Diva's Revolution? How About A Women's Revolution?

The Diva’s Revolution – Problems and Suggestions on How to Fix It!

So, last year at Wrestlemania, AJ Lee had her final match, a tag team match, with Paige, Nikki, and Brie Bella.  Paige and AJ won, thank God, but it was hardly a fitting send off for AJ.  She retired a few days later.  Good for her.  Live your life and be happy!  Make cute short babies with CM Punk. 

But I think that was the last time I was actually excited about a Diva’s match in a long time.  AJ had a natural charisma.  It’s something the division was missing after she left.  That’s not to say the ones that were still there didn’t have what it took to be on top.  But was Nikki a Trish Stratus or Lita?  No.  She’s a much better heel than a face.  But there was so much missed opportunity with the Diva’s division.

Meanwhile, in NXT, the Women’s Division was setting the world on fire!  You had truly athletic women fighting for a belt that didn’t look like a butterfly but actually looked like a belt!  And it wasn’t called the Diva’s division.  They were women and they were making their voices heard!  Charlotte, Becky, Bayley, and Sasha had a helluva four-way match, then Charlotte and Sasha had a great title match!  I’ll never forget the image of Sasha slapping Chartlotte with a blond hair extension!  CLASSIC.

And while this was happening, the Diva’s division on the main roster languished.  Matches between Paige and the Bellas were dull.  Naomi turning heel was a surprise, but not one big enough to really matter.  And then the WWE did something surprising, they brought three of the four women to the main roster.  Introduced them as part of the Diva’s revolution.

Charlotte, Becky, and Paige (Team PCB); Naomi, Tamina, and Sasha (Team B.A.D); and Nikki, Brie, and Alicia Fox (Team Bella) were all set off against each other and they actually had the new ladies put Team Bella in all of their finishing moves.  It was a sight to behold.

But here’s the problem, you left out Nattie.  One of the few women who actually had credibility as a wrestler.  True, she didn’t fit on a “team” and her husband was injured, but the truth is she was probably ready to go at a moment’s notice.  Nattie never has received the recognition she deserves as a wrestler. 

And let me say this:  fuck the term “Diva”.  That term may have fit for the likes of Michele McCool but it doesn’t work in today’s terms.  Diva has a negative connotation.  Doesn’t matter what you call your stupid reality show, it’s negative.  Most women would not like to be called a Diva.  In fact, to me it’s as insulting as the word Bitch.  I don’t think “Total Bitches” would sell as well as “Total Divas”.  Do you?

Back to my point:  it was a nice idea, but these women never needed to be paired up.  They were excellent individually.  And when Team PCB started to crumble, I was relieved.  I can only see so many tag team matches that I want to stab my eyes out. 

So, here’s my suggestion on how to fix the problems:

1. Drop the term Diva.  It’s as antiquated as Vince’s balls.  Women.  Women’s Title.  Women’s Division.  It still amazes me that Vince seemingly has such a disdain for the fairer sex, yet he pushes his daughter out into the lime light as this bastion of virtue.  She’s a great philanthropist.  She’s a great heel.  But, I don’t think she would appreciate being called a Diva.  And if she does, then that’s your fault, Vince.  She deserves better.  All these women deserve better.  
2. That title is ridiculous.  Change the belt.  Why are the women walking around with a belt that looks like a butterfly when the men aren’t walking around with a belt that looks like a barbell or a steroid shot.  Make it look like a real title belt. 
3. Have the announcers actually show respect to them.  They don’t call their moves.  They don’t even really pay attention to the match!  In at least once instance during every women’s match, Michael Cole gets at least one of their names wrong.  That’s unacceptable.  I realize Michael Cole isn’t the best announcer example, but he’s the lead one for Raw.  Mauro is actually great.  He calls moves, he’s into the match, and he pays attention. 
4. I don’t care about what happens on Total Divas and none of the shit that happens there should have any bearing on what’s happening in the ring.  Considering that “Total Divas” is shot MONTHS in advance of what we’re actually seeing, it makes no sense why these women are clashing months after that shit happened.  I don’t care if Alicia Fox and Paige had an argument on Total Divas.  If I did, I’d watch it!  Tell the story on Raw or Smackdown.  You have three hours of Raw to fill.  Are you telling me you can’t craft storylines there? 
5. Sasha is over as hell.  She needs to be out there more, but not so in your face that you groan when she does come out.  Have her on the mic!  She’s brilliant.  Have Becky stop making puns!  And why is she dressed like a Steampunk Stripper? 
6. I’m tired of the motivations for these women fighting to be catty reasons.  I like the current story with Sasha, Becky, and Charlotte right now in that Becky and Sasha wants the belt.  But the Sasha break up with Naomi and Tamina is just…sad.  It should have happened a long time ago and Sasha should be getting more mic time. 
7. Get rid of Flair.  I understand that people love Ric Flair.  But…I don’t want to see him grabbing one of these young women and laying a kiss on them.  That’s assault, brother!  This is not the 50s or even the 80s.  There is no reason for him to be out there, forcing himself on someone.  It’s not funny!  It’s gross.  Poor Becky!
8. Have the women fight over the belt, not petty shit.  Have them fight because they like the competition and want to prove they are the best (much like Sasha is going after Charlotte).  It’s nothing personal, it’s just business.  I’m ok with that.  I don’t like it when you make women look petty and small and just catty with each other.

Those are just my simple suggestions.  I kind of hope they make the match at Wrestlemania Charlotte vs. Sasha vs. Becky.  But I want Sasha to pin Charlotte clean.  I want those ladies to have a true Wrestlemania moment, and then the next night, I want to see Bayley debut and go after Sasha for the belt as she was the one that dethroned Sasha in NXT.  That’s a storyline. 

Suggestions for the other ladies?  Nikki comes back around Summerslam (if she’s physically able) to challenge Sasha for the belt.  I would be willing to watch Nikki get her ass handed to her by Sasha.  But I do feel like, eventually, Becky should get the belt.  She’s a great baby face!  Give her a run with it, maybe between Sasha and Bayley or something.

Becky could even go and feud with Paige.  Paige kind of gets lost in the shuffle of the new women coming into the division, but I don’t think she should be forgotten and I think that’s the angle you use.  She could be a power heel if you have her start sneak attacking the new girls.  All of them.  Sasha, Charlotte, and Becky and even Bayley once she gets called up.  Have her really heel it up.  Attack people in parking lots or during their entrances.  Have her shoot on people cheering her when she arrived but they turned on her once the others got there. 

Alicia Fox is still decent enough to put others over.  Give her some time with quality matches and let her actually bring them into their own.  Have her win a few matches to build her up.  You could even have her attacking others from behind or maybe trying to thwart Paige in her attacks against the others.  That would set up a good feud with Paige with Paige eventually coming out on top.  But the only way that works is if you build Alicia up, first, before letting her get beat.  Maybe she turns on Brie because she lost against Charlotte.  Maybe she gets attacked by Naomi and Tamina and put out for a while so she makes a huge come back save for someone, but makes it clear they are not friends.  She’s simply out for revenge. 

As for Nattie, she’s still awesome in the ring.  She can still go and she’s fun to watch and the fans are mostly behind her.  If the others can use Ric against Charlotte, use her uncles and father against Natty.  Have Natty prove herself in the ring.  Eventually Emma will be back (at least I hope she will) and Asuka will be called up (because she’s fucking amazing!) so you have opponents that need women that can go in the ring and Nattie is one of those!  She can sell and she needs to win a few to look powerful.  It’s the same with Alicia Fox.  It only works if their victories are important and in a line.

So, all in all, there are adjustments to be made.  I think Wrestlemania will make the “Diva’s” division stand out.  Women are capable of putting on excellent matches.  Watch Bayley vs. Sasha in Brooklyn and then watch their Ironman Match.  They’re awesome.  They can go.  Give them the time and the writing to let them shine.  Get some writers to actually just be dedicated to coming up with storylines for them.  That should work.  Hell, something is working in NXT and there seems to be a huge disconnect.

Come on, WWE.  Give us a “Women’s Revolution”.  Not a “Diva’s Revolution”.

Review of Monday Night Raw for 1-22-2016 - The Return of SHANE-O MAC!

Wrestling is a strange product.  Just when you think, "My God, they've completely lost their way," the WWE manages to shock you.

I'll be honest in that I knew that award was a joke.  I actually thought they were going to give it to HHH and then have Roman come out and hit him with a chair again, or something.  I just didn't think it was legitimate.  Especially not the way they were hyping it.  And if it was real, I was certain that the recipient would be Daniel Bryan.  Detroit would have popped hard for him.

But that's not what happened.  Instead, we have some self congratulating from Vince then he introduces the recipient, Stephanie.  Let me say this, she is BRILLIANT as a heel.  She speaks well, she's powerful, and when she loses it and her voice gets all shrill, she's AMAZING!  But I think the problem with Stephanie is that she never seems to get what she deserves.  Don't tell me that she watched her dad and husband get beat up.  Please.  Her husband is a wrestler and her dad owns a wrestling company and was once involved in hardcore matches with her brother.  There's a certain amount of her family getting beat up that she has to expect.  I don't feel like that's a punishment.   In the past she suffered a Rock Bottom and a Stunner, but this is the PG era and they don't do that anymore.

With all that said, this was the perfect foil to Stephanie.  And the motivation for Shane to come back totally makes sense!  It's brilliant, actually.  Stephanie, in the ring to accept the award, when all the sudden "HERE COMES THE MONEY" blasts from the speakers and the audience quickly loses their minds and Vince and Steph sell the shock as only two veterans like them could.  Shane comes out, does his little dance (and I'll ignore the goofy shoes because he's Shane and can do whatever the fuck he wants), and the crowd is just so into it.  It's probably the most I've seen a crowd into something since Daniel Bryan turned on the Wyatt's.  I think it even stunned Shane.  You could actually see him visibly react to the reaction.

As for this segment, Shane hinted that there was something that Steph didn't know, that she was only in charge because he allowed her to be, and that if Shane wins, it could be huge.  But Shane vs. the Undertaker?  Not sure how I feel about that.  I can't see them allowing Taker to lose, but hinting at something new on the horizon, with Shane in charge, a baby-face manager of Raw, hints at all the right things.  I know Vince will still be in control (it's not real to me, dammit), but the fact that Shane is back is awesome.

--

Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar in a street fight sounds like it could be amazing!  I figure Brock is probably gone after WM for a while.  I put my money on Dean winning this round, but I also see Dean getting the shit beaten out of him up until that time.  I think the psychology of that is just that Dean can take the beating, the punishment, to a higher degree than even Roman.  If he conquers the beast, then he's on track to be a top dog.  I could see him and Reigns have a helluva feud, especially once Roman has the title.  And they should put that title on Ambrose at Summerslam and have him lose it only to Rollins.  Ambrose vs. Rollins vs. Reigns is where the real money is.  And I could totally see a reunion of the Shield by Wrestlmania 33.  Although, they would post-pone that until the big WM at 35.  That's not that far away and who knows what kind of road these guys will have by then.

But I think Dean going over Lesnar doesn't hurt Lesnar but only helps Ambrose.

--

Charlotte vs. Becky vs. Sasha should be the match at Wrestlmania, but if that's not it, then it should be Charlotte vs. Sasha with Sasha going over at WM.  Sasha and Becky are awesome, and I can tell that Charlotte is doing a great job as a heel given how much I don't like her.  I like her less than I liked Nikki and that's saying something.

--

I really wish they would premier Cas and Enzo before WM.  I would love to see some promo battles between them and the New Day.  In fact, it's sad when I'm not excited to see The New Day anymore.  I just don't feel like they have a credible foe.  I don't consider anyone on the roster, at the moment, as the ones to bring them down and put them in their place.  It's time for some new blood, some new feuds.  And I think Cas and Enzo are exactly what the tag team division needs.

--

Please disband the League of Unextrodinary Gentlemen.  That group isn't doing any of those guys a bit of good.  It's not like the Social Outcasts, who actually kind of need each other as it gives those guys something to do.  Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, Barrett, and even Sheamus are all big enough stars in the singles arena that they don't need to be in a group.  Their purpose was to put over Roman.  Mission was accomplished for like a week.  But now they're hanging together with no specific purpose.

And how long must Rusev and Lana be punished?  They saved all of us from a horrific story line.  No one cared.  In fact, most people were happy for Rusev and Lana because, and this is the truth, we're not as fucking stupid as the writers for WWE would like us to be.  This isn't Dawson's Creek.  The only time people on this show care about couples is when the chick screws the guy out of a win.  That's when they're interesting.  You had something so good with Lana, as she reminded me of the love Sable used to get, and you just fucked that up because...actually not even sure of the reason!

And this is Barrett's last go!  Get him out of that group and let him have a few matches where he excels on his own!  Two years ago, I watched a match between Barrett and Ziggler that I remembered thinking was an awesome match 8 months after it happened.  And it was on Raw.  It's not like it was a big PPV match. But they both looked excellent.  Barrett has it in him.  Let him show it.

And I have a hard time believing that Del Rio came back on board just to be stuck with a group.  Yes, he had a run with the U.S. Belt.  But that can't be all they have in mind.  I like his feud with Calisto.  I think their styles really mesh well.  Have him go after the luchadores.  I know people say leave the mask alone, but that's great heel heat.  To me, he's really the only one that builds the heat he should be building as a bad guy.

And Sheamus...I don't care what happens to him.  It's not that I dislike him, I'm just apathetic towards him and his character.  Blech.

--

So, HHH vs. Roman is actually happening.  Roman spends ten minutes getting beaten up by the League only for HHH to come out with his hands wrapped, a REALLY tight t-shirt and jeans on, and we're supposed to be scared?  Also, until I saw the video, I legit thought that Roman was bleeding of his own accord.  Sometimes you don't want to know how the magic happens, you just want to enjoy it.

--

Well, that's it.  I actually think the award could have been saved for last as all I could think about the rest of Raw was the implication that Shane would be in Hell in a Cell with the Undertaker.  But I guess it would have been too hard to hide him for three hours in the building.  But I go back to, 'why would Taker want to be in this match?'  It doesn't make any sense.  And is Shane really the best option to figure against Taker?  I'm sure Shane can probably keep up with Taker, as he has done a lot of  stuff in the past that I never thought he would be capable of, but still...I just feel like there's going to be more to it.

So, that's all!  Share you thoughts or comments below.  I'm probably going to do a post about the problems with the Diva's revolution from a woman's perspective, but I'm going to really take some time to draft that all out.

Until next time, everyone!

photocredit to al.com

Fastlane - The Phenomenal, The Good, The Bad, and the WTF

I’m probably not going to break any new ground here.  In fact, I’ve heard enough over the last twelve hours to know that I feel the same way that a majority of the internet wrestling community feels.

And let me preface everything I’m about to say with this:  I’m a Roman Reigns fan.  I am.  I’ve bought action figures for my nephews for Christmas, I’ve gone to see Smackdown in Birmingham simply because I knew he was going to be there.  My cousin’s wife even called me out on Facebook when I said that Dean Ambrose was my favorite thing about wrestling (because she had gone with me to Birmingham and saw my reaction to Roman when he came out through the crowd).  I’m admitting that and opening myself up to ridicule because of it. 

A little background is that in the 90s I was a WCW person because I absolutely LOVED Sting.  That isn’t to say I didn’t watch Raw.  I did.  I liked Shawn Michaels and DX, but my heart belonged to Sting (and in a lot of ways, still does!).  I tend to go towards the good guys.  But around the time I went to college in 2001, I had stopped watching.  I only picked it up again because I saw a story about Daniel Bryan on ESPN, I think, about the Michigan State player doing the “Yes” chant.  No idea what that was, I checked youtube and found the cage match which was Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan vs. The Usos.  The crowd was so into that turn by Bryan that it made me want to see more.  I went back and found videos of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan and the Shield.  I was like, “Wow, wrestling has really come a long way”.  So, I started watching wrestling again because of Daniel Bryan, which really made me sad when he retired a few weeks ago.

All that being said, I just don’t understand what happened last night at Fastlane.  The only way I know how to do this is to a “Great, Good, Bad, and WTF”.

Last night had some pretty/excellent matches but they were overshadowed by the crap that went down in that last hour. 

The Phenomenal:

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho:  Match of the night, for sure.  These two showed why they are considered some of the best.  AJ was Phenomenal and Jericho was just as awesome.  You could see flashes of Jericho as a heel.  Jericho kicking out of the Styles Clash was bullshit, but then AJ took all of Jericho’s finishers and managed to get out of those, so I’ll not complain about that too much.  The right person won this match and kudos to Jericho for coming back and using his name to help get new guys over.  He’s one of the good guys, for sure.  And he’s damn sure one of the best heels I’ve ever seen.

The Good:

Brie vs. Charlotte:  They told a compelling story.  Brie was a little sloppy in the ring, but she managed through it and Charlotte and Brie had a decent match.  I’m surprised Flair didn’t get involved, but if Brie is going to be retiring, then it makes sense to have the champ pin her clean without interference from the dirtiest player in the game.  Over all, this match wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great.  As I said, the story was good.  The story was better than the actual wrestling that we got.

Becky & Sasha vs. Naomi & Tamina: Sasha is over as hell, isn’t she?  And it’s no wonder why!  Once she was in the ring, she was a force!  That pink hair flying around as she laid waste to her enemies.  And Becky, I love her more and more each week.  I really hope Wrestlemania is a triple threat between Becky, Sasha, and Charlotte.  Those three women could tear the house down.  But that’s not taking anything away from Naomi and Tamina.  They played the heels so well.  They were a great foil for the likes of Becky and even Sasha.  They cheated, they double teamed!  And at times, the transitions in all of their movements were so fluid!  This whole match worked because all four of these women have amazing skills as both wrestlers and performers.  Kudos, ladies.  I thought this match was actually better than the championship match which came later.

Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler:  Owens just rocks so hard.  He’s SO good!  It’s amazing to watch.  And I’m not even going to say something as patronizing to say that he’s good for “his size”.  Fuck that.  He’s fucking awesome!  To watch him flying around the ring is awesome, but I think what I like the most about him is that he trash talks and insults the wrestler and the fans.  I’m waiting for the day he hauls off and hits Cole, and it will turn him face in a heartbeat!  None of that is to take away from Ziggler, because he’s been so good for so long.  You always believe that he’s capable of achieving anything, even though the WWE obviously doesn’t see it that way.  I’m glad Owens won as he needs to have a title.  He’s more interesting as the one have to stoop to anything to save his belt rather than chasing after one.  Keep a title on him for a while, please, WWE.

The Bad:

R-Truth vs. Curtis Axel:  This was painful to watch.  I am often amazed, though, to see how much Curtis Axel looks like his late father.  The only saving grace to this match was that it ended quickly.  It wasn’t long.  Sometimes I find the antics of the Social Outcasts funny and sometimes I just don’t care.  This was one of the don’t care times.  As for the Gold dust & R-Truth angle, I just don’t know what’s happening there.  At this point, I don’t care.  Good for them that they have something to do, but I don’t want to watch it.

The Giants vs. The Wyatt Family:  Why did we have to get this match?  If the point was to show how “strong” the Wyatt family was, then you failed completely.  You don’t need to get Ryback, the Big Show, or Kane over.  They’re over.  Have been for a while.  In fact, Big Show said Monday night he has two years left.  And he’s willing to do the job for the younger guys.  But why have them go over the Wyatt Family.  Heel heat is sometimes hard to come by, especially when you have a charismatic heel like Bray Wyatt.  So, legitimate heat would be to level out the giants and have the Wyatts go over and then attack Brock in the main event.  It was logical.  Spock would be pissed at you, WWE, for not being logical!  You get the heel over because you have so few top heels in your company.  HHH can’t be considered a heel at this point.  People will cheer the hell out of him because they just don’t want Roman.  That’s not heel heat.  That’s Face heat.  And it’s stupid.  The Wyatt’s should be the scariest thing on the planet to face.  You had it all set up at the Royal Rumble for a showdown between Brock and the Wyatts, and you squandered that away with this shitty match that didn’t do anyone any favors.

The WTF:

The Peep Show:  This is bothersome because I wanted this to be so much more than it was.  I thought for sure that we were going to get Cas and Enzo.  In fact, I would have bet my left thumb on it.  But that’s not what we got.  What we got…was painful!  JUST PAINFUL!  I love Wade Barrett.   I have since I started watching again.  He’s great in the bad guy role.  But putting him with the other three is just horrible.  But let me start over talking about Edge and Christian.  I thought this was going to be more than just a shameless plug for their show (which I kind of liked their show as it reminded me of old school MTV sketch comedies!).  I thought that the New Day were going to come out and start cutting a promo on Edge and Christian and then Enzo and Cas would come out and shut them down.  But instead, we got Edge and Christian having to back down from the New Day because everyone knows they can’t go anymore and even had Edge and Christian leave ones the League of Unextrodinary Foreigners came out.  Are we supposed to be intimidated by any of them?  Del Rio had just lost earlier in the night and Sheamus has been out of the title picture for over a month, now.  I just don’t understand what we’re supposed to be afraid of, exactly.  Also, the New Day, sometimes, grates on my last nerve.  And tonight was one of those nights.  This just all fell apart half way through when I realized we weren’t getting Cas and Enzo but instead two teams I don’t really care for cutting promos on each other with no pay off.

Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar:  The majority of this match I totally enjoyed.  These guys tore it up!  There was a compelling story, there was some really good spots and moments.  There are parts of this match that I could watch over and over again.  But unlike three way match at last year’s Rumble the ending was unsatisfactory.  As I said, I’m a Roman fan.  But this just sucked so much.  I understand that there is a lot of money invested in Roman as the potential next face of the WWE.  I understand that it’s a business to run and you want someone out there who doesn’t cause problems, has natural charisma, and seems to be a very nice and amenable person.  That’s what you want the face of your company to be in the public eye.  But here’s the thing, it doesn’t work for a “Samoan Bad Ass”.  No one, at this point, believes that Roman is being held back from anything, which is the story that’s being told.  Someone/something is always in his way and he keeps going after the brass ring.  At this point, HHH is a better face than Roman.  Had Roman turned on Dean or vice versa, you have a more compelling storyline than what is eventually going to happen at WrestleMania. 

Back to the match, though.  Reigns is in the Kamora (sp?) and stands up while Brock is hanging on him like a spider monkey!  In comes a great thinker in Dean Ambrose and lays waste to Brock and even Roman with a chair.  To then have Roman get up from that and spear Ambrose is shitty storytelling.  You have Dean decimate both of them.  And you have Dean pin his friend.  Because if there is one thing the Authority wants less than Roman being the champ would be someone like DEAN AMBROSE as champion.  Ambrose could go on to feud with Brock or even Taker (I would watch that).  But you put Ambrose in the picture because the fans LOVE him.  If he was to actually take a chair to Roman, he would be cheered like he was.  Take a chair to Brock, and he is cheered.  He’s the face you should be promoting because the fans are behind him just like they were another underdog who put his body on the line, Daniel Bryan.  It’s been organic and I don’t think it’s out of default that people like Ambrose.  They’ve liked Ambrose since before the split of the Shield. 

So, what actually happened was probably the worst thing that could have happened.  And I am a Roman fan.  He needs depth.  He needs more than just his good guy persona.  The reason that TLC and the match the night after worked was because Roman looked to be shedding the good guy crap.  He was just going to be a bad ass that tore the hell out of people.  He was tired of getting dicked around.  He was tired of getting fucked over whether it was by Sheamus, HHH, or Vince McMahon.  He had had enough and he fucking lost it.  That’s why it worked. 

All that being said, the last hour of this PPV ruined the first two.  Amazing how that happened. 

photocredit from wwe.com