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.

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.

Before I get into actually talking about the divas, I want to say a few things since today marks one year since I first started this blog. If you do not care about the unnecessarily long speech that is about to follow, skip to the next paragraph for my thoughts on Bragging Rights. In the course of the year, it has been great to see that I actually picked up some regular readers. The fact that I also lost some does not bother me too much. Many readers may have figured out that I do not really do anything special. I do not have contacts in the WWE. I do not make up fancy rumors to cause controversy and bring more readers to my site. I simply provide analysis and speculation. I put a lot of thought into what I do, but it really is just my thoughts and my reasoning in most of the things I write. I also have tried to explain certain aspects of wrestling that many fans may not put much thought into, such as selling. But my main goal has always been to provide support for the female wrestlers in the WWE. The WWE is often times the enemy, but so are wrestling rumor sites and certain female wrestlers who do not do enough to help themselves. I do not bash these news sites in hopes that I break their credibility and gain more readers that way. That is just stupid. I honestly feel that many of these sites make things harder for the women, and also men, of wrestling through their use of possibly false rumors and biased reporting of certain things. I have a bias myself in many things I do here, but I am not trying to be a trusted wrestling news site, I try to work beyond that bias, and I will openly admit my bias and hidden motives, if I have any, more often than not. I honestly do not want to mislead anyone. I will make mistakes at times with what I say, but I like to think that I tried not to. In addition to thanking all my regular readers, I like to thank anyone who leaves respectful comments. I like replying to fans who put serious thought into it. I once got a comment from someone who basically criticized wrestling fans for taking this stuff so seriously as to write and read blogs about it. Pro wrestling is not real. Yeah, the storylines are as fake as what you may see in a play. The moves are not actually meant to injure anyone, so you can compare it to the ballet, circus, or any other physical performance done to entertain. That is what pro wrestling is. That is real. The injuries suffered outside of storylines, those are real. The effort and talent of these individuals, that is real. The mistreatment some may face, that is real. And just like people dissect movies, books, TV shows, and a lot of other things meant for entertainment, I see no reason to be ashamed of writing this blog. It sounds like I take this too seriously, but regular readers know that I try not to make my writing too bland and serious. I like being sarcastic, I like mocking myself, and I try to write in a style that seems more like a casual dialogue, not a textbook. I put effort into what I do here and hope readers will pick something up, which is also one of the reasons I repeat myself. Taking something seriously, yet also trying to make it somewhat interesting for an audience? Definitely not two different concepts. It is something I see in one of my favorite divas. I think it is a great quality. To wrap it up, and I promise not to give this same speech if this blog lasts for another year, I have been a wrestling fan for 11 years now and I have enjoyed writing long before even that. For someone like me, who can dream of one day being a published writer, it has been a great experience to write this blog. I look forward to continuing it until the day the WWE finally kills my enthusiasm in female wrestling.

Bragging Rights will feature a 6-diva tag match between three Raw faces and three Smackdown heels. Diva’s Champion Melina, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim take on Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, and Natalya. It is great that a diva match is getting on the card. It is also great that many of the divas who do not see much pay-per-view time are getting a shot. Even the choice of participants does not bother me so much. Almost all are credible wrestlers. Kelly Kelly, the least experienced, got a chance to open some eyes in her match with Gail Kim a few days ago. In that respect, this match seems set.

My main problem is the build for this match. What build? The huge Survivor Series diva match last year got more of a build than this. There has been no storyline tension between the Raw and Smackdown divas really. The Diva Bowl was mainly tension between faces and heels, and that really did not focus on the six women in the Bragging Rights match at all. They had Gail Kim take on Kelly Kelly, but they are on the same team. The only real tension circling this match has been between Mickie James and Michelle McCool over whether Mickie would get on Team Smackdown. There has also been tension between McCool an Beth Phoenix, but that is more over McCool’s title, not what is going on at Bragging Rights. Melina has been busy with Jillian. Natalya has not really been in the picture for this match at all. She is more involved in the tag match featuring the men. The build for the match between Miz and Morrison has definitely been better than for the diva match.

Which team do I think will win? Obviously, it also depends on who wins between Miz/Morrison. The same show will not win both of these matches. That kills some of the anticipation for the big tag match. However, that will mean that either both matches will be won by heels or both by faces. But that is not as out of the question as one show sweeping both matches. This is actually a tricky one to figure out. Both Miz and Morrison are looking good going into their mach, so it is not easy to figure out the winner there and just assume the other show wins the diva match. Raw may seem to have some momentum going in, since Melina defeated Jillian on Raw. Then again, the heels on Smackdown have not really done anything at all since after the diva trade. Just segments that did not really do much for this match. Team Smackdown did not really do much for last year’s Survivor Series match either. They lost. However, I just have a feeling Smackdown may win this match. I am not going to be betting on that.

The last thing I want to mention concerns the fact that it is Raw faces taking on Smackdown heels. I recently wrote about Raw having too many faces and Smackdown having too many heels. Could the WWE plan a turn or two with this match? At least show signs of it? Gail Kim and Kelly Kelly had that match recently. How about furthering some tension between them? Everyone has noticed the title issues between McCool and Beth. Will Beth cost McCool the match, furthering her chances of turning face? I doubt either Natalya or Melina are changing. It would be nice if the WWE did not let this arrangement go to waste.

All Smackdown divas saw time, except for Maria. Even Mae Young was involved in a backstage segment.

First of all, the teams for the huge Raw vs. Smackdown match between the guys has changed a bit. The Smackdown team, except for Kane and Jericho, are all replaced. Why does that matter for the divas? Escobar, managed by Vickie Guerrero is out. The Harts, with Natalya, are in. Natalya said a line or two between the segments she was a part of. Vickie, of course, got some mic time. She seems to be enjoying her heel role a bit. Would it not have been wiser to have Natalya involved in a segment about the diva match? She is in the match, right?

Another backstage segment involved Mickie James, Mae Young, Michelle McCool, and Beth Phoenix. While Mickie and Mae were talking, McCool came in to basically mock Mickie James for not making it into the pay-per-view match. Mickie played it off as McCool being afraid Mickie would outshine her. She also expressed her own desire of holding gold again. After she left, Beth walked in, thanked McCool for having her be on the team for Bragging Rights, but once again voiced her desire to be Women’s Champion. Could a triple threat be forming? I heard some people saying Beth was acting like a face here. I disagree. All that was clear in the segment was that she had title goals for herself. McCool and Maryse also had similar tension when both were heels and a title was in the picture. If the WWE actually thinks having Beth act simply as she is now will help turn her face, they need to raise the heat a bit. I do not see why the fans would have any real reason to get behind Beth Phoenix right now. In the end of the segment, McCool gets a nice slap from Mae Young.

The match tonight featured Mickie James taking on Layla. Although it was a short match, but still longer than what Raw provided this week, it was a solid and good match. Mickie showed some great agility, like she has many times in her WWE run. Layla was solid and worked well with Mickie. What was the purpose of this match? Would it not have made more sense to have Mickie lose to one of the heels in the match at Bragging Rights to give them momentum? How about Mickie/Maria jobbing? The WWE gave Mickie James this match for a reason. They do not hate her as much as some people may think. They gave Mickie the chance to look good tonight. They served Layla to her. This match was not about making Layla look credible for a future push or putting on the kind of quality of a match you would expect in a title match, which Jillian/Melina did not provide this week. This was about trying to give Mickie a chance to still shine. And I can tell that Mickie did not want to waste this match. As I said before, she did some good spots. I can also tell that she did not want to rush this match to cause any major slips. And I think she should be proud of the results. In the end, Mickie wins it with her kick finisher. Make note of that. She knows Layla cannot take the DDT, unless Layla has managed to learn how without my knowing. I often made the same point when Layla took on Melina. What finisher did Melina often use? Layla, as solid as she has become, is still not at the level of the truly experienced divas. She cannot do certain things. That not only holds her back, it holds her opponent back. It is one of the reasons I would never recommend Layla, or divas like her, for serious title feuds or reigns. They still deserve respect for their improvement and good use, but they may frequently be holding major talent back in more ways than one. Mickie James defeats Layla in her first televised match since joining Smackdown.

Just like I did previously with the Gail Kim/Kelly Kelly match, I want to look at how certain news sites give the report for this match. They say Mickie got the “message” from her move to Smackdown? Really? What message would that be? Not to accidentally take a bump that makes you incapable of finishing the match properly (Gail Kim)? Not to sell the Tornado DDT in an awkward way that causes the person executing it to get criticism (Alicia Fox)? Not to bounce into the way of your opponent when she is trying a counter in the same area (Jillian)? Not to be horrible (Rosa)? I have already gone over each of these cases before. Accidents happen. Working with inexperienced women can make you look bad no matter how hard you try. I am not saying Mickie James never makes mistakes. She is human. But you cannot be quick to say some of these spots going wrong are automatically her fault. Going back to my point, that little editorial statement just implies that Mickie James has such a poor work ethic that she has to get punished before she will work well. That logic fails. Remember the Diva Bowl? Not only did Mickie dominate and win, she looked impressive in terms of what offense she did do. It looked like she got the “message” then. I can say the same thing for the match where the divas wore boxing gear. I can give a lot of examples over the past few months where Mickie has worked fine coming off criticism for something. She continues to try. And the thing is, as solid as her match with Layla was, I know Mickie James can do better than that. I know she was limited by time. I know she was limited by who her opponent was. I know she was trying to look impressive and not rush any potentially bad spots. As I said before, no bad spots did happen. But is that how the people who wrote that “message” thing intend for Mickie to work? In fear? Not pushing herself? Always taking an extra step out of her game to make sure her opponent is ready? That would mean having less faith in who she works with. Sooner or later, it would become clear that she is holding herself back. Then again, having faith in the abilities of women like Rosa has only gotten her criticism. And people actually think Mickie James has an easy career in the WWE?

I also want to comment on something a fan who was at the event had to say about Mickie’s match. She talked about it being a good match and Mickie and Layla having good chemistry. I have already given my thoughts on the match and why it was good. But the fan also commented that Mickie did her handstand counter and she did not see her botch it for the first time in a long time. After reading that, and before seeing the match myself, I assumed the spot in question was Mickie’s one-handed handstand counter she does to escape an armbar. Mickie has never done that exact counter on Raw since August. And then, it was a bit sloppy. In her match with Gail Kim, Gail did not hold Mickie’s arm securely out of Mickie’s way. Mickie stumbled over it. As I have said before, Youtube is your friend. Watch the spot yourself. I am not making things up. And that is Mickie’s fault? Could you imagine how horrible the move would look if the person holding Mickie’s hand stumbled and got her head caught in between Mickie’s legs as she flipped? And that botch would be Mickie’s fault too? And in between now and that match, Mickie also executed that same counter at Hell in a Cell against Alicia Fox. Came off fine there. As it turned out, the counter in question was not even that. It was a two-handed flip after Layla dropped down in front of Mickie. That is not even the same exact spot as when Mickie countered the monkey flip from Jillian recently. Mickie was taking more momentum tossing her to the side, and also had Jillian’s head bouncing in her way. This spot with Layla did not have Mickie getting tossed in the middle of a move. Layla was not rolling in the way of Mickie’s hand. Mickie has not done a counter like that exact spot in a long time. Someone with a better memory than mine had to point out the last time she even did that spot. Long time ago. So where does the credibility in that fan’s statement stand? Mickie has not done that exact spot in a long time. The statement does not show knowledge of how the move is executed. It does not look at the finer points involved in individual cases. But that is how criticism grows. Fans do not look at the full picture. When these fans work for news sites or post on credible sites, their opinion is treated with some value and people start agreeing and watching to criticize any and every move a wrestler makes. And people think Mickie James will actually have an easy time ever shaking this off?

I apologize for turning this into a Mickie James rant, but it will be my last one for a while. I just had to bring my point up again about wrestling sites sometimes making things only worse for talent that do try their best. I had to make a point about fans who do not look at the full picture, but yet they are still able to spread negativity faster than anything positive sometimes. Mickie James and Layla did put on a fine match, but if Mickie is not able to shake off this stigma that some fans, many of whom still want to find something in this match to criticize, the fans will soon have something else to criticize.

I did not want to really talk about the Mickie rumors concerning last week again, but since a reader left a comment mapping them out, I might as well go back to it so that hard work does not go to waste. Anyone who reads my blogs regularly know that I take most wrestling site reports with a grain of salt. I am going to try to treat some of these rumors seriously, but also point out where I see holes in their arguments or just plain things that may be lies.

Before I get into that, the reader made several of his own points as well. Comment can be found here. I pretty much replied to most of his own comments with my own thoughts, but it would not hurt to repeat myself for those who do not want to click links and read people who like to rant. He called Mickie’s jobbing to Jillian an execution. I may see it as embarrassing, but I would not go as far as an execution. The WWE did try to cushion this blow for Mickie. Letting her dominate in the Diva Bowl was a sign of something. As I brought up before, they gave her an impressive victory last year near the time of Wrestlemania before a depush that news sites said was due to her being in the doghouse. I already explained what the real reason was. As for jobbing to Jillian, it can be seen as a necessary evil as well. She needs the credibility to distinguish her from Alicia and set her right under Maryse. Mickie James provided that credibility through losing to Jillian. And do not forget that this is actually the second time Jillian has pinned Mickie on Raw. She pinned Mickie in a singles match in 2007, even more cleanly than she did last week. Mickie was not in the doghouse then, but Jillian was in the process of a minor push that ended up not happening. But she still needed credibility before the WWE killed the push. Mickie James provided it then. Why must there be so much controversy if she provides it again now? Mickie is not Trish Stratus.

The reader also mentioned Stephanie McMahon ripping into Mickie for unprofessional conduct after the tragedy in her match with Gail. It is interesting how these things work. I remember reading right after that match that regular fans were reading Mickie’s behaviour as unprofessional. Give it time, rumor sites start saying that Mickie was yelled at for unprofessional conduct. Now a name goes to the face of the old yeller? Stephanie McMahon? Trust me, that is really how some rumors are born. I was at the message board that created this rumor that Kane’s mask was inside this bag he was carrying around in an angle last year. A wrestling news site actually bought it and used it as real news. I am not saying the same thing happened here, but a guy who writes for a news site can see the same things that all the other average fans see, or just take what they are saying, and use the proper rhetoric to make it seem like fact. Going back to treating the rumor as credible, read the comment I left for the reader. I do not feel like repeating myself for this one.

The reader also brought up the fact that Mickie is aging. I am sure Plato, Freud, and Einstein are kicking themselves for never discovering that people age. No offense, just bad comedy! Of course Mickie is aging. But is that supposed to be used as some sympathetic argument as to why she cannot perform like she did 2 years ago? It is definitely part of the picture, but not enough to appreciate the artist’s full work. As I always say, what she does out there will be dependent on her opponents’ capabilities. This is a performance the players work together to put on, never forget that. And it is not easy for face divas, most of whom are required to bring on the fancy offense and counters. What she does out there will also be dependent on the WWE’s expectations on her. If they want her to make inexperienced, injured, or sloppy divas look good or even the same level as her, Mickie will even further have to tone the offense down and pick up the selling. Work the opponent’s pace, not her own. She is still capable of matches and spots that take quickness. Do not forget that spot last week, countering Jillian’s monkey flip. What caused it to come off badly? Jillian’s momentum sent her into Mickie’s way. Mickie had her hands set where she wanted them, but even in that split second, seeing Jillian’s head right in her way, she had enough control to counter her counter in mid-counter. She could have injured herself, but she wanted to make sure she did not smash into Jillian’s face and possibly poke an eye out or something. She has not lost her heart to push herself yet. Age does not need to be that much of a factor yet. And do not forget that Mickie James has bad knees. Her risky and energetic style has come with a price. As years go by, that will make things even harder for her, and not just in the ring. But I still believe she is capable. I am not saying she can float like a butterfly, but she can still impress.

- The reason for Mickie James‘ move to SmackDown was put down to her work ethic of late as well as her weight.

The decision was made to move Mickie to SmackDown, sending her a message to shape up, both “figuratively and literally’.

This piece from DivaDirt is nothing new. They basically took the mainstream rumors about Mickie’s sloppiness as of late and her weight and reworded. The various news sites do that a lot. I love when the same news site takes the same one piece of information and rewords it a couple different ways to post it over and over again. I have already replied how the weight and sloppiness arguments do not hold. I already just mentioned that work ethic is not always plainly based on going out there and outperforming your opponent.  You must work WITH them. I said these same things about rumors very similar about Gail Kim months ago. She cannot outperform an injured Maryse, who the WWE wants to look good. The same goes for Mickie James. These women cannot do magic and make crap look like gold.

Mickie James Not Happy About BeingTraded
WreslingNewsWorld
Oct 15, 2009 - 4:01:00 PM

Mickie James was upset with how her Divas Championship loss went down at Monday’s Raw and was seen crying after learning that she was traded to SmackDown. Mickie was in the WWE doghouse several weeks ago over an in-ring incident on Raw during a match with Gail Kim where she showed her frustration with Gail.

I’ve also heard Mickie has been unimpressive in recent WWE house show matches and officials continue to stay on her regarding her weight.

The weight issue is not new. The house show bit goes right in line about what I said about what is expected of Mickie and the limitations of who she must work with. If I remember correctly, a lot of her house show matches after winning the title were tag matches. You have an extra two or four women who must shine as well. Before that, working with Maryse, Mickie had to make an inexperienced and injured diva look like the Champion she should be. And Mickie was crying? Really? Somehow, I seriously doubt this. Just because Melina cried, Mickie is going to cry too? And Trish Stratus reportedly did not compete at Wrestlemania because she did not want to lose to Santino? That rumor fell flat when Trish denied it. And Mickie has been doing this for a decade, she knows the ups and downs, and this is not the first down for her in the WWE. Besides that, I have already discussed how Smackdown was a likely option for Mickie since last year, and she had to have known it would happen. Beyond that, if Mickie was going to find out she was going to Smackdown and cry about it, she would likely find out before the match, when she saw Melina hanging around. But she still came out to that match with her regular energy and no noticeable real non-kayfabe frustration. It sounds like this rumor only decided to add more meat to the meaningless report that simply said Mickie was frustrated about how she lost the title and being sent to Smackdown. And Mickie was in the doghouse after the Gail Kim match? Really? I remember a lot of reports claiming that would be the case. What came of it? She dominated Alicia Fox in a match, but ended up losing in the same fashion she got pinned by Maryse months before (when she was not in the doghouse), which then served to build a feud between the two that I guessed would happen sooner or later? Wow, Mickie James actually loses a match now and then cleanly? That happens when she is in and out of this supposed doghouse. I see no credible punishment done to Mickie in terms of how they treat her on television. And Mickie showed her frustration with Gail? Again, that is how I read some posters on forums reading it. However, I see more going on than that. Mickie did not show any real anger towards Gail Kim after that match. It was more disappointment. Frustration and disappointment are connected, but not the same. Besides that, the emotion, in my eyes, was not directed towards Gail Kim, but what happened overall. Put yourself in Mickie’s place. After the DDT failed, it became clear that Gail was not a 100%. A credible finish was still needed. Mickie pointed to her mouth, telling Gail where to take the hit. Mickie did not want to risk hurting Gail further, planned a light kick, and was hoping Gail would fall how she felt safest. She did not fall at all. Not only was that further humiliating, it left Mickie with less options. She just knocked Gail down. That is not what she wanted to do. She did not want to really hurt Gail out there. But after the count of 3, she had that on her mind, as well as the humiliation and disappointment of letting the fans down. She looked at them to size up their reaction. She does not portray the anger that I will associate with true frustration, as the rumor sites want to read it, and she does not show any true disrespect to Gail Kim. As I said before, as she was laughing it up while Gail was holding her head, people would criticize her for that too. These news sites just do not tend to be great analysts at all. I may still be wrong, but I honestly see overall disappointment in how things turned out, not specific frustration towards Gail Kim.

More On Mickie James’ Unhappiness, Last Night’s ECW On Syfy Rating, More

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWInsider.com

– Mickie James was said to be unhappy with the manner in which she dropped the Divas title to Jillian Hall on Monday’s Raw, as well as the news she was being moved to SmackDown. It’s interesting to note that before her match with Hall, she kissed the belt goodbye before handing it to the referee.

This gives the generic “Mickie unhappy losing title/move to Smackdown” bit I have been shooting at all the time, but the rest is worth talking about. They are trying to imply Mickie kissed her title goodbye because she was unhappy about what was going to happen? I could bring up the wink and smirk Mickie gave Jillian before they locked up to say Mickie had some other emotions also in her. Look at her title defense against Beth Phoenix. Here, I could bring up again that Mickie is acting serious in both matches to create a tone for the match. But I want to focus on the kiss. In the match with Beth, before Mickie hands her title to the ref, she does basically the same thing. She looks down at it and blows it a subtle kiss. If Mickie ended up losing her title there, people would be reading that pre-match moment as her kissing the title goodbye. And would anyone ask why she was so serious and “frustrated” for a match she knew she was going to win? As I have said before, to create an atmosphere. And I hardly believe kissing a title goodbye automatically shows automatic frustration towards having to lose it and get traded. You could be trying to connect just too many dots.

I spoke about the ratio problem on Raw a few days ago, but Smackdown does have its own problem. The heels outnumber the faces. Maria and Mickie James are the faces. In terms of experience and wrestling credibility, you only have Mickie James. The heels are Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, Natalya, and Layla. If you turn just one of those heels, everything balances back out to what you had before the diva trade. But who should turn?

Layla? She has a vital role. She is a heel jobber. Because she is lacking much experience anyway, using her for this role is a great option. If she should turn face, who becomes the jobber? Natalya? Aside from the fact that serious wrestling fans will be crying about that, she seems busy with Hart Dynasty matters most of the time. And even if you should turn someone face out of this list, it should be a credible wrestler to give Mickie better support and take the spotlight when the time comes. That is not Layla. Leave her where she is.

Natalya? She is a member of a heel stable. Maybe if the whole group turned face, it may work. But have her turn alone? Why? An angle that puts a lot of attention on Natalya would have to be done to have her break away from her two guys and turn face, and that may help her get more widely over, but I doubt that would happen. The WWE may feel that the two men need a valet. And they may not be too willing to push Natalya too much anyway. If you have not noticed, she does not have the typical diva look either.

Beth Phoenix? If they are already teasing tension between McCool and Beth, something may give right there. Then again, McCool had tension with basically every heel diva when she turned last year. They were trying to set her up as a huge, independent heel. They definitely were not thinking about killing her face character, which was not that popular anyway, but wanted her over as a heel badly. Back to Beth, will this be a repeat of Maryse/McCool? These two heels, once McCool fully turned heel, had tension. No one turned face out of it. For Beth to turn face, the fans would have to actually rally behind her against McCool. I doubt the fans will care enough. McCool will have to bring her heel character at its best, not playing a coward to Beth’s size. Beth will have to show a bit of weakness, either in the ring or in terms of behavior, to give McCool that edge. Although Beth has finally been showing more emotion as of late, I doubt she can pull this off. I doubt the WWE would want to ruin her character like that. How else could she viably turn face? There were rumors that she was supposed to turn face out of her angle with Santino (in drag). I shot those rumors down, and nothing came out of that for her anyway. It was too obvious that Santino would be the one turning. If the WWE honestly thought otherwise, which I doubt, they are more idiotic than I usually think of them. But this is not about Beth’s past failed rumored and actual attempted face turns, this is about the current. And I still think it would not work. Then again, does it really need to?

That leaves the Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool. She was not over enough as a face for the WWE last year. As a heel, Vickie Guerrero can get more heat than her just by walking to the ring. Would it even matter if they turned her face again? Because of the dominant character the WWE has created for Beth, it may be easier for them to create a scenario for the fans to try to rally behind McCool against Beth. However, I doubt that is where they are going. Too many segments are still treating McCool as a true heel. If she did turn, that would leave Beth as top heel. That does not seem like something the WWE may be against doing. That would also leave McCool as top face. She does not have the years in the business or titles Mickie James has, but I strongly believe that the WWE will not have McCool just play a sidekick’s role for long. In the end, I do not see McCool turning just yet either.

After running through all the possibilities, I pretty much came up with no answer. Layla is needed as a jobber. Natalya is involved in a stable that requires her to be heel. Beth may not make a great face. McCool will not be outshined. Nevertheless, McCool or Beth seem like the best choices. The tension is already there. All I know is, someone seriously needs to turn. If not that, debut some face divas, who can wrestle, on Smackdown soon.

Mickie James cannot go on like this for long. She will have to carry the most of the work with only Maria alongside her. She has been overworked since her title push on Raw. Her job was to make the new divas look good and bring some credibility to the butterfly title. You can see yourself how stressful it can be to work with Rosa in the ring. But she did keep it together for as long as she could. She got no good angles to help her work a bit more outside the ring. And with no credible option to take her place so she can get non-title angles now, the stress will only get worse. There is no Gail Kim to provide credible back up. People will complain even more of always seeing Mickie James getting used on Smackdown. Does the WWE realize this? Is that why they created this situation? And what happens should she get injured seriously? Maria becomes top face? They do a rushed job to turn Beth or McCool face? They send Gail over to Smackdown? After the draft last year, Mickie was left as as sole face on Raw for a while. There were rumors of her getting injured during this time, but she worked through it, if the report was true. Kelly Kelly was moved to Raw to add a new face there. You can still see the problem. Mickie James has proven that she is a worker and has a body to take bumps, but the WWE cannot continuously take advantage of that with proper reward. No, giving her a title and expecting her to do magic with less-experienced divas is not a proper reward. She needs interesting angles to keep her character fresh and ease her a bit from working in the ring. She needs to be moved up the card. She does not need to win every match, I will never say that. Mickie knows this as well. And I can see what may happen should Mickie get seriously injured in the present state of Smackdown. The majority of the fans may blame her for causing trouble for the WWE. They may say it is her own fault for being sloppy, and the rest of the same old record they have been playing. She will get even more needless heat. And things will not be better if McCool turns face. Mickie may never get out from her shadow. She still may end up as a sidekick without angles. Mickie James needs to get out of this cycle of title pushes and nothing good at all. But with no other options for credible face divas, the job gets harder.

Almost all the Raw divas saw time tonight, except Alicia. The divas match for Bragging Rights was also announced. And there were no Smackdown divas used tonight? This match is already getting poor build, much like the huge tag match at Survivor Series last year. There was also a diva match taped for Superstars. That may be an interesting match. I will say no more on it now.

First of all, Brie and Nikki Bella, along with Eve, were involved in backstage segments with Snoop Dogg. All they do is smile and look pretty. They show no unique or interesting character at all. And according to rumors, Vince McMahon loves the Bellas because of segments like this? That is so disgustingly sexist. And now Eve is on Raw to join their ranks? Just do a generic modeling job? And you wonder how rumors of female wrestlers getting frustrated pop up? You wonder how some of them actually get fed up and tease retirement just to pop up somewhere else months later? Anyway, Jillian also pops in to do her singing act and talk about getting a rematch. Vince loves women who humiliate themselves too? No shock there. Hornswoggle and Chavo also get involved in backstage segments, as well as Santino, but it will be the former two that will pop up again later.

Jillian Hall got her rematch against Melina tonight for the Diva’s Championship. Let me just say this, if the “punishment” for Mickie James is to escape the show that is focusing more on models, jokes, and guest host nonsense, I am glad she is being punished. Just like last week, the match had  to share a segment with guest host matters. Not only that, Jillian came out with Chavo for some help. That prompted Hornswoggle to get involved, and later Snoop Dogg. Let me step back, I think there was actually a match in between all this. The match was not even as good Mickie vs. Jillian tried to be. It was not meant to be. It did not have the title match feel. Having Chavo out hurt that a lot. There were very few spots at all. Jillian hits one move, goes for the pin, and goes frantic when that one move cannot put away Melina so early in the match. Jillian goes for her cartwheel into the corner. Melina manages a counter by getting her in a headscissors. A solid counter, just not one I found too intriguing. She follows up with her splits finisher and it is over. I know a lot of fans out there actually thought Melina would bring a fresh atmosphere to the Raw diva division. You can switch Mickie with Melina, but if the structure of what the WWE is doing does not change, you are not changing much at all. Melina defeats Jillian to retain the Diva’s Championship.

The show is not over yet. After Snoop Dogg took care of Chavo, the face divas, except Melina, came out to dance in the ring to his new song. Hornswoggle was there as well. Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, the Bellas, and Eve. So all the trade did for Raw was bring over a few more back up dancers? Just make all these faces even more generic? They are all party girls? I do not predict good things for the Raw diva division. Things may not get too much better, in some respect, when Maryse returns.

Vickie Guerrero was also used on Raw to support the huge tag match between the men. Her presence there was not really necessary beyond to get the Smackdown team further heat and show she still has somewhat of a position of power in the WWE. Will it be long before she is GM again?

The match announced for Bragging Rights is Melina, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly vs. Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, and Natalya. Three Raw faces take on three Smackdown heels. I will say more when I preview the match later this week, but let me just say that I am glad they did not have the typical Champion vs. Champion match. McCool vs. Melina has been overdone.

I sometimes like to approach the same issue from various directions. It is the best way to get a good understanding of what is going on. Earlier this year, when Mickie James and Candice Michelle did absolutely nothing while Melina and Kelly Kelly were the only two faces getting any real use on Raw, I did my share of complaining about it. I talked about it as the WWE’s attempt to kill Mickie’s popularity. There were the old rumors of weight, doghouse, injury, and car crash flying around to explain Mickie’s absence from the ring. In my reasoning, none of those rumored reasons made full sense. I then spent some time writing an explanation that was a bit more friendly to the WWE. What if they only intended to use Mickie like that to try to get Melina a fair chance to get over as top face? With Mickie’s popularity, it would be a difficult task to do if both are working the same matches all the time. Melina did deserve a shot to get out of Mickie’s shadow, since she was getting the Women’s Championship after all. It was never really meant to be a punishment for Mickie, but a way to try to push another diva to gain some popularity. In the end, they got both women on separate shows, and Mickie once again had Raw as top face.

That long and unnecessary introduction serves two purposes. First, it shows that I am not always a ranting lunatic that only talks about something in one definite way without looking at other options. Second, it introduces in some way how Mickie’s popularity may be seen as a problem. If a person works hard to gain it and maintain it, I say she has earned it. Nevertheless, it still may cause some problems for the WWE’s plans. Not problems due to Mickie James doing something wrong and deserving punishment, however. Aside from her popularity making it harder for divas lacking what she has from gaining that much overness, there is the idea that it would be hard to turn her heel because she is so popular already. A reader recently rose the issue of whether the WWE may be trying to bury Mickie’s popularity to make it easier to turn her heel. I never considered that. That is what I want to discuss here.

Obviously, psycho Mickie was very popular. It was not just the gimmick and segments (which still do count for a lot), but Mickie’s own energy, enthusiasm, and overall character which made it work. If she turns heel again, it will not be a psycho heel. The reader made that point. I agree, since it may just beg some fans to cheer for her.Few other divas in the WWE now are as popular her. Who would she have to attack to get heat? Maria is the only other face on Smackdown, and a cute choice people may sympathize with, but people may still want to cheer Mickie if she is too entertaining. That has happened before to other heels. Moreover, Mickie’s heel character will probably evolve to something more serious. Not only is that a smart move in trying to tone down some of the popularity of psycho Mickie, it seems like something that happens a lot. Randy Orton’s heel gimmick in Evolution revolved around him being cocky and arrogant. As the years went by, he became more serious and cold. When was the last time he did his pose? The Viper took over. JBL used to be goofy and fun while on Smackdown. When he came to Raw, he seemed to be always serious and angry about something. What happened to that dance he used to do? I happened to be a fan of all of these heel forms of these two men, although not a great fan in how they were sometimes booked during their serious run. Point is, earlier on, it seems the WWE wanted them to have a character the fans may latch on to a bit. They want them to be heels, but heels people want to see. Later on, calling them back up to be heels that would not make the faces look bad, they turned more serious. They could probably afford to be hated now, since they gained some fans earlier on. For them to be effective heels, they could not be the “fun” heels they once were. Going back to Mickie, since this would be her second heel run, should she turn, I doubt she would be psycho again. She would be more serious and arrogant, like the typical generic heel diva of today.

Question is, does the WWE need to really kill Mickie’s popularity to make a heel turn? Unlike Mickie, the two men I just mentioned did not have a face run that directly separated the two versions of their heel character. JBL, since taking up that gimmick in 2004, has never been a true face. Orton, although he has had a brief face run, did not become a cold heel right after it ended. Mickie has been a face all these years. For her turn to be effective, must they depush her, not give her good storylines, do not try to build good feuds for her, and so on? What can all that possibly do? Considering other women are heavily pushed in her place while it happens, it may very well kill her popularity. What may the WWE do once that happens? Possibly turn her heel, knowing that her pop will definitely be less now? I do not believe that is what they are trying to do. That is not the way to go around turning someone into a heel.

First, even if they did try to do all that, you may be left with nothing but a sidekick/jobber heel. Maryse, Michelle McCool, and Beth Phoenix are heels the WWE likes to push. Mickie is now on a show with two of those women. Assuming it was even possible to turn Mickie a heel on the current Smackdown brand, leaving Maria to handle everything for the faces, Mickie would be treated as a second to Michelle McCool. I doubt they will depush McCool that easily. Since her popularity was killed to turn her heel, there may be even less incentive to push her. Because she is not a psycho heel, it may be even harder for her to gain any new popularity from the majority of the fans. She will probably be used as a credible heel jobber. Unlike Layla, Mickie has some titles under her name. You are basically left with a new Victoria. As much as I may argue that the WWE is not treating Mickie right, risking her popularity, I do not feel they would go so far as to pretty much undo her.

Second, that is not how you turn someone heel. You do not do it by not giving them real feuds, angles, and so on, unless there is a storyline itself revolving around that. That is the key. You turn someone through an actual storyline, except in the case of Alicia Fox, who just turns at random. You do not need to kill someone’s popularity through mistreatment before you turn them heel. In the case of MVP, who had a huge losing streak, losses formed a storyline that actually turned him face. When the WWE mistreats Mickie, you tend to still see the fans yearning more for her to get that push. For them to turn her into an effective heel, a good storyline must be involved to make the fans buy it. Trying to do it by making the fans believe Mickie is a loser or second to Kelly Kelly will not work that well.

In the end, it is not impossible to have popular heels. If the turn is handled very well, even a very popular face can suddenly become a hated heel. Not only must the WWE do its part with segments and so on, the person turning must put her heart in it to get the desired effect. You can cast an actor to play Romeo, but if his portrayal of the character does not get the job done well, Friar Lawrence may steal the show. Who? Exactly. Mickie James can become a great heel if the WWE plans a turn that will keep her interesting in the fans eyes. As I always say, simply turning Mickie heel will not equal an automatic great push or promo time for her. Handing someone the role of Romeo does not mean that guy is an automatic great actor or will be liked by the audience. If the only thing the WWE is doing is depushing Mickie, they are not helping her in the long run to become heel. Let her actually take the stage with that heel role. Let her show whether she can do it or not.

I still think it was an interesting idea. Depush Mickie to turn her heel? Hope her popularity dies? Then a heel turn will follow? Would the WWE even still care to push her by that point? But it does create the idea that the WWE has been setting Mickie James up to fail. Although I do feel they are mistreating her, I cannot say I go as far as to say that.

Before I actually talk about the brief segment on Smackdown involving the two new Smackdown divas and Michelle McCool, I want to note something else about McCool and Melina. Does it not seem like the whole purpose of Melina going to Smackdown months ago was just to drop the title to McCool so she could make history? That is all Melina did. She feuded with McCool. She had a few matches with Layla here and there, but mostly either to further the feud with McCool or to fill up space while McCool was out with the injury. Melina had a brief role in Melina’s romance angle, which is left even more meaningless now. She never feuded with Natalya. Once the feud between Melina and McCool was blown off in a title match not too long ago, she was set to go to Raw. I know it is a given to say that a purpose of sending Melina to Smackdown months ago was to get McCool the title, but I did not think that would end up becoming pretty much her only purpose.

With the top face off Smackdown, they needed someone to take her spot. McCool met her on Smackdown. In a backstage segment, Jericho, McCool, and Teddy Long were discussing Bragging Rights and the Raw vs. Smackdown matches. There will definitely be a diva match. McCool was hyping herself up, but Mickie James walked in. She is the top face diva of the brand now. She talked about her own qualifications to represent Smackdown. Since they are having matches to decide who will face who in the huge tag match, they may have a match to decide which divas will face each other. Then again, Champion vs. Champion seems likely. Miz and Morrison are facing each other autmatically. If there is a match between Mickie and McCool next week for the spot, McCool will probably win.

On her way out, McCool met Beth Phoenix. Beth expressed her desire in regaining the Women’s Championship. That would be interesting, heel vs. heel. Would Beth turn face? Smackdown can use more face divas. But will it be Beth? I have my doubts. Will it be McCool? Again, have my doubts. I think they really should have thought about this trade better.