Dec 23 2008
Raw Diva Notes 12/22/08
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.
