Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Brie & Nikki Bella Main Event ECW

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For the first time in the show’s history, the Divas have main evented ECW! In a sister vs sister match, Brie Bella took on Nikki Bella with their respective tag teams in their corners. Watch below:


ECW: BRIE BELLA VS NIKKI BELLA

Not a very good match at all. There were a couple of ‘decent’ spots but overall, this match was a mess from bell-to-bell. Neither of these two are experienced enough in the ring to pull out a decent singles match against each other. The timing was slow and the match just plodded along with no excitement or intensity. They’re supposed to hate each other, right? Your best bet would be to skip this match and hold out for Matt vs Jeff at WrestleMania.

Breaking: WWE Confirms 4 of the WrestleMania 6 (Now w/ More Jackie Gayda!)

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At the WrestleMania 25 press conference at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York, Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly revealed four of the six Divas taking part in the Miss WrestleMania match this Sunday!

The returning Diva legends are Molly Holly, Sunny, Torrie Wilson and Victoria. That leaves two more spots for Diva legends as well as a spot for Santino, who will more than likely be in the match.

UPDATE: It has been confirmed that Jackie Gayda-Haas was also among the names announced at the press conference. That leaves one more spot open. Hmm..

WrestleMania Blast From the Past: WrestleMania XV

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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.

Today, we have a Women’s Championship match from the fifteenth WrestleMania, pitting the Playboy covergirl Sable against her alleged “stalker” Tori:

WRESTLEMANIA XV: Sable vs. Tori – Women’s Championship match

I’ve Been a Miner for a Heart of Gold

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(PHOTOS: World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.)

Something’s not quite right about Michelle McCool‘s latest photoshoot, “Sparkling Smile”. There seems to be a surplus of gold, which isn’t always bad, but I’ not sure I like it in this instance. That, and she’s pulled back her bangs – we all know how much Diva Dirt’s loving her bangs. Altogether, it’s just not a good look. Michelle doesn’t look like she’s feeling it either – her facial expressions look pained and/or bored. Maybe that should’ve been a clue from the start that this shoot wasn’t a winner.


[poll id=”323″]

Raw Redux – March 30, 2009

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raw30march09

*Headdesk* ‘Twas the final Raw before WrestleMania when WWE made sure they hammered home that ‘Divas suck’. One last reminder of our dashed hopes and dreams as we head into yet another underwhelming ‘Mania for the Divas. Last year, it was a glorified tag team match we could see any other week on Raw. The year before, there was Ashley, ’nuff said. And this year? With the Playboy affiliation broken, we had hoped for something grandiose and befitting of WrestleMania – Melina vs Beth Phoenix perhaps? Looking back to the beginning of the year, there was such promise for this year’s event. Last night however, instead of the final onslaught to an interesting, engaging match at WrestleMania – we got Santino in a “mankini.”

So the final Raw before WrestleMania and we are treated to an 18 Diva tag team match. And instead of putting over the Divas who actually have a shot at winning, we’re putting over ECW’s barely-existent Diva, Tiffany. *Blink* Honestly, this match was a horrible trainwreck and lasted even less time than the 16 Diva match last week. I have nothing to say, this was just beyond pathetic.

I’ll tell you who I do feel sorry for though and that’s Gail Kim. What a horrible match to earmark as her official ‘in-ring return’. Technically though, much like 13 other Divas, she didn’t even wrestle in the match. She just made her return last Friday and hot-shotting her into this one as ‘just another face’ makes her whole return look weak.

And then there’s Santino. The build to the only WrestleMania Divas match revolves around a man? Go figure.

With the lack of promotion for this match, you wouldn’t be amiss to forget that there are going to be some ex-Diva legends gracing us with their presence this Sunday. Possibly, the Miss WrestleMania match’s only saving grace. To say that they’ve wasted the audience’s time and their own potential profit, is an understatement. Announcing the likes of Trish Stratus beforehand would have scored some extra pay per view buys. The handling of the former talent has been greatly mishandled, as they could have built up Trish, Torrie, Sunny and co. as feature attractions to this match and the event as a whole.

Nevertheless, the build to WrestleMania is now complete and much like previous years, leaves a lot to be desired.


RAW: 18 DIVA TAG TEAM MATCH

WrestleMania Spotlight: Candice Michelle

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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… give it up for Raw Diva Candice Michelle!

Diva: Candice Michelle
Real Name: Candice Michelle Beckman-Ehrlich
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Birthday: September 30, 1978
Brand: Raw
Height: 5’7″
Weight: 130 lbs.
Finisher: Candywrapper (Inverted Double Underhook Facebuster), Candylicious (Hanging Figure Four Necklock)
WWE Debut: July 2004 (Diva Search) &  November 15, 2004 edition of Raw
Career Highlights: Finalist in the 2004 Diva Search, WWE Women’s Champion, Playboy Covergirl (April 2006), GoDaddy.com Spokeswoman, ranked #10 of the 50 best female wrestlers by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, named Most Improved Wrestler of the Year 2007 as well as Woman of the Year (2007) by PWI, appeared on Family Feud, Be Cool, Thumbsucker, PlayboyTV’s Totally Busted, Project Runway, Wizards of Waverly Place, Hannah Montana, Party of Five, 7th Heaven, Tomcats, Anger Management, Dodgeball, A Man Apart, and Redemption Song, was in FLEX Magazine (February 2009), named #82 of AskMen.com’s 100 Most Desirable Women of 2007,  her “Faith” tattoo was filmed on LA Ink while she was injured and it symbolizes her religious devotion as well as a personal affirmation
“Did You Know?” Fact: Candice starred in an HBO softcore porn series called Hotel Erotica before her time in WWE. Married to a West Los Angeles Chiropracter, Candice had a real-life feud with Melina in early 2007 when Candice accused Melina in a blog of stealing one of her signature moves. She was also the first Diva Search contestant to become Women’s Champion

Though her status in the Battle Royal is unknown at this time, Candice still may appear at WrestleMania 25. She entered the company through the 2004 Diva Search, although she didn’t make it to the top 10. First appearing as a makeup artist on Raw, Candice went on to SmackDown where she became involved in the Melina/Torrie Wilson storyline. Torrie and Candice were both traded to Raw, where they teamed up with Victoria to form Vince’s Devils, where they taunted 2005 Diva Search Winner Ashley Massaro until Trish Stratus returned from an injury to help Ashley out. When Candice announced that she was posing for Playboy, Vince’s Devils began breaking up when Candice blamed Torrie for a loss she suffered in a Women’s Title match against Trish Stratus. Finally, at Candice’s Playboy unveiling, both Candice and Victoria turned on Torrie, leading up to a Playboy Pillow Fight match at WrestleMania 22 between Torrie and Candice, which Candice lost.

July of 2006 saw Candice’s turn to a face and her quest for the Women’s Title. Candice suffered her first injury at the hands of Victoria when Victoria kicked her in the nose, giving her a deviated septum. When she returned, she was given a huge push and feuded with then-champion Melina, where Candice finally beat Melina and won the Women’s Championship at Vengeance. She would lose the title to Beth Phoenix at No Mercy, and while trying to win the title back on an episode of Raw, Candice fell off the top rope after Beth pushed the ropes, breaking her clavicle. Candice returned on February 18, 2008 to Raw, though it was only a matter of time before her clavicle became re-injured. When she returned from the second injury on September 1, 2008, Candice was given a moderate push, though when she lost a title match to Beth Phoenix at No Mercy, her push stopped and Candice appeared on TV less and less. She is currently out with an ankle injury and it is unknown if she will recover in time for WrestleMania 25.

I personally think that Candice will be able to return at WrestleMania, especially if the WWE is so desperate for Divas that they are letting Santino in the match. Her time on Raw since returning from the second injury to her clavicle as greatly put a damper on her career. She was heavily pushed as the top face on Raw back in 2007, which was Candice’s golden year if you ask me. WWE has decided to push the likes of Raw Divas like Kelly Kelly, so Candice is really taking a backseat to other Divas. Her new ankle injury can’t help her in any way in trying to revive her character. I don’t think there’s any way Candice can win this match assuming she participates.

If there’s any way she wants to revive her character, I think she needs to get off Raw and head to SmackDown again, where she can play the #2 face behind Gail Kim and have a chance to compete for the Divas Championship. If she stays on Raw, she will never be put over the likes of Melina and Kelly as a face. She has garnered the reputation as very injury-prone, so I don’t think being in the ring with fierce competitors like Beth Phoenix will do her any favors. I do hope she participates at WrestleMania and can save her career, but she desperately needs something new like a trade to SmackDown.

Candice Michelle’s Odds of Winning On The Hassan-O-Meter: Low

ECW & SmackDown Spoilers For WrestleMania Week

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This week’s ECW and SmackDown spoilers are below:

ECW

Nikki Bella def. Brie Bella after a distraction by John Morrison.

SmackDown

Gail Kim & Maria def. Maryse & Michelle McCool. Gail pinned Maryse after hitting her with a neckbreaker.

WrestleMania Spotlight: Jillian Hall

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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… pump yourselves up for Raw Diva Jillian!

Diva: Jillian Hall
Real Name: Jillian Fletcher 
Hometown: Ashland, Kentucky
Birthday: September 6, 1980
Brand: Raw
Height: 5’5″
Weight: 130 lbs.
Finisher: High Note (450 Splash), Boob Job (choke in breasts), Crash Test (cartwheel into vertical splash), Lifting Sitout Full Nelson Bulldog
WWE Debut: July 28, 2005 edition of SmackDown
Career Highlights: Her album Jingle With Jillian reached #120 in the US and #76 in the UK, BWCW Women’s Champion, CIW Indy Women’s Champion, FEW Women’s Champion, GLORY Champion, HPW Women’s Champion, HPW Cruiserweight Champion, MCW Mid-American Champion, PGWA Champion, SSW Women’s Champion, SWF Tag Team Champion, SWF Women’s Champion, WWA Women’s Champion, named #34 of the 50 best female wrestlers of 2008 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated
“Did You Know?” Fact: I bet you didn’t know Jillian won half of those Championships! It has also been rumored that Jillian’s singing gimmick was done to make fun of Brooke Hogan

Jillian entered the wrestling business back in 1998, after attending Finlay’s wrestling school where she was trained by Dave Finaly himself. Her big break came when the WWE signed her to a developmental contract in the spring of 2003, where she further trained in OVW. While in OVW, Jillian worked initially as a face before eventually turning heel. The change was right after Jillian got her first plastic surgery done, a boob job, accompanied by straightening her hair and bleaching it platinum blonde, and the story went that her boob job leaked into her brain and caused her to go psychotic. She worked with her bodyguard, Melissa Coates, attacking face Divas in OVW by putting rubbing alcohol in their faces (hmm… Beautiful People and their hairspray anyone?)

In July of 2005, Jillian was called up to SmackDown and joined the Divas roster as an image consultant, first to MNM and then to John “Bradshaw” Layfield after he lost to Rey Mysterio (who are coincidentally in a match again at WrestleMania 25). While with JBL, her “growth” was bitten off her face by The Boogeyman. When JBL fired her after she accidentally slammed a cage door in his face, Jillian began competing on SmackDown. Her first feud was with Stacy Keibler, and Jillian defeated Stacy in Stacy’s final WWE matchup on Velocity. She also feuded with the likes of Melina, Kristal, and Michelle McCool (all of whom she defeated at one point), before turning on her partner, Ashley Massaro, when Ashley posed for Playboy in February 2007. She wanted to show that she was better than Ashley and didn’t have to take her clothes off, which is when her singing gimmick initially began. This was also during the time of Timbaland’s music video shoot for Throw It On Me, which Jillian was not featured in. She tried to impress him in the audience by singing (horribly). The gimmick has stuck with her ever since as she hasn’t turned face since that time period, much less had any character development. By the way, is it weird that I actually don’t mind her singing voice?

The feud between Ashley and Jillian continued until Ashley’s “suspension” and Jillian was eventually sent to Raw in the 2007 Draft. On Raw, Jillian won her Raw debut by teaming with Melina to take on Mickie and Candice. Then, she feuded with Mickie James, beating her in singles and tag team action on a few occasions. Jillian resumed her singing gimmick, even engaging in a rivalry with Lilian Garcia. On November 19, 2007, Jillian was the focus of a lot of the wrestling world’s attention when she executed a 450 splash onto Melina (intended for Maria), a move which had been allegedly banned in the WWE. Since then, Jillian has feuded with virtually every Diva on the Raw roster, losing most of the matches.

Jillian Hall is the original jobber, and I admire her for sticking around as long as she has. She is without a doubt in my mind the most under utilized Diva in the WWE, which is a shame if you look at the amount of experience she has and success under her belt. She clearly won’t be Miss WrestleMania, considering she hasn’t even won a singles match in probably a year. I just don’t get how someone as decorated an athlete as she is gets mistreated so poorly by the WWE while Divas like Maria and Candice get over-pushed. The only flaw I see in Jillian is her lip-injection, because I think she was much better looking before it and now she looks like pouty Maria. Poor Jillian, poor poor jobbing Jillian. Let’s all hope that 2009 is the year Jillian finally gets some recognition, a championship, or at least a few wins. Maybe even a draft to SmackDown and a run with the Divas Title would be fitting. She really deserves it, although for now, she’s going to be singing her way to another loss at WrestleMania. Too bad there isn’t a Slammy for the most under-utilized, unappreciated Diva!

Jillian’s Odds of Winning On The Hassan-O-Meter: Low

Discussion Post: Some People Never Learn…

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In a follow up to last year’s oh-so-successful 16 Diva tag team match, we’re getting two more thrown in tonight! Yes, that’s right… tonight’s Raw will see an 18 Diva tag team match.

I have to admit, I kinda saw this coming but thought “No, even they must have boundaries.” Guess not.

EDIT: Please use this post to discuss tonight’s Raw.

In an 18 Diva tag team match, Tiffany got the win for the babyfaces when she pinned Katie Lea. Following the match, Santino came out and showed off his ‘mankini’ which resulted in all of the Divas attacking him and throwing him out of the ring.

Melanie’s Thoughts
Tiffany? Tiffany? And what a waste of Gail Kim‘s in-ring return for the company. Is it just me or did she look out of place/uncomfortable with all the other Divas? I’m going to have to get used to seeing her with this crowd.

WrestleMania Blast From the Past: WrestleMania XIV

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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.

Today, we have a mixed tag team match from the fourteenth WrestleMania:

WRESTLEMANIA XIV: Marc Mero & Sable vs. Goldust & Luna

“My Kinda-Sorta-First Photoshoot” By Gail Kim

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She doesn’t have a profile page yet, but she’s got a photoshoot! SmackDown Diva, Gail Kim is the latest addition to the basketball themed March Madness photoshoots, that go way over my head. I live in the UK, so I don’t find it all quirky and fun, I find it lame. Lame.

With the abundance of crappy photos of Divas in basketball jerseys, I sure am glad March is nearly over!

Anyway, check out Gail’s pictures below:

If I was a boy, I’d be feeling pretty happy right now.

Sister vs Sister on ECW

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In a prelude to Hardy vs Hardy conflict at WrestleMania, we’ll be getting a Bella vs Bella match tomorrow night on ECW! Brie (the good one) will take on Nikki (the bad one).

Now all we need is a Jerry Springer like twist (“I slept with your boyfriend and am now pregnant by him” sounds effective) and this one’s good to go.

WrestleMania Spotlight: Maria

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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… golf claps for SmackDown Diva Maria!

Diva: Maria
Real Name: Maria Kanellis
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois 
Birthday: February 25, 1982
Brand: SmackDown
Height:  5’7″
Weight:  120 lbs.
Finisher: Beautiful Bulldog (Running Bulldog)
WWE Debut: November 1, 2004
Career Highlights: Placed 5th in the 2004 Diva Search, Playboy Covergirl (April 2008), competed on reality show Outback Jack in 2004, ranked #29 out of the 50 best female wrestlers by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, ranked the 84th sexiest woman of 2008 by FHM magazine, has appeared on Family Feud, Project Runway, Sunset Tan, and VH1’s Top 20 Video Countdown
“Did You Know?” Fact: Maria, who regularly competed in beauty pageants, was first asked to pose for Playboy when she was 19 years old, but turned down the offer several times. She also dated CM Punk for a period of time, though the relationship is now over

If there was ever a Diva we love to hate, it would be Ashley Maria. As a huge supporter of the Divas, there is always bound to be that one lemon that gets the brunt of the negative attention; for me, this Diva is Maria. I just can’t grasp why someone who has minimal wrestling experience, can’t really act, hasn’t really developed character-wise in 5 years, and only puts on a minimally passable wrestling match once in a blue moon has gone as far as Maria has, passing other Divas who deserve it a lot more than she does. 

The 2004 Diva Search was how Maria got her break into the WWE. Her notorious elimination was probably how she really got the attention of the WWE and subsequently, a job. When her elimination was announced, she turned and gave Carmella DeCesare the finger before exiting the ring. The WWE sent her down to OVW following the Diva Search, but all she did was contribute booking ideas to director Paul Heyman. She was then sent to Raw as the clueless backstage interviewer, asking dumb questions and irritating Superstars and Divas alike. One time, she was even slapped by Trish Stratus so hard that one of her fillings fell out! Her first matchup was on Raw of January 10, 2005, where she lost a Lingerie Pillow Fight to 2004 Diva Search winner, Christy Hemme.

Throughout 2006 and early 2007, Maria wrestled on and off in the ring, often feuding with Melina and Vince’s Devils: Victoria, Candice, and Torrie Wilson. In June of 2007, Maria engaged in an on-screen relationship with Santino Marella, playing the role of a neglected girlfriend. Ashley Massaro‘s return to the WWE in 2008 began the Maria-Playboy storyline, where Ashley suggested that Maria pose for the magazine, angering Santino. On February 18, 2008, Maria defeated Beth Phoenix to earn the right to pose for Playboy. Santino had enough and gave Maria an ultimatum, him or Playboy. Maria chose Playboy and the relationship with Santino was over. Maria and Ashley lost to Beth and Melina at WrestleMania XXIV. August 1, 2008 saw the debut of Maria on SmackDown. She won the right to face Michelle and Maryse on various occasions for the Divas Title, but always came up short.

As JR would say, “bless her heart,” but no matter how hard I try I can’t force myself to like Maria. She calls herself a fashion designer and an aspiring singer, but why doesn’t she put WRESTLER on this list? Her fashion choices are horrifying 90% of the time, and what bugs me is how she intentionally does this to “stand out.” Her ring outfits are no less tragic. Her pouting in pictures really irks me as well; Maria, you’re not a model, you’re in the WWE! World… Wrestling… Entertainment! The biggest mistake was letting Maria out of OVW so early to head to Raw. She should’ve stayed there until she was trained to wrestle like every other Diva. Just throwing her in the ring for 4 years won’t turn the ugly duckling into a swan; just look at her matches on SmackDown. Or better yet, just look at her post-match run in attack against Michelle McCool, otherwise known as her infamous arm-flailing slap attack.

What’s even more annoying is that the WWE continues to push her above other Divas. While Natalya walks to the ring as a manger, Maria is getting title shots. Why is this acceptable? She is even expected to have an eventual title run with the Divas Championship before she intends on heading back to Raw and winning the Women’s Championship. What’s worse is that I can totally see her “winning” the Divas Championship in the future, just because the WWE likes her so much. Why? I’ll never understand. All she’s done since entering the WWE 5 years ago is act brainless and take a million pictures on WWE.com. Send Maria to FCW and push a Diva who deserves it like Katie Lea, Alicia Fox, Natalya, Jillian… the list goes on and on. If she can get her act together, I’m all for having her around. But really, she doesn’t deserve what she’s gotten so far just because she posed for Playboy.

Just for the sole fact that WWE is in love with Maria so much and a lot of male fans cheer for her since she’s sooooo “hot,” I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Maria won the Battle Royal at WrestleMania. It’s all the ingredients to a typical WWE set-up: attractive Diva, no real wrestling ability, popular among (male) fans, over-pushed, and would make absolutely no sense to do.  

Maria’s Odds of Winning On The Hassan-O-Meter: Moderate

WrestleMania Fantasy Face-Off: Maryse vs Michelle McCool vs Gail Kim

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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!

 
Match 3: Maryse vs Michelle McCool vs Gail Kim in a Triple Threat Elimination Match for the Divas Championship 
 
The Setup:

The week after winning the Divas Championship, Maryse has a huge celebration set up. ‘The Sexiest of the Sexy’ comes to the ring flanked by 6 men in suits, holding her newly won butterfly belt. She complains that things are not ‘sexy enough’. She gestures to her man-tourage, who promptly rip off the top halves of their suits to reveal massive biceps and ripped abs. ‘That’s better’ she says with a mischievous grin. She goes on, saying she’s the top diva on Smackdown and there’s not a diva on Smackdown that holds a candle to her. She’s interrupted by unfamiliar music. Gail Kim comes out and the crowd goes wild. Maryse looks outraged and starts yelling in rapid french. 
 
Gail gets on the mic and tells Maryse that she better enjoy the title while she can, because plans on taking it off of her hands. Maryse tells her to come get it and Gail runs to the ring. The two Divas brawl. Gail leaves Maryse laid out in the middle of the ring and holds the belt over her head. 
 
The next week Gail teams up with Maria to take on Maryse and Natalya. Gail pins Maryse for the win, but is attacked by Michelle McCool. Backstage Michelle tells Eve that she deserves a rematch and she not going to let some has-been take that away from her. Two weeks later McCool takes on Gail. Towards the end McCool hits the Faith Breaker and goes for the pin. Gail gets her foot on the bottom rope, but the ref doesn’t see it and counts the three. Gail complains to Vickie Guerrero and she grants her a rematch. 
 
The next week Gail takes on McCool again with Maryse at ringside. The match is thrown out when Maryse attacks Gail. Maryse and Michelle join forces to assault Gail until someone comes from the back to assist her. It’s Angela Fong! Angela takes out the two heels and helps Kim to her feet. The next week Gail introduces Angela as her little sister, Alana Kim. The sister duo take on Michelle and Maryse that night for a win. Vickie comes out after the match and announces that the Divas Championship will be defended at WrestleMania in a Elimination Match and both McCool and Kim will be involved. 
 
The Outcome: 
 
Out first is Gail, accompanied by Alana, to huge pop. Next is McCool to lots of heat. Finally is the champ, Maryse to a mix of boos and cat-calls. The bell rings and the two heels go straight for Kim. They work on her for a few minutes before tying her up in The Tree of Woe. They take turns kicking her until Michelle welcomes Maryse to finish her off. Maryse goes for the baseball slide only to be clotheslined by McCool. Pin and kickout at two. Alana goes to untie Gail and is attacked by Michelle. Maryse uses the distraction to roll Michelle up for the three. Michelle McCool eliminated. 
 
Gail finally gets her wits about her and goes on the offensive. The Divas exchange forearms until Maryse kicks Gail’s knee, sending her to the mat. Maryse stays in control, despite a offensive flurry by Gail. Irish Whip by Maryse and out of nowhere, Gail locks in the Headscissors Armbar in the middle of the ring. Maryse reaches for the ropes desperately, but can’t make it. Gail wins via submission. Alana runs in the ring and the sisters celebrate. 
 
What do you think? Would you tune in or tune out? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Times, They Are A-Changin’..

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Do we have a possible new favorite photoshoot subject? Take a look at this shoot, and you be the judge. At first glance, it’s quite obvious that Alicia Fox was going for a hippy look in her new photoshoot, “Camo for the Camera”. With the braids that double as a headwrap, shaggy boots, cutoff denim skirt, and plethora of earth tones, she might as well have a giant peace sign painted on her face. Though the camouflage vest kind of goes against that look (the military and the hippies didn’t get along so well, if I recall correctly), it’s pretty cute altogether. And I must say I appreciate the fact that she’s not going all Miley Cyrus/MySpace girl on us and flashing a peace sign in every photo. Alicia is slowly building up an impressive series of photoshoots – perhaps one day she could be one of the top photoshoot gals – but I do think she needs to mix it up a bit. She’s always looking so “cute”, and it’d be nice to see her show a little range and deviate from that a bit. But for now, I’m satisfied with wanting to put her in my pocket.


[poll id=”322″]

Queen of the Ring: Semi-Finals

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queenofthering

The Queen of the Ring tournament is underway! Which Diva will be crowned the ultimate Queen of the Ring for 2009? You decide! Vote for your favourite Divas as we narrow down 16 beautiful and talented women down to just one! It’s a hard job, but the power lies in you, the Diva Dirt audience!

SEMI-FINALS

It is now time for the semi-finals of our Queen of the Ring competition! These four Divas have outlasted 12 other beautiful and talented women to get this far! And by WrestleMania Sunday, only one will be left to be crowned Queen of the Ring!

Voting for the semi-finals ends on Thursday, when voting for the grand final begins!

Matches are:
– Lita vs Victoria
– Mickie James vs Trish Stratus

Vote after the jump:

Continue

WrestleMania Spotlight: Rosa Mendes

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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… introducing Raw Diva Rosa Mendes!

Diva: Rosa Mendes
Real Name: Milena Roucka
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
Birthday: October 25, 1979
Brand: Raw
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 125 lbs.
Finisher: Slingshot Inverted Suplex Slam, La Loca Neckbreaker (Flying Neckbreaker)
WWE Debut: November 24, 2008 edition of Raw
Career Highlights: Placed 4th in the 2006 Diva Search, OVW Women’s Champion, won the Piel Dorada modeling contest, been in commercials for Trident and Lux Soap, named #43 out of the top 50 female wrestlers of 2008 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated
“Did You Know?” Fact: Milena has several PlayStation 2 video game characters modeled after her including Izzy in “Need For Speed” as well as in “Most Wanted.” In addition, prior to making her WWE debut, she said she would prefer to be on Raw and would pick Beth Phoenix as the Diva she’d most like to work with… guess that turned out well!

Rosa jumped onto the wrestling scene when she participated in the 2006 Diva Search. Although she didn’t win the competition, she finished 4th overall. Just a few days after her elimination, WWE handed her a developmental contract and she was sent to OVW to begin training.

After serving as a manager in OVW for some time, Rosa captured the OVW Women’s Championship in a 6-way matchup in September of 2007. Once winning, she had an ongoing feud with Katie Lea who she would eventually lose the title to. Only a few weeks passed by after losing her OVW gold when OVW and WWE severed ties, and Rosa was one of the lucky ones who was sent over to FCW where she continued her training. In November of 2008, Rosa appeared as a planted Beth Phoenix super-fan in the audience. Finally, after jumping the rail and attacking Melina, Glamarella appointed Rosa Mendes as their new intern, a role she continues to have to the present day.

I’m pretty sure we can all agree that Rosa Mendes won’t walk away next Sunday as the first ever Miss WrestleMania. This is going to be her official in-ring debut for the WWE, and since she has never even stepped in the ring, there’s pretty much no chance of her winning. I think WrestleMania will serve Rosa in a different way: by giving her much needed character development.

Since she appeared on Raw, Rosa hasn’t done anything noteworthy except interfere in a couple of matches and attack a few of the Raw face Divas. She’s been acting like a caged animal ready to pounce on anyone who opposes Beth Phoenix, and now she will finally have the chance to get in the ring. Also, Divas like Melina and Kelly Kelly will finally have the chance for some payback against her. We’ve all seen the crazy fan-gone wrestler storyline about 3 times now (Tori, Mickie James, and now Rosa) and I think besides that it is getting really old, it isn’t even a beneficial storyline since it keeps Rosa out the ring for so long.

At WrestleMania, Rosa will finally be able to step in the ring and become an active Diva of the roster, similar to Tiffany’s situation. Plus, I may be going out on a limb here, but I’m predicting something to happen between Beth and Rosa. Having Rosa as Beth’s little useless sidekick is a waste of character and storyline, in my opinion. It’s also gotten old and run it’s course, and if I were Creative, I’d split these two up. I’m thinking Beth might run crazy and eliminate two or three Divas within a minute or two, and Rosa will be one of them. After all, it’s every Diva for herself in a match like this, though there isn’t a real prize other than bragging rights. The Creative Team could also have Rosa forgiving Beth for eliminating her, that way Rosa will have some more time under Beth’s wing to get “experience” since after all, her gimmick on TV is that she’s just a fan, not a wrestler.

There could even be a twist up, where Rosa will want to leave Glamarella for feeling under-utilized. She could turn on Beth by eliminating her and this way Beth’s character won’t be hurt or seen as weak since Rosa tricked her. One scenario I kind of like is having Rosa turn out to be related to Melina. After all, they could pass as relatives. And who knows, maybe Rosa Mendes will get a new name because I really don’t like the name Rosa Mendes. At any rate, if you ask me, Rosa Mendes will not be Miss WrestleMania this year.

Rosa Mendes’ Odds of Winning On The Hassan-O-Meter: Low

WrestleMania Blast From the Past: WrestleMania I

Erin
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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.

Today, we have a Women’s Championship match from the very first WrestleMania:

WRESTLEMANIA I: Leilani Kai (w/ the Fabulous Moolah) vs. Wendi Richter (w/ Cyndi Lauper)

PART ONE:

PART TWO:

SHIMMER Spotlight: Ariel

Steven
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You know what time it is people! Really? You don’t? Well I’ll clue you in. It’s time your weekly dose of SHIMMER goodness. Every weekend, I’ll be bringing you profiles on the hard hitting ladies of SHIMMER. Everyone from the major players like MsChif to the up and coming rookies like Ashley Lane and Portia Perez. So lets get to the good stuff, guys.

Name: Ariel

Aliases: “The Portuguese Princess”, Arianna

Age: 24

Entrance Theme: “C’est La Vie” by B*Witched(face); “Hot In Herre” by Nelly(heel)

Finisher(s): Ariel-Go-Round (Diving front flip seated senton); Dariel (Arm trap cutter)

Associates: Josie; Brendan Michael Thomas

Accomplishments: NECW Women’s Champion (1 Time, Current); NWA Midwest/IWA Mid-South Women’s Champion (1 Time); GLORY Women’s Champion (1 Time)

Despite her young age, Ariel (not to be confused with Shelly Martinez) has experience and skill well beyond her years. The terminally cute tomboy has wrestled all over the indies, becoming one of wrestling most decorated females along the way. 
 
Starting her career at he tender age of 17, Ariel, (a native of Portugal), originally debuted for South Coast Championship Wrestling. From there she went on to compete in promotions such as GLORY and NWA/IWA to name a few. In a relatively short time, Ariel amassed over a dozen title reign both single and tag team. Notable feuds include Awesome Kong, Nikki Roxx(Roxxi), and Mercedes Martinez. 
 
In 2005 Ariel appeared on Volume 1 of SHIMMER with a win over Rain (Payton Banks). She’s been a fan favorite ever since, picking up several singles wins. Ariel has also had tag team sucess with her regular SHIMMER partner, Josie(Sojourner Bolt) 
 
Ariel was entered in the tournament to crown the first ever SHIMMER Champion, but was defeated in the first round by Alicia. Her highest profile match to date is featured on Volume 21, where she takes on Cheerleader Melissa, Awesome Kong and old rival, Mercedes Martinez in a four corner elimination match. 
 
As is the case with most of SHIMMER’s wrestlers, Ariel would be best suited for TNA. Her less-than-modelesque looks, and tomboyish style would make her stand out in WWE and not in a good way. I would love to see her reunite with her old partner, Sojo in TNA. They work great as a team and would give The Beautiful People/Mi Pi Sexy a run for their money. As usual, here’s a few vids to get you familiar.

Continue

G4TV’s Top 10 Divas… Photoshoots

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G4TV.com recently released their choices for the top 10 Divas of the WWE. Now, before you jump into this list, don’t make the same mistake I did and assume this was a top 10 list based on wrestling skills, which WWE.com’s headline caused me to believe. This list is based on the Divas’ photoshoots and which Diva has been the most photogenic when it comes down to connecting with the lens. A link to their video highlights can be found here. Just don’t punch your computer’s monitor when you hear their cheap wrestling jokes. Here’s their list of the top 10 Divas with the best photoshoots:

10. Beth Phoenix
 9. Candice Michelle
8. Mickie James
7. Michelle McCool
6. Alicia Fox
5. Maria
4. Maryse
3. The Bella Twins
2. Kelly Kelly
1. Eve Torres

What do y’all think of their choices? You’ve seen Erin’s posts every time a Diva does a photoshoot, so how accurate do you think G4TV.com was?

Gail Kim Confirms Herself For WrestleMania 25

Melanie
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In an AT&T exclusive interview following last night’s SmackDown, Gail Kim confirmed herself for the ‘Miss WrestleMania’ battle royal at WrestleMania 25. Didn’t see that one coming…

The interview was conducted with Gail’s new SmackDown counterpart, Eve Torres who will also feature in the match. The video is available to AT&T subscribers.

Reader Poll: Your Thoughts on Gail Kim’s Return

Melanie
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readerpolls

The wait is over. Gail Kim has finally made her WWE return, debuting on SmackDown last night. We want to find out what you thought. Be sure to cast your vote in our reader poll below!

[poll id=”319″]

More Details on “Wrestlicious”

Erin
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You’ve seen the ridiculous promo video, but now we’ve got some more info on the new all-women’s wrestling promotion known as Wrestlicious – and no, that’s not a porno title, though I’m sure it would blend in well with Cinemax’s late night lineup. Anywho some bits about the promotion, which is set to debut in Fall on this year, shed a little more light on what they’ve got planned and yes – even the so-cheesy-it’s-not-even-cute video that’s been making the rounds:

• Johnny Cafarella, former GLOW ring announcer and WOW consultant is heading up the project.

• The wrestling footage in the video was actually taped back in August of 2008 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Talent was asked not to discuss the project.

• Four to five hours of footage was shot that day, with the women using role designed for the series, and not their regular gimmicks. The wrestling was said to be good, but the gimmicks silly.

• Jimmy Hart was brought into consult on the project. Hart also wrote the rap in the video, as well as a tune for Lizzy Valentine, who will be doing a Britney Spears style gimmick.

• Former TNA director Michael Vedder worked the tapings. Also Coin Bowman, who has worked with Jimmy Hart on the XQF and 6:05 WWL PPV, handled the wrestling aspects of the taping backstage.

• Many of the ladies in the video were actresses hired to portray the roles before the female wrestlers were actually brought in for the tapings. Former ROH and SHIMMER performer Lacey played the voodoo woman when they did the tapings.

• Former WWE Diva Search contestant Leyla Milani was not at the tapings, just used in the video.

• Some of the talent that worked the tapings were: Daffney (now signed with TNA since), Amber O’Neal, Lizzie Valentine, Christie Riccie, Becky Bayless, Lacey Von Erich, Daizee Haze, Portia Perez, Lexie Fyfe, Serena Deeb, and Danyah among others, including some girls from WOW, such as Lana Starr.

• Lexie Fyfe was in charge of training the inexperienced ladies.

• Last week, several of the women involved in the project were contacted and told that they would be filming new footage soon. It is believed that they are working to get a syndicated deal, or perhaps an actually series deal.

Somehow I’m not surprised the women seen in the video were paid actresses, though something tells me their acting experience doesn’t go much further than the adult section in your local video store or the 9th sequel to a horror franchise that had its heyday in the mid 90s.

It’ll be interesting to see if they get any type of TV deal, or if they’ll just sell DVDs like SHIMMER does. As far as content goes, I don’t think it would be too terrible if they were a cheesy product, a la WOW. I’d much rather have that than the raunchiness of WEW. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, though if the video was any indication, it’ll be a laugh-a-minute, intentional or not. For more info on the promotion, visit Wrestlicious.com

SmackDown Watch & Redux : March 27, 2009

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sdredux-27march09

SmackDown Watch

In case you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know that tonight is the night. Making her first television appearance since August of last year, she’s backkkkkk!

In the main event of this week’s SmackDown, it was Maryse defending her Divas Championship against Michelle McCool. Watch below for this week’s Divas action from SmackDown.


SMACKDOWN: MARYSE VS MICHELLE MCCOOL & GAIL KIM‘S RETURN

SmackDown Redux

So the big news here is that Gail Kim is back! Knowing she would appear at the end of the match, personally, overshadowed the action for me which is not good given this is meant to be a Divas Championship match. Given the Divas involved, this week’s SmackDown in my humble opinion, actually came off a little lackluster.

Given Maryse and Michelle’s electric chemistry in past matches, this match was slow and plodding and hardly befitting of a championship match. It seems as though the new dynamic of Michelle being a heel has ruined the in-ring chemistry between these two; the match just dragged and wasn’t all that entertaining. There were no “wow” moments, no clear offense, no signature moves. As far as I can remember, they just rolled around the ring for a bit. The fire and intensity from their past rivalry was gone.

Then enter Gail Kim. I liked the idea of having her interfering and laying out the competition, but the execution didn’t come off too great. I felt there should, again, have been more fire and intensity in Gail’s assault on her new rivals. A missile dropkick and a neckbreaker and she was done? I thought there should have been a little more assault from Gail to make her really stand out. Maybe clear the ring of Michelle and Maryse, show them that it’s now ‘her ring’, holding the Divas Championship.

I don’t hold anything against Gail or WWE though, return angles are hard to do. I think Gail will go onto do some big things on SmackDown but her return wasn’t 100% perfect, however it was effective. I’m sure she will shine more in future shows.

Purple Haze, All in My Brain

Erin
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Lavender is certainly not one of my favorite colors, so needless to say, when I saw Rosa Mendes‘s new photoshoot, “Lovely Lavender”, I was immediately turned off. For some reason, I’ve never really liked the color or thought it flattered anyone, and this case is no exception. It doesn’t help, then, that the top makes it looks liek she has a giant scrunchie on her right arm. I mean I get it, it adds pizazz, but there’s ways to do with without looking like you scraped the icing off of a birthday cake and made a top. To her credit, Rosa can pose effortlessly – it doesn’t look like she’s trying too hard. All she needs is a better wardrobe and the girl’s set.


[poll id=”318″]

Wrestlemania Fantasy Face-Off: Layla vs Katie Lea

Steven
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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 Dirtwill 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!

Match 2: Layla vs. Katie Lea in a Royal Grudge Match

The Setup:

After William Regal picked up in huge win over CM Punk to win the Intercontinental Championship, Regal and Layla become the targets of several attacks by the ex-champ. Regal and Layla soon employ fellow countrymen, Paul and Katie Lea Burchill as bodyguards. For weeks, the incestuous duo manage to protect Raw royal couple from the straight edged superstar. While searching for Katie backstage for their tag match against Mickie James and Kelly Kelly, Layla happens across Katie and Regal flirting near catering. Layla creeps off, upset but unnoticed. After the tag match, Katie gets in Layla’s face for getting pinned. A huge catfight ensues and Regal and Paul have to intervene to separate the two Divas. The next week both ladies escort Regal to the ring for a non-title match-up with Kofi Kingston. They start fight once again at ringside. The distraction causes Regal to be pinned and lose the match. Backstage, an angry Regal demands that the British beauties settle their differences at ‘The Grandest Stage of  Them All’

The Outcome:

Katie and Layla come down to the ring, game faces on. Regal is at ringside sitting in his throne. The Divas put on a surprisingly brutal match. They fight tooth and nail and at one point, the action even spills into the crowd. Layla eventually picks up the upset via ‘The Layout’. Regal enters the ring, seemingly to congratulate his ‘lady friend’. Suddenly he grabs Layla and throws her down to the mat.

Layla looks up at Regal in disbelief as he helps Katie to her feet. He then engages her in a passionate kiss. Layla attacks the pair like a wildcat. She is soon pulled off of Katie by Regal, who holds her while Katie gets her licks in. It’s not looking good for Layla when Paul Burchill runs down to the ring for the save. He takes out Regal and has a stand-off with his little sister. She gets in his face, screaming: “What’s your problem?” Burchill stares her right in the eye right before he slaps the taste out of her mouth. A stunned Katie rolls out of the ring and retreats with Regal.

After being helped up by Burchill, Layla plants a gentle kiss on his lips and makes her exit, leaving him just as stunned as his sister. The two go on to feud with Regal and Katie, as well as forming an on-screen romance.

What do you think? Comment below and be sure to visit on ‘Mania Weekend for the final Fantasy Face-Off. Until next time.

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