
– Sunny
– Torrie Wilson
– Trish Stratus
– Victoria

WrestleMania Fantasy Face-Off
– Natalya vs Victoria
– Katie Lea vs Layla
– Gail Kim vs Maryse vs Michelle McCool
– Candice & Kelly vs Beth & Michelle
– Tri-Branded Diva Gauntlet Match

Miss Finisher
– Beth Phoenix vs Michelle McCool
– Kelly Kelly vs Maria

Blast From the Past
– WrestleMania I
– WrestleMania XIV
– WrestleMania XV
– WrestleMania XVI
– WrestleMania XVII
– WrestleMania XVIII
– WrestleMania XX
– WrestleMania XXII

The News Stories (ordered by date posted)

– Latest on WrestleMania: Melina vs Michelle McCool?
– 25 Diva Battle Royal for WrestleMania 25
– Breaking: Sunny Confirms Herself for ‘Mania 25
– Add Molly Holly To The List…
– WrestleMania 25: Debra, Wendi Richter and Torrie Wilson
– WWE Officially Announces Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal
– Debra: No to WrestleMania, Yes to Booker T Charity
– No Molly at ‘Mania
– Breaking: Lita Declines WrestleMania 25 Offer
– Terri Runnels & Mae Young Won’t Be Going To WrestleMania 25
– Will Tori and Luna Bring Some “Attitude” to WrestleMania?
– Another No For Mania
– Two More Divas Won’t Be At WrestleMania, Sunny Update
– Confirmed: Gail Kim at WrestleMania 25
– Wendi Richter Turns Down WrestleMania
– Candice Pulled From WrestleMania Card
– Victoria’s WrestleMania Status
– Lilian Garcia For Miss WrestleMania Contest?
– Gail Kim Confirms Herself For WrestleMania 25
– Breaking: WWE Confirms 4 of the WrestleMania 6 (Now w/ More Jackie Gayda!)
– Chyna Headed to WrestleMania? (April Fools Day joke)
– Victoria’s ‘Last Hurrah’ at WrestleMania
– Breaking: Nidia in Houston for WrestleMania

Other
– The WrestleMania Rub: Who Will Be Miss WrestleMania?

Please don’t forget to join us tonight for our exclusive WrestleMania live blog with the result of the Queen of the Ring tournament as well as competitions exclusive to live blog participants!

The WrestleMania Seven: Victoria

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So since rolling out the first installment for The WrestleMania Six earlier in the week, I have run into a snag! It looks as though the ‘six’ have become seven after Nidia was announced as the latest participant! So we’ve had to redesign our sets etc., so to speak.

This Sunday at WrestleMania 25, WWE pays homage to it’s 25th anniversary with an honorary 25 Diva battle royal for the title of Miss WrestleMania. Not only will the current crop of Divas have an opportunity to win said title but so will some names and faces from the past – the WrestleMania Seven! Stealing a page from Lost‘s Oceanic Six, we have dubbed our seven returning Divas after the wacky ABC show.

While Hassan looks at the current Divas in WrestleMania Spotlight, over the next few days, I will be looking at the seven returning Divas who will compete in the Miss WrestleMania match.

sd5for500_stephVICTORIA
WWE Debut: 2002
WWE Retirement: 2009
Career Highlights: Two time Women’s Champion

Confirmed or Declined?
Confirmed. WWE confirmed Victoria at the WrestleMania press conference last week.

Past WrestleMania Appearances
Victoria has appeared at five WrestleManias, 19-21 and 23-24. She has competed in two of those events.

Victoria’s WrestleMania Moment
Her biggest moment came when she entered and left WrestleMania XX as the Women’s Champion. In a classic Divas moment, Victoria shaved Molly Holly‘s head bald after she beat her in a ‘Hair vs Hair’ match.

Miss WrestleMania Threat Factor
Victoria is possibly one of the biggest, baddest Divas to ever step foot in a WWE ring. And the fact that she’s still familiar with audiences should help her last in this match. Victoria could be a threat to her foes over the years including Trish Stratus, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Molly Holly and even her former BFF, Natalya.

Biggest Threats
I expect that her biggest threats will also come in the form of those Divas named above: Trish, Torrie, Michelle, Molly and Natalya.

Likelihood of Winning
I’d put Victoria’s chances at moderate.

WrestleMania Fantasy Face-Off: Tri-Branded Diva Gauntlet Match

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While WrestleMania’s 25 Diva battle royal might be a dream come true for some Diva fans, its a train wreck waiting to happen for most. What happened to the good ol’, one-on-one matchups. Well for the next few weeks leading up to WrestleMania, Diva Dirt will be bringing you the Wrestlemania dream matches that we wish would happen or might even happen in the future. Welcome to WrestleMania Fantasy Face-Off!

Main Event: Tri-Branded Diva Gauntlet Match

Raw begins with all the Divas from all three brands in the ring. They’re chatting to one another about why they’ve all been called out. Stephanie McMahon‘s music hits and she comes out accompanied by Vickie Guererro and Theodore Long. They announce that at WrestleMania there will be a Tri-branded Diva Gauntlet Match. In the coming weeks qualifying matches will be held on all three shows to determine the participants. They also announce that Women’s Champion Melina and Diva’s Champion Maryse are ineligible to compete, as the winner of the match will get a title shot for the championship of their choice at ANY TIME. The Divas clear the ring for the first qualifying match, Mickie James vs Jillian. The qualifiers go as such: 
 
Mickie James def. Jillian 
Natalya def. Tiffany 
Michelle McCool def. Eve 
Beth Phoenix def. Kelly Kelly 
Katie Lea def. Alicia Fox 
Maria def. Nikki Bella 
Candice Michelle def. Layla 
Gail Kim (debuting) def. Rosa Mendes and Brie Bella in a Triple Threat Match. 
 
With WrestleMania only a week away Raw has a 8 Diva Tag Match featuring all 8 Gauntlet participants. Mickie, Gail, Candice and Maria manage to pick up the win after Mickie hits a Mickie-DT on Michelle. After the match, things get heated when Beth gets in Mickie’s face. A brawl breaks out and the Faces clear the ring. Mickie holds up Maria’s hand in victory, then lays her out with a vicious clothesline. Gail and Candice argue with her, and she goes psycho. She takes them both out, screaming: “The belt is mine!” 
 
The week before WrestleMania, Gail challenges Mickie to a singles match on Raw. The match goes back and forth but is thrown out when Mickie hits Gail across the back with a steel chair. The Face Divas come out to check on Gail while Mickie goes up the ramp, laughing maniacally. 
 
No sign of the Divas until Sunday night for the Gauntlet Match. A video package is shown, featuring clips from the qualifiers and Mickie’s heel turn. The match is announced and the Champions make their way to ringside. Candice Michelle is the first out. Second entry is Natalya. Candice taps to the Sharpshooter at the 5 minute mark. Next out is Katie Lea. The Diva goes back and forth in good exchange, but Natalya takes Katie out with a German Suplex at the 7 minute mark. Next out is Maria. Before She can make it in the ring, Natalya hits her with a stiff kick to the head. 1,2,3. Maria is eliminated. Next out is Beth Phoenix. The Powerful Vixens have a hard-hitting outing. At one point Beth hits a SuperPlex off the top, but only gets a two count. Natalya roll comes to a halt after Beth finishes her with the Glam Slam at the 10 minute mark. Beth is beat up and struggling to her feet when the next entrant runs out. Michelle McCool! Michelle stomps down Phoenix and locks in the MADT for the quick submission. Mickie James is out next, with a new dark look reminiscent of her TNA days. Near the end of the match, Mickie goes down after a nasty dropkick to the knee. Michelle breaks character and goes to check on the seemingly injured Mickie, only to be rolled up for the pin. Mickie scrambles to her feet, laughing while a furious Michelle heads to the back. The last entrant, Gail Kim comes charging down the ramp, seeking retribution for Monday’s attack. 
 
The Divas put on a clinic, countering each other move for move. Mickie even manages to power out of Gail Kim’s Christo. It looks like Gail has in the bag with a top rope sunset flip, but Mickie sits down and grabs the ropes. The ref doesn’t see it and counts the three. Your winner is Mickie James! 
 
After the match, Melina and Maryse get in the ring to let Mickie know they’re not going down without a fight. Almost immediately Mickie attacks Melina with a kick to the gut and a Mickie-DT. Maryse encourages her, but is also attacked. The two Champions are out cold side by side in the middle of the ring. Mickie calls the ref back and pins both Melina and Maryse at the same time. She gets the three and grabs both belts and holds them high above her head. Mickie James is the new Women’s and Divas Champion! 
 
Mickie’s reign of terror on Raw, Smackdown and ECW lasts for several months, before losing both the Diva’s Championship and the Women’s Championship to Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix, respectively. 
 
I hope everyone has enjoyed WrestleMania Fantasy Face-Off! It has really put my creativity to the test, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and maybe at least one of these matches will actually happenin the future. 
 
On a unrelated note, make sure you’re here at Diva Dirt for the WrestleMania Live Blog tonight! I will be!

The WrestleMania Seven: Torrie Wilson

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So since rolling out the first installment for The WrestleMania Six earlier in the week, I have run into a snag! It looks as though the ‘six’ have become seven after Nidia was announced as the latest participant! So we’ve had to redesign our sets etc., so to speak.

This Sunday at WrestleMania 25, WWE pays homage to it’s 25th anniversary with an honorary 25 Diva battle royal for the title of Miss WrestleMania. Not only will the current crop of Divas have an opportunity to win said title but so will some names and faces from the past – the WrestleMania Seven! Stealing a page from Lost‘s Oceanic Six, we have dubbed our seven returning Divas after the wacky ABC show.

While Hassan looks at the current Divas in WrestleMania Spotlight, over the next few days, I will be looking at the seven returning Divas who will compete in the Miss WrestleMania match.

sd5for500_stephTORRIE WILSON
WWE Debut: 2001
WWE Retirement: 2008
Career Highlights: Two time Playboy covergirl

Confirmed or Declined?
Confirmed. WWE confirmed Torrie at the WrestleMania press conference last week.

Past WrestleMania Appearances
Torrie appeared at five consecutive WrestleManias, 19-23 and competed in two of those.

Torrie’s WrestleMania Moment
Torrie is undefeated at WrestleMania, having beaten Miss Jackie and Stacy Keibler at WrestleMania XX in a Playboy Evening Gown match. She later defeated Candice at WrestleMania 22.

Miss WrestleMania Threat Factor
Torrie is one of the more popular of the WrestleMania Seven, so I think she has a good chance of lasting a while in the match. She’s always had a good track record at lasting in battle royals.

Biggest Threats
I expect Torrie’s biggest threats will be some of the Divas she’s most familiar with: Trish Stratus, Victoria, Michelle McCool and even Gail Kim. It would be awesome to see her and Victoria go at it one last time.

Likelihood of Winning
I’d put Torrie’s chances at moderate.

The WrestleMania Seven: Miss Jackie

Melanie
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So since rolling out the first installment for The WrestleMania Six earlier in the week, I have run into a snag! It looks as though the ‘six’ have become seven after Nidia was announced as the latest participant! So we’ve had to redesign our sets etc., so to speak.

This Sunday at WrestleMania 25, WWE pays homage to it’s 25th anniversary with an honorary 25 Diva battle royal for the title of Miss WrestleMania. Not only will the current crop of Divas have an opportunity to win said title but so will some names and faces from the past – the WrestleMania Seven! Stealing a page from Lost‘s Oceanic Six, we have dubbed our seven returning Divas after the wacky ABC show.

While Hassan looks at the current Divas in WrestleMania Spotlight, over the next few days, I will be looking at the seven returning Divas who will compete in the Miss WrestleMania match.

sd5for500_stephMISS JACKIE
WWE Debut: 2002
WWE Release: 2005
Career Highlights: Tough Enough Champion

Confirmed or Declined?
WWE confirmed Miss Jackie during the WrestleMania press conference.

Past WrestleMania Appearances
Jackie teamed up with more memorable Diva, Stacy Keibler to take on more memorable Divas, Sable and Torrie Wilson at WrestleMania XX in a Playboy Evening Gown match which her team lost.

Jackie’s WrestleMania Moment
As written above, Jackie was involved in the first ever Playboy-themed WrestleMania match in 2004, at the 20th anniversary of the show.

Miss WrestleMania Threat Factor
While Jackie has her followers, she was never too popular in the WWE and her career came and went. I’m guessing her involvement in this match somewhat hinged on her marriage to Charlie Haas, WWE needed a favour and she obliged. I don’t think Jackie will last too long in the match.

Biggest Threats
It would be cool to see Jackie square off against her fellow Tough Enough Champion, Nidia or team up with her to take on some of the Diva Search girls. Either way, I expect Jackie will have her hands full and most likely be one of the first eliminated.

Likelihood of Winning
I’d put Jackie’s chances at slim to none.

Torrie Has Last Word on TNA

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Since Torrie Wilson left the WWE last year, there have been numerous rumours circulating about TNA, specifically, Jeff Jarrett wanting to sign her as their newest Knockout. I’m not sure if TNA got the memo or not, but Torrie’s not exactly in wrestling shape after her string of back problems. But it’s not unlike TNA to splash cash at women who can’t wrestle (Jenna Morasca).

The latest wave of gossip came only a week ago from LordsofPain.net, click here. In an interview with The Baltimore Sun, Torrie sets the record straight:

I know some of your old WCW friends are working in TNA. Would you have any interest in doing anything with them?

No. Nothing against TNA, but WWE is where you would want to be in that industry. And, you know, I get anxiety going to visit my mom on a plane now because I was just traveling so much before [laughs]. So the thought of being gone even one day a week doesn’t sound like something I want to do.

And there you have it. Even though she’s no longer with the company, Torrie is still WWE through-and-through! Torrie also made a pretty awesome comment about doing autograph signings, independent shows etc.

So you’re not even taking any wrestling bookings at all these days – appearances at indy shows or autograph signings?

I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls and I’ve done a couple of autograph signings, but I’m really just taking a step back. Like I said, I’m just not really into that travel right now. And after watching the movie The Wrestler, I don’t think I’ll be doing any indy appearances any time soon [laughs].

I’ve talked in the past that I think it’s kind of degrading to have a great career on television and then go onto do an abundance of those types of appearances. It kind of tarnishes one’s legacy, I mean look at Sunny for example. Nothing against her, but she’s become notorious on that circuit and has had her fair share of drama such as being drunk at shows. I think it’s respectful to bow out gracefully and leave the business behind except for big events like WrestleMania, which I’m glad Torrie and her peers from that generation (Trish, Lita, Molly, Victoria etc.) are doing.

WrestleMania Spotlight: Maryse

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With the Divas Battle Royal at WrestleMania 25 quickly approaching, Diva Dirt has decided to take a closer look at each of the known and rumored participants in the matchup and assess their odds of winning as being High, Moderate, or Low. The winner, of course, will be crowned the first ever “Miss WrestleMania.” This is a new feature that will take place right up until the big day in Houston, TX on April 5th, 2009 and will be covered by yours truly, the “Mouth of the South,” Hassan! I will save my prediction for the winner as the very last WrestleMania Spotlight profile I do. Be sure to leave your opinion in the comments! Let’s get right into it… here is my pick for the winner of the Divas Battle Royal and the first ever Miss WrestleMania, the sexiest of the sexy, SmackDown Diva Maryse!

Diva: Maryse
Real Name: Maryse Ouellet
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Birthday: January 21, 1983
Brand: SmackDown
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 125 lbs.
Finisher: French Kiss (Snap DDT), French TKO (Heel Kick)
WWE Debut: 2006 Diva Search & September 22, 2006 edition of SmackDown
Career Highlights: WWE Divas Champion, Playboy Covergirl (Summer 2006), Miss Hawaiian Tropic Canada 2003, runner up for Miss Hawaiian Tropic Canada 2004, appeared in January 2009 issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine, Redemption Song, and the music video for Timbaland’s Throw It On Me
“Did You Know?” Fact: Maryse has a black belt in Martial Arts and holds a degree in Business Administration. She is an active supporter of the Foundation of Children General Hospital of Montreal, Quebec since 2006. It took French-speaking Maryse two years to become fluent in English, which is her second language

Maryse began her wrestling career by entering the 2006 Diva Search, through which she made it to the top 8. Though she was cut on July 24, 2006, the WWE offered her a developmental contract to OVW on August 24, 2006. She began by participating in bikini contests and interviewing backstage, but soon found herself managing Renee Dupree at one point and later Sylvan Grenier when she was transferred to FCW. Though Maryse and Sylvan were seen at house shows and in dark matches, the WWE decided to drop the French heel gimmick before they made it to television. Maryse went on to be the valet to Ted DiBiase, Jr. and was in his corner when he captured the FCW Championship.

From September 22, 2006 through January 2007, Maryse appeared in vignettes welcoming viewers back to SmackDown. By mid 2008, Maryse began appearing on SmackDown regularly, competing in the SmackDown Top Diva contest. Her first feud and storyline came with former Diva Cherry, after Maryse felt insulted that Cherry lasted longer than her in the contest. Soon, Maryse took over the role as Deuce & Domino’s manager. May 16, 2008 was the in-ring debut of Maryse on SmackDown, where she lost to Cherry. When Cherry was released, Maryse had a short feud with Maria (due to Maria breaking Maryse’s nose) before getting her first heel push and a Divas Championship title match against Michelle McCool at Unforgiven 2008, which she lost. Her push continued when Maryse was the sole remaining Diva representing SmackDown in the 5-on-5 Raw vs. SmackDown Survivor Series match, though she lost to Beth Phoenix. Finally, on December 26, 2008, Maryse pinned Michelle McCool to begin her first reign as Divas Champion.

When I first saw Maryse, I thought she was all bark and no bite. But after seeing her in the ring during her feud with Cherry in mid-2008, I declared Maryse to be the next big thing. Fortunately, I was right, and Maryse has really grown on me. Sure, she may have a heavy accent, but she plays her character so well that is amazes me how someone so new to this industry has grown so much and so fast, and does it better than a few Divas who have been there much longer than she has. Her wrestling skills have also improved so much since she began the hunt for the title. Maryse developed her own moveset and she usually doesn’t give the impression that she is a newcomer. She is such a cocky heel but fits the character description perfectly, and this is why Maryse is my favorite Diva. She’s got the look, she’s got the music, she’s got her character nailed down, she looks polished in the ring, and she takes amazing photos; to me, Maryse is the package deal, and with more time she will perfect her wrestling and I see a bright future for Maryse.

Other than the fact that she is my favorite Diva, I picked Maryse to be the winner of the Divas Battle Royal at WrestleMania for a few reasons. I think we all know that it will only be a matter of time before the returning Gail Kim captures the Divas Championship; therefore letting Maryse win will not only further boost her ego as a heel for character development, but it would also keep her as the front-runner to her title as a top heel. It would also help out Gail’s character, because she would be the one to beat Miss WrestleMania. Then, there is her status in the company. Vince McMahon is said to have very high thoughts of Maryse, which is always a good thing to have. With the Chairman thinking highly of you, it probably increases your chances of making a name for yourself (look up Triple H). Also, there are rumors swirling that  Maryse might be headed over to Raw in the 2009 Draft, which remember is only a week away! If Maryse gets the title of Miss WrestleMania and then sent to Raw, she will definitely be one of Raw’s top Divas almost immediately, and once she drops the title to Gail, she could be in line for a run with the Women’s Championship. So, assuming we don’t get a lame factor like Santino winning the match, I predict Maryse to be the first ever Miss WrestleMania!

Maryse’s Odds of Winning On The Hassan-O-Meter: High

So there you have it! This concludes the WrestleMania Spotlight feature! Thanks for all your comments and feedback; I really hope you guys enjoyed reading these even if they were a bit lengthy. They may have taken up plenty of time to make, but I enjoyed doing every one of these! Let’s see what happens tonight at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania in the Divas Battle Royal!

WrestleMania Spotlight: Michelle McCool

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With the Divas Battle Royal at WrestleMania 25 quickly approaching, Diva Dirt has decided to take a closer look at each of the known and rumored participants in the matchup and assess their odds of winning as being High, Moderate, or Low. The winner, of course, will be crowned the first ever “Miss WrestleMania.” This is a new feature that will take place right up until the big day in Houston, TX on April 5th, 2009 and will be covered by yours truly, the “Mouth of the South,” Hassan! I will save my prediction for the winner as the very last WrestleMania Spotlight profile I do. Be sure to leave your opinion in the comments! Let’s get right into it… enter the world of SmackDown Diva Michelle McCool!

Diva: Michelle McCool
Real Name: Michelle Leigh McCool
Hometown: Palatka, Florida
Birthday: January 25, 1980
Brand: SmackDown
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 127 lbs.
Finisher: Faith Breaker (Belly to Back Inverted Mat Slam), MADT – Make A Diva Tap (Heel Hook)
WWE Debut: 2004 Diva Search, November 18, 2004 edition of SmackDown
Career Highlights: WWE Divas Champion (First Ever), ranked #9 of the 50 best female wrestlers of 2008 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, 2008 SmackDown Top Diva Competition Winner, appeared in January 2009 issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine, Project Runway, Family Feud, and The Best Damn Sports Show Period
“Did You Know?” Fact: On November 28, 2006, Michelle was hospitalized and nearly died due to a broken sternum, enlarged kidney, and an electrolyte imbalance which came as a result of an eating disorder she was suffering from at the time. Before entering professional wrestling, Michelle was a 6th grade teacher and is currently dating Mark Calloway, aka The Undertaker

Michelle McCool entered the wrestling industry through the 2004 Diva Search. Although she was the fourth participant eliminated, the WWE signed her right after her elimination to a 3 year deal. Her first match came on March 3, 2005 where she teamed with The Big Show to take on Renee Dupree and Dawn Marie, which Michelle and Big Show won. Following the debut of MNM, Michelle came to the aid of Heidenreich who was the recipient of attacks by MNM. This led to Michelle taking on Melina in Melina’s debut match, which Michelle lost. MNM delivered a Snapshot to Michelle McCool soon after and she left WWE television for the next year.

Michelle was then sent to DSW and later OVW to continue training and manage her “Teachers Pets.” She came back to SmackDown in June of 2006, where she worked her teacher gimmick as a heel, feuding with faces Jillian and Ashley. However, in November of the same year, Michelle faced a life threatening illness and went off WWE TV again.

March 30, 2007 saw the re-re-return of Michelle McCool to SmackDown, where she went back to feuding with Jillian. Michelle also has some Battle Royal experience, as she participated in the Memorial Day Bikini Beach Splash Battle Royal on May 28, 2007, which she won. Following this, Michelle feuded with Victoria briefly before entering a storyline with Chuck Palumbo and Jamie Noble. Once this storyline was finished, there was a “Top Diva” contest on SmackDown, involving Michelle, Eve, Maryse, Cherry, and Victoria. Michelle would go on to win this, and during her celebration, Natalya Neidhart made her debut, attacking Michelle. It was announced that a Divas Championship was being created and Michelle would go on to defeat Natalya at the Great American Bash to win the Championship. After defending her title against Maryse, Victoria, and even Maria, Michelle McCool would make a heel turn following her loss of the Championship to Maryse on December 26, 2008, where Michelle blamed Maria (the guest referee) for losing the match.

For me, as much as I don’t particularly think it would be a good move, I think Michelle McCool’s odds of winning this match are very high. She has been talking about WrestleMania a lot, especially on her blogs, saying that it’s time to start a WrestleMania winning streak of her own. This is her first WrestleMania match, but I think a win here would keep Michelle right at the top of the SmackDown Divas division. She is definitely going to be seeking retribution against Gail Kim for ruining her title match and beating her and Maryse this past SmackDown, so look for Michelle to possibly be the one to eliminate Gail. I think it would be very wise to let one of the “Present” WWE Divas win the match, and having Michelle go on to win would definitely boost her character. Michelle is definitely turning up the wow-factor on her offense, and I was pretty amazed at her work in the tag match with Maryse against Gail and Maria. She is also really working on her character development as a heel and I think it’s really getting better. WWE is obviously very keen of Michelle and she would definitely be made into the ultimate egotistical heel if she won this match, so I think it’s a great possibility Michelle will walk out the winner.

Michelle McCool’s Odds of Winning On The Hassan-O-Meter: High 

Last Queen of the Ring Update

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queenofthering
litatrish

Okay, it’s the last update before the big reveal! Since yesterday, you guys have logged an upward of 300 votes! The new vote count is 855 votes. I can reveal, there is now a 14 vote difference between the two finalists.

Remember, the Queen will be coronated during our exclusive WrestleMania live blog, kicking off at 6.45pm Eastern (11.45pm UK). As well as the result of the tournament we’ll also have competitions open only to live blog readers!

Can we reach over 1000 votes by the time the result is revealed tomorrow? In the words of President Obama, “Yes we can!” So get voting!

VOTE FOR YOUR QUEEN OF THE RING

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