Through the month of December, you voted for your favourite Divas and moments of 2008 and now the results are in! The results will be posted throughout the day, so keep checking back!
BEST GIMMICK
And the nominees are:
– Awesome Kong
– The Beautiful People
– Beth Phoenix
– The Bella Twins
– Jillian
Continue for the result:
Through the month of December, you voted for your favourite Divas and moments of 2008 and now the results are in! The results will be posted throughout the day, so keep checking back!
BEST PHOTOSHOOT
And the nominees are:
– Beth Phoenix, ‘The Two Faces of Beth Phoenix’
– Katie Lea, ‘Summer Skin’
– Layla, ‘Summer Skin’
– Maryse, ‘True Blue’
– Melina, ‘Breaking Light’
Continue for the result:
Through the month of December, you voted for your favourite Divas and moments of 2008 and now the results are in! The results will be posted throughout the day, so keep checking back!
MOST STYLISH
And the nominees are:
– Eve
– Layla
– Maryse
– Melina
– Michelle McCool
Continue for the result:
Diva Dirt has now unveiled it’s complete Perfect 10 of 2008. Check out the individual profiles below:
10. The Beautiful People
9. Taylor Wilde
8. Kelly Kelly
7. Melina
6. Gail Kim
5. Mickie James
4. Maryse
3. Awesome Kong
2. Beth Phoenix
1. Michelle McCool
Welcome to the Perfect 10 of 2008, the countdown that highlights Diva Dirt‘s ten top Divas and Knockouts of ’08! Which Divas/Knockouts have made the biggest impact? From champions to talented wrestlers to big personalities, the Perfect 10 has them all!
1. MICHELLE MCCOOL
Despite four years on WWE’s books, 2008 was the year Michelle McCool truly arrived. She became the top Diva of Friday nights, helped launch a brand new women’s division and became the first ever Divas Champion.
Michelle kicked off 2008 involved in a bitter love triangle between Chuck Palumbo and Jamie Noble, considered just another blonde in the WWE Universe. But by 2008’s end, Michelle proved her worth as a wrestler and became one of WWE’s top Divas. It all began when Michelle won SmackDown’s “Top Diva” contest in April, from there the show launched it’s own women’s division and title.
The Great American Bash proved to be Michelle’s crowning moment, when she became the first ever Divas Champion. Battling many for the title, Michelle’s rivals included Natalya, Maryse and Maria.
The final months of 2008 peeled new layers to Michelle. 2009 is set to see a darker new side to the now former Divas Champ.
Welcome to the Perfect 10 of 2008, the countdown that highlights Diva Dirt‘s ten top Divas and Knockouts of ’08! Which Divas/Knockouts have made the biggest impact? From champions to talented wrestlers to big personalities, the Perfect 10 has them all!
2. BETH PHOENIX
She entered 2008 as Women’s Champion and she leaves 2008 as Women’s Champion. Beth Phoenix has had quite the year and truly proved that her moniker rings true – she is the Glamazon.
2007 was a good year too for Beth, but this year Beth truly showed personality and acting chops as she was teamed up with Santino Marella to form Glamarella in the summer of 2008. 2008 saw Beth involved with two of Raw’s high profile feuds: she battled and briefly lost her title to Mickie James and then over the summer, she feuded with her former ally, Melina. Other crowning moments include competing at WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series.
Ending 2008 with her gold and her man, Beth is on course to continue her dominance well into 2009. Headlining WrestleMania 25 doesn’t seem far off for the Diva.
Good! Because Diva Dirt is about to take you on a wild ride this New Year’s Day! We have oodles and oodles of goodness to share with you throughout the day and I can almost guarantee, we’ll be making more posts today than we ever have before in a single day! So please keep checking back throughout the day for all of this:
– The results of the Year End Awards will be posted throughout the day
– The #2 and #1 spots in the Perfect 10 of 2008 will be revealed
– Plus Diva Dirt‘s ‘Year in Review’, a look back at 2008
Oh and I forgot… HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Good Ol’ JR has some good ol’ news for us pertaining to Maryse and her recent injury, posting the following on his blog:
The new Divas Champion, who never met a mirror she did not like, Maryse, suffered a dislocated knee cap recently but isn’t expected to miss much ring time.
It looks like she won’t be gone for long nor forfeiting her newly won Divas Championship, so maybe Maryse’s 2009 isn’t going to be starting as badly as we may have though..
Well, that was fast! Thanks to our partners at Divas-Heaven.com, we have scans of Beth Phoenix, Candice Michelle, and Layla in the February 2009 issue of Flex Magazine. And may I say: DAMN! They all look fantastic, especially Beth. I never thought she could look so sexy. The Q&A tidbits are interesting too – I can’t wait to see Layla’s “Layout”, and I never knew Beth had steel plates in her jaw. The more you know, I guess..
Check out the HQ scans below and tell us what you think!
The year 2008 is literally coming to a close all around the world as we speak, so Diva Dirt would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! And of course, as with any major holiday, the Divas have been gussied up and posed for a few photos to celebrate the occasion. Maria, Kelly Kelly, Tiffany, Eve Torres, Candice Michelle, Maryse, Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Jillian Hall, Melina, Mickie James have joined the party, all looking bright and shiny. They all fit the theme pretty well. Many of them look pretty tacky, but I suppose if they’re using the big, sparkly New Years ball as reference, they’re spot on. And hell, maybe those plastic “2009” glasses would complete the look, if they’re not too over-the-top already (hey there, Maria).
Who do you think looks most fit to count down to 2009 tonight? Cast your vote below and sound off in the comments!
[poll id=”258″]
Hot off the heels of a trio of SmackDown Divas appearing in Muscle & Fitness, a trio of Raw Divas are out to prove that they will not be outdone, by appearing in a similar photoshoot but for a different magazine. Beth Phoenix, Candice and Layla will get all scantily clad for Flex magazine next February.
It’ll be interesting to see Beth and Layla in a magazine spread, I’m looking forward to it. Candice? Not so much.
If anyone can send in scans from the magazine, feel free to drop us a line at the usual address.
Thanks for Lee and Jen for the tip-off.
WWE taped a double dose of SmackDown last night, for the next two weeks. Check out spoilers below:
January 2nd, 2009:
– Eve is backstage with Michelle McCool, where they show footage of her beatdown on Maria last week. Michelle says that Maria cost her the Divas title while Eve tries to keep the peace.– Michelle comes out to the ring and says she owes Maria an apology, but Maria isn’t there to accept it. Instead she calls out Eve to apologise to her also. Michelle then hits Eve over the head with the microphone and attacks her.
January 9th, 2009:
– The Bella Twins def. Michelle McCool and Victoria, after Victoria was pinned by one of the Bellas. After the match, an enraged Michelle attacks her tag team partner, Victoria.
In a good news/bad news situation: ECW gains a Diva while Raw loses one. Katie Lea – along with ‘brother’ Paul Burchill – have been moved to the ECW roster, as of last night. Katie accompanied Burchill to the ring for his match with DJ Gabriel who had Alicia Fox in his corner. Thus bringing ECW’s Diva count to three.
I’m going to hazard a guess and suggest that this move was not made with Katie in mind, rather WWE just moved her because they moved Burchill. While Katie has been used as Jillian 2.0 on Raw, that’s still one heel Diva we’re missing from Raw. Hopefully, they start utilising Layla more often.
Though this could be a blessing in disguise as ECW talent appear on both Raw and SmackDown, so if WWE wanted to, Katie could eventually get the best of both worlds – competing in both the Raw and SmackDown women’s divisions. And hopefully, the Burchills debut in ECW leads to a mixed tag feud with Gabriel and Fox.
Welcome to the Perfect 10 of 2008, the countdown that highlights Diva Dirt‘s ten top Divas and Knockouts of ’08! Which Divas/Knockouts have made the biggest impact? From champions to talented wrestlers to big personalities, the Perfect 10 has them all!
3. AWESOME KONG
Striking fear in the hearts of all of the TNA Knockouts is the powerhouse herself, Awesome Kong. Dominating the Knockouts division for well over a year, Kong showed no sign of relinquishing her stranglehold in 2008.
Kicking off 2008 continuing her epic feud with Gail Kim, Kong finally picked up the Knockout Championship in January in the main event of Impact. On that same night, Kong introduced her new manager/mouth-piece/part-time-wrestler, Raisha Saeed.
Kong continued to reign over the Knockouts division until pesky newcomer, Taylor Wilde joined TNA in May and defeated Kong for the Knockout Championship. But Taylor’s reign would soon come to an end in November, when Kong regained the title, to become the the first two-time title holder of the Knockout Championship.
2008 saw more of the same dominance we’ve come to expect from Kong… will she finally get some new challenges in 2009? Perhaps competing with the men?
Check back tomorrow for #2
With the result of our first annual Year-End Awards just two days away, the Diva Dirt team had our own chance to air our opinions on how we would have voted in each of the categories. Who would we have voted as Diva of the Year? What about the Match of the Year? Read below for our “blogger’s choice”…
Please note, that the below is not the results of the awards. The results will go online on New Year’s Day!
Diva of the Year
Erin: Michelle McCool. She seriously came into her own this year, not only becoming the first Divas Champion, but also developing her move-set and personality in ways I never expected. She had one hell of a year, and it’s the unexpectedness of it that puts her over the edge.
Melanie: I’m with Erin on this one, Michelle McCool for me too. She has had a fantastic year, I don’t really need to go into detail…
Knockout of the Year
Erin: The Beautiful People. Kong may be dominating the division, but Velvet and Angelina have made TNA more entertaining than anyone else with their “paper bag” routine. They’re the Mean Girls of TNA, and even in a world of jealousy-fueled feuds, they seem ironically unique.
Melanie: My vote goes to Awesome Kong, she may have gotten stale but she’s still the best thing about the Knockouts division.
Match of the Year
Erin: Beth vs. Melina (I Quit). I’ve always wanted to see a Diva “I Quit” match, as I’ve always loved seeing the girls compete in more male-oriented gimmick matches, and Beth and Melina definitely delivered. There’s always a risk that the Divas could be cheated for time or be ill prepared for such big matches, but they met all expectations and performed in one of the year’s most memorable matches in all of the WWE.
Melanie: Again, the “I Quit” match from One Night Stand. Easily the best Divas match of the year. Beth and Melina got a good amount of ring time, had some great chemistry, had a strong storyline going into this match. Just an amazing match, technical and made me very proud to be Diva fan.
Brand of the Year
Erin: Smackdown. They sucessfully added a new Diva’s title and managed to put on fresher and more exciting matches and feuds than their “flagship brand” counterparts. Smackdown always seems to play second fiddle, but in this case, they most certainly deserve to be on top.
Melanie: With Erin once again, SmackDown has been consistently entertaining in 2008. The group of Divas they have seem to work really well together. The writing has been far better than Raw and they’ve had some great matches too. All the Divas on this brand have something to do and all appear on a regular basis, which is what I love.
Welcome to the Perfect 10 of 2008, the countdown that highlights Diva Dirt‘s ten top Divas and Knockouts of ’08! Which Divas/Knockouts have made the biggest impact? From champions to talented wrestlers to big personalities, the Perfect 10 has them all!
4. MARYSE
Ooh oui, indeed! French-Canadian bombshell, Maryse came out of no where and stole all of our hearts in 2008. Despite being part of the SmackDown roster for two years, Maryse was hardly ever seen on television until April when she took part in SmackDown’s “Top Diva” competition.
In May, we saw Maryse compete in her first wrestling match on WWE television against Cherry and the rest as they say, is history. Maryse’s cocky attitude and surprising lack of wrestling ability garnered her a fast ride to the top of the Divas division. By the second half of 2008, she was the top heel Diva on SmackDown and feuded with Michelle McCool over the Divas Championship putting on a thrilling trilogy of matches.
Maryse has to be considered the runaway success story of 2008 and what’s more, she wasn’t even on the radar when 2008 started. In her rookie year, Maryse proved to be all around great Diva: sultry looks, good in-ring skills, great persona and gorgeous photoshoots. And now she can add another accolade to the list: the Divas Champion.
Tonight’s Raw has high stakes as there is a Women’s Championship title shot and a Royal Rumble payday on the line for the six Divas featured above. All six will feature in a battle royal with the winner facing Beth Phoenix for her title at the Rumble. Wasn’t Melina the #1 Contender anyway?
It’s a shame they’re not sticking Layla in there too.
For the skeptics out there, WWE.com has confirmed that new Divas Champ, Maryse dislocated her kneecap last night at a SmackDown house show.
Divas Champion Maryse dislocated her kneecap at a WWE Live Event this past weekend in Raleigh, N.C., just days after defeating Michelle McCool to become the golden girl of SmackDown.
It is unclear how much time Maryse may miss due to the injury.
Stay with WWE.com as more details become available.
Once again, our best wishes are with Maryse on a speedy recovery. One must assume that Maryse will be stripped of her title at tomorrow night’s tapings. One theory that I have is this could be the perfect way to reintroduce Gail Kim, echoing her initial WWE debut in 2003, winning the Divas title in a battle royal.
So we haven’t been keeping up to date with FCW since it’s early shows and I know a lot of you are interesting in seeing the matches etc. We receive a good few e-mails every week with people linking to YouTube videos for us to post. I apologise for not keeping up to date with them, but just to make it up to you, here’s a big ole post with lots of Diva action from FCW:
Weird to see Kelly Kelly as the big star of this match, considering she’s learning herself. It was interesting to see her face off against Alicia Fox, who she was signed with in 2006. The two previously used to model together for the same catalogue, which is where they were infamously found. Seeing as they were signed together by WWE, comparing their two careers right now, is really intriguing. Kelly’s become a big star while Alicia is still in the minor leagues. WWE could just as easily have pushed Fox in Kelly’s role when ECW began in June 2006. What a twist of fate…
Major news coming out of tonight’s SmackDown house show in Raleigh, North Carolina: Newly crowned Divas Champion, Maryse looks to be seriously injured after appearing to blow out her knee during a tag team match.
Maryse teamed up with Natalya to take on the Bella Twins at the show:
Maryse and Natalya were wrestling The Bella Twins in the third match on the show. As Maryse worked one of the twins over in the corner, she suddenly crumpled down to the mat. She appeared to have blown out her knee.
What followed was an awkward scene in which Natalya stood on the apron not knowing what to do while The Bella Twins went around the ring playing up to the crowd. Special guest referee Kung Fu Naki stood over Maryse talking to her. The road agent for the match threw up the “X signal” and a number EMTs, referees and road agents hit the ringside area. Meanwhile, Natalya entered the ring and made one of the twins submit to the sharpshooter to put an end to the match. Maryse was then carted off on a stretcher.
To be injured is bad enough, but to be injured just a few days after winning the Divas Championship? I can’t imagine how Maryse is feeling right now. Our thoughts are with Maryse at this time.
More information as we get it.
UPDATE: According to reports, it looks like one of the Bella twins may be at fault (thanks Christi84):
After a few minutes, a Bella twin tried to dropkick Maryse. I’m thinking her intent was to either miss entirely or possibly contact her thigh, but she instead landed square on the kneecap. It looked like a freak occurrence. Maryse shrieked loudly and collapsed to the mat.
Welcome to the Perfect 10 of 2008, the countdown that highlights Diva Dirt‘s ten top Divas and Knockouts of ’08! Which Divas/Knockouts have made the biggest impact? From champions to talented wrestlers to big personalities, the Perfect 10 has them all!
5. MICKIE JAMES
Unless your name is Trish Stratus or Lita, four Women’s Championship plus is more than any Diva could wish for in this day and age. But Mickie James joined the ranks of the future Hall of Famers aforementioned, when she scored her fourth title reign in April 2008.
Mickie’s shock win in London, England ended Beth Phoenix‘s reign however the Glamazon would pick up the title once again just four months later. Their feud took up the early part of the year, until Mickie locked horns with newcomer, Katie Lea over the summer.
Mickie’s unfading popularity proves that she is the most popular Diva in WWE today, despite taking a backseat to others in the past year or so.
Check back tomorrow for #4
Welcome to the Perfect 10 of 2008, the countdown that highlights Diva Dirt‘s ten top Divas and Knockouts of ’08! Which Divas/Knockouts have made the biggest impact? From champions to talented wrestlers to big personalities, the Perfect 10 has them all!
6. GAIL KIM
Responsible for one of the year’s biggest headlines is Gail Kim, the former TNA Knockout Champion. 2008 started on a high for Gail, riding the praise that was thrown at the newly formed Knockouts division in late 2007. She was the company’s first Knockout Champ and was the pioneer of said division.
In the first week of ’08 though, Gail lost her title to Awesome Kong but continued to be the top babyface for the next 8 months. Her rivalries included a continuing programme with Kong followed by a feud with the Beautiful People.
In August, Gail called it quits with TNA and just days later signed a new deal with her former home, WWE. Many speculated that the Asian Sensation would join the ranks in 2008 but her debut looks set to kick off 2009 with a big bang when she joins SmackDown! Jumping from one company to another, Gail has arguably had the biggest year of any Diva or Knockout.
We here at Diva Dirt are often maligned for “bashing” or being prejudiced against certain Divas. Now, while we always combat those claims, it appears as though Maria‘s getting tired of the criticism too. Of course it’s not our criticism that’s bringing her down (Diva Dirt’s reach isn’t that far *yet*), but apparently the Smackdown Diva has been heard enough complaints about her improvements in the ring (or lack thereof), taking to her WWE Universe blog to stick up for herself:
What’s up all you stars and studs!!!! I am not a person to respond to anger and cruelty but lately I have had such a hard time even getting on this site. Mind you I do not claim to be the greatest wrestler or the quickest learner. I work hard, I get in the ring, I try and still can’t win all the time or even some of the time. Wrestling is hard. I love it and that is what keeps me going. I love what I do. Now, I do want to say spank you to everyone that supports me and everyone that understands what it is like to always be the underdog. You are my passion!!! Passion is my motivation!! if you want to be negative that is okay. I just can’t read your comments cause negativity breeds negativity. I refuse to get down on myself. I could lose a million times and mess up a thousand things and as long as I love being out there I continue to march on. That is what all people try to do. Continue on! Live breathe, love, and be happy! I grew up in a small town and always heard NO to all of my crazy big dreams. I continue to hear NO now and it does not scare me. It inspires me. Michelle can beat me, kick me when I am down, get in my face but I will survive. I will keep going as long as one little girl, boy, man, woman or even my dog still believes in me. I have a great family and I fight for them. I continue to fight. Passion is my Motivation and no one can beat out my PASSION!! Spanks and Kisses, Maria Kanellis
Personally, I feel that the “working hard” sentiment was forfeited years ago. It’s one thing for a girl that’s new to the ring to be awkward and take a bit to advance her skills, but Maria’s been in the WWE and training since 2005 (all she did in 2004 was hold a microphone) – that’s over 3 years. Melanie and I have discussed this numerous times: either a girl has the skills or she doesn’t. Some, no matter how hard they try, simply don’t have the ring presence. Maryse is an example of someone who picked up ring presence practically over night, allowing her to become a convincing wrestler light years ahead of schedule, if Maria’s progress were to be a measuring stick. I believe Maria will always be awkward in the ring, unless she finds a way to stop running on her tip toes and deliver a convincing punch. She desperately needs that “It” factor and she’s been looking for it for 3 years now – all signs seem to indicate that that ship has sailed.
What do you think? Are Maria’s critic’s being too harsh? Can she really become a great wrestler? Or do you believe, like me, that she’s been simply treading water all this time? Sound off in the comments!
Yesterday’s edition of Smackdown saw Maryse win the Divas Championship, becoming the second Diva to hold the title. Her new photoshoot, “New Divas Champion” celebrates this, showing the Diva posing with her spoils. She stills looks as cocky and confident as ever, and as much as I hate the look of the belt, I have to admit that it looks great on her. I also love her sleek, gold-studded coat. It compliments her cutting-edge style. I love this shoot for many reasons, chief among them being the fact that the Divas Championship is around her waist. I truly can’t wait to see what she does with it.
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The Divas of Friday Night SmackDown are here to give ‘Boxing Day’ a brand new meaning! Going out with a bang in 2008, watch as Michelle McCool defends her Divas Championship against Maryse with Maria as special guest referee.
Like any good season finale, a lot of old storylines are tied up and this week’s SmackDown certainly made the start of ’09 a whole lot more interesting for our blue-brand beauties! Check it out below:
Welcome to the Perfect 10 of 2008, the countdown that highlights Diva Dirt‘s ten top Divas and Knockouts of ’08! Which Divas/Knockouts have made the biggest impact? From champions to talented wrestlers to big personalities, the Perfect 10 has them all!
7. MELINA
2008 may not have been as golden for Melina, as 2007 was but that didn’t stop her from having one hell of a year. The A-List Diva transformed from the bitch we love to hate to a fan favourite, in a rather smooth transition.
For a Diva who plays the bad girl so well, 2008 saw a new side of Melina and it was a side we loved. The Diva stepped up her game ten-fold this year, looking more impressive in the ring than ever before. So imagine the fans’ disappointment when Melina went down with an injury in June.
And while she didn’t pick up the Women’s Championship, her accolades include appearing at WrestleMania, battling Beth Phoenix in the first ever Divas “I Quit” match at One Night Stand and returning triumphantly from injury in November.
Melina looks set to become the #1 Contender for the title in 2009, will she earn her third title reign?
Check back tomorrow for #6
