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Welcome to Divas and the City, the column which analyses the latest Diva/Knockout news and action – from a female perspective, I might add. I am your columnist, Melanie "I Wish My Life Was Like Carrie Bradshaw" Adler, your resident Diva expert. A new issue of "Divas and the City" can be found right here at PWInsider Xtra every weekend, so spare aside some time from your busy weekend schedule, won't ya?
Previously on Divas and the City...
Last week we discussed the growth of some of the WWE Divas such as Kelly Kelly, Layla and Michelle McCool. Unfortunately, despite their efforts these Divas' improvements seem to be overshadowed compared to their Raw counterparts, case in point, Candice Michelle. Looking back at that issue and the feedback received (which I thank you for!), many of you agree that these Divas have grown in the ring, but have a long way to go. I agree but I think they are in the right position to do so – on SmackDown that is. Hopefully, they remain on the brand come the Draft. Which leads into a nice segue into this week's issue...
This week: 'Change Is Coming'
The 2008 WWE Draft is just 24 hours away and this year, there is a lot of interest regarding the Divas. Since last year's Draft, SmackDown began developing it's own women's division which as evolved enough to warrant a new championship belt solely for the brand. The launch of a new title, the Divas Championship, comes at a precarious time given the Draft is looming. There are several storylines going on at both brands and this Draft could severely effect the future of those storylines.
Every year, Diva fans are usually very vocal on the Internet about the changes they'd like to see and usually, they're pretty drastic such as putting all the "wrestling Divas" on Raw and the "T&A Divas" on SmackDown; last year many wanted Jillian to move to Raw and were granted their wish. Look at how that turned... Jillian has sat back and watched while all her Raw colleagues have had some major angle or another in the time since she's come to Raw. This year though, I propose less drastic changes as I don't want the dynamics of either brand to be changed too much. I think Raw has a strong women's division and so does SmackDown, I wouldn't want to see any key players moved to another brand i.e. Beth Phoenix, Melina, Mickie James, Katie Lea, Michelle McCool or Natalya – and to some extent, Victoria. I think all these Divas are assets to their brand, however the rest are interchangeable.
Let's look at WWE's Draft logic: Each year, we usually only see one Diva draft pick take place on the main show, last year it was Torrie Wilson, Nidia in 2004 and Lita in 2002. As a huge fan of Torrie, I will admit – I wasn't at all shocked to see her move to SmackDown though I was disappointed. But I figured WWE needed a big Diva name to move during the three-hour show and Torrie, while a veteran and big star among the Divas, was not a utility player for Raw's women's division. I think that same logic should and will hold true this year, which makes my top Diva draft pick Maria. Here is a Diva that's not getting very far on Raw and to be honest, that's exactly the way it should be, I see no sense in pushing Maria when the likes of Mickie, Melina, Beth and Katie are on the brand. Maria, compared to her SmackDown and ECW counterparts is seen as a "big name" among the Divas, though like Torrie, is not a utility player. The three-hour draft show is usually reserved or the bigger stars with the lesser stars relegated to the supplemental draft, but each year they move at least one Diva during the main show just to keep up appearances. This year, I see no Diva other than Maria who could make the move. Now this move doesn't only serve the format of the Draft, but it would also do wonders to rejuvenate Maria's career. Though the Playboy covergirl has been pretty vocal about not wanting to move away from SmackDown, there's not much keeping her on Raw and to be frank – there is no shame in moving to SmackDown, just look at the way it's evolved in the past year. SmackDown for me is the "learning brand", Maria could benefit from the mindset of the likes of Kelly, Layla and Michelle who have all showed great improvement in the ring. Maria would be able to benefit from working with Victoria and Natalya, while also achieving a goal that she never got to achieve on Raw – be a top Diva. Trish had her Lita right? Maria and Michelle could easily be the top two Divas on SmackDown, throw in Kelly Kelly and those three Divas could serve as the top babyfaces of SmackDown. On the other side, I'd like to see the top heels be Natalya, Victoria and possibly Jillian – moving her over from Raw. Maria has a lot to gain from a move to SmackDown, I just hope WWE makes the right call.
If I could, I would move many Divas but that's just not realistic. I think only two-three Divas will end up moving but one Diva I would love to see move to Raw, though probably wishful thinking, is Layla. Layla has a lot of spunk and personality and is decent enough in the ring to work with the Raw Divas. Now, I'm not saying she should go and contend for the Women's Championship because that's unlikely, but every brand needs that "lesser Diva" that can help make up the numbers in tag team matches, to job to the current top star etc. While not the most flattering role, Layla would still be competing on Raw and would gain more experience from working with Raw's top Divas.
I don't want to move too many Divas to Raw, because there's a lesser chance of getting over on the red brand. Raw is live on a weekly basis and there is so much to fit into the two hour broadcast, thus only two-three Divas can get the limelight at any given time. I think limiting Raw's women's division to just six Divas is a good idea; Candice, Melina and Mickie as faces and Beth, Katie and Layla as heels. Meanwhile, SmackDown has done a great job getting over more Divas and given it's association with ECW – feuds and matches can be split between the two shows, thus giving SmackDown more Divas than Raw seems logical. SmackDown's top Divas (as stated above) would be Kelly, Maria and Michelle as faces and Jillian, Natalya and Victoria as heels. Cherry and Maryse are fine on the brand for providing alternative matches, though would be "lesser Divas" to the top six.
We'll have to tune in on Monday to see what happens, this could ever go over very, very well or end in tears. I just hope it's not the latter!
Television Thoughts
I was less than impressed to see WWE resort to a bikini contest on Raw. Worse still, Melina was involved. Melina losing a bikini contest due to fan cheers, at this pivotal stage when she tries to transition from heel to face, hurts her character. I'm not happy that we didn't see a continuation of the Beth-Melina feud.
The mixed tag team match on Raw was more along the lines of what I wanted! The Divas really injected some fire into the match and really want for it. I love seeing Katie getting a push and cannot wait to see the Night of Champions match between these two.
TNA Impact had a really interesting featurette on Gail Kim this week, I really suggest you check it out. I love learning about the Divas and Knockouts, I'd love to see some sort of exposition DVD in future based on the Divas or Knockouts... come on WWE (or TNA), this is one idea I encourage you to steal!
Shantelle Taylor made her debut challenging Awesome Kong, a lot were impressed with this match and yes, from an in-ring standpoint it was just fine. However, from a storyline standpoint, I'm not impressed. If we remember how much effort it took for Gail to put a hurting on Kong compared to Taylor's effort on Impact, it makes Gail look somewhat weak, doesn't it?
Jacqueline got some relevancy for the first time since her feud with Sable (in 1998), could she be getting a storyline of her very own?! I liked the match between Jacqueline and Salinas, it's nice to see other talent getting a shot. That said, Salinas isn't that impressive in the ring and seems on the level as many of our beloved (cough) Diva Search talents.
Friday Night SmackDown proved to be my viewing highlight of the week, I loved the Michelle and Layla match, personally. I'm glad these Divas got more in-ring time than in their previous matches and really used their time wisely to tell a fun story. I love seeing Layla more aggressive in the ring and getting more offense – this wasn't an easy victory for Michelle, like some of her wins in the past. Wishful thinking perhaps, but I'd like to think they had Michelle come off less strong than she has in the past, to foreshadow a physical match-up between her and Natalya. Natalya will no doubt give Michelle one hell of a fight! Having Michelle come off a little weaker this week, shows us as an audience the fight she has in her and ultimately, when these two face off it will be a hard fought battle.
And that is it once again for Divas and the City! Next week, I will hopefully have feedback on the Draft and some insight into the Night of Champions matches! Until then, get your Diva fix on a daily basis at Diva Dirt (http://diva-dirt.com). Thanks for reading!
