killeroflegends

Does it still look like Beth Phoenix will be the one turning face? It is true that they are finally making her look a little weak in terms of taking losses recently, but do not cry for a depush that is not there. All those losses have been surounded by her angle with Santino, and that has been currently the main angle for the women on Raw. Does this mean that this series of losses will necessarily turn to a face run for Beth, like it did for MVP last year? Not if she is going against Santina. I know many people are finally getting sick of Mr. Comedy. As Monday proved, he is the one working on the face team. He is the one getting the push in the Raw women’s division. This feud with Beth will have to end sometime, but not necessarily with Santina finally getting exposed as Santino. Will it take a mixed tag match to finally prove they are the same person? Have Santino and Santina take on The Burchills on Superstars. Santino will just make another excuse in the end. Beth Phoenix can end up winning that trivial “Miss Wrestlemania” crown, but Santina can escape as he is.

And if Santina does stand as a separate character after Beth and Santino end this angle, or possibly if the WWE decides to end it abruptly or put a slight break in it, how likely will it be that this comedy act will see him feuding with Maryse over the Diva’s Championship? I have already mentioned that Santino has pinned a number of divas himself, as well as being pinned by them as well. History also shows that the WWE is not above giving a man in drag a title designed for the women. The WWE can very well be building Santino up for this. Heaven knows Mickie James may not be getting that shot first. If she does, it will be to job to make Maryse look good. If that is not what the WWE has planned, they could seriously do a better job of spreading the spotlight around even in a tag match like on this past Raw. Mickie James and Maryse did not have to stand around there if a feud was to be brewed between them. But Santina trumped all, along with Hornswoggle. How much longer will he be in the spotlight on Raw? Will he breeze through Maryse with the butterfly belt?

Needless to say, I do not want to see this. I can say that what I wrote is a joke, but I joked before Wrestlemania that Santino Marella was going to win that battle royal. I did not believe the WWE would sink that low. I would honestly not put it above them to treat Santina as the top face diva on Raw. I am all for good storylines for the women, but this storyline focuses too heavily on a man and on comedy, not enough on action. I believe in compromise and moderation. A great diva must have the right quality and quantity of wrestling talent and charisma in my book (I do not hold that much to looks). Any good match must have give and take, good offense and good selling, from both sides, as well as a good ring psychology to draw the fans who want to know these wrestlers are not wrestling in a box for themselves (I do not believe who wins a match decides if the match was good or not). And when it comes to the divisions on the brands, I believe that there must be a mix of good storylines and solid action. Neither Raw or Smackdown has the total package for me. Raw is the place for storylines right now, but I already mentioned how it is a poor quality storyline to put the divas over. Smackdown is indeed the place for serious action it seems, as Superstars this week will once again show. But where is the compelling drive for it all? McCool wants to have a title, Gail Kim wants the same thing, Melina has it right now. Everyone is vying for position? That will put kids in seats for sure! And having Eve and Layla dance and have a catfight does not cut it either. That is not the action that wrestling is supposed to be about. That is not a great storyline in my book either. Next they will have Khali accidentally spill coffee on Kane so they can have a 10-month feud. I had hoped catfights simmered out after The Kat and Terri years ago. There is just too many things wrong there, and I will get there later this week. I apologize for the rant and sidetrack. Point is, if the WWE could combine what it is doing right on each show, and also cut some of the crap like men getting pushes designed for women and dancing and catfights that do not offer real wrestling action or entertainingly elaborate plots, some people may start taking the WWE divas more seriously again.

I sometimes stray away from directly talking about divas to cover topics that deal with professional wrestling as a whole, such as the few times I stress the importance, and often lack of understanding, of good selling. This will be another one of those topics. If you ordered Backlash, talked about it with others, or simply got word of it in some other way, the entire audience was not exactly shedding tears after Triple H lost the title and took the punt. If you watch almost any given pay-per-view, where fans are often a little more vocal, you may also notice a face getting booed or a heel getting a huge ovation over the face, despite both putting on solid performances. If you still are unsure what I am talking about, look at John Cena. That has to be the definitive example of a face getting booed. A few weeks ago, when Cena took on Jack Swagger, the fans actually gave Swagger an ovation during that match as if he had been a face all the time. In reality, they just cannot stand John Cena. John Cena, Triple H, CM Punk, and the list goes on. Why do these faces get booed at times?

Like much else, the reasoning is not always the same in every instance. If you put on a poor performance, whether face or heel, the fans will go sour. But that is not the reason many of these faces are getting negative reactions. John Cena does not always put on a horrible performance. And I do not think that the reason is that it is simply cool for some fans to cheer the heels and boo the faces. As if I really needed to say it, the reason is because these faces are often overpushed.

Starting with the classic example of our time, John Cena gets heat for not being the greatest wrestler, not being as entertaining as he was during his heel run, and of course, always being in the main event scene. He has been getting a mixed reaction from the fans for years now, but nothing ever really changes. Many say a heel turn will fix him. If he is still pushed down your throats, cannot wrestle good enough to please you, and will not be allowed to be the heel he once was, especially with the WWE now PG, I cannot see how this will make him great again. It will only legitimize his boos to some degree. People can argue that he is booed because he is a heel. It would not look as awkward as having a face getting negative responses with his mere presence. The best thing the WWE could do is give him a break from the main event scene. They did that in 2008, and I believe it did him some good. Of course, he was feuding with a man everyone hated, JBL. The WWE is once again taking him away from the title scene, but if they continue to push him as Superman, defying what he took at Backlash to still be on Raw the next day, and other things like that, the fans may still hold that grudge against him. There are other popular wrestlers that the fans want to see get proper treatment.

Triple H is just as bad as Cena in regards to being overused as a face. A few fans let him hear it at Backlash. With all this guy has been through, his DX run, the legends he has faced, and all the control, I never thought he would ever get anything but cheers. The fans do not like a face looking that strong, holding other talent down and away from the title, and backstage powers do not exactly always work in your favor when it comes to the fans passing judgment. Many can argue that it was a few stubborn Orton fans who showed Triple H that bit of disrespect, but the fact that Cena and Triple H are still similar in a few ways still does not mean Triple H should be immune to that type of criticism.

The WWE also needs to see that there are consequences for targeting new demographic areas. They are getting those areas. The WWF fans of 1999 are not the WWE fans of 2009. They may have been able to shove Steve Austin down the fans throats in the main event and title scene so heavily, but it helped him that his character was so intriguing to fans back then. Those same fans do not like poopy jokes from John Cena. The PG-rating is drawing kids who may appreciate it, but the old fans are hating it. Some of the fans also do not appreciate a man that married his way into power continuously just randomly ending up in only big-time matches for such a long period, burying opponents so easily at times, not being as intriguing a character as others, and who may honestly believe that it is all about the game taking so much of the attention. If simply turning heel will fix all this, wrestling fans may know what they like, but the logic escapes me. Being overused is being overused.

Did you think I just put that Mickie James picture up there due to lack of creativity? I still dedicate my articles here to the divas. Last time I checked, I did not mention any divas yet.

I may complain a lot about Mickie James not being used right, but that does not mean that I have ever said she must always either be Women’s Champion or in the title hunt. I frequently say the opposite. It would be horrible if the WWE did that to her. Why do I say this? For one thing, as I always say, Trish and Lita did not get their status from constant title pushes. More importantly, and to the point at hand, such treatment may make the fans turn on her just like they did with John Cena. Whether haters see it or not, Mickie James is not always in the title picture. As I have pointed out, and readers have commented on, Mickie is often the second or third choice for a title-feud push, won a title by a ref’s botch, and is often left in the dark at other times. I am not happy that the WWE is underpushing Mickie James, but I am slightly glad that they have not overpushed her either. There is a compromise out there.

I am not implying that a face must always be losing during a title reign to be kept popular. On the contrary, that can kill credibility and ruin a lot of title runs that way. The result may be a face getting booed because they were suddenly pushed to the title scene, but is being underpushed  in other ways. The main event scene and title scene are not necessarily the same thing. 2008 gives an example of what I mean with a certain World’s Heavyweight Champion on Raw. The fans would think such a champion is a joke. But you also cannot win every time.

The last title reign of Mickie James was not that bad from the start to finish. She proved to be a fighting champion. In 4 months of televised action, she wrestled every week but three. She defended her title five times, not counting house shows, which fans usually do not count either. Fans who complain that she never loses, she lost six times in that reign, taking the pinfall loss four times herself. Compare that to Beth’s first reign. In six months, she lost five televised times, taking the loss herself only twice. Why do I bother with that kind of stat? Look back at 2008. How long did Triple H go without being pinned? It is a wonder more people did not get sick of this guy sooner. Fans who still want to complain that Mickie James should have lost more, that would have made her look like a weak Women’s Champion.

My point in analyzing that title reign briefly is to show that it was a good reign for Mickie James. She defended her title many times, took losses regularly, made her opponents actually look good in individual matches, and was not overused by being the main attraction for the women’s division every single week, but still got to be on the show. That was good booking. I have to give the WWE credit there. It ended when it did, and many Mickie fans could only put up a calender to count the days until her next reign. That is not what I was hoping for. I simply wanted Mickie to get any good use while the other divas got their shot. I still want that. That is not being overpushed. I raise an eyebrow when I recall one fan commenting that Mickie was back to being overrated/overpushed (so many misuse all these terms, maybe I should write about them one day) just because she picked up a win in a tag match by pinning Natalya. A popular, skilled, four-time Women’s Champion getting her first pinfall victory on a diva in months is overpushing her? Melina cannot win every match herself. As I said going into Wrestlemania, the spotlight must be spread well.

I doubt Cena and other faces who have been booed for seemingly no reason are losing sleep over it. The issue can easily be solved if the WWE just spreads the spotlight better. Ratings dropped badly after John Cena was injured again in 2008. You cannot put all your chips on a mediocre hand. The WWE did not do a good enough job with the other stars it had at the time. Make use of the wrestlers you have who are popular, maintain that popularity, but do not ruin the pushes and attention of other workers because of one individual. The fans may be more vocal now than ever. That is a good thing, but only if they know what they are even talking about. You cannot compare Mickie’s last title run to the treatment Triple H, John Cena, and other faces get. She was not shoved down your throats before the reign, during the reign, and definitely not after the reign. She was built up as a contender, was allowed to maintain her credibility as Women’s Champion through most of the reign, and got shoved aside after it ended. When these top male faces are not holding the gold, they are either already in the hunt for it, in the hunt to become top contender for it, or often in a major feud that trumps the title scene anyway. That, if the little children cannot figure it out, is how these faces are overused. That is why fans grow tired of them. That is how they become stale. Can you really blame the wrestler? Aside from Triple H, you have to blame the WWE itself for not pushing these guys smarter. Mickie James has certainly not been given the treatment of these men, not as yet anyway. If she does, that may kill her popularity faster than being underpushed. Balance action in the ring with solid promos, balance main-event feuds with upper-midcard feuds, and balance being in the title scene with being used efficiently elsewhere. That may very well keep a wrestler over without them getting overpushed. That should diminish the phenomena of faces getting booed. Easier said than done.

First of all, I refuse to put up a picture of the real star of the night, Santina Marella. I am not going to humor this crap that much anymore. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may already know what the majority of my rant will be about here. I suggest you just turn away now. That is how the WWE is making me feel about Raw. I suggest reading up on the swine flu issue. I find it more compelling and interesting myself.

In terms of who got time tonight, all the divas pretty much were used. They were all lumped into a 8-diva tag, even Santina Marella. I may very well be a hypocrite for complaining. I complained months ago about the WWE always using the same four divas week after week, while other divas got no time at all. Now all the divas are getting time, so I should be happy? No. Before I complained about that, I remember specifically complaining about huge tag matches not being a great choice either. The WWE switched from one extreme back to the other. Getting into specifics, Santina Marella, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and Brie took on Maryse, Beth Phoenix, Jillian and Rosa. As usual with these huge tag matches, who actually saw action? That is the question. For the faces, only Santina and Brie actually got to be legally involved in the match. For the heels, Beth and Jillian were the two involved. If you are going to have Rosa in a match yet again, how about having her finally wrestle a full performance? All she did was lift the ring apron to reveal the missing Bella Twin and Hornswoggle. I do not want to go into him. Beth and Maryse then got to be a part of the comedy act with Hornswoggle’s fire extinguisher. Santina rolls up Jillian in the confusion. No one got to hit any real exciting offense. Jillian missed her somersault leg drop, Beth with some punches and other offense I can even do, and it all ends with a roll up. I will not list the women Santino Marella has pinned, but counting his male and female characters, and counting a house show report I came across on a forum, the number is roughly 6. That does not even count Wrestlemania a few weeks ago. Too much attention on him. After, Hornswoggle and Santina got to extend the comedy, with help from Mickie James. She got to lift up Santina’s skirt as Hornswoggle freaked out. Does this make Mickie James seem like still a strong wrestler? No. Does it bring her into the comedy act? Yes. What is the WWE doing to her? Santina, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and Brie defeat Maryse, Beth Phoenix, Jillian, and Rosa.

I am not done ranting yet. I do not want to suffocate it all in one place. What is up with Kelly Kelly? She works at house shows, but she has never been a part of the televised action in months now. Despite that, she is always an extra body in huge matches. If her improvement has slowed, which is something that should have been obvious months ago, have her be used in a limited way. She could not have gotten worse tremendously.

The WWE put a short rest to huge tag matches last week, with Melina’s farewell victory over Beth. I said it was a good match, and I am sticking to that, but tossing that out there to compensate for weeks of tag matches and comedy intergender matches in the past, and now again in the present, cannot do for the Raw divas. These type of matches should be used scarcely as a little change of routine, while matches that are given time, include women who wrestle, and have some hype and purpose for all involved, the one thing Melina vs. Beth from last week lacked a bit, should be the norm. The WWE has it backwards. Or is this just the new age we are heading in to? I would enjoy the Age of Orton, but this time for the women is severely lacking. In my eyes, it started after the WWE lost confidence in Candice Michelle in 2008. From that point, huge tag matches became a norm to replace solid, personal feuds, the same women were used time and time again, women ready to go were ignored or used horribly, everything has been in a cluster without focus, and Santino Marella rose to power amidst all this. Melina was lucky to escape to Smackdown. What happens now?

One of the first articles I wrote on this blog talked about how the WWE can bury Mickie James smartly by giving her short matches, putting her in huge tag matches, and just slyly push the focus away from her like that. Why do I bring this up now? I do not exactly see the WWE allowing Mickie James to really shine recently. They kept her off the European tour last week, and she got to do nothing this week. If any Mickie fans out there are reading this, does it have you questioning your faith in her? What happens after that popularity is dwindled away with all the crap I just talked about? An issue for another day.

Vickie Guerrero is still on Raw as GM. She had a few interactions with Big Show. It would seem that Big Show attacked Cena last night by his own will, but obviously with the storyline reasoning of impressing Vickie, or probably because he hates Cena that much more than Edge. Speaking of Edge, looks like he will be sticking solely to Smackdown. How will this marriage last over the distance? Vickie wants to keep her relationship with Big Show as professional. Something has to give.

Backlash itself was a great pay-per-view, but I still stand by my expectations before the event in regards to the diva portion.

The Khali Kiss Cam featured Santina Marella. Regular comedy crap, including bringing Jim Ross into the act. Beth Phoenix was of course there. She actually challenged Santina to a match. They are treating “Miss Wrestlemania” as a championship? That is not the direction this should be going. And I still stand by the idea that there was not a diva match tonight. One competitor is a man in drag. The other gets knocked out by Khali. The “match” ends up being nothing but part of the comedy segment. Pro wrestling is supposed to be about putting on a competitive performance to entertain the fans. It is fake in that the winner is already decided before the match, but that does not mean that these wrestlers are not putting on a show for the people. This “match” was not a competitive performance. It was a joke. Santina has a wardrobe malfunction, and is then able to escape Khali. When will it end?

I said that Edge vs. Cena needed something shocking. Edge regained the title after Big Show sent Cena crashing into a spotlight. I would say that is shocking. Why would Big Show head out there? What was Vickie Guerrero’s role in this, if any? I am glad that they did not drop Edge/Vickie/Big Show so quickly. The woman is Raw GM, has Edge as a husband, and has Chavo pushing her around, so she is not scarce on things to get her time on Raw, but this love triangle deserves a proper ending. I hate angles that end without a proper finish.

Before getting into talk about Backlash or divas, let me just say that I am finally able to post comments on my blog again, so I can reply more easily when readers leave there own comments. I know you all care about hearing that more than what I am about to say anyway.

Backlash is upon us. There is no official match, aside from a possible title match for either of the two belts before the actual televised portion of the show. A few notes about that. This is the second pay-per-view this year to not have an official diva match on the actual card. No big deal, but it may be something interesting to keep track of for the rest of the year. Also, this is the first Backlash since her debut that Mickie James will not be competing in. She defended the Women’s Championship in 2006, challenged for said title in 2007, led a team as Women’s Champion in 2008, and has come out losing every time. Notes aside, I can honestly say that I do not feel hyped enough over Backlash to even discuss it. I can take this time to talk about Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, or even the fact that news sites are reporting about Mickie James being left out of the new Raw intro. It is something I noticed on Raw on Monday. I even went on youtube to see if I missed her. Still, I did not feel the need to mention it yet, and I still will not give it more than this brief aside until possibly later on. This is one of those things where I want to give the WWE the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe that some mistake was made. But since news sites are reporting on it, and a reader did bring it up in a comment, I just want to acknowledge it. Again, I am just giving it some time to see what this really means. Back to Backlash, much like No Way Out, no official diva match, but there are segments or matches that will impact the women.

The Khali Kiss Cam has to be the top attraction as far as the women go. Just saying that makes me feel less eager to even say another word. Khali gets to kiss Santina. Beth Phoenix and Rosa, the only two actual women involved in this, will surely be around to at least have a good laugh at the comedy act. I am hoping that this is the time for Santina to get exposed as Santino Marella. How much longer can this actually continue? Will it not end until Santina wins the Diva’s Championship? I do not believe it has been a full 10 years since the first man held a female title in the WWE. Again, I am jumping the gun. Whatever happens with this segment, it will not be something I am going to enjoy that much.

What happened to Vickie Guerrero’s involvement with the Cena/Edge/Big Show feud? Big Show is out, but Edge and Vickie are married in kayfabe (storyline world). The WWE has not really been pushing that much recently. Edge is a Smackdown wrestler, Vickie is the Raw GM, Big Show is on Raw, and Cena, the man with the gold, is on Raw too. I think more could have been done to hype Edge vs. Cena. That personal touch it had going into Wrestlemania has just been dropped too soon. They give hints, but not great promo time. The little time either man has gotten on the mic to hype this match has been really not pushing it as anything but a Last Man Standing match for the title. There is a hole here. I am expecting something big at Backlash. Sadly, I doubt Vickie Guerrero may get involved. They have not been hyping her involvement in this feud as best as they could since Wrestlemania. Just implying that she gave Edge the night off and Cena had to wrestle does not do enough to fuel emotions as best as they could. If you do not get what I mean, I apologize. I have taken too many writing courses in my life, analyzed too many books, stories, movies, and whatever else, and just enjoy a good storyline when I see one, even in the WWE. Forgive me for caring. The WWE better have something good planned. Edge vs. Cena has been done too many times now. Vickie Guerrero was one of the things that could have made this seemingly straightforward title match, stipulation or not, better in terms of hype. Again, I am expecting something shocking. But what happens to Edge and Vickie after?

Last week, after Gail Kim had defeated Maryse in a non-title match, I mistakingly thought that was the end of their feud. This draft is definitely taking longer to take effect than previous years. If you saw Smackdown or read the spoilers earlier in the week, Maryse defeated Gail Kim on Smackdown to retain her Diva’s Championship. Only fair. If Melina had to defend her title in her final match on Raw (I am guessing it will be her final), Maryse should get to defend her title too in her last match (again, I hope it is her final). With Ziggler running around challenging MVP and the new show that debuted recently, what it means to be on a particular brand may never be the same again. That may or may not be a good thing.

Refocusing on Gail Kim vs. Maryse, Maryse got the pinfall against the woman many were hyped about returning to the WWE. I may have been a little too quick in saying it last week, but the WWE is still dropping the ball with Gail Kim. That match definitely benefited Maryse more than Gail. It was Maryse’s farewell match, but Gail Kim had been built so strongly in the last few months, so something had to give. The fact that Gail had pinned Maryse last week, the last but of momentum before the big title match, did not help her chances of winning this week. All that build just to make Maryse look good. I can see that happening to Mickie James soon, sadly. Melina also got a farewell match this week, but there is a difference between Beth Phoenix. Beyond the fact that Beth has not been built up to look great recently, she has been losing so much, there is still the reality that Beth still has a program going with Santino. She has that to fall back on to keep her interesting to the fans, or so the WWE plans. What does Gail Kim have? All she has is her wrestling push, which just hit a brick wall. She may get a “gold watch” victory in coming weeks, but the attention will definitely have to shift to Melina when the time is right. Once again, too many faces on Smackdown, not enough heels. In the end, going by the typical WWE style of only counting pinfall/submission losses in singles matches, Gail Kim suffers her first loss since her return. Where does she go now?

Yesterday, I said that a move from even Raw to ECW may not necessarily be a bad thing for a diva. To further illustrate what I mean, I am going to outline a little idea I had many months ago. I do not remember how it came to me, and it may have even been a dream I had one night. Again, this came to me a few months ago, before the recent events of the draft. My idea will never happen now. It was just a bit of speculation that I am now using to support a point.

The rise of Miz & Morrison on ECW was grand. Neither started out on that show, but both pretty much became a main-event tag team there. They were in the main event during their run as a team many times. That means that they got more focus than the ECW Champion himself at times. Here is where my idea comes in. I was thinking they should draft Mickie James to ECW. Blasphemy? There is no title for her to compete for there. There is no real competition for the women there. What would Mickie James do? In my crazy little dream, she is teamed with Miz & Morrison. Miz, Morrison, and Mickie (MMM). That would indeed mean that Mickie James would have to turn heel, pleasing certain fans out there. It would not be her psycho heel, but a more arrogant and self-absorbed, glamorous heel, similar to Miz & Morrison. How would this benefit Mickie? As the two men dominate much of the ECW scene, Mickie will be by their side. She can interject herself to help her team win. In other words, Mickie would be a valet for the best tag team in the WWE, at that time anyway. Miz & Morrison benefit by acquiring more of a stable than just a two-man team. Power in numbers. I even saw this group going on to overrule the ECW GM. They may take over the show themselves. It is not that out of the question. If JBL can pretend to do it last year, the WWE can easily make even Michael Cole look like a powerful individual. Even if it does not go that far, I also saw Mickie going in to actually wrestle the men on ECW. Gold may or may not ever come into her hands during this time, but as long as she is with Miz and Morrison on ECW, she would be assured a spot every week, she would get to work with the top stars there, and it would allow her to show more of what she can do.

This dream I had is nothing to revolutionary, needless to say. Natalya is on ECW right now with Tyson Kidd. She is not in a position for great diva feuds or title shots either. But there are differences. Unlike my idea for MMM, Natalya/Kidd are treated like jokes. Natalya is being used to help Kidd get over. In MMM, there is more of an equal footing. And lastly, MMM would be main-event caliber. Natalya/Kidd are not there right now.

Many can say that it is similar to MNM. Mercury, Nitro (John Morrison), and Melina are indeed similar to MMM, but with a few differences. For one thing, Miz & Morrison seem to have a better main-event fit than Mercury and Nitro, who did see a few main events themselves on Smackdown. But in the latter’s case, they only saw the main event if their opponents were already established main-eventers. On ECW, Miz & Morrison were established as good enough to carry the main event. But going to the most important difference between these two stables, MMM would be happening on ECW. ECW, as I said before, has no real competition for Mickie James in the long run, especially if she is heel and especially now after the draft. Smackdown did not have a title for the women either back when MNM debuted, but fans may not realize that Melina still had plenty of competition. She ran over Michelle McCool, Torrie Wilson, and other divas there. Mickie James would not have that on ECW.

I can go on to list other similar factions, but my overall point is still that being drafted to ECW is not necessarily bad. Is it out of the question for Mickie James to be placed with a great, established tag team, mix it up with the men in serious action, possibly even become a contender for the ECW Championship at a point, and just be allowed to focus less on wrestling divas for a while to focus on building her WWE legacy in other ways? As I have said before, Lita and Trish never wrestled in title matches every week, nor were they always even in that picture. Their greatness also was due to what they did outside the ring. Many may not realize that the WWE started Melina out more similarly to how Trish started. Being a valet for a tag team? MNM? T&A? That does not hurt. When will it be Mickie’s time to truly focus on that aspect of the business in the WWE? It could have easily happened on ECW.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/article/report-wwe-diva-upset-with-her-recent-draft-to-smackdown-75565

There you have your reasoning for Melina’s crying after she was drafted last week. Of course, if there is anything I hope the 2 or 3 regular readers of my words have picked up, it is to always take these internet rumors with a grain of salt. Never take it as absolutely true. Never even take my ramblings as the truth either. I don’t always do that. As the recent rumors with Trish Stratus and Wrestlemania show, some of the slander is just false slander. Bring your own analysis to these rumors, just like how you can analyze to realize a good match when you see one. It is especially good to give things a second thought when they bash a talent, such as the case in point today.

For the sake of analysis, just assuming this report is true, it seems that Melina is not just unhappy about leaving friends and her “home” for the last three years or so. She is taking it as if this is a demotion. The entire wrestling world would probably agree that moving from Raw to Smackdown is a demotion. Raw is the obvious flagship, but I am one of the few who sees a change of scenery, even if it is from Raw to ECW, as sometimes a good thing for the individual. It all depends on how you are used on your new show. If Melina became the first female World’s Heavyweight Champion while on Smackdown, I do not think she would be crying from sadness that much longer. Extreme example, but my point is that the move can be great for her, in theory at least. She is going with the Women’s Championship in hand. That is a bit of history in the making right there.

Maybe she is unhappy because she is worried about what may be coming on Smackdown? It has been a while since rumors of the evil ways of Michelle McCool. Tossing all the salt out the window, it is hard to give this woman the benefit of the doubt when so many rumors and reports seem to match circumstances. As I have said before, even Jim Ross has hinted at issues on Smackdown for the women. I would hope it has died down in these passing months, but can Melina not want to deal with McCool? In the sake of fairness, and just taking away the fact that McCool has a lot of negative rumors circling her, she is the top heel on Smackdown. Melina will have to deal with her. Beyond the competition you see between heels and faces, there is a “competition” among face divas themselves and heel divas themselves. One reason talking about the women of the WWE is so interesting is because there is rarely space for more than two women to ever be the stars of the show at the same moment. When one face loses her push, so many on the web automatically assume that this woman has to be in the doghouse now. It is really not always the case. It can simply be that it is some other woman’s time now. The WWE may simply not have the resources to push the other woman in some other top way. Even I have arguments against what I just wrote, but I am trying to be fair to the WWE here a bit. Point is, when Melina does eventually lose her title, you will definitely see other faces step up. Unless either Candice Michelle or Gail Kim are released, they will definitely be contenders. Just because Melina is made to look like a sidekick during this time does not mean Michelle McCool has something to do with it, Melina is being necessarily punished, or any other reason you may read on the internet is automatically true. It just may be Melina’s time to be a sidekick again. It has happened to Mickie James many times before. At least I hope Melina does not have the added insult of not only losing her push, but being left off TV for weeks right after losing her title, have focus shift totally from herself to another woman before Melina’s feud is completely over, and I can go on to list other aspects of real disrespect the WWE can do to her. Is Melina angry that this can be in her Smackdown fate?

As the rumor really focuses on, this unhappiness over being drafted is not making Melina look very good backstage. Yes, the draft does influence everyone, and I am not going to defend Melina if she is crying simply because she thinks she is too good for Smackdown. Pretty much all my favorite wrestlers have been a part of Smackdown since the brand division. Mick Foley, Kane, Triple H, Randy Orton, William Regal, and even Ric Flair himself. Even Mickie James was heavily rumored to be drafted last year, and I thought she would be this year. I would not complain if she was. If a man like the Undertaker can stick on Smackdown for so long, Melina can handle returning there. I still have my obvious doubts about the rumor, but Melina has had a history of causing trouble backstage. Is that bitchy attitude rising again? She has a right to give her side of the story. Maybe she will. Even if she does, just be sure to take it with a tiny grain of salt, just in case.

Hornswaggle, like so many other wrestlers this week, got his farewell match before he leaves to Raw. Of all the people on ECW, who better for him to face than Natalya? In a short comedy match, and those are words I usually use to talk about Raw matches with Santino Marella, Hornswaggle picks up the win. If Hornswaggle actually was involved in diva affairs more often like this, I would say he is as bad as Santino. But this will change once he is fully on Raw, I hope. Many complain about what Hornswaggle has done to Finlay’s character, and now look what he may be doing to divas.

And what about Natalya? At least she still has a spot by Tyson Kidd, playing his mouthpiece. I questioned who a diva like this would face on ECW, but I did not think this would be the answer. Natalya is growing on me more and more. Unlike many other wrestling fans, I do not go into huge hype. I do not care who your mother is, father is, where you trained, what you did last year, or any of that. For one thing, once you get to the WWE, the “WWE style” can crap all over you. Second, I sometimes feel that this can create a pedestal too high for the wrestler to ever climb to. You end up overrating them. Third, nepotism is not exactly something a person like me is attracted to. The fact that Randy Orton’s family have wrestling in their blood did not make me love the guy, but his own talents did. And lastly, I guess I try to stay away from hype because I like to be surprised. That all being said, Natalya is growing on me through her misuse. She is a sound wrestler and should be used in the ring in serious matches. That is her place. I said it before, Victoria and Mickie James are not the only women to be wasted in relation to their true potential. Natalya is hot and she can wrestle. That has to  be worth more than just jobbing to a leprechaun. That being said, watching Superstars, the new WWE show, may not be a great idea for Natalya fans this week. She gets to be the first diva on that show, but things just never turn out well when you are going against Hornswaggle. Father and son take on Kidd and Natalya.

I have just one more thing I want to note about Superstars. Months ago, when news of this show first came out, some news sites said that this would most likely be a platform for those wrestlers “having trouble” getting time on the main shows. They even listed the jobbers and people on the verge of being released. It pained me that Mickie James was on that list. But based on the first two episodes, the jobbers are not getting their platform. Wrestlers already involved in feuds, or at least still somewhat relevant, are getting the time. I do not see Charlie Haas vs. Jamie Noble headlining anything. Of course, this all may change as time goes on. Sunday Night Heat, before being phased out, actually had big names on it at times. Triple H competed there, even after he had won his first major world title. As time goes on, especially in this time of economic trouble, the WWE will have to do something with these names being ignored. What are they going to do, release them all? Maybe. The financial trouble is causing them to cutback on having talent that will not be used going to shows. I remember reading that this was the reason Cryme Tyme missed Raw a few months ago. Certain talent, including one of my favorite divas, missed out on the European tour right now. With all this to worry about, the WWE debuts a new show, and then has wrestlers, who may already be overworked, compete more? It might have been better for this to be a show dedicated to jobbers. Without storylines to push for the main shows, real exciting wrestling may have been seen. This may have drawn in the casual audience into the world of wrestling. But I only speculate.

Not that many holes to fill up from what I posted earlier today. Melina defended her title against Beth Phoenix before moving exclusively to Smackdown. Rosa was with Beth. That is pretty much it for the women. No Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Bellas, Maryse, or Jillian. Even Vickie Guerrero was not on Raw. A few weeks ago, I believe it was Tammy Sytch who complained about the WWE having a diva involved in practically everything. Really? Just because 18 women are seen in a huge tag match, that does not mean the divas are involved in everything. I wish the WWE would go back to the days of using the women as valets to men or in other angles like that. Most important thing I am forgetting, have this done WHILE a major diva feud is also going on, possibly for the title. But I digress, as usual.

Since I mentioned the match, I will start there. BETH LOST TO A FINISHER MOVE! They were partying in the streets of New York City when they saw that. In case you did not know, Beth Phoenix has never lost a televised match to a finisher. Mickie James, to my knowledge, is the only other diva to even hit Beth with an actual finisher, her DDT, in a televised match, Backlash 2008. But it was Melina that hit Beth with the Last Call, or whatever they may have changed it to, to win her match tonight. It is ironic how that move is just a variation of a roll up anyway. At least it has more impact to it. The match itself was good. Melina made use of that flexibility and the splits again. Once people fully realize that Melina is very very flexible, will spots like that still impress the fans? Time will tell. Again, good, even match. Rosa got up on the apron to cause a distraction that backfired. That set Beth up for Melina to hit her finisher. Melina now has some momentum to walk into Smackdown with. Will Gail Kim or Michelle McCool be waiting? Melina defeats Beth Phoenix to retain the Women’s Championship.

Instead of getting a match for the divas at Backlash, we will be getting Khali kissing Santina. Santino did his usual comedy act before the diva match tonight. Beth was the one who interrupted and broke the news about “his sister” having to kiss Khali in a few days. People still think Beth will be the one turning face? The group is falling apart, but Santino is coming out over. Going back to what I said before about using women is side angles with men so they have something to do, this is an example of that. Problem is, it is the only diva angle really going on now, and for the last few weeks. There is no major diva angle. Beth even pulled double duty tonight by getting a Women’s Championship match and furthering her angle. Not what I had in mind. The point to what I said before is to have multiple divas being used in some way, while a main feud still gets proper attention. This Santino thing fails on many levels. First, it is not a true diva feud, so it cannot be seen as a major draw for the women’s division. Second, Santino vs. Beth has been seen before, and it has never been a great match. Third, throwing in figures like Khali just further make it a joke. And that it my main problem, the one I have brought up time and time again, get the comedy out. That is what this whole thing is. How hard would it have been to have Mickie James and Maryse have a backstage segment to hype things to come? Or even Kelly Kelly and Maryse, if that is where they want to go. I could have written a similar rant for Smackdown last week. I hope things do change after Backlash.