Well, I guess it was inevitable that we’d lose at least one Diva… unfortunately it was a Diva that has been heavily part of SmackDown over the past six months. Cherry has been cut from the roster, I guess simply because she’s not a cookie-cutter bimbo. This has to be seen as a complete surprise, considering how much Cherry has appeared on television and even been booked in programmes of her own (with Maryse) despite not fitting the Diva mould. Cherry had a unique look and I guess in WWE’s eyes, that’s a bad thing when it comes to Divas.
Maryse Makes a Few Valid Points
The other day, I inadvertently linked Maria and Maryse, but today it looks like a feud may be a-brewin’ between these two Divas. WWE.com’s lastest Diva Dish featured a few quotes by Maryse, and while it’s obviously all in character, it’s funny to see her point out a few things that I may feel as well:
“Obviously she never planned to break my nose because she has no athleticism. I’m not scared of Maria at all. I think she’s just a funny joke,†Maryse said.
“And she says I’m not smart. Well, I’m not the one who showed up there in a winter outfit. Honestly, we don’t ski in the summer. We play tennis, we don’t ski.â€
Maryse also shared her views on Maria’s fashion sense. Maria is a budding fashion designer who often totes her sewing machine to live events to work on her infamous hoodies and in-ring gear.
“The best designers are French – we all know that. That’s a fact, I’m not inventing anything. She talks about fashion all the time and that she’s really good at it, but she has no clue what she’s talking about. If you look at the way she dresses, it’s unfortunately so cheesy,†Maryse said.
“When I look at her, I see somebody who tries and thinks that she’s got it, but she doesn’t know. That’s the funniest part for me. She thinks she’s good, but she’s not, actually. And us French people all know that. It makes me laugh every time!â€
So, in a hypothetical feud, which Diva would you root for, SmackDown’s newest acquisition or her French counterpart?
[poll=146]
Katie Lea Sure Isn’t Feeling “Summer”y
Katie Lea may have been ousted out of a possible Summerslam match, but that doesn’t mean she’s completely disappeared. Her latest photoshoot, “Tough Love”, is simple yet effective. She looks gorgeous, and her black ensemble is sexy without looking trashy. This photoshoot isn’t my main concern, though.. I wonder if it was the smart move to substitute Beth Phoenix & Santino in for her & Paul Burchill. What do you think – do you prefer the WWE’s newest “odd couple” or the most sinister siblings? Sound off in the comments!
[poll=145]
YouTube Classics: Trish/Ashley vs. Candice/Maria
Welcome to the YouTube Classics! Coinciding with the opening of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, this week’s theme will be “WWE Goes Global”, featuring matches in international settings. Today, we have Trish Stratus & Ashley vs. Candice Michelle & Maria from the December 19th, 2005 “Tribute to the Troops” event. Recently, the WWE has initiated a tradition in which they make a yearly trip oversees to perform for U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East. Every year the event – aired on or around Christmas – both produces good buzz for the comapny and generates morale for the U.S. troops:
Maria & Maryse Show Their True Colors
It’s time to play photoshoot catch-up. I missed yesterday’s bath of photos, so I’m condensing two posts into one. Here, we have two SmackDown Divas playing a bit of color theory – Maria‘s rocking the blue in her “Blue Beauty” photoshoot, and Maryse is surrounded by sunny yellow in “Ray of Light”. Both girls look fabulous, but I looooveee that shade of yellow in Maryse’s photoshoot. Did I ever tell you my favorite Power Ranger was the yellow ranger? No? Well, maybe that’s why I have this long-running bias towards yellow. Anywayyyysss… Tell me what you think: are you feeling Maria’s blue or are you more entranced by Maryse’s yellow? Photoshoot-wise, I have to give the edge to Maryse – that girl can take fantastic photos.
[poll=143]
[poll=144]
Raw Redux – August 11, 2008
This week on Raw: The build-up towards SummerSlam saw a fun match between Mickie James and Santino. Beth Phoenix once again destroyed Kelly Kelly too.
Thoughts & Reactions
I was really sceptical last week when WWE put the kibosh on ongoing storylines – Mickie vs Katie Lea and Paul Burchill vs Kofi Kingston – and opted to work towards a Winner Take All match at SummerSlam. But judging by this week’s follow-up, the build-up has been fun and really made me excited for this Sunday’s pay per view. It seems, WWE put more effort into the booking this week than they ever did with the Women’s Championship feud between Mickie and Katie. In one night, they manage to have a strong build-up towards a pay per view match and I don’t know about you, but I’m now looking forward to what could be a unique match at SummerSlam.
While the thought of Mickie vs Beth for the umpteenth time does nothing for me, making this a Winner Take All intergender tag match adds some new flare to an otherwise beaten horse. Not to mention, the new comedy double act of Santino and Beth should add some humour into this match at SummerSlam. Will Mickie finally give up the title? A lot of fans are speculating, even the critics, that Beth will take the Intercontinental Championship and make Santino carry the Women’s Championship – as absurd as that sounds, it also adds some importance to the Women’s Championship and the Divas. Two things I’m all for!
Back to the broadcast, Beth and Kelly had a so-so match compared to their encounter a few weeks. I had worried that Kelly would become just another Maria or Ashley on Raw but nope, she’s working on a regular basis and that’s nice to see. Despite some sloppiness in the ring, Kelly is working hard and I have to admire that. Even though she’s jobbing out in most of her matches, just being on screen and being on matches on a regular basis put Kelly a notch up from Maria or Ashley during their tenures on Raw. A few weeks ago, Kelly and Beth shared an intense chemistry in the ring – that was kinda lost this week, but the match was fine though nothing compared to their match last month. I liked the end segment with Santino wanting Beth to hit another move on Kelly.
As for Mickie vs Santino, well when Santino was cutting his promo if you didn’t clock on he was talking about a match with Mickie and not Kofi – make sure you take the slow bus when school starts up again, won’t cha? I would have liked to see Mickie be more aggressive and really wow the crowd the same way Beth did in her return match with Santino last month, there wasn’t that “Oh my god, Mickie’s totally beating up Santino” element that made you both want to cheer for her and laugh at the same time. Santino going over was the right thing to do, giving the challengers the momentum going into SummerSlam. The danger now is though, the champions will pick up the win at the pay per view. I think it’s a wise move to put the titles on Beth and Santino. All around, it was a passable Raw that did it’s job – pushing Sunday’s match.
Michelle Spikes, Victoria Splits
The Summer Olympics are in full swing, and Michelle McCool and Victoria are the last to show off their Olympic threads. Michelle’s a volleyball player, and though in my 8+ years of volleyball experience I never saw a uniform like that, she looks like she means business. Victoria’s gymnast getup looks ultra cheap.. What, no sparkly leotard? Well, at least the USA’s Women’s Gymnastics team took home the Silver last night..
[poll=141]
[poll=142]
50 Sexiest Divas: A Few Clues
Diva Dirt‘s first annual 50 Sexiest Divas list will be revealed on Monday, but we can give you a few clues about how the final list is shaping up. Bear in mind that counting is still ongoing but so far we can reveal:
– There are at least three former Women’s Champions in the top ten
– Two redheads in the top twenty
– Only one TNA Knockout in the top ten thus far
– The top spot is currently being battled for by a blonde and a brunette
The full list will be revealed right here on Diva Dirt on Monday, so stay tuned!
Candice is “On the Point”
Candice may or may not be on her way to SmackDown, but she’s still heating up WWE.com with new photoshoots. This one, “On the Point”, is one of the better ones of her recent batch. I’m still not liking her new hair-do (the reddish-purpleish color makes it look like a wig), but I like this shoot. She’s kept the poses simple, and though her jewelry is over the top (I like it, though.. The neutral colors keep it from being too much), her facial expressions aren’t. This is how I like my Candice: sexy but relatively simple.
[poll=139]
YouTube Classics: The Kat vs. Terri at Insurrextion
Welcome to the YouTube Classics! Coinciding with the opening of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, this week’s theme will be “WWE Goes Global”, featuring matches in international settings. Today, we have The Kat vs. Terri in an arm wrestling match from the 2000 Insurrextion PPV. Insurrextion, until recently, had been the WWE’s yearly UK-only PPV, taping and airing only in the United Kingdom. At times, this was cause for excuse to get a little more risky in content when compared to their Stateside affairs:
Paparazzo Makes Maryse Cry
Rising SmackDown Diva, Maryse, may have been wowing the crowds in her mixed tag match that also featured Eve at WWE’s SummerFest this weekend – but after the event, our French-Canadian hottie got a grim taste of what it is to be a celebrity. Reports out of the event state that a paparazzo was seen getting in Maryse’s face with his camera, making her run away and hiding behind a corner. Maryse returned, visibly in tears. Read one fan’s account below, courtesy of PWInsider:
I was standing just inside the lobby of the hotel having a conversation with Maryse telling her about my friend Jared in hopes she would take a picture with him. (I met her last year so I wasn’t interested). In the middle of our conversation, as she was starting for the door to come out and take a picture with Jared, this paparazzi guys comes into the hotel and shoved his video camera in Maryse’s face causing her to grab her bag and run around the corner. At this point the WWE PR people went haywire.
This guy had already supposedly gotten into another of the diva’s face earlier in the day and now he was out of control. He was ordered off of the property and the police were called. He refused to stop recording and leave. He even went as far as to make the remarks that why doesn’t she come out and take a picture with this guy in the wheelchair. The WWE people made it very clear that she wanted to, but he needed to turn off the camera first. He refused saying it was his right and asked why doesn’t she just come out.
The WWE people repeatedly asked him to just let her come out and take care of this fan but he got rude and distasteful. At some point Maryse did come out, crying by now, jumped in her limo and left. The paparazzi literally chased the limo down the street. When it stopped at the Stop sign, they stood in front of the limo snapping pictures.
Coincidence or Fate?
Is it merely a coincidence that Ashley Massaro‘s first public appearance since her WWE release will be at a strip club? Or is it fate giving us another LOL-worthy moment? Either way, Ashley will be part of a barrage of former Playboy models who will be appearing at “The Scene” in Commack, Long Island, NY this Wednesday.
One liners at the ready folks!
Tammy Sytch Turns Down the Classiest Show on TV
Looks like Tammy Sytch hasn’t let herself hit rock bottom like other ex-wrestling stars have (*cough* Chyna *cough*). The lady formerly known as Sunny wrote on her MySpace blog (which you can view here) that she recently turned down an offer to appear on Season 3 of VH1’s reality show Rock of Love:
I got a phone call from the casting directors of Rock of Love 3– they want me on it, but I politely turned them down..lol.
For those unaware (and pretty damn lucky, IMO), Rock of Love stars Bret Michaels (pictured above), lead singer of the band Posion, and chronicles his quest to find his lady love. Needless to say, since the show is in its third season, he hasn’t had much luck. The women on the show aren’t the classiest bunch, obviously, so it’s nice to know that Tammy won’t be sullying the Sunny name by appearing on that glorified STD convention. You know my feelings on the show, but what do you think? Would you have liked to see Tammy on Rock of Love?
[poll=138]
Candice Feelin’ a Lil’ Blue?
With Candice‘s return seemingly imminent, there seems to be a spanner thrown in the works…
The above is advertising for SmackDown’s move from the CW to MyNetworkTV in the fall and prominently features the former Women’s Champion. Will Candice be making her re-emergence on Friday nights? While I’m not a Candice fan by any means, I think this would be a huge blow to Raw as they will lose yet another face. Not to mention, this will overcrowd SmackDown’s already steady and growing division. With Michelle McCool and Maria at the forefront of SmackDown, there’s hardly room for Candice too! WWE is already showing signs of booking Maria at the expense of Michelle, what will become of the Divas Champion if Candice jumps too? Meanwhile over on Raw, Candice’s return could surely take the edge off of Mickie James‘ current stale run as Women’s Champion and top babyface. Candice has a built-in return angle with Beth Phoenix too, let’s not forget.
Your Inner Fangirl is Showing, Beth..
Beth Phoenix seems to be in a “Dark Knight” mood, as she’s again posing with a bit of a Batman theme. This time, in a photoshoot titled “The Two Faces of Beth Phoenix” (which I’m calling “Two-Face” because I know that’s what they’re going for anyways), she’s posing as both a black-suited figure reminiscent of Christian Bale’s caped crusader and a green-and-purple grinning maniac in the vein of Heath Ledger’s celebrated Joker persona. I think it’s pretty cool and inventive, and I can’t blame Beth a bit for letting her fangirl out – I’m pretty crazy about Hulk and Spider-Man, and Melanie loves her some Superman, so we can’t exactly fault her for it! But where’s Two-Face, Beth? Perhaps a charred face would’ve been too much for WWE.com viewers. :P
[poll=137]
Olympics Fever Keeps on Spreading
It’s Cherry and Maryse‘s turn to sport their “Summer Olympics” looks. Cherry looks like she would’ve been right at home back during WrestleMania when Melina, Eve, and others posed in their boxing best in preparation of the Mayweather/Big Show bout. She looks cute, even sans-gloves, but why so orange, Cherry? Don’t force me to make a fruit joke – no one wants to see that. Maryse is going the tennis route, swinging a racquet and sporting the Canadian Maple Leaf. She looks great as always, though she might want to give Kurt Angle his medals back.. Which Diva do you think is worthy of the gold medal?
[poll=135]
[poll=136]
Watch: Eve & Maryse at SummerFest
Yesterday at WWE’s SummerFest, SmackDown Divas, Eve Torres and Maryse were on opposing teams when Eve teamed up with Jimmy Wang Yang and Maryse with Carlito. This was Eve’s first major wrestling appearance for WWE and although we didn’t see much of her, she seemed to fare well against Maryse. Check it out below:
Maria & Natalya Get Olympic
Following last night’s “Summer Olympics” tag team match, Maria and Natalya have posed for the cameras in their Olympic costumes. Maria makes for a sexy skier, although hers is definitely not a Summer Olympic sport. Points for effort, though. Natalya opted for a less-than-flattering, yet inventive Equestrian costume. It make not be as sexy as Maria’s getup, but at least her sport is actually being contested! Which do you prefer?
[poll=133]
[poll=134]
Woman on the Verge?
Look who is now included in the SmackDown title sequence! If the above image is any indication, looks like Alicia Fox is a woman on the verge… of fame, that is! Hopefully, this is a sign that we’ll be seeing more of Alicia in the future and hopefully in the women’s division! With Eve wrestling at today’s SummerFest, it would be cool to see both Alicia and Eve integrated into the women’s division soon, bringing our Diva count to 8 for Friday nights.
WWE’s in the Well-Wishing Mood!
And in the world of sports entertainment, that’s never a good thing! When WWE postponed their annual post-WrestleMania cuts this year, it was just a matter of “when?” Well as John Cena would say, the time is now! I guess it’s now pre-SummerSlam cuts? Half a dozen Superstars have been wished well in their future endeavors over the past two days – however no Divas have heard WWE’s version of Heidi Klum’s “auf wiedersehen” so far.
We want to ask you, which Diva do you want to see pack their bags and go home? Vote below!
[poll=132]
YouTube Classics: Maria vs. Jillian Hall
Welcome to the YouTube Classics! With Maria’s debut on SmackDown this past Friday, our theme this week will be “With Legs Like That”, taking notice of some of Maria’s most memorable WWE moments. Today, we have Maria vs. Jillian Hall from a 2008 edition of Heat. Recently and until its demise, Heat served as a spot for Divas so have longer and more technical matches. Here, Maria gets the opportunity to show off her ring skills that RAW often doesn’t provide:
Eve To Make Wrestling Debut… Sorta!
I’m not exactly sure if it’s her “mainstream” wrestling debut for WWE, by that I mean, not on a house show or down in developmental. And to be honest, I’m too lazy to check hence the “sorta.” Anyhow, SmackDown’s forgotten Diva, Eve Torres will step into the ring tomorrow at WWE’s second annual SummerFest in a mixed tag match!
Eve will team up with Jimmy Wang Yang to take on Carlito and the ever-improving Maryse. Like Maryse and Cherry, could Eve surprise us and actually be half decent in the ring?
Michelle Can’t Keep It Up
Sexual innuendo subsiding, Michelle McCool really can’t keep it up… her belt I mean! Two weeks ago on SmackDown, we saw Michelle make her debut as Divas Champion, every now and again stopping to try and hold up her belt around that skinny lil frame. Well she isn’t having any better luck in her inevitable photoshoot with the title, following the trend started by other face champions including Trish Stratus, Candice Michelle and Mickie James.
It’s almost as if Michelle is trying to give us two shoots in one, sporting two different looks with the title as an accessory. I’m not a big fan of either look, though I like the first outfit more so than the second one. Looks like someone went shopping at Torrie Wilson‘s store!
[poll=130]
Jillian Gets Swept Away (In Plastic Surgery)
The last time we saw Jillian, her Summer Skin photos weren’t attracting the kind of praise she was probably hoping for. Well, it looks like she’s not going to get a much better response from this new photoshoot, “Wind Swept”. She, obviously, still has her over-worked face on full display, collagen and all. I always say this, but it’s such a shame that she decided to go so deep into the plastic surgery realm when she was pretty to begin with! I mean, how can this possibly look natural to anyone? It sucks, because she’s a great talent, but she decided to go for the full-on Barbie look and, by the looks of it, failed miserably. Am I overreacting, or are you seeing the same Jillian that I am?
[poll=129]
Torrie Returns To Shake Her Money Maker
My home girl, Torrie Wilson is officially ready to hit the circuit once again! Three months after her WWE retirement and 9 months since her injury, Torrie is now accepting bookings for appearances including wrestling shows… though not as a wrestler, of course Torrie suffered a career-ending back injury. Word has it that Torrie’s people are requesting a cool $7000 per appearance. Is this a case of “Oh no she didn’t?”, I’ll let you decide!
Back in May, Torrie expressed to me that she was done with wrestling which makes me a little surprised to see her taking bookings for independent shows etc. It got me wondering, do I want to see the Diva who I have admired for an entire career, really go the route of the Dawn Maries and Sunnys? By that I mean, these days those two former Divas attempt to scrap together their money from conventions and indy shows. I feel, in the long run, this tends to tarnish the careers they had in their prime and it would be better just to make a clean break… just look at Trish Stratus and Lita. Sure, Lita made the odd indy appearance – but for the most part, both these Divas have their legends in tact and moved on gracefully. I would love to see Torrie do the same, it’s not like she hasn’t got other great prospects to look forward to. What do you think? Sound off in the comments!