killeroflegends

On ECW last night, Paul Burchill and Katie Lea made their ECW debut. They are now both officially on that roster. This is a good move, as both were being wasted on Raw. Paul Burchill is very good, and needs a good push, but looks like he still may be used as a jobber based on the match yesterday.

Focusing on what this means for the women specifically, this is a great change. I commented before on Alicia Fox being wasted as just a valet with no one to feud against. Now she can team up with DJ Gabriel to take on the Burchills, with the faces probably winning the feud in the end. This will also make Katie Lea the top heel diva on the show. She may finally be getting a good push. And do not think she is out of the title picture. Because of the “talent exchange” she can probably feud over the Diva’s Championship sometime, as well as the Women’s Championship. Also, Raw and ECW superstars have been travelling together for the past few weeks, so we will probably still be seeing her regularly on Raw when they need her. If she does very well with this push, she may earn a title reign. The same can be said for Alicia Fox. Enough dancing, start wrestling!

Some storyline news first. Kelly Kelly was dating Randy Orton, according to a backstage segment. That is interesting, to say the least. I hope they manage to bring Kane back into this somehow, since it would be easy to do and Kane needs something. There were a lot of ways they could have played this angle, but I was not expecting this one. Side note, this is an on-screen relationship, not one going on in real life. Randy Orton has a wife and child. He is not cheating on her. This is just a plot. Don’t start any childish rumors.

To the main news, Melina is officially number one contender now. She will face Beth at the Royal Rumble, the first women’s match there since 2006. She won a battle royal featuring Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Candice Michelle, Jillian, and Katie Lea. More Rosa Mendez stuff after the match. Looks like they are repeating an angle Sable did about a decade ago with Tori. How original. They could have spiced up the stalker fan angle a bit, like they did with Mickie James and Trish by making Mickie a psycho lesbian. Anyway, looking at the match, it was pretty good. The heels worked well together. They acted as a team to take down Mickie at one point, helped each other, and tried to take Melina out together. Candice did not get to do much. Kelly Kelly did her usual flippity flip. Mickie James saved Melina from elimination, adding to their friendship angle. Many can argue that Mickie just did that to take out both Jillian and Katie Lea, making it easier for her to win the match herself. Then why did she not attack Melina right after, and then try to get her out? Instead, she gave Melina time to catch her breath and get back to her feet. They shook hands just before going at it. I liked seeing it. What followed was an even exchange of chain maneuvers. Basic wrestling, followed by counter, and back again. In this way, neither looked like a heel. Mickie may have lost, but she looked good. As a Mickie fan, I do not expect her to win every match, but I do like to see her be allowed to give a good performance. It is what I expect from all matches, regardless of winner. What I saw tonight was a nice exchange between Mickie and Melina. Mickie did not look weak coming out of that. I especially liked that Melina showed a little remorse as she looked at Mickie after the match. That shows the friendship is still there. I pray to God that the WWE picks up on this friendship angle. It has so many great possibilities. Mickie vs. Melina for the title, heel turns, building on the tag-team chemistry, facing feuds together, and so much more can happen. Then again, Rosa is still there, so resources will go to her instead. I can still dream. Once again, Melina is officially top contender.

http://fans.wwe.com/maria/blog/2008/12/27/wwe_universe_

It is nice that a wrestler works hard to improve and all that, and many, if not all, can claim to work hard, but Maria’s blog will not gain much respect from me. I do not care if you are the greatest wrestler in the world, there are a lot more important things than that. Working hard is what counts for a lot. Maria seems to be misguided to even mention that she gets in the ring, tries, and still loses. That is booking. Maybe she was speaking metaphorically and meant “win” as in gaining respect for her ability. If that is what she meant, and I am being liberal in my interpretation, then trying is not enough. She needs to step up her ring attitude, for one thing. Enough klutzy “diva” actions in the ring. I am a fan of ring psychology, and I love how divas are able to work the fans, but Maria needs to rely on some real aggression. Then she goes on to say that even if she messes up a lot, as long as she loves being out there, she will continue to do it. There is some commendable elements there, she is being self-righteous, showing some pride, but that is not what she should be thinking alone. As she continues to “march on”, the WWE continues to push her, divas who have great talent in the ring already are not used, used badly and scarcely, and even made to look like jobbers when compared to Maria. Is that fair, Maria? I will not even go into great detail on how her botches can injure her opponent or herself. I will only say that her messing up, which she is admitting to, lowers the quality of the WWE women’s division even further. Good wrestlers are being wasted. Maria is getting time, and will eventually be super popular if she is the only diva getting great pushes. The standards will drop. Crap will become great? I am sorry. I apologize to Maria fans, but Maria does not deserve a great push unless she can continue improving. Her attitude is not the best. It is somewhat selfish. As long as she loves going out there, she will? I already mentioned how it is hurting other divas and the quality of the division. And I will agree that there is some truth in negativity breeding negativity, but criticism is not always bad. Some fans may phrase it horribly, but I will phrase it as best as I can. Maria, do not take this the wrong way, but a lot of fans care about you and want you to succeed. Do not let the negative comments make you sad, but let them motivate you to improve. Silence them that way, not by putting your fingers to your ears and pretend to not listen.

http://www.wwe.com/magazine/3012324/Kelly

Another diva has a response to some criticism. In the interview, the question was phrased in such a way that I must agree with Kelly Kelly. A buxom blonde has no right in the WWE ring? Who do you think Trish Stratus is? She started out with no great wrestling skill and improved. The WWE would love to copy that success, and Kelly is a candidate. Kelly goes on to use rhetoric close to that of Maria previously, Melina, and a ton of other wrestlers. Nothing that original. Paid her dues, a chance to show people what she can do, and all that. Again, it is commendable to have that attitude, do not get me wrong, but how badly does she mean it? What does “paid dues” mean to her? A lot of divas can say the same thing, but that does not mean all are great wrestlers or even cut out for this kind of thing. Again, just like Maria, the WWE is focused on pushing Kelly Kelly. I can basically repeat everything I said previously when talking about Maria. A few months ago, Kelly Kelly got huge praise for her improvement. Now, that improvement has lost speed. Natalya actually said Kelly was the hardest-hitting diva? Which punch is she talking about? The one that bloodied Beth’s nose? In a match around that same time, maybe earlier in the same match, I remember Kelly smacking away at Beth with some of the weakest shots I have ever seen. Beth then oversold them like they were tough. Honestly, they did not look that hard. Kelly’s punches do not impress me that much. She can say she has worked hard, and all that, but she still has much further to go.

http://rajah.com/base/node/14639

http://fans.wwe.com/candicemichelle/blog/2008/12/26/defining_beautyseasons_greetings

There is a reason I posted the wrestling news site article link too. They actually did some analysis that was more than unsupported predictions. It is very true that Candice has only had two singles matches since her return, has not wrestled on Raw in a month, and all that. Can Katie Lea even say that much? When was she last in a singles match? When was she last part of a pay-per-view match? When was the last time she even won a match? I can ask similar questions about Jillian, Layla, Natalya, Victoria, and almost all the divas. There is nothing really that special about Candice Michelle’s case, despite rajah.com giving it a deep analysis. It is called losing your push and being shoved aside for other divas to get attention. Candice should know how it feels, since Mickie James suffered the same thing because of Candice herself twice this year alone. It is how the business goes, and especially in the WWE, where they treat their women horribly overall.

Moving away from the wrestling news site, which seems to be digging too deep to analyze the background of a blog entry they could have just posted, let me look at what Candice actually wrote. She talks about finding that fire and passion again and trying to climb the mountain again in 2009. I hope that is all there is to it. The reason she lost her push in the first place, which the wrestling news site forgot to mention, was her horrible return performance. She lost a lot of faith with the WWE there. She seems to have shaken off that sloppiness, but now needs to push herself to be amazing in the ring, if she really wants to gain the respect of the fans again and be a top diva again.

All these three women have two noteworthy things in common. They have all been the focus of some heavy criticism from real wrestling fans lately, not the young kids who love character more than real ability (Sorry if I offend you). Moreover, all three have given some heavy words in response. Rhetoric is one thing, and I love it as a writer, but your actions mean more. They promise improvement to come, say that have paid dues, ignoring haters, and a lot more things. Does that mean each of them will come out next week and botch 15 moves in one match? They can always come back to their computers and talk about working hard, passion, and all the previous praise they have gotten. Please, just prove it in the ring.

The motivation behind this post is, once again, all the unnecessary concern over the spot Mickie took on Monday. It is good to be concerned about the wrestlers, do not get me wrong, but give them credit for the spots they take and their ability to sell. Some people have said the one thing I feared they would say, that they should get rid of the spot where the wrestlers are tossed off the top rope. The WWE has already banned so much, including a pile driver. Mickie, and this is the getting old now, did not get hurt. It is selling. It is ring psychology. She took the spot, proved that women can take dangerous spots just like men, and showed a selling ability that even some men would die for. Even if she was injured in anyway, she proves that divas can have the heart to continue a match with a tough injury. Leg injuries are always tough, just ask Triple H. Nevertheless, it was not a real injury, the heels targeted the leg, and it was all part of the match to make the friendship between Mickie and Melina look stronger. I have discussed selling many times before, but must go there again.

Let me start by talking about Randy Orton. I have mentioned he is a good seller before. Remember when he faced Triple H at the 2005 Royal Rumble? He sold a concussion, which eventually led to his loss there. Was he really hurt? No. If he was, he got no time off. He wrestled again for the next few weeks, still acting like he was concussed at times. That is good selling. Continuous selling is important. The show does not end when the bell ring. In another example, look at the picture above. At Survivor Series 2007, Orton beat Shawn Michaels, but took a super kick after the match. That is a picture of him right after the kick. His eyes are wide open. Few people sell like that, ever. It looked somewhat awkward, like he may have been hit hard, and that he was really hurt. Was he? No. It is good selling.

Back to Mickie James. Monday was not the first time she sold an injury well, even after the match. Look at her match against Katie Lea at Night Of Champions 2008. She sold an arm injury in that match. She looked ravished after the match, not smiling and celebrating like nothing happened. Reports said she was slightly injured. If she was, she should get credit for still competing the next night, against Jillian Hall, who targeted the arm. Again, Mickie sold well. She even went on an international tour later that week, facing Beth Phoenix, who can really injure someone if she is not careful. From clips I have seen of those matches, Mickie looked absolutely fine. It seems like the arm injury was more good selling rather than actual pain. There is also a list of KOs Mickie has sold awesomely, going completely stiff and motionless. Was she really knocked-out in any of these situations? No. I will only mention one specifically. When Mickie James tried to regain the Women’s Championship a few weeks from Beth, she lost when her head got smashed into the ring post. She went completely out. I will admit it, I was scared for a second. Even after the bell rang, she was still not moving. Nevertheless, she was not hurt for real. Her selling was amazing there. She could have easily rolled out of the ring and started walking away right after the match, but selling does not end when the bell rings.

In the end, I will admit that I am basically retelling something I have said for weeks now. Mickie is an awesome seller. Some people believe that Mickie was really hurt because she was crying after the match. Emotion is a part of selling. Remember all the times Mickie lost to Beth earlier this year, and actually cried at times after matches? Was she really upset about losing? No. She is just good at showing emotion. I will not even mention her psycho angle. Moreover, as I have been hinting throughout this, the show does not end when the bell rings. If she is going to sell a leg injury during a match, Mickie knows she still has to make it look convincing after. It adds to the quality of the match, even if it is over. Moreover, it adds to her friendship with Melina. Give Mickie James some credit for her selling ability. Do not watch her matches in a box. Look at her previous matches to realize her talent in selling, then when she is selling an injury in the future, it may be easier to tell if it is real or not. For one thing, the opponents would not be targeting the injury so blatantly.

Shifting away from selling, I just want to make one final note on the topic of “The Show Does Not End When The Bell Rings.” Some criticize Mickie for being boring as a face, being too good, and needing to go back to her psycho gimmick. I may discuss a return of the psycho heel another day, but let me just look at the idea of Mickie being a boring, nice face. ARE YOU CRAZY!?…What I mean to say, I do not believe that is true. For a face, Mickie can act very heelish at times. She sometimes disregards the referees, stares evilly and seductively at her opponents, and has a pugnacious spirit that never gets boring. Just sticking to the point, even after the match ends, Mickie usually is still taunting her opponent and challenging them. Most faces, and even heels, just celebrate and forget about the opponent. Mickie is giving her opponent a bit of respect, showing that they are still a target. For herself, this makes Mickie James look aggressive. That is beyond a simple, nice, boring face. Mickie realizes that the WWE is not giving her a good gimmick, feud, angle, or much else much of the time, but she makes it up with her ring psychology and overall work. 

Selling and taunting your opponents are just some of what ring psychology is all about. Moreover, neither ends when the bell rings. The match may have ended, but not the show. You still must  continue to do your best at selling or interacting with who you must. Mickie James realizes this. Give her some credit. She is tough. She has a lot of heart. Most importantly, she has ring psychology down very well.

A few days ago, I said that the WWE was horrible at pushing contenders for titles. When I said that, I had Melina in mind. When is she getting her title shot? I do not know. I would rather see a great build and feud before the title shot.

Melina returns, wins a tag match which featured Beth Phoenix. Next week, she hands out an award to Beth, they have a catfight, nice build in the feud. But then, Kelly Kelly tags with Melina and Melina sees no time in the ring. The feud gets no build, but Beth seems to start a new angle with Roucka. Last Raw, Beth continues working with Roucka, and then faces Trish Stratus in a tag match. Melina wins a tag match along with Mickie James. The only mention of her feud with Beth came from Michael Cole when he said that Melina was looking to regain the Women’s Championship. And of course, Melina got the pin in that match, showing they are still pushing her, but not well enough, if you ask me.

Does Beth Phoenix really need half a dozen angles to get over? Women’s Champion, Santino to speak for her, romance angle, Roucka angle, trashing Trish until they face in a match, and Melina seems to be last on the list. Beth is garbage, and so unable to get over by herself with the “Glamazon” gimmick. They are giving her a push worth more than her talent. The other divas then suffer. I am not complaining that Melina is tagging with Mickie James, or that this allows other heel divas to get time, but they can still do more to keep Melina’s feud with Beth fresh. If Beth can have so many resources being used to give her time, why can they not have Melina do the friendship angle with Mickie James, but also push the feud with Beth? Combine the two a little. One week, Melina gets in her gear just to stand there. Next week, seems like Beth and Melina have forgotten each other. And I am sure both women will have some kind of altercation on Raw next week. They better. They need to refreshen the feud. People care about this. Either way, this is a horrible way to push a title feud.

Don’t you just love when the WWE just drops certain angles? Of course, some angles are done in bad taste, the wrestlers involved may not feel comfortable doing it, it may not be working well with the audience, or there can be some other good excuse. Nevertheless, I like having an ending to things. Maria’s romance angle with Festus is just one example of a diva angle that gets dropped.

I am not a huge fan of either of the two, I really was not that interested in the angle, and I do not believe the angle was captivating a vast majority of the fans. Nevertheless, where did it go? Lovable Festus is around Maria during her matches, they have a few backstage promos, and we last see them together on Raw to present an award a few weeks ago. There was no mention of the romance angle, though. The two did not even act like anything ever happened between them. It seems to just be dropped. Maybe in 3 months, it will be forgotten. Would have been nice if they finished what they started.

Why did it end? Did they realize it was not that great? They lost faith in it? Maria felt uncomfortable doing a romance angle with Festus? I doubt that. The angle was not forcing her to act like a slut. Maybe she did not feel she could handle the role. She would have to be her regular fun self one second, then a serious woman the next. It would have given her character more depth, but it is up to her. It makes more sense to believe that the WWE just decided to give Maria a single push against McCool, instead of both this push and the romance angle. I doubt Maria is complaining. She still has her big feud, and it may still force her to be serious against McCool, adding more depth to her character. Poor Festus is back in jobber limbo with Jesse. The angle would have really been something for him. A conclusion would have been so good.

No predictions or critiques of what is going on in the world of wrestling in this post. I am just taking the time out to wish all wrestling fans, diva fans, readers, writers, and fellow individuals happy holidays. Of course, these best wishes go out to the wrestlers, entertainers, and all the rest of the crew who work to put on a show each and every week. Especially in these times of economic hardships, I know it is easy for especially them to be gloomy. That is no surprise. Budget cutbacks, coming releases causing fear, not that much time off before a show this weekend, and a myriad of personal woes. They sacrifice a lot, must have huge worries of there own, and I especially hope they can just enjoy the holidays like the rest of us wish for ourselves, friends, and family. Merry Christmas to all!

The wrestling news sites have already stated what should have been pretty obvious by now. Mickie James was not injured during her Raw match. Some describe the spot as crazy or scary. Is that how fans and news sites will react every time a woman in the WWE takes a risky bump and sells it well? Some of these women are just as tough as the men in those terms, and Mickie James is one of them. As I said previously, her selling told a story in the ring. I will not rewrite it, read it for yourselves, if you wish. I will only say that people need to start giving these women more credit. TNA’s Knockouts are not that superior over every WWE Diva, despite the booking differences. On the other hand, it is good to know people are concerned about the wrestlers’ well-being. Just give them a little credit for selling, and do not start complaining or the WWE may ban the women from ever going to the top rope again.

Onto the major news of the week, Michelle McCool may have finally turned heel! Oh, and Maryse defeated her for the Diva’s Championship. Maria was ref. I must say, they did not waste anytime on getting to this match. More of a build would have been nice, but I will not complain. McCool is a good wrestler, and Maryse is improving greatly, so I think the heel turn and title change should benefit both respectively. The Maria-McCool feud will continue. Everyone seems to win, except Victoria and Natalya of course. Who will Maryse feud with? Will she turn face, especially now that McCool is going heel? I am sure I will have a lot more to talk about concerning this as the days go on.

Before I give my thoughts on the show, let me just saw that the WWE is horrible at pushing contenders for titles.

We got a lot of diva action tonight. Starting with the big news, Trish had a match! It was a pretty solid showing. It surprises me how Trish Stratus can pull off almost every regular spot she is known for in one match. She did not hit the rope-aided Stratusfaction, but still a variation of it. It was truly a Hogan-like performance. Why else do I say that? When Trish retired, she said she was done wrestling. She got dream booking and I should have guessed she would be back for more. Nevertheless, I do not expect her to make a full comeback. Then again, I have been wrong before, and the crowd reaction may make both the WWE and Trish consider it. But back to the match. The commentators noted that this was the clash between the two most dominant divas of the decade. You can say that, but let me toss aside the ambiguity. This was a clash between the two best booked divas of the decade. Beth Phoenix is still not great in the ring, Trish Stratus is still highly overrated, in my opinion, and no divas with better talent will ever be allowed to shine more than her. Cena and Trish defeated Santino and Beth.

Roucka made an appearance again. We have a name now. She is Rosa Mendez. The reason for the name change is obvious, since “Melina” and “Milena” are too similar for WWE’s comfort. I will go into the obsessed fan angle again another day. I am only glad Beth was not acting like a face again tonight, though she needs to still show better reactions to her promos with Santino.

Kelly Kelly almost had a main event match tonight. Her angle with Kane is not done yet, and I am sensing a face turn. Time will tell.

Onto my favorite diva part of the evening. Mickie James and Melina tagged up to take on Jillian and Layla. First, it is great to see Layla actually in the ring. I was getting ready to post on why she should be released. But if she has the heart to try, go for it. But more importantly than using Layla right, two very talented former Women’s Champions tagged up again. Their entrance together was cute. That is good for fun face divas, but heel divas that are supposed to have an arrogant, serious aura, it is obvious who I have in mind, should not be doing this. It is great to see them on the same page. They are actually developing tag-team chemistry. They had a nice double-team move. The heels were also impressive. Jillian actually hit her finisher! Wow! The heels, however, were sloppy at two points in the match when it came to lifting their opponents up. I am always biting my nails when divas do power moves, since if Beth Phoenix is so sloppy much of the time, other divas need to be especially careful. But no harm done by these two spots. Speaking about no harm done, this match, once again, showcased Mickie’s great selling ability and ring psychology. She was pushed off the top rope, landed hard outside, and sold her right leg for the rest of the match, and after. Some wrestling fans seem to think she is actually injured. There have been times over the years where I thought the damage Mickie James took was real. She is honestly amazing. Moreover, the injury selling added to the story of the match. Twice during the match, Melina was in trouble, but Mickie, bad leg and all, helped her both times. That adds to the strength of their friendship. I am also happy with the match aftermath. Mickie did not stop selling, like John Cena has done in the past. She still looked like she was in pain. Mickie was not smiling because she won the match, but still held the hint of agony. This ending was reminiscent of the match where Melina was injured, and Mickie consoled her outside the ring. Melina did great showing concern. That, I believe, is what they were going for. If Mickie’s injury is real, I will eat my words, but I do not believe it is. The match would have been stopped, the heels would not have targeted the leg, or they would have done a rush finish. This is just Mickie showing, once again, that there is more to a match than just offense. Mickie James and Melina defeated Jillian and Layla.

“I try not to respond to internet rumors, but I have received hundreds of emails through both myspace and through www.black-widow-customs. com asking me if I am going to retire. I never said that I am, although sooner or later we all will. And I don’t believe that “unnamed talent” is saying that about me either. On the other hand, I never said that my retirement is not imminent. I do appreciate everyone’s support. I try to be open about my life in my blogs. But I would never comment about anything, either to confirm or deny, that may come up in future WWE shows. I’m not the kind of person who wants to know the end of a movie before I see it. And I don’t want to ruin anyone’s future enjoyment of WWE product.”

You’re hot then you’re cold. You’re yes then you’re no. You’re in and you’re out. You’re up and you’re down. You’re wrong when it’s right. It’s black and it’s white. Get the idea? Victoria basically is now saying she never said she was going to retire. Then she turns and says the little gem, “I never said that my retirement is not imminent.” She is sitting on that fence very nicely. Maybe she never said it flatly, but she definitely implied it a few months ago, if the wrestling news sites did not botch a copy and paste. Even in the message that should have been meant to clear up the situation, she leaves the ambiguity still there. I had a ton of respect for Victoria and her ring talent, and I understand, as she said, everyone has to quit sometime, but teasing it like this is simply horrible, to me anyway. I am sure thousands will breath a sigh of relief that Victoria may not be retiring, or so it seems anyway, but I will stand in a small minority of fans who are disgusted by Victoria playing on our sympathies. If she never intended to retire soon, she should not have implied it back in October. What she wrote was not even some poem that can have lines taken out of context and misinterpreted. She wrote a straight message in her blog about possibly winding down her career and one more title run. She played on the fans sympathies, whether she meant to or not, as evidenced by certain signs at Armageddon. I am sure there is much that is missing here, and I will give Victoria the benefit of the doubt. Nevertheless, Victoria should learn to watch her words more carefully when she blogs.