killeroflegends

I have discussed here and there how some of the traded divas have done on their new shows, as well as how the credibility of some of the rumors surrounding their moves has held up. What about Mickie James? She lost the Diva’s Championship and was traded to Smackdown. There was more controversy and rumors flying around about her move than any other diva’s a few weeks ago. Smackdown was supposed to be a punishment for her? Really?

Since coming to Smackdown, it is true that Mickie James has had only one official match, not counting house shows. But she has also gotten things in these past few weeks that she rarely saw on Raw all year. She is getting meaningful backstage segments. She is not talking about the weather with Cody Rhodes. She is actually getting to interact with the other divas to build a storyline for her coming feud with Michelle McCool. It will not be a typical “you have title, me want title” feud. Moreover, these segments she is getting are actually letting her show a bit more character. I like that she is not being used only to wrestle every single week on Smackdown. I still cannot wait until she does get more matches, but I hope she does not lose the chance to still have segment time.

How was sending her to Smackdown a punishment? Some can argue how it is, but I am looking at things in another way. The WWE took both Eve and Melina off Smackdown. They knew Maria would not be around for a while. That leaves Mickie James as the sole face of Smackdown. That is a huge responsibility. Even if they are turning Beth Phoenix into a face, that turn will not happen overnight, and neither have they even gone very far in that path yet. And even if she does turn face, there is no guarantee how well Beth will last like that. Mickie James would still remain vital to the women’s division on Smackdown. I have also already explained how Smackdown is offering her more backstage segments to develop actual storylines for her and let her show some kind of character. I still wish the WWE did not leave most of their divas generic, but it is still good to have Mickie go out there and do the talking for herself. The reasoning the WWE had for sending Mickie to Smackdown, if you believe the rumors, may be seen as a punishment. The farewell loss they gave her on Raw may be seen as a punishment, but I can write a longer rant than this to show that treating Mickie James badly is nothing knew for the WWE. In the end, the actual act of having Mickie on Smackdown is no punishment. I cannot imagine why she would be crying for having escaped guest-host mania on Raw, and the other problems there.

Switching gears, I want to talk about Kofi Kingston. During one of my usual complaining sessions about Mickie’s last title reign lacking meaningful feuds and all that, I said the WWE were doing the same thing with Kofi Kingston. I am not going to retract my statement, but after Kofi did his solid job with what he had to do, the WWE actually rewarded him. After he lost the United States Championship to The Miz, and correct me if I am wrong, I do not recall him getting an official rematch on Raw. However, he did find his way into a Bragging Rights match. He pinned Chris Jericho the next night. He has entered a feud with Randy Orton. And here is the kicker, he has actually gotten some meaningful segments. He is actually showing character. Ironic how they had to kill his Jamaican gimmick to finally let him show some attitude the fans will like, but he is actually being used very well now. No title needed. Draw the connections back to Mickie James. She never got her rematch for the title she lost. She is still in a position where she has to be pushed and treated well (only face diva on Smackdown). And she is getting the time to show character. I am not saying these two are being treated the same exact way for the same exact reasons, but it is something to think about. Their recent title reigns did not do for them what their treatment post-reign is doing for them.

So where does the credibility of the rumors surrounding Mickie’s move to Smackdown lie? If it was meant to be a punishment, the WWE failed. Mickie escaped the show with guest host crap. She will not run the chance of having to face Rosa as often. She is getting segment time. Even if Mickie did not “shape up”, as some rumors put it, she would still have had to be pushed as the sole face for a little while longer. Maria would still be gone. It would still not be possible to properly turn Beth face so fast. The WWE put Mickie in a position of great responsibility. They had to have had faith in her to do that. I do not think all this amounts to an environment of punishment. As far as the other rumors concerning why she was traded, I have already talked about that weeks ago. My only point here is to say I honestly believe the WWE did a bad job of punishing Mickie James, if that really was their intention. You do not do it by putting her in a tough position, such as being the sole face of a brand. They put her in a spot where it would be easier to put focus on her, and they have been putting the focus on her. That is a punishment?

Switching gears one last time, how about Melina? She took Mickie’s spot as top face on Raw. The top face diva of the WWE works Raw? Really? The top diva gets 4-minute tag matches? 2-minute title matches? Gets overshadowed by a midget in green? In almost every match Melina has had on Raw since returning, there has been either sloppy spots or the match was just boring overall, in my eyes at least. If this keeps up, Melina’s reign will be a lot worse than Mickie’s. And has Melina said two words since coming to Raw? Has she ever touched the mic? Has she had backstage segments where she opened her mouth? Her feud with Jillian, if you can call it that, resulted in nothing but Jillian losing three times and Jillian teaming with Chavo regularly now. As I said during Mickie’s reign, the WWE is just tossing matches to th Diva’s Champion until Maryse returns. Melina’s presence on Raw did not change that. If anything, it only refreshened some match possibilities until Maryse does return. To end, I am pretty much saying Melina has been doing poorly on Raw, while Mickie James has been doing better on Smackdown. What’s that? Blame the WWE for not treating Melina better? Blame Jillian for not doing her part in the matches very well? I sang that same song when Mickie James had the title. All people wanted to do was say Mickie James deserved to be punished, was boring, and heap the criticism on. I do not hate Melina. I see what is going on clearly. You still have to admit, things have not gotten better for the divas on Raw that much, beyond Rosa getting off.

It may not take long for the WWE to change their focus again and treat Mickie James badly on Smackdown. Until then, I like how she is being treated. I have always said that Mickie should get a meaningful storyline outside of the title scene. This is not that, but it comes close. She is not wrestling every week. She is getting time to talk. She, along with the other divas involved, is getting the chance to actually show more character. There is no way I can call all this a harsh punishment. Things are turning out well so far.

Beth Phoenix once again got a match against a jobber, Brittany Carter. Brittany was just as weak-looking as last week’s victim. Striker once again tried to add a small story to the match to make it seem like Brittany had a chance. She didn’t. How long will these matches continue? They may help turn Beth face. As I have said many times before, the average pro wrestling fan only appreciates 100% offense. What does Beth Phoenix get to do in these matches? 100% offense. They are keeping Beth looking very strong. And since she is not facing faces the people care about, she should be getting the better end of the deal in terms of getting over. If it needs to be said, Beth Phoenix defeats Brittany Carter.

The main news comes off of a backstage segment with Mickie James, Michelle McCool, and Layla. There will be a tag match at Survivor Series. Team McCool vs. Team Mickie. Large tag matches do not interest me usually. This one, however, still has some time to actually be developed and does seem to have an actual story to it so far. Focusing on the segment itself, Layla and McCool surrounded Mickie and mocked her. They said she had to beg for this match. They said no one likes her backstage because she cried when she had to be traded to Raw. They said they will make her life hell. First, of course none of the divas like her backstage. With Maria gone, Mickie is the only face right now. Those heels are not going to like her. And it seems the writers want to play with the rumors of Mickie crying about going to Smackdown. I would not make too much of that. It would not be the first time the WWE has played with the internet fans. The Miz’s whole feud with Cena focused on that. The romance angle between Mickie and Cena, which reports tried to claim was real, led to segments where they teased that Mickie was sleeping her way to the top. It does not seem like the two really were romantically involved in reality, so of course the promos of her sleeping her way to the top were just made up as well. And in terms of continuity, the present storyline misses the fact that Mickie was already featured in a segment where she was glad to be on Smackdown, just like the romance angle of last year missed the fact that Mickie was already Women’s Champion before the angle even started, so “sleeping her way to the top” did nothing for her at all. Why did I even spend time with this minor issue? Because I know some people are going to think that it is automatically real. Whether it is or not, it was obviously an easy tool the writers saw to make Mickie James look bullied in the segment. If Mickie did cry about going to Smackdown, she had her reasons for it, just like Melina did. But you have to keep in mind that it is an act in the end. Do not automatically buy in to the rumor sites. Going back to the segment, all this arrogance from the two heels served the purpose of trying to break Mickie down. It did not work. She handed it back to both of them, promising to be Women’s Champion again. It is interesting to note that she is still outnumbered out there. If McCool and Layla are going to make things hard for her, she may need help. For some reason, picturing Maria run out to make the save does not seem too credible. Will Beth Phoenix, who is being built up for something, finally turn face? Mickie has been sole face on Smackdown for a month now. It does not make things easy for her or the division.

How far will the WWE go with the angle between Eve and Jack Swagger? Will it end up like so many romances of the past few years which end awkwardly and do not really do anything for the main diva and superstar involved? I want Eve to be treated fairly. I would like to see her wrestling ability and character fostered to improvement, not wasted like so many other models who join the WWE just to become a pain in the neck to credible wrestlers. Jack Swagger has been growing on me since his first real push in ECW. With all his amateur credentials, he should be big one day. Question still is, what will happen when you bring these two together?

Some may be able to see similarities between Jack Swagger and Kurt Angle. Kurt Angle won many titles within just his first year in the WWE, including his first World title reign. If you consider the ECW title a World title, Jack Swagger has that one thing in common with Angle for sure. If you do not, and many do not, Jack Swagger was still treated as the top heel of ECW fairly early in his career. Big fish in a small pond? Maybe. And he has not had that main-event push since coming to Raw. Among the many things Kurt Angle had to build him up as a main-eventer, a female manager was one of them. That would be Stephanie McMahon. Did Angle really need her? Could he have gotten to the top any other way? You can decide that for yourself. Fact is, Stephanie was used with Kurt Angle. Can Eve do the same thing for Swagger now? The answer is obviously no. Eve is not Stephanie McMahon. No diva on Raw can do for Swagger what Stephanie McMahon was meant to do for Kurt Angle. That is why Eve will not help Swagger get into the main-event scene. He can still be paired with her and end up in the main event through feuds with Cena or DX, but it would not be because Eve is giving him an additional rub up the card.

Eve is not really in the midst of anything great, aside from this angle that started with Miz and Swagger. So for her, it is obviously a good thing to pair her up with Jack Swagger. She gets an angle to keep her talked about. Her character has the potential to be built. Depending on how far this thing goes, she may even tag up with Swagger. You may have more diva matches outside the title picture, which is always good. Would that mean Eve would have to turn heel? That is a whole other issue. I have said before that Raw needs more heel divas. There is potential for Gail to turn, but then the possibility of Eve turning as well? I do not see it happening, but this is an example of how an angle like this keeps Eve somewhat interesting. Will she turn heel? Will she go out with Swagger? Will this lead to a title push for her? She can slowly be built up to be a diva of importance.

Jack Swagger does not need Eve. He was not the one with nothing to do. The WWE was working an angle where Swagger vowed never to be defeated for the rest of the year. They could have continued to play that. Then again, how many more times can Swagger beat up Evan Bourne and Primo? Not enough jobbers. The WWE could have still pushed that momentum with a few high-profile wins, culminating in a title shot against John Cena. Of course, that is where Swagger gets all his momentum killed by losing to Cena. It has happened before. If not that, the WWE could have really pushed some kind of feud between Swagger and Miz, and possibly Evan Bourne. Point is, there are men for Swagger to feud with. He does not need a diva. So what can Eve do for him? Possibly just try to make his own character seem a certain way to the WWE fans. I spoke about this before with the Maria/Ziggler romance. I honestly do not feel Swagger needs it. I was liking his goofy character. That is just me. The WWE likes their men to have hard abs without steroids and their women to look like toothpicks with grapes pasted right next to each other on them. Picture it. Point is, they are in a generic age where most of their younger talent is so much the same. I will not go off with that rant. In the WWE’s thinking, Eve may just help Swagger seem more like the character they want.

I liked the potential of Ziggler/Maria. I will admit that Ryder/Rosa provided for an amusing segment this week. I am glad that Swagger/Eve is giving something to a diva to possibly get over. What is my problem. First, quantity. It is just getting overdone a bit now. All these romance angles seem to be popping up for the same reasons. A diva has nothing to do. A young wrestler on his way up may be able to use a hot woman by his side. A romance angle is born. It gets dull fast. The story of a diva starting out as a backstage interviewer, but then branching out into the ring, that may be very interesting if done right. When it is done with every new eye-candy diva, it loses the appeal. That is how I am feeling now. These romance angles are just losing their appeal if they get pushed so easily all over the place. Second, quality. These angles are basically further making these women generic. They are all hot women who date wrestlers and then randomly break up. Aside from special instances like Edge/Vickie (and Vickie is not a typical diva anyway), there have been virtually no romance angles that went anywhere for years now. Santino/Beth is one of the few exceptions. In the typical case, however, the romance fails to get away from segments well enough and get into the ring. It does not help the diva move up the card. Cena/Mickie could have easily done that for Mickie James, it did not. Kane/Kelly/Orton was killed off before it got really good. And I will not even talk about Festus/Maria. The WWE really needs to push these relationships into the ring. I doubt Swagger/Eve will get there, but I am still glad Eve is getting the angle.

I am going to revisit the rumors about why the Bellas were traded to Raw. They have been on Raw a number of weeks now as official members of the brand. Forgive my wording, but the rumors made it almost sound like Brie and Nikki were chosen by the hand of God to be sent forth to Raw with a holy blessing. Am I exaggerating it? Yeah. And what has it all really amounted to for the Bellas so far?

Taking a step back, rumors stated that Vince McMahon had “fallen in love” with the Bellas due to their backstage segments with the guest hosts on Raw. You can criticize me for trying to make it seem biblical, but even the wording used by the rumor sites seems too idiotic. The Bella Twins were never doing much in those segments. I have said it before, but that is what Vince loves? A generic character not doing any real wrestling in his wrestling company? I honestly found nothing to love.

Another part of the rumor reported that the Bellas were expected to be featured in guest host segments on a regular basis. Wow! That is grand reporting right there. I bet these people know what color George Washington’s white horse is. I bet they were the first to report that former Hardcore Champion Steve Blackman was a former Hardcore Champion. I bet they think The Great Khali is actually great. My poor attempt at sarcasm aside, my point is that these rumor sites did a dull job of stating the obvious and that their overall analysis was lacking. Even before the trade, the Bellas were being featured in guest host segments on a regular basis. I made note of how awkward that was even before the trade occurred. No one has to fall in love with anybody to know that it would just make sense to get these two women off ECW, where they were doing nothing at all, and onto the show where they had an actual role, albeit a simple one. And if their role had them being the sexy arm-pieces to guest hosts, of course that will continue to be one of their roles as official members of the brand. All the WWE did was kill the awkwardness of listing them as ECW divas and using them so much on Raw. Does a report like that really need to connect such simplistic dots as if it takes deep analysis to figure out? It is not so far off course that they even botch the simple connections at times.

Just sticking with the claim that Vince loves these two women, what has it really gotten them? I already argued that the move to Raw was more to clear up the awkwardness of having ECW divas featured so much on Raw, not necessarily because any of the bosses in charge have actually fallen in love with them. Mediocre job or not, the Bellas were still going to do it. Since coming to Raw, they were involved in some segments with Snoop Dogg, came out with the two drivers, and had a random appearance in a DX/Cena segment. Speaking for myself, they did a mediocre job in all these segments. That is not a harsh criticism of them. How are they supposed to act when all they are required to do is show so little character? This week, Brie and Nikki had their first official match on Raw since rejoining the brand. They were just used in that battle royal as pure jobbers. There was not even any great story to their eliminations to still keep some focus on them. That is how Vince rewards the Bellas? They are jobbers in the ring and generic eye-candy divas in backstage segments. That is what Vince loves?

I obviously believe that the rumor sites added in a bit to, or possibly misinterpreted, the reasoning for the Bellas being moved. Aside from looking for any development in the Bellas since coming to Raw, my purpose here was once again to point out the idiocy of rumor sites. The more I think about other past rumors, they often portray Mr. McMahon to be an idiot. The rumor here about the Bellas makes Mr. McMahon seem somewhat sexist. If it was already obvious that he was sexist, the rumor makes him seem even more like an idiotic sexist. I highly doubt the chief reason the Bellas were moved is because Vince fell in love with their simple segments. If the WWE was going to do a diva trade, it only made sense that Brie and Nikki had to leave ECW to go to Raw. Raw has become celebrity-orientated. They want eye-candy divas there. The Bellas were pulled to be there months ago. They never have to be given serious wrestling pushes or individual focus, like Eve and Kelly Kelly have been given recently. Brie and Nikki supply two ready-made models instantly. That is why they had to be on Raw. That is my analysis. If I am wrong, and the rumors about McMahon falling in love with their act are true, Vince is an idiot and the Bellas are still getting the short end of the stick for this supposed support from Mr. McMahon.

Not surprisingly, ECW did not feature any women wrestling tonight. I still want to say a few things about Tiffany and Rosa Mendes.

Tiffany was involved in the opening segment between William Regal and Christian. She is the GM. What I really found interesting was how the commentators later acknowledged the small feud between William Regal and Tiffany. I believe the WWE can do a lot more with the two, but the fact that they are playing the issues is a good sign. That angle may lost longer than the title feud between Christian and Regal. It would also be interesting if Tiffany, who banned Regal’s henchman from ringside for next week’s match, came down and cost Christian the match and aligned with Regal. Nice swerve? Tiffany as a heel? Adding more power to Regal’s faction? Or is ECW too small a stage for anything that interesting? Whatever the case, as a Regal fan, I hope the ECW title is finally coming to him.

Rosa Mendes had another backstage segment. She was talking to Zack Ryder, who was later in a match that featured Rosa as announcer. She was babbling again, but this time they used some fancy effects to send the message that she is not just a babbling idiot, but a SEXY babbling idiot. Ryder was daydreaming about her. I have two varying opinions on this. First, the WWE is sending the message that a woman who has humiliated and nearly injured other women in the ring due to her inexperience and inability to perform well can, and should, still be treated well in a WRESTLING promotion. This is not the era where Rosa can go out in her underwear and just roll around with other women. Yes, this is the era where glamorous models stand next to Donald Trump and other celebrities. That should not be pushed so hard. Rosa is on a show away from the guest hosts of Raw. Her job is not to be a model. Nevertheless, the WWE is trying to send the message that her sex appeal outweighs what she is lacking? She honestly deserves to be used well by having a possible angle with Zack Ryder and having her sex appeal pushed? That brings me to my second opinion, and I am going to contradict myself. Part of me is glad that the WWE is showing some creativity and interest in their divas. That is a great thing. Rosa is getting some segments that put focus on her and give her a chance to develop a character. That is what may get her over. Her wrestling skill sure won’t. My personal dislike for what Rosa has done on Raw makes me hate that she is being used somewhat well. My desire to see the divas used well makes me interested in what will happen to her next. As her character develops, and if she does improve back in the minor leagues, I may once again be itching to see her back on Raw. Or the WWE can save a lot of trouble and have her be the next diva released. Either will do. 

All Raw divas saw time tonight, thanks to a battle royal to find the next challenger for Melina’s title. The Bellas were also used briefly in a segment with Cena and DX. Their presence was pretty trivial, so that is all I will say there.

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne hosted a “Raw’s Got Talent” segment. That was just begging for Jillian to get involved somehow. She sang a duet with Chavo. Looks like these two really are becoming a team. They do have so much in common. Sharon slapped Jillian. Jillian ends up selling it while Chavo gets his dose of weekly humiliation. What happened to that grand rumor that Jillian was getting a huge push? Either the WWE dropped it based on her performance in the last few weeks, or they never really intended to give her that great of a push anyway. Then again, considering how she has been treated in the WWE, the recent brush in the title scene for Jillian may actually be as big as it gets. Typical segment overall. The only thing I found interesting at all, besides the talent of Chris Masters, was the return of Khali. Amazing segment.

Jillian was the only diva not involved in the battle royal, besides Melina. Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, Brie and Nikki, Eve, and Alicia Fox went at it. Pretty basic action. Nothing I found too exciting to note. They did tease some tension between Gail and Kelly Kelly. May Gail still turn heel? I hope so. Eve looked strong at one point. Jack Swagger just happened to be out around then. They are continuing a romance angle with these two? I still think it would be more interesting if Miz was still involved, but more may happen next week. Good to see they have some kind of angle planned for Eve. Alicia Fox dominated much of the match as well. She was the only official heel involved. It came down to Kelly and Alicia. That is a subtle message about who the WWE views as the number-2 face diva on Raw at the moment. However, Kelly did not win. Alicia tosses her out. Melina was watching the match from the back and simply smiles. Alicia Fox defeats Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, Eve, and the Bellas to earn another shot at the Diva’s Championship.

I seriously doubt this match will make it to Survivor Series. I had a feeling the WWE was building Alicia back up for a title feud, so her victory does not surprise me. She will just be used to give Melina another victory before Maryse returns. If Maryse messes up, a heel Gail Kim may step in. This title match may just happen next week. I will give a preview before then.

Candice Michelle has announced she is pregnant. That is indeed wonderful news for her. It may be even longer before anyone who still held out hope for her returning to wrestling actually gets to see it. Best of luck to her and her family.

Speaking of pregnancy, there are a few rumors about Beth Phoenix that I am glad I never said a word about. Some are more ridiculous than others. The rumor about Beth and Mickie James having another feud for the Diva’s Championship was one of the more realistic ones, but still one I had my doubts about. Nothing came of that. However, since I did bring up Dolph Ziggler recently, I may as well mention a rumor about Beth being sent to Smackdown so she could work with Dolph Ziggler. This is another one of those rumors I have my doubts about. So far, nothing has come of this rumor. Why would the WWE even pair these two? Beth does not compliment Ziggler’s persona as well as Maria. Beth and Ziggler would even make an awkward awkward couple. Besides, Beth seems to be involved in a building title feud. And not every diva on Smackdown needs a wrestling push and backstage storyline at the same time. Just not enough resources. I already spoke about how it seems Ziggler is closing in on a title and a possible bigger push soon after. He does not really need a diva for a valet or backstage romance, especially Beth. And I do not think he needs Beth as a “bodyguard” diva. How else can the WWE realistically pair these two? I do not see it happening.

There is one minor thing I passed over concerning Smackdown. Maria may not have been used herself, but her name was still heard. She came up during the verbal exchange between Ziggler and Morrison. Last week, Maria was not used either, but JTG also made a comment to Ziggler about Maria. They seem to be rubbing it into Ziggler for letting her go. Even though the angle seems to be over, the essence still seems to be lasting a bit longer.

Is it over? How hard can it be for all this teasing to lead to Ziggler and Maria getting back together some how? In my thinking, it cannot really be that difficult to put together, if that is what the WWE wants. I am glad that the romance did get some kind of ending already, and the brief mentions of it here and there are no big deal, but it may have only been put on hiatus for some reason. I doubt that, but just throwing the possibility out there.

Should it be over? I think so. It is time for Ziggler to finally get that title reign. If the WWE books him well, he should be in the main event very soon. He has already had good matches with other men who have been in the main event themselves. He seems to have the qualities the WWE likes. Enough on him, what about Maria? Why do I feel the angle should be over for her sake? She is not a great wrestler, but Mickie can still use some support on the face team. The romance angle can still be there, but the WWE is trying to push Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool, and Mickie James at the same time on one show. Do not let Smackdown this week fool you, they will not always have time for two or more matches/segments devoted to the divas. With resources devoted there, is there enough to still push this romance angle? In addition to segment time, it will also call on some of the divas to be used. It may get too cluttered sooner or later. The storyline between Vince McMahon, Teddy Long, and CM Punk also seems to be taking more segment time recently. Unless the WWE is going to push Maria/Ziggler seriously, meaning no more segments backstage only teasing emotion, I say let it stay dead.

All Smackdown divas saw time except for Maria, who has not been used for quite a few weeks now. That further makes things lonely for the only credible face diva on this show.

First, there was a match tonight between Beth Phoenix and a local jobber, Jenny Brooks. It has been a while since they had a diva jobber like that get squashed. The small woman got no offense at all and was just smacked around like she had no life in her. Why was Beth in this match and not the diva segment later on? First, they are still building her for a singles push. Having her get involved in what was going on later may complicate what they hoped to do. Second, they were only a small distance from Beth’s hometown. And she definitely had some supporters there. Why not have her look impressive since she could not compete on Raw, which was in Buffalo? Lastly, maybe this match was just a nice diva filler? Beth showed more emotion in this match, which is always good. But how will she continue to work in real matches away from her backyard? A Glam Slam is enough to give Beth her first singles match victory since coming to Smackdown. Beth Phoenix defeats Jenny Brooks.

Vickie Guerrero, dressed as a princess, accompanied her man, Eric Escobar, for his match against Matt Hardy. She once again got mic time. She seems to be doing her manager role pretty well. Sadly, her man took a loss. That does not mean his push is over, but if he does go downhill, what happens to Vickie? Is that when we see a climax to Teddy Long’s storyline about being on probation?

The main diva segment featured four women and Cryme Tyme in a Halloween costume contest. Natalya was a matador. Layla dressed up as the late Michael Jackson. Michelle McCool was a devil. And Mickie James was Elektra. I do not like segments like this as a whole, but they do allow the women to show character and can be used to further feuds, which did happen tonight. Natalya used a red cloth to play the matador bit with Shad as the bull. Layla did what she has been doing even before the WWE, dance. Michelle McCool walked around a bit and tried to dance. The devil dances? She just did not care. Mickie James did a nice little routine with those sai (name of those kind of knives). Natalya and McCool did not get that great of a reaction. Layla, considering who she was dressed as, did get a good reaction. Mickie James gets the reaction to win. Like always, the losers do not like it. Natalya and Layla start getting in Mickie’s face. Natalya inadvertently takes out Layla. Mickie takes out Natalya. McCool gets a kick in to Mickie’s back. She follows up with one to Mickie’s face to daze her. That ends the segment. The feud between Mickie and McCool finally gets physical. How long until they finally face each other in a title match? House shows do not count. Will Beth be tossed into the picture? I like how they are treating the feud so far.

Superstars once again featured a Raw diva match. Alicia Fox took on Kelly Kelly. You can ask yourself why the WWE did not have this match last week. If you wanted Kelly Kelly to look good before her pay-per-view match a few days ago, why not have her beat a Raw heel like Alicia Fox? I already explained why I felt having her go over Gail Kim made sense. Besides, Kelly Kelly was not on the winning end this week.

A pretty competitive heel vs. face match. Nowhere near as smooth as Gail Kim vs. Kelly Kelly was. There were a few shaky spots. I still like seeing Kelly Kelly pushing herself, but I also still stand by the idea that the WWE should not give her too great of a push too fast. Nevertheless, a few impressive counters were attempted. Alicia Fox put on her usual performance. In the end, Alicia’s kick finished of Kelly Kelly. Alicia Fox defeats Kelly Kelly.

Why this match? Just like last week, I would think there is more here than just having two women showcase what they can do in the ring. Why bother giving the heel the win then? It can be used as a way to give Alicia Fox momentum to once again feud for the Diva’s Championship. The commentators did mention she was a former contender, but that may not be worth much anyway. Why is this a good idea? How much further can Melina/Jillian go? Melina has already beaten her 3 times in 3 weeks on Raw. Jillian’s credibility is not doing too well. Jillian will still always have that brief title reign to her name, which may make it easier to push her again later, but things may be running slow for her feud with Melina right now. There are two options. Bring Maryse into the picture. They are banking on her. What if she is not ready yet? The second option is to have Melina just shift to feuding with Alicia Fox to add another title defense to her reign before Maryse does return. The WWE may not be thinking the same thing I am, but I believe it would be a good idea. It is sad how scarce the good options are.

In unrelated news, Courtney Taylor, the woman who debuted on ECW as a backstage interviewer weeks ago, has gotten her profile taken off the WWE website. I am not too surprised. They pushed Savannah into the same role shortly after Courtney Taylor appeared anyway. I am sure few people will be shedding tears for Courtney. Did anyone really get to know her based solely on her ECW appearances? It is a good thing the WWE really did not invest too much in her. That is probably what made replacing her so much easier. This is like a weaker version about what I said about Rosa recently. I was talking about pushing a talent too hard too soon. Courtney did not really get a push in the traditional sense, but she was there one minute, gone the next. I can say it was a waste of time, but no harm was really done. The fans never really got a chance to attach to her to cause displeasure in her not being used. The WWE did not invest much in an angle with her. She never stepped in the ring and almost kill Katie Lea. And just like Alicia Fox’s character has been reinvented a few times, Courtney Taylor can always debut on Smackdown next year as a dancing wedding planner who randomly accompanies Michelle McCool to the ring.