Who is the ‘Future’ of the WWE Women’s Division?
With the Diva reshuffle now complete, WWE is pushing ahead with it’s new vision for the women’s division. As mentioned in today’s Maryse article, the Diva Trade is being seen by management as a ‘do-over’. One Diva perhaps with more to gain from the move than any other is Eve Torres.
The Diva was moved to Raw after nearly two years on SmackDown, where she had shown great improvement in the ring since the WWE Draft in April. Eve’s move to Raw is very much a promotion from WWE management, we have been told that WWE considers her the ‘future of the division’. The hope is to have her eventually take over as the top babyface Diva in the compan, now that both Mickie James and Melina are ‘deep into their tenures’.
The Los Angeles native was expected to be pushed for the Women’s Championship against Michelle McCool before the move to Raw. That has been scrapped in favour of a more long term plan to ensure longevity for the Diva — Eve will be a ‘pet project’ for management going forward.
As well as making great strides in the ring, management believe that Torres has a ‘great disposition’ and is ‘extremely likable’, which they feel comes across on screen. This, of course, bodes well for pushing her as a top babyface in future; higher-ups feel that the audience will catch on with her because of her easily pleasant nature, thus Raw is the best place for her to be because it’s live.
There’s definitely a feeling that Eve will be a long term investment as long as management remain high on her. As we all know, Vince and co. are prone to change their minds at the drop of a hat, but the love for Eve right now is massive.
As revealed earlier today, she may feud with Maryse (another WWE favourite) upon the former Divas Champion’s return.
Not to toot our own horn, but we predicted this may happen earlier this year
Maryse’s Return
As first reported last week by the Wrestling Observer website, it’s expected that former WWE Divas Champion Maryse will return to television imminently. With last week’s Diva Trade, this sets the stage for her comeback even further as the Trade is being considered a ‘do-over’ for the women’s division, setting up brand new feuds etc.
Maryse’s return, we’re told, will likely happen in the next few weeks but she may not wrestle right away. The plan at the current time is to bring her back as a character first and wrestler later, allowing her knee injury to fully heal but will also allow WWE to utilise her again.
The former Divas Champion will likely be relinquishing her crown as top heel Diva on Raw, at least for now. Those that we’ve spoken to have corroborated earlier reports that there’s big support backstage for Jillian. The plan as of just a few days ago was to have Jillian feud with Melina over the Divas Title.
Upon her return, Maryse may once again become involved with The Miz in backstage segments but the other name being thrown around for a possible feud is Eve Torres, who joined Raw just last week. If that’s the case, this will also likely be made up of backstage skits until Maryse is ready to wrestle.
Armchair Creative Team: Earning Bragging Rights
Armchair Creative Team is back! This time, we are booking Bragging Rights, the brand vs. brand PPV that takes place a week from this Sunday. This event offers rare opportunities for Raw and SmackDown Divas to go toe-to-toe, and the landscape is even more completed given this past Monday’s drafts. We’ll try and sort that out and offer you some interesting options. As always, read our match ideas & vote for your favourite!
Melanie’s Ideas
Jillian & Melina vs Michelle McCool & Mickie James — This match would pit the Divas Champion & Women’s Champion against each other, but just to make things a little interesting also team them up with their rivals on their respective brands. It’s all but a given that Mickie will likely be Michelle’s next challenger for the Women’s Title while we have heard that Jillian will receive a push for Melina’s Divas Title. This match would force the unlikely teams to work together to represent their brand but also could serve some storyline progression in their individual feuds.
Beth Phoenix vs. Melina — Giving us another match between these two former rivals, this could be an unexpected surprise match for the Bragging Rights pay per view. To set the scene: Beth Phoenix, the Glamazon, comes to SmackDown and doesn’t want to play second fiddle to the Women’s Champion. Thus she takes the pay per view spot to prove that she’s the alpha female on SmackDown, going against the Divas Champion, Melina. If Beth wins, it sets her up nicely, giving her something to brag about on her new home and brings her out of Michelle’s shadow as a co-#1 heel rather than #2 heel.
Melina vs. Mickie James — Melina vs Mickie would be a battle of the babyfaces. There’s a lot of brand pride at stake for the Divas, but there’s also the chance to establish either one as the top babyface Diva in the entire WWE. They could it explain it as WWE’s two most popular Divas battling it out to determine who is the best Diva in the company as well as fighting for their brand. This one would likely draw a big reaction also, as both Divas have proven to be highly popular with the crowd — put them together in front of a live crowd, and they may just tear down the house.
Diva Trade Rumours: Beth Phoenix, Bella Twins & Melina
More rumours on each of the Diva trades has circulated. This time, NoDQ.com reports why Beth Phoenix, the Bella Twins and Melina were moved:
Beth Phoenix was moved to Smackdown because it was felt that she lost momentum on RAW. It’s been rumored that she could be paired up with Dolph Ziggler.
The Bella Twins were moved to RAW because Vince McMahon was said to have “fallen in love with them” following their guest host skits on RAW several weeks back. They are expected to be featured in guest host segments on a regular basis now.
WWE is said to be high on both Jilian Hall (McMahon likes her act) and Melina (which is why she was moved to RAW).
In the case of Beth possibly being united with Dolph Ziggler, we can somewhat corroborate. Not to say WWE will go that route, but if they do it falls in line with what we’ve heard. As expected, it doesn’t sound like the Bella Twins will be wrestling much.
Diva Trade Analysis: Looking at Each Individual Trade
Just under 24 hours removed from last night’s Diva Trade, what do the moves mean for each of the 7 Divas that have changed homes? We aim to offer our insight into what they could be getting up to:
The Bella Twins
Returning to Monday Night Raw, the Bella Twins’ brief excursion to ECW seems to be over… unfortunately. That said, given the fact they have been making trips to Raw over the past month or two anyway, it only seems fitting to make it official, right? I don’t expect the Bellas will be doing much in the way of wrestling on Raw, nor will they probably have much part in the women’s division at all — except at house shows. If they do wrestle, it will likely be as rarely as they did on ECW. So what does that leave them to do? What they’ve been doing already — backstage segments with the Guest Host for the week, maybe even a few skits here and there with Santino. It looks to me as though they were brought back to Raw for that reason, to serve as characters rather than wrestlers which I guess, is okay.
Beth Phoenix
I’m not entirely happy with this move for Beth, I truly feel not all of the avenues of the Beth Phoenix character were explored and there was more that she could have offered to Raw; feuding with Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly and possibly even Melina again. On SmackDown, while there is the possibility [technically] that she could go toe-to-toe with Michelle McCool or Natalya — both of which are salivating prospects — it just doesn’t seem likely with all three as heels. That just leaves two Divas: Maria and Mickie James. One of those feuds we’ve seen already and would be like beating a dead horse, the other of those feuds seems like an extremely mismatched affair. Nonetheless, it seems like Maria vs Beth could be the only avenue they explore in a singles situation. There is always the chance of a three-way feud with Michelle McCool and Mickie James also. Beyond those two storylines, I don’t see there being much for Beth to accomplish on SmackDown.
More after the cut: More after the cut »
Maria Menounos Steps Into the Ring
So in her first and possibly only wrestling match, Maria looked the part of a wrestler, perhaps even more so than some of the current Divas. One point to you, Maria.
The match starts off with two of my favourite Divas, Gail Kim who at this point, is becoming Kelly’s shadow — heel turn STAT!] and Alicia Fox. Gail goes for a rollup straightaway, Alicia kicks out and Gail goes for a forearm followed by an arm wrench before tagging out to Maria Menounos. Maria & Gail throw Alicia against the ropes and hit her with a double-elbow. Maria hits two hair tosses, looking confident very confident and believable in the ring, plus Alicia is probably one of the best sellers amongst the Divas so that helps. Alicia picks up Maria and tries to take her to her team’s corner but Maria hits a decent sunset flip but Alicia kicks out. Alicia kicks Maria and drags her to her corner where she tags in the Glamazon, Beth Phoenix.
The intimidating Glamazon gets in Maria’s face, screaming at her but gets kicked square in the knee which takes her down to the canvas. Gee, I wonder why the actual Divas never think of doing that… Maria then shows off her acting ability, showing herself to be a hesitant newcomer in the ring, by looking at her teammates and wondering what to do next. I thought that was a nice touch, as it comes across as a bit of a fluke rather than out-and-out burying the real Divas. Maria slaps Beth and tags out to Kelly.
Kelly launches at Beth for a whirly bird but Beth catches her and goes for a spin into a backbreaker. Beth throws Kelly into the corner and tags in Rosa. Oh boy, this could be a trainwreck. Kelly with a kick to Rosa and then forearms, before throwing her into the corner. Kelly hits a handspring butt-bump? Rosa with a drop toe-hold on Rosa, Kelly’s neck over the middle rope. Rosa knocks Gail off the apron but not Maria, who guillotines her over the top rope. This allows Kelly to hit her step-up legdrop which always looks good, if you ask me. Team Maria gets the win! Not a great way to leave Raw for Beth & Rosa, but I guess a whole change of brand could be a good thing for Beth, they could just not mention this at all.
I thought Maria looked good in the ring, what she did was limited but she had a good ring presence, perhaps more so than the ‘real’ Maria. I would be ever so curious to see what she could be like if she joined WWE and got in even more training. Good job!
So that’s your lot for Raw this week, a complete mind-fuck, I’m sure you’ll agree. Raw will have a totally different landscape next week, so it should be an interesting Redux to write. I still don’t think all of this has sunk in
Divas Championship Matches
Divas Championship Matches
So apparently title opportunities are no longer earned as Jillian, who has a larger loss record than Paris Hilton has sexual conquests, is handed a title shot. For the record, I absolutely hate title shots that are just handed out. But after Kelly, Mickie, Beth, Gail & even Alicia Fox were given Divas Title shots on Raw this year, it only seems right that Jillian gets one too, right?
Honestly, though as short as it was, I enjoyed the work between Jillian and Mickie. Jillian proves here just what a great worker she is, able to have a nice, kind of fast paced exchange with Mickie. We start with a lockup which goes into a headlock, Mickie throws Jillian against the ropes and goes for a hip toss but Jillian nicely counters into a monkey flip. Mickie sells it oddly, which is covered up as a ‘counter’, getting on her feet & charges at Jillian with a Thesz press. Mickie with a dropkick & pin attempt. She then sets up the tornado DDT but Jillian counters and goes for her facebuster, but Mickie manages to block it and goes for a flip into a pin. Mickie kicks Jillian and throws her into the corner, Mickie launches at Jillian, she ducks and Mickie ends up climbing the ropes. Jillian hits a powerbomb, goes for a pin using the ropes for a leg-up and gets the win. Jillian is the new Divas Champion!
Incredibly short, but I enjoyed the little work that we did see and would’ve liked it to be a little longer. These two work well together and are able to go from one move to another seamlessly without the awkward moments that usually linger in Mickie matches. Good effort, I’d say. Rushed finish which is explained by what’s to come…
So Jillian celebrates her title win with a rendition of my favourite Lady Gaga song, ‘Paparazzi’ and messes up the lyrics. [Yes, I paid attention!] Nancy O’Dell, who sounds kind of annoying if you ask me, interrupts and announces that Jillian will defend the title right now against Raw’s newest acquisition, Melina!
This here, was PRICELESS. Jillian realises what we all realise: her title reign is about to be cut incredibly short. Her acting here was pure genius, the facial expressions, the amazing way she clinged onto the belt as the match was about to start. “It’s mine! Please, it’s mine…” The comedic acting was perfection! And the way her head kinda sank when Justin Roberts took the belt, a little “Aww” moment. Seriously, the acting here was so good.
So it’s time for Melina vs Jillian, and you just knew this was going to be short as hell. Melina almost instantly goes for the leg-split drop but it’s botched by Jillian, who goes down too early. Melina doesn’t quite know what to do but mounts Jillian, I guess they were having a little impromptu pow-wow here with Melina telling her to go into another finish. The set up into the Last Call was a little awkward, though understandable due to it being impromptu. Melina hits it and becomes the Divas Champion.
I really appreciate the work ethic here, yes the match was so short and incredibly botched but the fact Melina showed a cool, collectedness and an ability to think on the spot proves just why I think she should be WWE’s new top Diva. Showing initiative and opting to go for a second finish rather than pinning her on a botched leg-spit drop was a good move. In comparison, Mickie in that match with Gail… A world of difference. Melina showed initiative and handled the situation and it was nicely done given the unfortunate circumstance.
I also want to point attention to Melina’s reaction after the match. This girl is really sweet in real life and very emotional at times and that often comes across on TV too. Melina and Jillian are really great friends and you have to think that it was bittersweet for her to pin her friend, who I’m sure she would want to be champion too. After pinning her, she sort of looked at Jillian a little sadly, and again looked down at her sort of “I’m sorry” as her hand was being raised. At the end of the clip, you’ll also see her saying “I’m sorry,” more in character this time, but still not consistent with her role as a babyface. If you’d just won the title, you’d be flaunting it in your opponent’s face. For Melina, I think her some of her real personality & her real emotional nature came across and I thought it was really sweet. Looking at some of the comments being made towards Melina, I don’t know how one can be pissed off at or ‘hate’ someone who doesn’t even make the decisions; it’s as though the girl booked herself to be the champion.
So I woke up this morninMg and wondered, “Did last night really happen?” A brief moment later, after rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I realised no
So I woke up this morninMg and wondered, “Did last night really happen?” A brief moment later, after rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I realised no, I wasn’t in some parallel universe or WWE’s beloved Bizzaro World. Last night did happen. Jillian the Jobber really did win a major championship. Melina really did return to Raw. Mickie James really did get traded to SmackDown. On top of all that, Raw ‘guest correspondent’, Maria Menounos got in the ring and wrestled — and looked better than the real Maria!
Diva Trade Details: Mickie Punished, Jillian Push & More
The fallout from the Diva Trade last night is still being felt and now details are starting to pour in. A source backstage at Raw last night tells us:
- The reason for Mickie James‘ move to SmackDown was put down to her work ethic of late as well as her weight. The decision was made to move Mickie to SmackDown, sending her a message to shape up, ‘both figuratively and literally’.
The jibes about her weight, in my opinion, are completely ridiculous — she looks fine and healthy.
- Fans of Jillian may want to start planning a party; her title win last night is expected to be the start of a programme with Melina over the Divas Title. As with all things Creative though, plans can change in a heartbeat but as of now, that is the plan.
- All of the Divas backstage were in good spirits about their moves. The plans were only revealed to the Divas involved over the weekend, while the rest of the crew including the roster learned the news last night along with the rest of us.
Hopefully hear more soon.
Maryse Set to Return
Former Divas Champion, Maryse is set to return to television ‘imminently’ reports the Wrestling Observer website.
Maryse has been sidelined since July after having surgery on a lingering knee injury, which dates back to last December.
‘Imminently’ sure sounds, well, imminent. Keep your eyes pealed nex week on Raw!
Diva Trades Announced
As teased on Raw, the Diva trades are as follows:
Raw
- Melina [Moves from SmackDown, new Divas Champion]
- The Bella Twins [Move from ECW]
- Eve Torres [Moves from SmackDown]
SmackDown
- Beth Phoenix [Moves from Raw]
- Mickie James [Moves from Raw]
ECW
- Rosa Mendes [Moves from Raw]
Stay tuned for our exclusive post-Raw Roundtable for thoughts on the trades and more.
Raw Guest Host Maria Menounos Injured
Raw guest host tonight, Maria Menounos, has been injured already. The 31-year-old who hosts tonight with Access Hollywood anchor, Nancy O’Dell, wrote on her Twitter page that she has pulled her hamstring.
As we reported last week, it looks as though Menounos had been training for an in-ring performance tonight on Raw. Footage of her working out in a ring was posted on YouTube but later removed after it gained attention from the wrestling press.
In other tweets, Maria shows a genuine excitement for hosting tonight’s Raw: “Feel like a kid before Christmas morning,” she writes. I think it just goes to show she certainly has a passion for the industry and that’s always endearing, I’m looking forward to seeing her on Raw and really wish her the best!
SmackDown Spoilers: October 9th, 2009
- WWE Intercontinental Champ John Morrison defeated Dolph Ziggler. Maria was at ringside watching but didn’t become involved beyond taking a chair Ziggler had set up to “use later” and sitting on it. When Ziggler went for the chair and saw it wasn’t there, he was distracted, allowing Morrison to nail him with a kick for the win.
- Backstage, Maria asks Ziggler to speak to her. Ziggler tells her that he has a personal life and a professional one. He tells her he sees big things in his future, but she isn’t one of them and walks off. Maria starts to cry.
WWE Monday Night Raw - October 5 , 2009
Gail Kim Out with Ruptured Breast Implant
No, your eyes are not deceiving you — a second breast implant has been ruptured, this time belonging to Gail Kim, reports the Wrestling Observer. The former Women’s Champion, whose disappearance from Raw has led to a whirlwind of speculation, ruptured her implant at a house show last month.
As reported, Divas Champion Mickie James also suffered a ruptured implant last month.
Who’s Next for Mickie James?
The Wrestling Observer website is reporting that Mickie James‘ next challenger for the Divas Championship will be the Glamazon, Beth Phoenix.
However, judging from last night’s Raw, it looked as though they were still working around Mickie & Alicia. Given the decent-to-good match Alicia and Mickie had at Hell in a Cell, I would hope they stick with that route also. Granted, it wouldn’t be the first time that WWE has randomly dropped one feud for another. Needless to say, the coming weeks of Raw should be of interest.
WWE Hell in a Cell Predictions
Erin: With how unpredictable the WWE can be in booking Mickie, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they had her drop the title to Alicia. They suddenly got a fire lit under their ass in terms of pushing Alicia, and I can totally see her pulling the upset. She’s got a good heel character going and could porbalby generate some good heat as a heel champ. I think Alicia holding the title would inject some much needed excitement into Raw’s division, even if she may not be totally ready for it. The only question is what babyfaces there are for her to feud with aside from Gail or Kelly, but I’m sure the WWE hasn’t thought it that far through either…
Melanie: This honestly could go either way, I don’t know if I can call it. There hasn’t been too much of a storyline build or enough character build to really trigger a title switch in favour of Alicia here, however she has proven herself to be the ‘developmental dream’ and I could see WWE wanting to reward one of their upcoming ‘young guns’. She is the first ‘model’ that has had no prior experience that’s come through the developmental system and shown a penchant for being able to go out there and hang in with the best of them. She’s still green around the gills, but Maryse has held this very title and she is half the worker that Alicia is. I would have no problem with Alicia picking up the belt here, in fact I would probably hold a procession in her honour. It’s really hard to call, but just for the sole fact that this is their first encounter I will go with Mickie and should this feud continue, I would say Alicia will take the belt before the year is out. Just for the record, I am 100% Team Fox and this is one of the rare occasions where I would love to be wrong.
Steven: This match is pulling me in two different directions. On one hand, I’ve been a huge Mickie James fan since her TNA days. On the other hand, Alicia is my favorite ‘new’ Diva and I would love to see her get her time in the limelight. Realistically, I see Mickie picking up the win this Sunday. Like others have noted, it’s a little early to have Alicia pick up the strap, but hopefully this match will put her over as a serious contender and a future champ. Hmm, now that I think about it, WWE did let Maryse win the title…
Tiffany: I think Mickie will pull a win this Sunday. In all honesty, there hasn’t been that much build-up, at least not enough for me to anticipate a possible win for Alicia at Hell in a Cell. I think the fact that she is getting an opportunity to compete for the title will still do wonders for her. Simply put, Mickie still has yet to have a sufficient run with the Divas title. I can see a possible title win in Alicia’s future, but this Sunday is far too soon.
SmackDown Redux (October 2nd, 2009) – Mind Your Own Brand Business!
Last time on SmackDown Superstars: The dynamic duo of Michelle and Layla defeated the not-so-dynamic team of Maria and Melina. Maria played rag doll and Melina wasn’t there to save her from interference from Michelle, so the loss only served to push the former friends ever further apart.
This week: Are we going to see a blow-up anytime soon, or will this simmer longer? Are we in for more skits, or will this 10th Anniversary special be more wrestling-based, with the drama reserved for a less prestigious event?
Just Roberts tell us that this is a Lumberjack match for the Women’s Championship. We are then graced by the presence of Divas from all three brands (All entering to Eve’s music.. I guess because it’s the most generic?), and it’s easy to figure out who’s the challenger by eliminating each Diva that walks down the ramp in her awkward street clothes. Next through the curtains is Melina, and as she makes her way to the ring they cut to a quick shot of Maria. I suppose that will suffice for this week’s storyline advancement? I absolutely loved Natalya’s reaction to Melina’s entrance, like she was appalled. Kinda cute. Michelle is the last one out.
They start with a tie-up, and Michelle quickly uses her knee brace to take Melina down, planting it into her gut. She attempts a pin, but no luck. She pulls Melina to her feet, pummeling her into the ropes and then dragging her back to the middle by her hair. A shot to the spine later, she attempts to whip Melina into the ropes, but she reverses it, stopping her momentum and nailing Michelle in the face. She hoists herself onto the ropes and perform her patented leg attack, choking Michelle. She attempts to finish it off with a chop to the head, but Michelle pushes her up and over the ropes. Melina lands on the apron, fighting Michelle through the ropes.
Michelle reaches for a jab but Melina splits–literally–by landing in a split on the apron and then nailing her with a shot to the stomach. Michelle responds with a dropkick, sending Melina out into the Lumberjack’s domain. Thankfully, she landed on the “good girl” side, because all they want to do is help her to her feet. Michelle sees this and brings Melina into the ring herself. Michelle continues with her attack, kicking Melina and pounding her face into the mat. A few uppercuts, and Michelle attempts another whip, but Melina reverses it again, using this momentum to go on offense.
A few strikes later, she plants Michelle with a flapjack, going for the pin. The ref counts to two, and meanwhile I wonder how absurd it would be for a Diva to win the Women’s Championship with a flapjack. She gets the champ to her feet, but Michelle kicks her, whipping her into the ropes. On the return, Melina meets her with a kick of her own, then striking her in the head and dropping her to the mat. She goes for the ropes again, but she overestimated the kindness of strangers, venturing by the “bad girl” side. And sure enough, Jillian grabs her leg, distracting her. More after the cut »