Just look at what has been going on in the men's division for years now in the WWE. There has been an issue with John Cena. The WWE has a centerpiece that many people complain about for various reasons. As a whole, the company seemed to be going in the wrong direction with Cena being pushed so hard. What has been the WWE's response? They have just pushed Cena harder in that same direction. They play off of the hate he gets to sell him as a controversial figure and someone who can rise above the hate. There have even been storylines based on Cena not being liked and trying to turn him heel, like what he had with Kane over a year ago. Instead of actually changing, the WWE just seemed more determined to push the same Cena and find new ways to do it.
Seeing as how hard the status quo has been to change in the men's division, it is not hard to believe that the status quo would not fold that easily in the diva division. The problem in the diva division has mainly been the failure of the WWE to get their centerpieces to work out at all. And when a centerpiece fails, the WWE will not invest well in the interim centerpieces that they are just tossing the title on until they come up with a new plan. That has led to an inconsistent and poor-quality division.
How has the WWE tried to reinforce the status quo of their diva division since the problems started? I have said before that the status quo of the diva division is about more than just the "diva" image. It is about how the women are being pushed. Nevertheless, when you look at the women who are on the main roster, they really have been featuring female wrestlers less and these eye-candy divas more. Right now, there are only 3 true female wrestlers on the main roster. I am talking about those women who came into the company with real pro wrestling training and experience. Two of them are from wrestling families and have been used as credible jobbers. The other one is a periphery diva who never got very over while being pushed as a credible jobber. Women who come in as models, fitness models, actresses, dancers, and other such backgrounds are now starting to get more of the pushes that once went to female wrestlers pushed as credible jobbers. I am not against eye-candy divas getting opportunities, but what about the female wrestlers? With the status quo of the diva division not leading to desired results, the WWE has gone to eye-candy divas more. They are embracing that image or theme even more, but it still hasn't led to them pushing all these women better.
Is there a new hope on the horizon? This is something I actually wasn't thinking about mentioning when I first decided to do this series. Recently, however, there has been some signs of change. For the last two weeks, John Cena has not been the top focus on Raw. Last week, the main event was CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio. That match also involved Dolph Ziggler attacking Del Rio and Brock Lesnar attacking Punk. I figured it was really Lesnar getting involved that made that match worthy of being in the final segment. This week, however, the main event was Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan. Once again, no Cena. They are actually spreading the attention around better. People may not appreciate this, but this is actually a change in the status quo without changing Cena's character or taking the title off him. If they turned Cena heel and still had him dominate the main-event scene, would much really change? I see having these other guys get attention as a more important change. It is a structural change. Some people can say that it is because of changes in the writing staff, but the bosses above those writers still had to be willing to let these other guys get featured better. And as you can see, doing things this way isn't stopping Cena from still getting featured. Will it last? If these changes don't lead to the desired results, they may go back to the old way of doing things.
But what about the diva division? Is change coming there? AJ Lee, a female wrestler, is currently the Diva's Champion and pushed well. Is she the new centerpiece? I wouldn't jump to that conclusion too quickly. It hasn't even been a full 6 months since Eve, the last centerpiece, left. The diva division entered a dark age that was even more similar to the first one when that happened. During those months, AJ was still pushed well in the periphery. She still has a periphery angle now. When you look at what may be on the horizon, I frequently hear that the WWE is signing more eye-candy divas. Some of them are said to have martial-arts experience, but that is not the same in my book as working your way up as a pro wrestler and coming into the company that way. Are there no female wrestlers left in the independent circuit? I am not convinced that the WWE is ready to give up on the status quo of the diva division. They seem to be wanting to reinforce it even more. And speaking honestly, AJ Lee would be the last female wrestler I want to see as the centerpiece of the diva division. After how hard the WWE has already pushed her to be a star, I would rather see someone earn it while being a credible jobber and move up the ranks. Those women are the ones who need the fairer opportunities.
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