Sunday, November 24, 2024

YouTube Classics: “Cheerleader” Tag Team match

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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 & Torrie Wilson vs. Mickie James & Victoria in a “Cheerleader” Tag Team match from a 2006 edition of RAW. It seemed to be Team Red vs. Team Blue, as each team sported their own matching uniforms. With Maria and Torrie as the obvious underdogs, it looked like they had quite a challenge ahead of them:

50 Sexiest Divas Logs Near 900 Votes

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Our first ever 50 Sexiest Divas list has generated a near 900 votes, we can confirm today. Much like FHM, Maxim and People, Diva Dirt held voting for our own Diva-centric list in June. Your votes are currently being counted and the full list will be revealed on Monday, August 18th, 2008.

Which Diva will be #1? Find out the day after SummerSlam! The winning Diva will receive a real trophy from us for their achievement!

SmackDown Spoilers for August 8th

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SmackDown spoilers are up, courtesy of gerweck.net. Highlight below to view:

Maryse, Victoria, & Natalya defeat Michelle McCool, Cherry, & Maria.

Raw Redux – August 04, 2008

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This week on Raw: Mickie James defeated Katie Lea once again, only to be attacked by Beth Phoenix. Layla and Kelly Kelly also made appearances.

Thoughts & Reactions
If WWE were a man, he’d be a premature ejaculator. When it comes to the ladies, WWE likes to rush into things with little to no impact and last night might have been the single most “blink and you’ll miss it” moment in Diva history. As my good friend *cough* Heidi Klum would say, one day you’re in and the next you’re out. That’s exactly what happened on Raw as Katie was out and Beth was in, in a matter of seconds. Say goodbye to the long drawn programme that has taken place between Katie and Mickie over the past couple of months and say hello to a tag team match at SummerSlam between Kofi Kingston and Mickie  taking on Beth and Santino.

Last week, I was full of hope and optimism… that was lost the second Mike Adamle announced there would be three title defences on Raw. I immediately knew we’d get Katie vs Mickie on Raw instead of at SummerSlam. My hope was deflated as I knew that we wouldn’t get the build-up I had so excitedly written about last week, instead we would get another lackluster match relegated to Raw. Did WWE not learn a few weeks ago how stale and boring this match was? They really needed the next few weeks to get fans interested again and pay us off at SummerSlam, after last week they incited some excitement in us fans but this week instead of continuing that booking, like any premature ejaculator… they peaked too soon. It was far too soon for this rematch and did nothing for either Diva, especially Katie Lea. We’ve been saying for weeks now, what is the point of a rematch unless Katie finally wins the title? I thought even though it’s not SummerSlam like I had hoped, they could redeem themselves by giving Katie the title. Instead, we got Mickie defeating Katie for the third straight time, which leaves one to wonder… what is the point? What point does it serve to have Mickie go over each and every time? Honestly, they continue to book the programme but have Katie lose every time, that’s not a storyline, that’s a waste of time. But to be honest, I don’t think last night’s match was worthy of a title change at all… it was a dark night in the career of Mickie James and to a lesser extent, Katie Lea. This was one of the worst matches I’ve seen two experienced wrestlers compete in, in quite some time. The whole match was uncomfortable and plodded along. Katie is continuously unexciting in the ring, given the push she has received and the skills she has – why is her wrestling so bland?! This match was really awkward to watch.

Match Ratings: PASS / FAIL
Comments: Third time lucky? No chance!

Next up we have Beth Phoenix officially in the title race again, attacking Mickie after the match. Am I the only one to let out a really big groan? The last thing I want to see is Beth vs Mickie again! Their feud was less than stellar the first time round but if they share more chemistry in the ring than Katie and Mickie obviously had, I guess I can learn to deal. I’m not too excited for the SummerSlam tag team match, but I would prefer it to a singles match between the two.

Layla also appeared on Raw, doing what she does best… dancing the night away! Is it just me or was William Regal about to say, “Every King needs a Queen” when he was interrupted by Jamie Noble?! Could you imagine Queen Layla?! Eek, if only he had been able to finish the sentence =(

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Candice Michelle is a Knockout

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No, it’s not a TNA reference, but Candice‘s new photoshoot “Knockout” may indicate that she’s on her way back to the WWE. That’s not to say that I’m jumping up and down at the thought, because RAW and SmackDown have gotten along pretty well without her. I’m willing to give her a shot, of course, but this, like her last photoshoot, has not impressed me at all. I like her outfit, but not in the way it’s presented. The delicate top paired with a knuckle ring and a load of steel pipes in the background just doesn’t mesh. Not to mention, the fact that ring is presented as “brass knuckles” in a few pictures just makes her look ridiculous. It’s not sexy or intimidating. The photoshoot as a whole isn’t terrible by any means.. It’s just not put together well.

[poll=127]

The Winner Takes It All…

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A coinkidink considering I just saw Mamma Mia! at the weekend? I think not! For those who are late to the party, last night on Raw we found out that there would be a mixed (or is it intergender?) tag team match at SummerSlam for both the Intercontinental and Women’s Championships. Could you imagine Santino’s rendition of The Winner Takes It All if he and Beth Phoenix were to defeat Kofi Kingston and Mickie James? Something tells me it won’t be quite as appealing as Oscar-winner, Meryl Streep’s take…

Anyhoo, this match goes down in just two weeks and has already left many fans divided. I, for one, am totally against this idea. I think it’s stupid and I am certainly not checkin’ for Beth vs Mickie Part 215465. I was hoping we’d see Katie Lea vs Mickie at the pay per view but they wasted that last night; more on that in the Raw Redux. This match harkens back to the 2000 edition of SummerSlam, when Val Venis and Trish Stratus teamed up against Eddie Guerrero and Chyna, in an Intercontinental Championship match, just thought I’d throw in some trivia!

What do you think of our SummerSlam Divas offering?

Love & Sky: Why TNA is Better

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Velvet Sky and Angelina Love were recently interviewed by the Miami Herald, speaking on a range of topics, but mostly focusing on the state of women’s wrestling. Obviously, with TNA’s reputation of spawning butthurt wrestlers, one has come to expect a few potshots at the WWE when it comes to TNA interviews. However, despite the predictable shots taken by Love and Sky, they do have valid points. Here’s a selection of quotes:

‘The women’s division in TNA definitely sets us apart from any other form of women’s wrestling because we offer something called variety,” Sky said. “None of us looks exactly the same. There’s blonde hair, dark hair, red hair, no hair.

“It sets us apart because we all look different. We all dress different. We all wrestle different, and we don’t offer fluff-n-nutter that you see elsewhere. We’re hard hitting.

“Every girl has something different to offer. We all have wrestling experience. We all wrestle differently, different styles. We’re not models who don’t know anything or don’t know how to do anything. We all have experience and backgrounds in wrestling, and we really take women’s wrestling to a different level.”

The Beautiful People took it to a new level, working well together in the ring, on promos and during interviews. They improve, and the TNA women’s division is improving, attracting more fans.

”I think it’s starting to gain respect, again,” Love said.

Sky: “Because of us.”

Love: ‘There’s some aspects where it’s like, `This sucks,’ because it’s all models, and this is brutal, brutal, brutal, but then you can watch us and be like, ‘Oh my God. Those girls actually know how to wrestle.’ It’s crazy.”

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SmackDown Redux – August 01, 2008

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Late again! Sorry, I’ll stay for detention =( But this week, I have an excuse (kinda) – it was my birthday! Don’t ask how old I am though, but here’s a hint: the dinosaurs were still around when I was born.

Last week on SmackDown: Maria made her auspicious debut to SmackDown, with a victory over Victoria. Only, it wasn’t so auspicious…

Just how the hell do you solve a problem like Maria?! It seems in one night, Maria nearly undid all the good we’d been seeing on SmackDown since post-WrestleMania. In that time, we saw the arrival of Natalya, the in-ring improvements of Maryse, Cherry, Kelly Kelly and Layla and we crowned a new Divas Champion in Michelle McCool. Wrestling wise, SmackDown has really worked hard to give Raw a run for it’s money; but last week, I couldn’t help but cringe as I somehow powered through the match pitting Maria against the veteran, Victoria. For weeks now, Maria has been hyped up for her big debut – but it’s obvious what she hasn’t been doing in her time away and that’s brushing up on her in-ring skills.

Two months ago in our Diva Draft, I wrote how I felt Maria moving to SmackDown was a wise choice and then it happened. Since then, I’ve continued that Maria would be an asset to the division – adding some star power while being able to hone her skills, well judging by last week’s performance – she has a long, long way to go. Is Maria the new Ashley? This whole match was so slow, with Maria needing at least five seconds between every spot, needless to say it didn’t look like a seamless, professional wrestling match. Maria was carried all the way through the match by Victoria, only to win with a crappy, weak clothesline from the middle rope. But before the end, we had a dull match that plodded along seemingly with no end in sight; come the final bell, I was truly exhausted. Perhaps not seeing Maria on my screen for so long, I had become disillusioned as to how bad she really is? But to me, she seemed even worse than some of her matches on Raw and hot damn, SmackDown has three days to edit!

Rome wasn’t built in a day and Kelly Kelly didn’t become passable in a day either, maybe Maria will develop the way of Kelly with more in-ring time at her disposal. One thing can be said for the Diva though, is wow… what an effin’ huge reaction she got! The crowd was totally bonkers for Maria, it just doesn’t make sense!

Match Rating: PASS / FAIL
Comments: Not even the Vicious Vixen could solve this problem!

Two weeks after winning the Divas Championship, Michelle McCool was unceremoniously bumped to make room for Maria. I totally didn’t see this happening, I was assuming they’d somehow fit in two Divas segments to get Michelle on the show… but they didn’t. Not cool if you ask me. For the second week in a row, no Natalya either. The two cornerstones of the SmackDown women’s division were sorely missed last week; but the question is: How will WWE work Maria and Michelle around each other? No doubt, they’re intent on pushing Maria but they surely couldn’t at the expense of the Divas Champ? Could they?

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Maria’s A Little Blue

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Maria seems to be on track to becoming one of SmackDown’s top Divas, so it’s only fitting that her wardrobe match her new home. Her new photoshoot, “SmackDown Blue” is quite good, I’d say. That shade of blue really caught my eye, and this is probably one of the first times I’ve liked Maria’s style of tights. The Hulk Hogan-style boa attached to the hood could probably stand to line the bottom of her garbage can, though.. I’m also impressed by the fact that Maria worked a few new facial expressions, only breaking out her signature trout pout once. She’s weening herself off of it – huzzah!

[poll=125]

YouTube Classics: Cena/Maria vs. Edge/Lita

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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 John Cena & Maria vs. Edge & Lita from a 2006 edition of RAW. Even when paired with the WWE Champion, Maria was still the underdog, as she was going against a much more experienced opponent in Lita:

Taylor’s Got Issues

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I have always thought TNA Knockout Champion, Taylor Wilde had a striking resemblance to teen queen, Lauren Conrad from the infectious MTV series, The Hills. Turns out, just like that very show, Taylor is not without her own melodramas – Taylor has an issue uttering the letters “WWE.” Uh-huh, you read right. Taylor apparently felt so jilted by the company that she cannot mention them by name; well she is only 22 years of age. But any teen queen knows when to *in an obnoxious voice* get over it. Taylor talked to the Miami Herald:

When Shantelle Malawski received word in August 2007 of her dismissal from her WWE contract, developmental, it was very difficult. So difficult, in fact, the current TNA Knockout champ still doesn’t like mentioning that company’s name.

After spending six months away from the business, one phone call from TNA changed her life, and Taylor Wilde was born. A wild start, she won the TNA women’s title in just her third TNA televised match by defeating one of the best, the toughest, Awesome Kong.

”As soon as I got a phone call from TNA, it totally revitalized me,” said Wilde, 22. “I would never think backward, and everything happens for a reason. I’m now glad the company [WWE] let me go.”

You can read more of the article by clicking here, it’s a very good read. It’s hard to believe Taylor is only 22 years old and already a champion, but I’ll be honest she has grown on me as a performer. I really enjoyed the Impact main event this past Thursday! If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you seek it out on YouTube =)

Knockout Saeed Out of Action

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TNA Knockout, Raisha Saeed (aka Cheerleader Melissa) suffered a leg injury during a “routine workout”, which will put her out of action. Saeed’s injury comes one month after fellow Knockout, Moose, broke her leg in a freak accident too. This is particularly bad timing for Melissa, as if you saw Impact this week, I think we were teased a 8 Knockout tag match for TNA’s next pay per view.

We’d like to send our best wishes to Melissa! Get well soon!

Saturday Night’s Main Event Kind of Pisses Me Off

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Tonight, if you were unaware, marks the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event, airing at 9 pm EST. on NBC. The show was taped before RAW on Monday, so there are spoilers out and about. Below, without spoiling anything, I’ve listed tonight’s lineup. If you do not wish to know even that, turn away now!!

• The Great Khali vs. Jimmy Wang Yang.
• Jeff Hardy vs. Edge
• John Cena & Cryme Tyme & Batista vs. JBL & Kane & Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase.

I’m curious to know your opinion on the lack of a Divas match in the lineup. That’s not to say there’s no Diva appearances at all, but don’t you think they could have used the exposure that NBC gives them to showcase one of their Diva feuds? Obviously, RAW and SmackDown have plenty of Diva rivalries to showcase. And don’t you think Katie Lea and Mickie James could have used the event as momentum for their feud going into a possible Summerslam match? Cast your vote below and sound off in the comments!

[poll=124]

Style Showdown: On the Mend

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Welcome to Style Showdown, a feature to cure weekends of slow news! In Style Showdown, we take two Diva rivals from the past or present and put them in a battle of a different kind – in a battle of “Who looks better!”

Previously on Style Showdown: SmackDown Divas Eve and Maryse got “dressed up” in a battle of the lesser-known Friday night gals. Maryse easily came out on top with 121 votes, while Eve only drew 59 votes.

This week, we’ve got two Divas that are currently on the DL (Disabled List, for you non-sports fans out there). In one corner, we have Candice Michelle, prepping for a return after re-injuring her clavicle. In the other corner, Melina, healing up after suffering a heel injury. With both of these girls itching to get back into the ring, you know their competitive streak is at an all-time high. So, who would win this battle? Candice, dressed in bright purple and blue, or Melina, lounging in more subdued hues? Check out the full photoshoots below and make your decision!

Candice (“Up Close”)

Melina (“Morning Flower”)

[poll=123]

YouTube Classics: Playboy Evening Gown Match

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Welcome to the YouTube Classics! With this past week marking the 33rd birthday of former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson, this week’s theme will be “The Covergirl”, showcasing some of Torrie Wilson’s biggest career moments. Today, we have Torrie Wilson & Sable vs. Miss Jackie & Stacy Keibler in a “Playboy Evening Gown match” from WrestleMania 20. In her career, Torrie has managed to make appearances at a number WrestleManias, and this match was certainly one of the most memorable:

The Diva Dirt Sheet: Episode 2

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A twice belated second episode of The Diva Dirt Sheet is now available! As you probably realised, we didn’t have a show last week so we tried to make up for that this week but again, we were late by a day! Anyhoo this week on the show, we discuss a whole range of topics including but not limited to: Our new Divas Champion, the future of Kelly Kelly, The Dark Knight and a few other topics!

Listen below and tell us what you think!

[audio:dirtsheet2.mp3]
Run Time: 59:59

Could Kelly Kelly Be More Brown?

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Talk about blending in! Raw’s Kelly Kelly seems almost naked in her latest photoshoot at WWE.com, Shining For You, because it’s hard to tell where her skin tone ends and her outfit begins. Is Kelly taking cues from newly minted A-Lister, Robert Downey Jr who “blacked up” for his role in upcoming comedy, Tropic Thunder? Our daily words of wisdom to Kelly would be: Lay off the fake tan!

[poll=121]

Shut Up Ashley and Shut Up Now!

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One month after leaving WWE, Ashley Massaro is already plotting her comeback to television. In her latest MySpace blog, Ashley writes that her sick daughter is responding to the medicine and doing well… but honestly, this whole thing is becoming a little suspicious to me now. It’ll be a month on Saturday since she wrote that infamous MySpace blog and already, already she is planning how to get her ass back on our screens.

Could this all have been a publicity stunt to get her out of WWE, in light of the escort scandal?

Raw Redux – July 28, 2008

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I apologise once again for the delay with the Redux, there must be something in the water! I would do something like blame it on that darn earthquake in LA but alas, I live in London…

This week on Raw: Beth Phoenix and Santino continued their odd couple act, managing to beat Kelly Kelly in the process. Jillian made her Raw return in a competetive match with Mickie James, who was then attacked by the vicious Katie Lea. Oh and Layla too!

Thoughts & Reactions
Someone call it. It’s a record… all our Raw Divas managed to get some screen time this week. Perhaps there’s something in the water over at WWE too, because this is unprecedented. A far cry from the days of Ashley and Maria, all our girls were on the show and played a useful role on the programme. From the comedy routine with Beth and Santino, to Mickie’s victory over Jillian and then beatdown from Katie and Layla’s ongoing plot with Jamie – it seems Raw really has turned a corner and for the better. Where to start? The Women’s Championship, methinks! Last week, I gave Katie Lea an open challenge to excite me and boy did she ever! Here’s exactly what I wrote:

To tell you the truth, the Mickie-Katie feud has waned in recent weeks and I’m just not that excited to see another match between these two unless Katie pulls off the big one and becomes the Women’s Champion. I don’t really see this rematch as SummerSlam worthy unless the title were to change hands. The mixed tag was on par with the mixed tag team match we saw a month or so back with Mr Kennedy in Kofi Kingston’s place, both of these matches were good. But it did leave me wondering “What will they do next?” Because like I say, I feel this feud has lost it’s steam. And I hate to say that because I have been championing this feud and hoping it would really take off, but as of yet we’ve not seen anything too exciting happen between Katie and Mickie. Katie is a very capable wrestler, but as the weeks pass I’m beginning to wonder what flare she has in the ring – because so far, she has been pretty average. I would love to see Katie more confident in the ring and really show us a move set that sets her apart from the other Divas, Beth Phoenix and Mickie James have their unique signature moves that they can turn to in every match but Katie so far, has only displayed the basic moves. Katie, I dare you to excite me in the ring! Come on, I know you have it in you…

A week later, I think there’s someone on WWE Creative that’s clued into Diva Dirt. Not only did they inject some life and passion into this stale feud, they made me want to see a rematch between these two. Katie finally it took to the next level in her devillish ways, attacking Mickie and blowing her daddy a kiss in the process. I felt this was a really cool touch, I love the addition of Mickie’s dad being at ringside and the little blowing of the kiss; it makes this more personal and raw (no pun intended) – hopefully Mickie’s dad will continue to pop up between now and SummerSlam when I believe, this match will take place. I asked last week, “What will they do next?” And this week, they planted the seeds to what could be a really intense feud leading to SummerSlam. Having Mickie’s dad involved, they could really push the buttons on this feud – this is something we rarely see happen in the women’s division where Divas automatically have to be jealous of each other to ignite a feud. In my head, this could be great… maybe have Katie and Paul Burchill attack her dad next week in the ring, maybe even have Paul hold Mickie and make her watch while Katie slaps him around. From there, you could have Mickie go a little bit psycho (an ode to her old character) and really take the fight to Katie. If they follow up on this, we have ourselves a great match at SummerSlam. Katie showed a lot of flare and personality in this segment and really did excite me… now please let that translate into your match with Mickie. As I wrote last week, you cannot have this rematch once again only for Katie to lose. Katie has to finally go over and become Women’s Champion. The next few weeks will be pivotal to see if she’s really worth the title or not, because so far her matches have been simply average. The right storyline combined with the perfect match at SummerSlam and Katie as champion, is not so far fetched. Since my plea was answered last week, it couldn’t hurt to plead once again right? WWE, I dare you to follow up on this feud in the correct manner (i.e. as written above).

Okay next up, we have a segment that just about everyone loved… Beth Phoenix and Santino teaming up against Kelly Kelly and the returning D-Lo Brown. Not much to write home about was this match, it was fine for what it was – to set up a comedy act between Beth and Santino. I don’t know where this is going but it adds a nice dynamic to the Glamazon. Great work from both Divas involved. Speaking of, great work from Mickie and Jillian later in the night – compared to their singles match a few weeks ago, this was a lot more competetive and back and forth with Jillian looking really good in the ring. It was surprising to see Jillian get as much offense as she did, but this was a really good match.

Match Ratings: PASS / FAIL
Comments: Both matches were fine.

Last but not least, Layla continues her storyline with Jamie Noble. I don’t think WWE even knows what they’re doing here, I really like the idea of Layla and Kofi Kingston so I was happy to see them in the ring together… make it happen, WWE!

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SmackDown Spoilers for August 1st

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It looks like SmackDown has finally debuted their new edition! Highlight below to read some (very undetailed) spoilers:

Maria defeats Victoria.

Cherry Gets a Bit Bolder

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The people at WWE.com must love themselves some Cherry, because she’s had numerous photoshoots posted pretty consistently. Here, in a shoot titled “Black Cherry” (they can never run out of Cherry puns, obviously), she’s branched out a bit in terms of her look. She’s managed to keep her somewhat old-fashioned style, yet make it more interesting and diverse. The poses are pretty uninteresting, but it’s the gold and black attire that make her stand out. I’m really liking this photoshoot, mainly because I’m just glad to see some diversity from Cherry. She’s still maintaining her signature look, which is important, but she’s found ways to mix it up, and that always gets points from me.

[poll=120]

YouTube Classics: Candice & Victoria Oust Torrie

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Welcome to the YouTube Classics! With this past week marking the 33rd birthday of former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson, this week’s theme will be “The Covergirl”, showcasing some of Torrie Wilson’s biggest career moments. Today, we have Candice Michelle‘s Playboy Unveiling from a 2006 edition of RAW. This proved to be the final act of the “Vince’s Devils” faction, marking Torrie’s return to a babyface role after Candice, her ego inflated by her Playboy photoshoot, teamed up with Victoria to oust Torrie. After several hints towards a potential breakup, Candice and Victoria seemed to have had enough of Torrie:

Dawn Marie’s Charitable Deed

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Former WWE Diva and ECW alumna, Dawn Marie is jumping on the charitable bandwagon although unlike Terri Runnels, she’s doing things a little more close to home. Dawn has founded the “Wrestler’s Rescue” foundation. Details below:

Wrestlers Rescue’s mission is to create awareness and to help raise monies to support the health care needs of Retired Professional Wrestlers due to a career choice in wrestling.

Wrestlers rescue will be focusing on three stages of growth.

* 1st stage is to create awareness of the need and to raise funds.
* 2nd stage is to put in place a financial advisory for the active wrestling community to call on for advice on how to plan for their future. Including retirement, pension, college funds, family needs etc.
* 3rd stage is to set in place a Health care program that can be bought into at a group rate so that the community can afford care for themselves and their families.

We are dedicated to improving the lives of the professional and their families. By educating the person on how to expand their opportunities and how to reach their full potential in life.

Stephanie McMahon Gives Birth

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According to PWInsider.com, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H welcomed their second daughter into the world yesterday:

The latest member of the McMahon family was named Murphy Claire Levesque, weighing 8lbs, 12 ounces.

Triple H and Stephanie have one previous daughter together, named Aurora Rose.

On behalf of Diva Dirt, congrats to Triple H and Stephanie!

Layla Does it “All For You”

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It’s been a while since Layla‘s had a WWE.com photshoot, and I can’t see why. The girl consistently turns out fantastic photos. She knows what she’s doing, that’s for sure. I’d even go out on a limb and say she’s probably the most photogenic of all the Divas. This shoot, “All For You” seems simple, with the plain black background, but Layla’s uber-personality shines through and makes it interesting. Her outfit is sort of Maria-esque, what with the sequins and lace gloves, but Layla manages to make it her own with a nice pair of jeans and a sleek hairstyle. Color me impressed. And if last night’s RAW were any indication, she may be on her way to a decent storyline as well. Find out more about that in our RAW Redux later today..

[poll=118]

SmackDown Redux – July 25, 2008

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I apologise for the belated SmackDown Redux, but this weekend just happened to be the most sweltering hot weekend we’ve had in the UK this year, needless to say I didn’t really feel like parking up at the computer much!

Last week on SmackDown: Michelle McCool made her first appearance as Divas Champion, defeating Maryse. Meanwhile, Maria is coming next week!

Thoughts & Reactions
So after all the hype and anticipation, we crowned the new Divas Champion – except, it was pretty much an afterthought on SmackDown. It seemed like business as usual for the women’s division, Michelle makes quick work of her opponent and that’s your lot. I was expecting way more fanfare than we received, I thought a crowning ceremony of some sort would be a nice touch but nope. In my brain I had concocted the whole scenario, Michelle has a crowning ceremony only to be interrupted by Natalya – setting up a rematch between the two. Instead, no sign of Natalya. An unspectacular start to Michelle’s run as Divas Champion.

Now, I may sound like I’m dissing – well I kinda am, but I’m also not: I really enjoyed the Divas match on SmackDown and felt these two worked really well together. Maryse, who was by all accounts, useless for the better part of two years has impressed many of us a lot in the past few months. She had a really good week, a gorgeous photoshoot coinciding with a good match-up even though she ultimately lost. What a difference a few months can make! Up until April, Maryse was catching checks for nothing and now, she’s actually proven to be quite the asset for the SmackDown roster. Michelle too, was great, it really shows her evolution as a wrestler as she’s now able to carry less experienced Divas through a match as opposed to being the one being led.

Back to the match, some good work and some sloppiness. Taking the action to the outside always gets some kudos points from me, it’s something we don’t really see with the Divas but have done quite a fair bit on SmackDown this year. Maryse throwing Michelle into the ring apron showed some aggressiveness on her part and that’s always a good thing. Things got a little sloppier for the finish however, was there supposed to be something spectacular about Michelle’s backflip – was she meant to elbow Maryse or something? It looked a little odd that both Divas were just standing there and then the roll into the heel hook felt uncomfortable.

Match Rating: PASS / FAIL
Comments: Ultimately, a fine match that we can overlook the sloppy spots.

Also on the broadcast, we found out that Maria is finally coming to SmackDown next week. I’ve read reports that WWE wants to make Maria’s debut a big deal and I think they’re going the right way about it. I like that they kept her debut until after the Divas Championship match at the Bash. How will they introduce Maria? It’ll be interesting! A few possible scenarios could be having her get involved with Victoria, like I have hoped for on the site for the past few weeks! Or they could even have Vickie introduce Maria as an opponent to punish Alicia Fox, that way we gain two wrestlers! I’m not sure how Maria will fit into SmackDown, because both Raw and SmackDown right now are really about Divas who can wrestle on a regular basis and put on good matches – that’s something we haven’t seen Maria do. Maria hasn’t really ever been in a regular wrestling role, so I think it will be a shellshock when she’s on the show with all the girls. Sure she’s a big name, but I take Maryse as an example – in three months she’s become a wrestler. It’ll be hard for WWE to push Maria as a wrestler but I hope they can do it. Maria adds some name value to the SmackDown women’s division and could definitely share the top Diva role with Michelle.

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