WWE is collaborating with Bunim-Murray, the production company responsible for Total Bellas, Total Divas and Keeping Up With The Kardashians, to search for the next female superstar.
Casting is currently underway on what sounds like a reality tv show similar to Tough Enough or the WWE Diva Search. Hopefully less like the latter, but because it’s attached to Bunin-Murray, it will probably be a contemporary version.
Honestly, this is an odd decision with the current landscape of women’s wrestling. The Diva Search concept seems so antiquated. WWE is constantly signing new talent from indie promotions and they’ve had some good results with “homegrown” talent developed at the Performance Center. The best results are obviously Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss.
It’s unclear what kind of performers the show will be looking for. Even if they’re not focusing on models again, it seems silly to go back to a competitive reality show when they have a training facility as good as the Performance Center, as well as a highly successful developmental brand in NXT.
It begs the question: who is this for? Considering the clear ties to The Bella Twins, who were discovered in the 2006 WWE Diva Search, there may be some mainstream appeal. Is there a real demand from the general public for this though?
The WWE Diva Search premiered in August of 2003, running for four seasons. The four respective winners were Christy Hemme, Ashley Massaro, Layla El, and Eve Torres. Other notable alumni include Maryse, Maria Kanellis, Michelle McCool and Candice Michelle.
They’ve teased the return of the Diva Search before, so it has conceivably been in the works for some time. Following the last season in 2007, there were rumors that there was an unaired season centered around ten prospects training at NXT back in 2013. However, it never materialized.
During WrestleMania 31, WWE announced it would return for a new season on the WWE Network in the fall of 2015. The show went through a name change after the term “diva” was phased out, but there weren’t any new updates in the following years.
There isn’t much information to go on yet, so it could be nothing like the Diva Search. Still, with the largest women’s roster in the history of the company it’s hard to see the value in this. What do you think? Is this a revival or something new entirely?
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