killeroflegends

About seven months ago, I wrote a blog about when Rosa was going to finally wrestle on Raw. I was eager for it. Be careful what you wish for. Things have changed. I am now eager to never see her wrestle again.

Last night’s Raw was only another example of why she is not a good wrestler. Aside from two bad spots, the action was not bad. However, those two bad spots did stick out. The first was when Rosa sent Mickie into the corner and Mickie leaped up, expecting Rosa to run under her so Mickie can dodge her attack. Rosa’s sense of timing and quickness was off. Mickie James cannot stay in the air for hours until Rosa is properly in position. The second bad spot was when Mickie went for the Lou Thesz Press. She leaped at Rosa, but Rosa just fell forward as Mickie grabbed onto her. Rosa was supposed to remain stiff enough to fall backwards. It is similar to when Mickie once tried to DDT Rosa and Rosa almost bent backwards instead of staying stiff enough to support Mickie.

Last night was not the first time Rosa humiliated Mickie James. How much longer will it continue? Until she injures someone? I mentioned the report a while back about Rosa being taken away from Beth as a punishment for Beth. I stood by the idea that it was more of a smart move to get Beth away from that. I still stand by that idea. Who would want to be associated as the one helping Rosa to become a threat in the ring? Unless Rosa can seriously improve, I do not want to see her wrestling again. Keep her for the model roles, if really necessary, but do not push her hard in the ring. Have her do that walk that people seem to be crazy about. How long can it save her?

Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim did not get used on Raw. Brie and Nikki danced with Al Sharpton. Jillian did her act. Nothing too new there. I wish Rosa was not used at all.

First, I have to eat my words. Mickie James vs. Alicia Fox will happen this Sunday at Hell in a Cell. I was not expecting it to get the extra show to build and getting on the card. Interesting how they did have a tag title match on Raw, which still follows the custom of sometimes having title defenses on the Raws and Smackdowns before bigger events. Still, I was wrong about this divas match.

The diva action tonight featured Mickie James facing Rosa Mendes, who was accompanied by Alicia Fox. Alicia did not really get involved in the match, but her presence provided momentary distractions for Mickie. Alicia also did well to still have her voice heard at times. She did not waste her time out there. Moving on to the match quality, the structure was actually more back and forth than I would have expected. Rosa had her few moments to hold Mickie down, but Mickie also put the less-experienced diva in her place as well. However, Rosa messed up at least two spots in this match. Aside from humiliating Mickie James, she can seriously injure someone if she really does not shape up. The WWE needs to reconsider what they are doing with her. I can understand not wanting to use Beth or Alicia to face Mickie tonight, but Jillian could have stepped in. She can at least work better than Rosa. Mickie won it in the end with her kick finisher. Take note of that. People have realized that Rosa cannot properly take the DDT. Unless she gets over that, she will have to be beaten by other means when she faces Mickie. As for the coming title match, I will only say right now that it is interesting that Mickie has the momentum going in. After the match, Mickie and Alicia just had a stare down. No attack from Alicia this time. I will say more before the pay-per-view. Mickie James defeats Rosa Mendes.

With the luck Mickie James has been having, she will probably be defending her Diva’s Championship against Alicia Fox right on this week’s Raw. It is the last Raw before a pay-per-view, and the WWE does have a habit of putting title matches that do not make it on big events on the Raws and Smackdowns instead. Although I would rather this match get more build, it has definitely gotten more of a build than Mickie’s previous two title defenses.

Alicia Fox has been groomed for this title shot for a long time. She pinned Kelly Kelly in a tag match many months ago. She pinned Mickie a few weeks ago. She pinned Gail Kim to earn the title shot. She has gone through all the face divas. She also got the better of Mickie James on last week’s Raw. She has been built up great to look like a top heel. Will it last long? I doubt it.

If the match really does happen this week, it is obvious that Mickie James will retain. Alicia Fox has the momentum going in, is still too new to deserve it, and they are probably still holding off until Maryse returns. Mickie James has to have the title if she can drop it back to Maryse, right? And that may be exactly what they are aiming for.

As for the quality of the match, I expect Alicia Fox to dominate most of the match, just for Mickie to win in the end. This is not face vs. face, so you will not see a match like Gail Kim vs. Mickie. This is also not monster heel vs. smaller face, so you will not see a match exactly like Beth vs. Mickie. It will be similar to when Katie Lea took on Mickie for the Women’s Championship last year. In both of the televised title defenses, Katie Lea looked dangerously strong in many moments of the matches. Mickie James made use of her selling ability to try to make Katie look like that threat. That is what I expect to see in this match. Alicia was dominated in the match she pinned Mickie in. The tables will turn this time. Hate it that the match structures are so predictable? Blame the WWE, not the divas.

Should the match not happen on Raw, I may do another preview that includes the further elements they have added to the feud. I still believe the outcome will be the same. Depending on when the match is done, as well as when Maryse is due back, the WWE may have time to continue the feud for one more title defense. Possibly a triple threat with either Gail Kim or Beth Phoenix? There may even be space for a match with a certain Women’s Champion on Smackdown, but that is another issue.

Not going by any rumors from news sites, and certainly not wanting to pretend that I have some special connections in the WWE, it seems the WWE has really grown cold on Kelly Kelly. The reports of her injury a few weeks ago are one thing, but she was not doing too much before that. Moreover, it is not too hard to still get an injured wrestler some kind of angle outside the ring. Nevertheless, the WWE still finds useless spots for her to fill alongside guest hosts now and then. She is still alive, but what is there for her to do that is meaningful?

I have spoken about Kelly Kelly and possible romance angles before, namely, if my memory serves me, with Mike Knox. The two did have a romance angle at one time on ECW and both were on Raw for a while without any contact. Why not make another romance angle for Kelly now? Or just make her the valet for another wrestler? There are two other things going on that make me revisit this topic. First, you have Rosa randomly teaming with Carlito for apparently no reason. If they did it with Rosa, why not with Kelly? Second, they have a romance angle going on with Maria on Smackdown. Maria and Kelly Kelly are both not the greatest wrestlers ever. However, the WWE is able to find solid angles for Maria to still keep her in the spotlight. Why have they suddenly stopped trying with Kelly? For many months, Kelly got various forms of solid pushes. She was picking up many wins in the ring, being made to look like the star, getting teased to be worthy of working with John Cena, and almost did have a romance angle with Kane and Randy Orton. That got killed of faster than the angle between John Cena and Mickie James. The WWE was obviously high on her at that point. What happened? You cannot blame Mickie James by saying she is taking the spotlight from Kelly Kelly. Mickie James has never had an angle outside the ring for ages. Smackdown is showing right now that there can be a wrestling feud going on and a different angle involving more backstage segments also going on at the same time. The WWE can easily try something for Kelly Kelly. They probably will not do it for Gail Kim. Are the guest hosts the issue? Are they taking up too much time? Would that time go to an angle for Kelly Kelly? For whatever reason, it is not impossible to still give Kelly Kelly something to do by pairing her with a male superstar. 

Problem is, who would Kelly Kelly be paired with? She has had angles with Kane and Mike Knox, but both have left Raw. Randy Orton is still around, but if any woman is going to get involved with his group, I still believe it should be Stephanie McMahon. Is there a hot young heel that can get a diva? Too similar to what is going on with Maria and Ziggler? Miz? It might be interesting to cause a little feud with Kelly Kelly and Maryse. Miz and Kelly are no strangers either. Is there a face who can use her for an extra rub? Evan Bourne? The two just do not fit in my mind. I have no answer. Miz would seem like the most interesting choice to me, but even that will have its issues.

I do not feel too sorry for Kelly Kelly. This is just another example that any diva can go through a period of not getting pushed or getting an angle to still keep them seeming useful. A few divas of the past did not really have to experience this depush, unless missing due to injury or a similar reason, but I do not consider that the same anyway. Kelly Kelly did not break her neck and is requiring months to heal. More can be done for her than smiling at any given guest host for no reason. Then again, is all this just the calm before the storm?

I am starting to think that Maria should have a bigger role in Dolph Ziggler’s current feud with John Morrison. I can understand the various reasons why the WWE might not want to mix it up like that, but there are also some positive reasons why it may not be a bad idea.

First, how much more steam can this romance angle have with mainly the divas doing all the work? There is a lot more potential if they really bring Maria and Ziggler together more, such as when the angle first started. The start of that angle actually saw the two together more than the start of the romance angle between Mickie James and John Cena. The latter angle could have been so much more beneficial for Mickie if she was in more relevant segments with Cena. There is always the idea that the WWE can bring Maria and Ziggler really back into it together later, but officials may lose interest for one reason or another. Once that happens, and since the angle already seems to be heading partially in the wrong direction in my eyes, it may end without a real finish.

Second, and what I think has the most potential, they can use John Morrison to really create some tension between Maria and Ziggler. I understand Morrison is quite attractive in the eyes of a few women. The WWE did have Michelle McCool try to cause some tension in the angle. Two main problems with that. First, it was a comedic attempt meant to show that McCool has character. Whether that worked or not, another issue. Second, Maria is not really feuding with McCool. Any tension that may arise between the two in the future will probably be used to further McCool and Melina’s feud, as a few segments have already hinted. With Morrison getting involved, however, this can really take the feud between the two men to another level. It will be about the Intercontinental Championship, as it should be, but also have the extra boost of a little love tension. I am not saying that the WWE has to hint that Maria is sleeping with both men, but create a strong friendship angle between Morrison and Maria. After all, both are faces. Both have Dolph Ziggler in common. It would make for an interesting story. Of course, this does not have to be the story right away. They can have Ziggler win the title. Morrison will not disappear without a rematch. While the feud is continuing, Maria steps in to really add this bit to it.

Finally, and working off what I just said, it may give Melina something new to work with. She is involved in the romance angle to some degree, but things can have a bigger bite to it. Fans of MNM will enjoy seeing Melina and Morrison involved in a televised angle again. Would it really be that hard to put together? Morrison and Dolph are feuding. Dolph and Maria are dating. Maria and Melina are friends and are now having issues because of the romance. Melina and Morrison, without going into their personal lives, used to be a team. Everything seems to connect in my mind. There are only two weak links. First, they will need to bring Melina and Morrison back together. Second, they need to do more with the romance angle between Dolph and Maria. Once those two things happen, everything else should fall in place. It would be hard to keep both women face in such a situation, true, but it would be very interesting to see how things play out. It would add a great new dimension in this feud between the two men. Many may see the problem of who will feud with McCool. Melina has been doing that since practically first stepping foot back on Smackdown. Is it not time that she move on? This feud is just getting a bit too forced. Are they possibly trying too hard to make it epic? Sure, they wrestled each other a million times in 3 months, but did the WWE really have nothing to do with that? This can open the space for McCool to feud with Eve. Melina and Maria get something, and Eve gets a title shot to add a new face in the title picture. This all does not have to last long. When it is time to move Eve back aside, Maria and Melina can have a reconciliation. Melina can then slowly fall back into her feud with McCool.

I have been praising this romance angle on Smackdown regularly. I still believe it has a lot of potential. Bringing Morrison really into the picture is one way of taking advantage of the potential. I hope I have shown how it may be beneficial to all the men and women who can possibly get involved.

This is one of those times where I will be eating my words. Earlier this year, I spoke regularly about the chances of Layla being released. Things have seemingly changed direction drastically. Give a lot of credit to Layla for her hard work, but do not ignore the fact that it is the WWE that is handing her these wins, putting her in these segments/matches, and just overall allowing her to show what she can do in these situations.

I have spoken a lot about how Eve should get a push on Smackdown. What about the heels? When McCool is out of the way, Natalya is an obvious choice. However, you cannot ignore Layla. She has been picking up a few wins here and there, even pinning Melina in a singles match a few weeks ago. If Natalya is going to be tied up in Hart Dynasty matters for an extended time, does the WWE plan to give Layla a title shot once a face regains the title? It is interesting how Alicia Fox used to be Michelle McCool’s lackey on Smackdown, but now Layla seems to have somewhat taken the spot to a lesser degree. Not a bad spot forLayla to be in, as you can tell from the past few weeks. A title shot does not mean an automatic title reign, as I have said before, but it still means a lot.

Does Layla deserve it? Many months ago, I would have said no. The WWE has done a good job in building her up and she has been doing her part. As more divas come from FCW and move from ECW to Smackdown, there may be new faces to fill a heel jobber role. Is that when it will really be time to push Layla seriously? She better keep the improvement going, if she wants the push.

Lilian Garcia has left the WWE. Her final appearance was this week. She may have only been a ring announcer, but she was a vital diva on Raw for a decade. A decade. If you do not count any of the female McMahons, Lilian has been in the WWE longer than any other diva. She was not a wrestler, but she was the voice of Raw. And she did get involved in a few angles here and there. No one should forget Charlie Haas accidentally bumping her off the ring apron. That created a nice romance triangle with Haas, Viscera, and Lilian. Lilian did take a bump here and there. Other heel divas sometimes picked on her for some cheap heat. Point is, she had many uses beyond just introducing who was coming to the ring. And as you could tell from her farewell speech on Raw, she really loved what she had been doing for the past few years. She knew it was an honor and a pleasure.

Pics of Lilian’s apparent replacement can be found here.

Farewell to Lilian Garcia. I wish her the best in her future career. She may not have been a wrestler, but she did her part to entertain and help the show be what it was. It was a pleasure and an honor to see her every week.

Brie and Nikki Bella are members of ECW. They were traded there from Raw a few months ago. Prior to that, they were drafted from Smackdown to Raw this same year. They have run through all three brands. That is all common knowledge. The thing I find interesting is that you can still see them on Raw. When situations call for models, they frequently show up. I understand that there was this angle where ECW stars could sometimes compete on other brands a while ago. And even before then, when ECW first started in the WWE, stars from Raw and Smackdown would show up to add a bit to the roster. That was the past. These days, the barriers between ECW and the other brands is a little more solid. That is, except for the Bellas.

I have nothing against divas showing up on other shows when necessary. But I do have a few problems. First, it just seems like a pure waste to use these two women as just models on Raw for a segment or two. Does anyone really care? A few of the guys may, but they seem trivial to me. Even on their own brand, they really have to push things to get the Bellas something to do at times. Constantly beating Katie Lea? I already gave my thoughts on this “feud” a few weeks ago. And they were just random ring announcers? Are these two supposed to jump ship to Raw to replace Lilian Garcia? They are not that great at doing it. If they are going to get involved on Raw, how about working some kind of real angle for them? That brings me to my second issue. What is the explanation for these two being on Raw? Doesn’t matter? Just like Carlito and Rosa coming out together not mattering? They are earning their paycheck, I will say that, but how they are doing it is just not great. It will not help to have the majority of the fans latch on to them. The fans they already have can be happy that they are getting used, but such use is a waste.

The wasteland of good angles for all these divas is just one of the signs that the WWE is not treating their women right. They are not doing enough to get them over or keep them over. They are not letting talent shine. The Bellas started off with a relative bang last year. They were winning a lot of matches, got involved in an angle with Miz/Morrison and the Colons, and then got traded to Raw. That should have been a sign of big things possibly coming up for them, but that is where they started to just remain stagnant. Since coming to ECW, they have been given more trivial angles and jobs to do. And now they are coming to Raw with those same meaningless tasks? If there were not already so many useless and mistreated women on ECW, I would say the Bellas may get released one day soon. The jobs they do can easily be filled by others, especially as more models come up from FCW. Maybe Brie and Nikki’s seniority will save them?

Gail Kim, Rosa Mendes, and Jillian Hall were not used on Raw tonight. The Bellas were used as the arm-pieces of Cedric The Entertainer. Kelly Kelly was used in a segment featuring the guest host as well.

The match tonight featured Mickie James taking on Beth Phoenix in a non-title match. Alicia Fox was at ringside. First, if Mickie’s recent  injury is only going to add up to her missing two weeks of action on Raw, I say big deal. It was more stress to many than it was worth. Second, I am unhappy that it was a short match. Some can say that it was because of them wanting to keep Mickie safe in a short match. Even if that is the case, her attempting some of the moves and taking some of the bumps she did may not have been a good choice. I doubt the match was short due to Mickie’s injury alone. Third, I am glad, very glad, they are actually building this feud. If Mickie was going to compete this week, it could have easily been the title defense against Alicia. But Alicia was at ringside to build more tension in this feud. Good move. Going back to the match, and moving beyond how short it was, Mickie James pretty much dominated. Never a good sign. She hit a risky spot of flying at Beth at the outside of the ring. Following that, Alicia got up from her seat and caused a distraction. Beth rammed Mickie into the post and hit her finisher back in the ring to pin the Diva’s Champion. They tossed Mickie a bone by having her pin Beth Phoenix on her birthday a few weeks ago, and now take it back immediately. In fairness, it was done to add more to the feud between Mickie and Alicia. Alicia once again attacked Mickie after the match with her kick finisher. How much longer will they build this feud up now? Beth Phoenix defeats Mickie James.

Tonight was also the final night for Lilian Garcia. I will devote a single post to her another day. She gave a goodbye speech. She will be missed.

When Maryse does return, one of the things on her plate will be a feud for the Divas Championship. However, that is not all that was ended when she needed time off for injury issues. I have mentioned a certain romance angle on Smackdown a lot, but do not forget that Raw had Maryse/Miz long before Maria/Ziggler. Maryse blew Miz off in the final segment before her break. When Miz was banned from Raw, I figured that may be another nail in the coffin of that angle. Of course, Miz came back. Moreover, he is on the trail of the United States Championship. Would winning that impress Maryse? Will that be how they pair these two back together?

Needless to say, I enjoy Maryse/Miz more than I do Rosa/Carlito, whatever that is. Miz and Maryse actually had segments together. They never accompanied each other for matches, that is true. Is it necessary for value to be there? No. Unless Maryse really picks up what she can do in the ring, it will be her character that will get her over. That being said, this romance angle, including segments, will help her show her character. I would rather she do it there than in the ring. As I have mentioned before, psycho Mickie also portrayed character in the ring, but Mickie James could back it up with actual wrestling ability, and also her ring psychology actually managed to add to the match in most cases and worked with the fans. Maryse does not have the background of Mickie James, her antics sometimes come off as indifference and draw matches on dryly, and it is not getting her over. Back to my point, I would not complain so much if she had another outlet to showcase her sexy French gimmick.

Will Maryse/Miz be taken to the next level? I do not mean them simply officially dating in terms of a storyline, but having them tag up. I know, you would rather see them dating. Just speaking in terms of wrestling angles, this can finally lead to some mixed-tag matches and feuds. I enjoy them. Earlier, it would have possibly been Maryse/Miz vs. Mickie/Cena. Cena and Miz have both moved on. When Maryse returns, and assuming Mickie still has the title, these two will still be going at it. If the romance angle is still there, and Miz is still feuding with Kofi, the possible match you will see may be Maryse/Miz vs. Mickie/Kofi. Mickie James and Kofi Kingston. I love Mickie and respect Kofi, but how many times are they going to tag up? Last year, they faced Paul Burchill and Katie Lea and Santino/Beth. This year, the recently took on Carlito/Rosa in the only meaningful two these two have done in whatever angle they have going. Have Mickie and Kofi ever won together? Beyond that, I would like to see a fresher pairing made, one that may actually elevate Mickie James. If not that, how about actually add more meat to the relationship between Mickie and Kofi. I do not mean an automatic romance angle, but add more details to the friendship between them. Make both seem more interesting. In other words, try showing a bit of the creativity already being used on Maryse/Miz.

I do not want to see Maryse dominate Raw with two angles, romance angle with Miz and title feud, but a good balance can work out.If the WWE is focused on getting her over, that is how they should do it. Continue along the path they had her, but have her step up more in the ring specifically. Important thing is, do not forget to treat other divas well at the same time.