killeroflegends

I will now look at the current divas on Smackdown in giving my opinion of who should get pushed to the main event and how close they all are. I am not going to be looking at the women on ECW. Pushing anyone to the main event there is almost the equivelant of setting them up for a midcard push on Raw or Smackdown.

Like I did last time, I am going to lump some divas together. Eve and Layla do not have any real main-event fit nor do they deserve that push right now, in my opinion. Layla is the heel jobber who has been showing hints of being a face now and then recently. Her closest connection to the main event may have been through William Regal, King of the Ring and Intercontinental Champion for a period last year, but this was not a main-event push for Regal by the time he returned from suspension. Eve has had even less than that. Her interactions with Cryme Tyme are not a huge elevation either. Like I said about Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes, and Jillian last time, let these two Smackdown divas first make a solid name for themselves wrestling the other divas. When solid overness is there, then start building them up, if the WWE wants to go there.

Maria is not that credible in the ring either, but she does have more on her resume than Layla and Eve. I seem to recall her being in at least one main event match on Raw. Once again, the presence of John Cena helped. In a mixed-tag match, John Cena and Maria once took on Edge and Lita. Maria even got the pin on Lita. That is a huge rub for a woman with no excellent wrestling talent. Maria also got destroyed by Umaga once. This was during the time Umaga was feuding with Cena, and Cena did end up coming out. Umaga, although he never became WWE Champion and is now released, was pretty close to the main event himself for a long time. Maria enduring some punishment from him will earn her some respect in the hearts of the fans out there. Switching to Maria on Smackdown, she has not really had that great of a push alongside top stars who can elevate her into the main event. Her angle with Dolph Ziggler is fine to give her something to do, but he is still a midcarder. Nevertheless, Maria still has some experience being alongside main-eventers. The WWE may choose to push her there again in the future alongside a young face entering the main event. I do not think she deserves it. Her usual character is not strong enough for serious angles in the main event. Too much puppy love may make some sick.

Natalya is back on Smackdown with the Hart Dynasty. I am going to somewhat break the rule I just created about getting a main-event push on ECW not meaning much on the main shows. The Hart Dynasty started on ECW. They got a solid push there. Even though they were somewhat on the fence between the main event and the midcard at this time, they managed to set up some dominance there. Natalya was not regularly getting matches, but neither was Trish Stratus as purely a manager for T&A, until the time was right anyway. It helped to create an image for the group. On Smackdown, that image may get lost in the crowd, but their potential greatness is there. It is like how the WWE likes to play with Rhodes and DiBiase being future main-eventers, and some fans love to discuss that potential in second generation wrestlers in the works. The Hart Dynasty has that. They have the direct connection to the Hart family, main-eventers and legends. That is a plus in one day getting Natalya into the main event, but probably only if she is along for the ride with Tyson Kidd and DH Smith. Aside from the faction, Natalya has no connection to the main event. She is not that close to making that jump. Like I mentioned with Gail Kim the other day, it would be best if Natalya got to show something in the actual Smackdown diva division first.

Melina has had a great rub with the main event in her past. Just as Trish started out as a manager for a tag team, Melina was a part of MNM. They feuded for the tag titles with Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero. In at least one occasion, they made it into the main event on Smackdown to defend their titles against such as Eddie and Batista. This was a huge start for a young team, and Melina was along for the ride. She even had a brief personal angle with Batista. Batista was already established in the main event by this time. When she came to Raw, Melina was not always stuck between title feuds and nothing good, like certain other women. She was still the manager of Nitro as he got some pretty big pushes. In the summer of 2006, she was involved in the feud between Ric Flair and Mick Foley. These are two legends. Her involvement was not really necessary, but it did have a huge impact in Mick Foley losing to Ric Flair in an I Quit match. Melina would then betray Mick Foley and help Mr. McMahon humiliate him. There was also a backstage segment where Melina got slapped by Linda McMahon. I would honestly say that she was the last diva that the McMahons really worked with to give a rub. They have had one-time segments with a few women here and there, but nothing that elevated them or was part of an angle connected between them and the diva. She has been stuck with just matters involving the Women’s Championship since returning to Smackdown, but she has had a great build in the past. Does she deserve to somehow be propelled into the main event again? If the WWE thought she was good enough a few short years ago, it should only be a matter of time before she should get a push alongside the men once again very soon. However, I do not believe that can be now. If Melina is taken out of women’s matches to be involved in angles alongside CM Punk, Jericho, John Morrison, and the other main-eventers of Smackdown, who is the next credible face to carry matches in the division? Eve? Maria? The division needs Melina.

I honestly do not know how to approach Michelle McCool. Similar to Melina, McCool started on Smackdown at a time when there was no official title for which the women could compete. McCool got angles with men here and there, but never anything to elevate her, unlike Melina. Even since winning her first title, she has never done much outside of the diva’s division. Michael Cole may have a better main-event credibility than her. But a part of me believes McCool (McTaker to her haters) can be bumped up to the main event easily. She has support backstage, whether you believe the rumors about her or not. She has this serious, no-nonsense attitude to her. It may come off as boring to anyone with taste, but it may match up with a serious main-event heel. They can find some role for her. Does she deserve it? I believe so. I argued that Mickie James deserves to be elevated on Raw because of her being held back currently in what is expected of her in the ring, needing it to let her popularity develop, and just as an overall reward for being used for so long to try to make other women look good. McCool, on the other hand, is not held back in the ring. All she has is her solid wrestling technique. She is not regularly used to make other women look great. The WWE is not holding back her offense in the ring, hoping continued solid performances will get her over. If no one is eating the potato salad at your party, you don’t bring out another bowl every two minutes. What do I mean? I have no idea. To get to it, McCool is allowed to perform in the ring, has no great popularity to her that needs to grow out, and has been continuously rewarded for the sake of just getting her over. Why elevate her? First, maybe this main-event push will actually get her over. Second, there will be a time soon when Natalya is ready for the top heel spot. McCool will not disappear. The WWE will find something for her. It may just be in the main event.

It is somewhat ironic how the two women I feel deserve a push into the main event happen to be the current Diva’s Champion and Women’s Champion. Of course, my reasoning was very different for both. Some may argue my whole three-part discussion was a waste. Any diva can be made a main-eventer at anytime. A match between Ricky Ortiz and Goldust cannot be the main event of Raw. Aside from both being on different rosters, they do not have a great main-event fit right now. If the match featured these two and eight other men against Cena and Batista, you may have a Raw main event. Why? Because Cena and Batista are established main-eventers. A main-eventer really does have to be built up. Divas can go through this process too. It has been so long since it has been done far enough. Some of the current divas have some encounters with the main event, but none can hold a match with another woman on the current roster in the main event of Raw or Smackdown without an additional man already in the main-event, at the least. Will it draw? Will it have reason to trump Cena and Triple H? There are many hungry divas wanting a title reign, and their rabid fans who want them to have it. If certain women were moved out of the title picture, they can still get the best of it by working in the main event, and their own rabid fans will not be left disappointed and crying at a depush.

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