killeroflegends

Mr. Kennedy has a lot in common with Candice Michelle. Specifically, for the sake of what I want to talk about now, they have had their share of injury. Everyone should know Kennedy has had horrible luck in terms of losing pushes to injuries, drug suspension, taking time to make a movie, and then getting shuffled in the yearly draft every year since he first moved from Smackdown to Raw years ago. Getting injured in his first match back is just too unreal to actually believe, but his release recently just cements his end in the WWE. For good?

How different is Kennedy from Candice Michelle in regards to injuries? Just starting from the scary incident in 2007, she got injured in a title match against Beth Phoenix. She returned a few weeks before Wrestlemania in 2008. Her first official match back was a tag match on Raw. She got injured again in that match. She was advertised in a big match at Wrestlemania, but Ashley returned to take her spot. The WWE could not have been ecstatic about that sudden change in plans. It can be seen as their own fault for bringing her back too soon. Point is, Candice takes her second injury in less than a year. She returns again at the end of August. She did not get injured in this tag match, which happened to be taped prior to the airing on Monday, but was very sloppy in this match. Parts of this match were edited. Candice still got the pinfall on Beth, as well as the title feud that followed, but the WWE obviously lost confidence in her to give her the title or really continue the feud further. She does nothing great for months, barely wrestling at all, but does work to improve again. That is respectable. Sadly, she injures her ankle weeks before Wrestlemania. She is still at the event, but misses out competing once again due to injury. She got drafted to Smackdown a while ago, which she wanted. She has yet to be seen. In less than two years, she has had three injuries serious enough to sideline her and one sloppy return performance that ruined another push.

That is the backstory. What will the future bring? The drama with Kennedy shows that the WWE may be willing to work with stars with potential, but if they are that injury prone, the WWE will not be soft forever. Many are saying that Kennedy could have been kept on as an announcer or such. What can Candice really be kept on as? As a public relations official? That is not a certainty. If Candice does get a good push with her eventual return, she better be ready for it. I hope the WWE do not rush her this time. Does not look like that is the case. If she gets injured right away or puts on a poor performance, that may be the end of the line for her. And she better be careful not to botch a move on the wrong diva. I am not saying I want her to leave. It is just speculation. History can repeat itself.

I am sure more people must be interested in the Kennedy saga than what I have to say here, but I will carry on. Smackdown actually had two diva matches tonight, similar to Raw a few days ago. Not dancing or arm wrestling, but two actual matches. I cannot recall the last time that happened.

The two Diva Search winners finally had a real singles match. Eve took on Layla. The match was actually better than I imagined it would be. It was definitely more competitively solid than Kelly Kelly vs. Maryse. There were no random flips. There was no major time wasted showboating. It was a good effort from both women. Good to see that these two are surprising me with some real improvement. If they keep it going, they will definitely earn a serious feud for a title. Eve is supposedly studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I recall Matt Striker saying that Alica Fox was trained in that as well. There is something to be said for serious training, but I hope Eve does develop her own style through all this training. Basic mirroring of another’s style completely is not something I like. A solid, unique style is something I am more impressed with. But until either Layla or Eve really develop that, they are at least showing some good foundations. As I said before, I hope they keep it going. Eve defeats Layla.

Women’s Champion Melina took on Alicia Fox. Michelle McCool, the top contender, came out with her lackey. Another pretty good match. Both matches tonight let the divas have more time than Mickie James and Beth Phoenix had in their two-minute tag match on Raw. Melina ended up defeating Alicia, which adds more momentum to her. McCool had a brief symbolic exchange with Melina in the ring after the match, holding her title. McCool then walked off, leaving Alicia still down. The master heel of Smackdown. Evil to the end. The push ups, trumping other heels, and blogs written in kayfabe are all supposed to really get her over as top heel? She will get the push anyway, but I still feel that this heel is lacking. Melina defeats Alicia.

Melina will not be defending her title against Michelle McCool on Smackdown this week. If you have read the spoilers, you know it. Unlike Maryse vs. Kelly Kelly, the Smackdown match features two women that are capable of putting on a more solid performance. This match can be given some time and the women would not waste it, aside from Michelle McCool and her push ups. Beyond my possible overvaluing of the match quality, there is also the fact that history can be made with this match. That is why McCool was being built up for this. She is not being tossed in as a monkey wrench to another diva’s feud with Melina. Aside from all these reasons why this match should not be rushed, Michelle McCool claims to have broken her nose recently. In the consideration of when this match should happen, take that for what it is worth. I still want to take the time for some early speculation on when the match may happen and what may come out of it.

Assuming the injury does not hold her back, McCool may take on Melina next week. The Smackdown before Extreme Rules. If the title match cannot fit on the actual event, it may happen just before it. It would have been better if Extreme Rules got a real diva’s match, not that Santina vs. Vickie joke. But what kind of stipulation could a Melina vs. McCool match have? The PG rating is a factor, as well as the WWE holding the women back. Melina and Beth faced off in an I Quit match last year. Not to take anything away from the job they did, but that match was nothing but a submissions match with added hype. There was nothing greatly hardcore about that match. And there is already a submission match this year. If Melina and McCool were going to go extreme, it would have to be in a type of match that has not already been taken up or used recently. The WWE has really been pulling almost every match type out of the closet over the last few months. I doubt they would give the divas a Hell in a Cell match or First Blood match. In the end, it may be best that the match is not being featured at Extreme Rules. No fancy stipulation is really needed for what this feud is about. Night of Champions may be the stage to do it. It may seem awkward to make McCool the top contender last week and wait so long, but a similar thing did happen last year when McCool feuded with Natalya to become the first Diva’s Champion.

It will be a big deal when these two meet, and not all possibilities in building this feud further have been exhausted. Eve and Layla can still get into the mix for some six-diva tags. Maria is still around. Point is, this title match does not necessarily have to happen soon. When it does happen, McCool taking the title would make her the first woman to have held both female titles in the WWE, aside from that crown. What would Melina retaining mean? She moves on from McCool? I do not think it would end so easily. They may very well have Melina retain in her first major title defense on Smackdown, but McCool will get some kind of rematch. That happens a lot in the WWE.

In the end, this is not a question of if Michelle McCool will win the Women’s Championship. This is about when she will do it. The board is open for when the match can happen. There is still plenty of time to build it up to be even better. A loss may not necessarily mean McCool is sent to the back of the line. If I had to judge as if the match had been made for next week, and based on what has happened so far on both sides, McCool would most likely win. I do not recall Melina ever looking weak since starting to wrestle on Smackdown as a member of the roster again. She even pinned McCool in a tag match. She has gotten the better of Alicia, McCool’s heelish sidekick, on occasion. The face side is looking too strong. By typical WWE booking, Melina is being built to lose. However, as I said before, there is still time to shake the feud up. My tune may very well change if the WWE starts making Melina look very weak.

When the WWE had their huge “Miss Wrestlemania” battle royal, most must have assumed that this would be a one-time honor, or yearly, much like the “King of the Ring” tournament. The King does not traditionally have to go around defending his crown. The match that put the crown on Santina Marella was disastrous from the build up to it. The aftermath has not been that respectable either. It is comedy crap. More specifically, it is comedy crap focusing on the women.

It is true that no female wrestler has yet to hold the honor, and one may never achieve it. A man in drag was the first. The second, and current, is a non-wrestler. At least it is a woman this time. Lillian Garcia may be holding it somewhere down the line.

Does the WWE believe it can substitute quantity for quality? TNA may have a division for their women that supports serious action, time to work, multiple angles going on at once (without the excuse of separate brands), and so on, but the WWE responds by saying that it has a Women’s Championship, Diva’s Championship, and the “Miss Wrestlemania” title. It has angles going on over at both of the main shows, but some of those angles do not even involve real wrestlers. It has two female GMs, but that does not honestly add respect to the WRESTLING aspect of the divas.

Many will just argue that it is not meant to be taken seriously. It is just a means to get Santino time to do his act. Fine, but it is still not helping to add respect to the division, particularly on Raw. And it is definitely taking resources from that very division. They had Beth Phoenix chasing after it for weeks after Wrestlemania, not to mention having all the women compete as if it seemed to be an honor worth achieving at Wrestlemania. Instead of the WWE finding use for Mickie James in her own feud, they just randomly tagged her onto Santino/Vickie just a few days ago. And it is not over yet. I just find it idiotic that many of the same people who say that Santino is so awesome, best thing on Raw, attracts ratings, and all that, they go around and call the diva action poor, say the women tried their best at least, the match was “whatever”, and just do not put any interest in it. And there is absolutely no correlation between those two things? The crown is not to be taken seriously? I will agree to that, but the WWE is taking it seriously. They are treating it as a draw. Wrestlemania, Backlash, Judgment Day, and now Extreme Rules all have one common thread when it comes to the divas. That is Santino. He won the crown at Wrestlemania, defended it and continued his drag act in a segment at Backlash, furthered the feud against the Guerreros, which led to his eventual loss of the crown, with a segment that featured Chavo attacking him at Judgment Day, and is now competing for the honor again at Extreme Rules. What other diva action has there been? Yes, the fans are not meant to be taking it seriously, but the WWE is, and it is done at the expense of the real female wrestlers.

What is my overall point? Drop the crown. It is not doing the women any good. Is it even supposed to? The WWE is not showing them proper respect. I mentioned that news sites reported on the lack of diva action at pay-per-views recently, and I am sure it is a topic among wrestling fans, but the answer is right there. Santino. The entire act of treating the crown as a title to be defended is a poor storyline. It is not treating the real wrestlers well. Beth Phoenix could not get over by it, but it is doing well with Vickie now. Yes,  I want the best for the women of wrestling, but that does not mean shoving more titles around is the answer alone, especially when it is a joke. I would rather see the Cruiserweight Championship back. Even the Hardcore Championship would be nice. The WWE is taking the easy road with Santino. The harder road would be to let the women define their division themselves. They already have so much against them with how the WWE has already treated them, but they still deserve a chance. Santino’s comedy act can work fine elsewhere within the WWE. I do not even want to see this crown on one of the credible divas, as if it needed credibility added to it. Mickie James and Natalya do not need to be included in the joke. And in the end, if they really want another title on Raw so bad, give William Regal back his European title.

The news broke out days ago, so I am getting to it a bit late. Victoria (Lisa Marie Varon) is now officially a part of TNA. She made quite a statement during the recent TNA tapings, so Victoria fans may be interested in watching TNA for her.

Victoria retired from the WWE at the start of this year. Rumors about her retirement were circulating for months prior. Victoria teased them a bit herself. She later came back when the WWE really needed some extra divas for the battle royal at Wrestlemania. And now, she is in TNA. There has also been talk of her having MMA aspirations. She will definitely be treated better in TNA. Definitely a smart career move, although she does own a few businesses herself. Economy must be hurting. Or maybe she just cannot stay away from entertaining the fans. Being treated with more respect from your employer and getting the chance to still entertain the fans. Victoria is getting things her way. I will not go on.

For TNA, this can be a very great move. They have been itching for a top face diva that actually can carry the legacy Gail Kim created. How about Victoria? TNA’s Knockouts are already on the map as treated better than the WWE women. Victoria can take things further for them. She does have quite a fan base. But will TNA drop the ball? Yes, just like the WWE has dropped the ball with its women at times, TNA has done it at times as well. There is still some great potential here.

Jillian Hall was the only Raw diva not featured tonight. There were actually two diva matches tonight. That happens now and then, but it is still not a regularity.

The Bellas were featured in a backstage segment with Jack Nicholson, Goldust, and Hornswoggle. If they did not provide two instant faces by being on Raw, I would try to argue that Bie and Nikki can easily be released. The WWE is still showing use for them, however. Twins can still make for some interesting angles, but the WWE is not ready to call on them again yet.

Santino tagged up with a woman he has faced in the past year many times. Santino Marella and Mickie James took on Chavo Guerrero and Beth Phoenix. Rosa was with Beth. No big deal, but I just want to say a quick word about Rosa and her entrance. She has a nice little taunt there when she comes out, but it seems out of place. She was brought in as the obsessed fan of Beth. She is still out with Beth. When they make their entrance, Rosa may benefit more from putting more attention on Beth. Not only may this help the fans give some of that same attention to Beth, but it will keep that angle still going without the WWE necessarily pushing it. That will help Rosa seem more compelling than a sexy shake during her entrance. A subtle move can do so much. As for Mickie and Santino, they were acting like friends in this match. Both are faces. Santino does like the ladies. Mickie tries for her regular entrance, but Santino would like to get his hands on her. Mickie keeps the happy character up. Nice bit to show that they are on the same page, as well as provide a bit of comedy. But I am glad Santino toned down his act overall for this match. It was a short match, which may explain it. The winning side would get to name the stipulation for Santina vs. Vickie at Extreme Rules. That is your Raw diva match for the event. Looking at the diva action of this match, Beth did get her hands on Santino for a brief moment. These two are definitely no longer together. The WWE did build this split up to some degree through having Santina annoy Beth, so I am not going to complain about them dropping the romance angle randomly. Mickie came in the match and got in almost all the offense on Beth, up to when Chavo pulled her off Beth during a pin. This led to the eventual finish of Beth getting distracted by Santino, which allowed Mickie to get a roll up on Beth for the win. Yes, Beth jobbed. Would I say she was absolutely squashed by the speed, quickness, and agility of Mickie James? Not entirely. I said before that this would happen if Beth failed to get over with this Santina angle, especially when another top heel just came into town. Besides that, softening her up a bit may help her before she does get another push. Make the fans want it. On the other side, Mickie’s strong performance was allowed to help keep her still looking strong for the coming title feud. And in the end, had this match been given more time, there would have been time for all four individuals to put more into the match. The actual match, starting bell to ending bell, did not even last two minutes. Mickie James and Santino Marella defeat Beth Phoenix and Chavo Guerrero.

After the match, Vickie Guerrero came out with her crown. Santino announced the match at Extreme Rules would be a hog-pen match. He said amidst more comedy lines, but that is the official match. Santina vs. Vickie and the title of “Miss Wrestlemania” is on the line. I will have more to say about that when I give my thoughts on Extreme Rules later on.

Maryse did indeed defend her Diva’s Championship against Kelly Kelly tonight. The match was actually better than the nightmare I was predicting in my mind. That is not saying much. It was another short match. A lot more show than substance as well. Hair flips from both women. Maryse actually got a reaction from doing it. Kelly’s reaction was better. A few catfighting moments. Maryse hit a backbreaker. Kelly gets Maryse into a corner, does a random flip, then hits her flipping back-elbow spot. Sloppy dropkick. In the end, Maryse gets disqualified for pushing Kelly Kelly into the announce table. Kelly Kelly attacks her after the match. Overall, the match quality was still not as great as it could have been. Too much show, not enough substance. This match actually had slightly more time than the mixed tag match, but Kelly Kelly and Maryse spend too much time showboating. More time should have been spent with some real wrestling. Maryse does retain her title, but not in a fashion I predicted. Kelly Kelly defeats Maryse by DQ. Maryse retains the Diva’s Championship.

I just want to wrap it up by talking about what the aftermath of all this may be for Kelly Kelly, Maryse, and Mickie James. Kelly Kelly won her match. By WWE logic, she is not out of the title picture yet. Maryse and Kelly Kelly may face each other again next week, with Maryse getting the pinfall win. The following week, the WWE will have to start building feuds for the next pay-per-view, so Mickie would have to come in to the picture, if that is where they are still going. The WWE is just extending this feud between Kelly and Maryse until then to fill up the space, and also give Kelly a bit more of the main spotlight. That is my fair analysis from the WWE’s standpoint. Speaking for myself, the WWE dropped the ball. Making Kelly Kelly look strong with a DQ finish is fine to tease a future rematch, but having her attack Maryse after the match was just making her look even stronger. I cannot be the only one thinking that Mickie James was going to run into the ring to get Maryse for the few seconds she was in there alone. Instead, it was Kelly Kelly. I am not complaining because I am a fan of Mickie. As a lover of a good story, Maryse blinded Mickie James last week, costing her a shot at the title, and all that, in my book, should make Mickie James eager for revenge. Instead, she is not even written into this script. She gets placed in another man’s angle, coming out her usual self for the match. She was all smiles. She had to be. Why would she come out angry for a match involving Santino, Beth, and Chavo? As I said, she has been written out of what should be her story this week. Things like this can turn Mickie James stale. You have the potential for a great, personal feud, but the WWE fails to follow through. Are the creative writers that dry on ideas to keep Mickie James in the picture with Maryse for a week or two? Backstage segments are not that hard to set up. Did that special ring intro for the main event tonight really need all that time? Mickie James can show emotion well. Do not let that talent go to waste to the point of being killed off. Hopefully, the WWE will insert Mickie back into the picture with Kelly Kelly and Maryse next week.

As far as I know, the official date for Kelly Kelly’s shot for the Diva’s Championship against Maryse has not been told yet. A match like this should happen on this week’s Raw. How can they really prolong a feud between these two much further? Kelly Kelly randomly gained the shot thanks to Maryse blinding Mickie James. The WWE could choose to write Mickie off further by having her lose to Maryse on Raw this week. Shades of what happened with Gail Kim. But I do not see that as fair or likely. They could want to prolong it until Extreme Rules, but what kind of stipulation can there be for a match with these two? Pudding, paddle, and panties are not an option. Finally, the last reason I feel this match should happen sooner rather than later, and branching off what I said before, it really is just an extension of Maryse’s feud with Mickie James. They cannot keep her out of the picture for long if it is her true feud, not Kelly’s.

I have already explained why I do not believe Kelly Kelly should win the Diva’s Championship now. This match, in addition to building the tension between Mickie and Maryse, will also serve to test the waters with how Kelly can handle a real title match. Can the fans treat her as a serious contender? From the discussions I have seen from other real wrestling fans, and not the little girls on youtube (no offense to some of my regular readers with youtube accounts ), they are not rallying behind Kelly Kelly. This match will also serve to build Maryse up further. This will be her first defense on Raw, as always, not counting house shows.

In terms of match quality, I am very interested in this match. I want to see who will carry who, if the match turns out to be pretty good. In less than a year, Maryse went from nothing, to giving Cherry a sloppy kick to the face, and then to suddenly being good enough for a title run. In about that same time, Kelly Kelly went from being a pretty face on ECW, to doing fancy flips on Raw, and is now getting a title shot. It is either magic, the great training and improvement of both women, or the WWE working hard to make Kelly Kelly and Maryse seem stronger than they really are. Some of it does relate to that “kayfabe-credibility” I mentioned a few days ago. If you honestly think Kelly Kelly is doing awesomely, you have that right, but you better be able to argue that point well if you ever come across a guy like me. However, if you have your doubts about what you are looking at, do not let the WWE propaganda sway you. Back to the match, both women will have to really work. Neither of them are greatly experienced in the ring. If the WWE has them wrestle a long, serious match, it would be a disaster. They did give Maria a shot against McCool last year, but, despite not being a fan of her rumored backstage antics, I have to say that McCool is serious about improvement and at the level to carry some women in matches, if needed. I do not see either Kelly or Maryse at that level. They would do best to keep it simple. In the end, I would not mind eating my words at the sight of a great match.

Mickie James is indeed the third factor in this equation. I already explained why that is the case, but how may she influence the story? In the most boring scenario, Maryse retains the title against Kelly Kelly and Mickie is not seen until the following show to restart the feud. In a step up, Mickie can do a run in after the match to get Maryse, who may be doing a beatdown on Kelly after the match or simply showboating while Mickie is itching for revenge.

Moving up to a few more interesting scenarios, but ones I do not think are likely, Mickie can cost Maryse the title to get payback for the spray job. Maryse and Mickie can then feud outside of the title picture, unless it is a triple-threat feud. Again, among other reasons, I do not feel Kelly Kelly is ready for the title.

Some people actually think Mickie should go heel with this. Have her attack Kelly Kelly for eliminating her. If Mickie James was going to attack a friend for eliminating her from a battle royal, she would have killed Melina a few months ago. It just does not seem like a strong enough reason to turn her heel, in terms of storyline. In terms of the face/heel ratio, you cannot leave Kelly Kelly as your top Raw face diva. Maryse will not turn that easy, and Beth Phoenix and the other two heels do not seem to be on a path to turn. People are just to eager for Mickie to turn heel. The faster she does, the easier it will be for her to job to Kelly Kelly in regular matches, and cleanly.

The most reaching idea I came across concerned Mickie becoming a tweener. Have her attack both Maryse and Kelly Kelly. Shades of her psycho gimmick there. Again, I think it would be overreacting if Mickie turned on Kelly just like that for something that was Maryse’s fault. As a tweener, Mickie can still fall back to the face side when necessary. This would further set up the feud to really involve all three women. This feud started as Mickie taking on Maryse. It does not need Kelly Kelly interjected as a serious contender. Her main role is to help the feud for the other two. I can sometimes criticize the WWE for not being very creative with feuds, but this idea would just be too much. Swerves are good, like having Kelly win the battle royal, but cannot be overdone.

After tossing out a few possibilities, I believe Maryse will retain. Not a very bold prediction. I am sure many people are thinking the same thing. The aftermath, specifically how they get Mickie James in the picture again, is what will be more interesting to speculate on. A simple post-match attack on Maryse seems like the simplest way to get the message across. Mickie still wants the title.

With feuds so clear on both shows, it seems that the first diva to have held both the Women’s Championship and Diva’s Championship is either going to be Michelle McCool or Mickie James. In the interest of fairness and in theory, Beth Phoenix, a former Women’s Champion, is on the same show as the title she needs to hold that honor.

Of course, the main thing standing in her way, other than her depush due to her failure to get over, is the fact that she is still heel. Santino, male or female version, is the one feuding against heels. He is the one who turned face. No huge surprise there. But what may be a huge surprise is if neither Mickie or Michelle win the title they need in the coming weeks. What if Kelly Kelly or one of the Bellas wins the Diva’s title, and then loses it to Beth? What if either Beth or Maryse turns face and feuds with the other? That is not exactly the current direction, but it is still a possibility.

In the end, I am just tossing the idea out there. I honestly believe it will be either Mickie James or Michelle McCool making this piece of history. Beth Phoenix does not need this. The WWE has treated her too well for too long. It did not help her. I still believe this depush period may still do her some good. If it fails to make the fans really want her to be taken seriously again, then she will really have to step up her side of the bargain. The faster the Diva’s title is on a face again, the easier it will be to bring that heel Beth pack into the title picture. Then she may carve another piece of history for herself.

It should not be a huge surprise that Michelle McCool defeated Gail Kim on Smackdown tonight to become number-one contender for the Women’s Championship. I mentioned last week that McCool’s pinfall loss to Melina did not mean she was out of the picture yet, but that they were just going back and forth with this feud.

Kelly Kelly also became a top contender earlier this week, but unlike her, McCool has a chance to now make some big history. Yes, she already did that when she became the first Diva’s Champion. She now has the chance to be the first WWE diva to have held both the Women’s Championship and the Diva’s Championship. She is the only diva on Smackdown who can achieve it by taking the title from Melina. On Raw, Beth Phoenix or Mickie James can do it by taking the title from Maryse. However, as I already said, Kelly Kelly is first in line there. McCool is closer to achieving this piece of history than any other diva right now. Will the WWE give it to her? If they do not, it is only a matter of time before Mickie faces Maryse in a real encounter for the title.

When will Melina vs. McCool happen? It would be nice if it made it to a pay-per-view, especially if the WWE is planning to give it to McCool. The commentators themselves have noted that the idea of becoming the first diva to have held both titles is a goal on the minds of the divas. That makes it a piece of history that will be said again and again. Remember how they always used to bring up “The Longest Reigning WWE Champion In Smackdown History” for JBL? They are always mentioning number of title reigns for other superstars. Those are accomplishments that mean something, and so the WWE wants them stressed. No one mentions that Mickie James has the shortest title reign on record for the Women’s Championship. No one mentions that William Regal has not won a singles match at a pay-per-view since 2002. No one mentions that JBL has never actually competed in the Royal Rumble match under that gimmick. History will definitely be made if McCool is going to win the title. Can they fit some kind of specialty match at Extreme Rules? Would it be more symbolic if history is made at Night Of Champions? Can they extend the feud that long? This match definitely could use some good hype. I hope they add to it with more backstage segments, like they did do tonight, and such.

This is obviously about whether Mickie James should break that record Trish Stratus set with the Women’s Championship. Seven title reigns. Of course, Mickie has already set a record for herself. She has the shortest WWE Women’s Championship reign ever. Makes you proud?

The topic was brought up by a reader. Now that I am able to reply to my own comments again, I gave a lengthy response right under her own comment. Both can be found here. I am not going to repeat what I wrote there. I just want to mention a few other things.

The debate on who, if anyone, should top Trish is nothing new. I remember a discussion about whether Beth Phoenix should be the one to do it. This was during her solid booking during her last title run. While you are in the midst of all the WWE is doing to try to make a diva look that great, you may actually think that this woman is the only logical choice to ever break such a record. Take a step back to actually look at the broader picture. Beth Phoenix is still not that over. If anyone is going to get six more title reigns and similar honors placed onto her, it should be someone who is over with the fans. Trish was not a salmon swimming upstream against silence from the fans. People can argue that Beth will get over in time, and I can agree. You treat all your other divas like absolute crap in comparison to her, it should lead to the fans thinking Beth is great, right? Too many holes in that logic. I do not want to get sidetracked by reasons I do not like Beth Phoenix. I simply want to say that Beth Phoenix is not the next Trish Stratus.

Do I believe Mickie James is the next Trish? I have already written on why that is not the case. It sickens me when I see people say that Mickie is trying to be like Trish, that the WWE wants to make her that, or that Mickie is already the next Trish. Some Mickie fans may feel she is that person, and that may drive them to believe she should get more title reigns. That is a lot of pressure being put on her, but the WWE may not exactly be interested in easing it. I simply wish for better treatment for Mickie James. Let Mickie James be the next Mickie James.

To end it, I do believe that Mickie James has the overness to be rewarded with some piece of history. She has the shortest Women’s title reign in the WWE, she is the only woman to win her first Women’s title in her Wrestlemania debut, and I am sure other Mickie fans have their own fun facts to toss out about her. None of it really rolls off the tongue well, or even finds its way out of the commentators’ mouths. She is the “gutsy” Mickie James, as Michael Cole used to say. They can say she is a four-time Women’s Champion, but she is still living in the shadow of the recent past. I know some of the fans out there want her to shine through. A part of me would rather just see her write her own story, beyond just going from title feud, winning title, losing title, rematch, vanish for a few months, title feud, winning title, losing title, rematch, vanish, and repeat until she is exhausted to the point of retirement. Her potential goes beyond what the WWE will ever hand her. Still, I would love to see her make some real history.

– As noted earlier, Ohio Valley Wrestling women’s wrestler Serena Deeb was briefly shown during Tuesday’s episode of ECW as Finlay was making his way backstage for his match with David Hart Smith. As it turns out, she was also used in an “After the Bell” segment on WWE.com in which Mark Henry attempts to flirt with her, but he’s interrupted by Tony Atlas.

Source: PWInsider.com

A credible diva possibly debuting in ECW? If it is true, she will have to be a face. Three heels will have nothing to do on a show where the one face diva is the GM and not superb in the ring.

On a side note, it is good to know Mark Henry’s quest to remain sane alongside Tony Atlas on that web segment is useful for something else. Debuting new talent was not something seen in Top Rope Theatre, though it could have easily been done. Incidentally, it would seem that those segments will not be returning. In the end of the final one, three weeks was the supposed wait. Time has gone by, nothing. Main players have been split, some have gotten regular pushes again, and so on. Still, it was a nice few weeks. I enjoyed talking about it here.