Dark Days Have Fallen Upon The Diva Division

The Bella Twins have captured the Diva's Championship. Brie defeated Eve on Raw. Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't Eve's last match on Raw before StratusMania a title match against the other Bella? She really accomplished a lot in between that time, didn't she? Her reign was crap.

The title once again goes to a model-type diva. I do not believe Brie is meant to be a centerpiece. I do not recall if I ever made this observation on here before or not, but the current diva division is almost at the same level as it was in 1999/2000. Since the diva division was created, since the women's division took on the certain qualities that made it a "diva" division, there have been only two periods where they put the title on eye-candy divas not meant to be developed as a centerpiece. The first started in 1999. Sable, the woman meant to be centerpiece, left the company. The WWE had no proper replacement set up. They put the title on Debra and The Kat. These women were more looks than fight. They were valets. Moreover, the WWE never really tried pushing them as true centerpieces either. Saving time and skipping a few of the other interesting people to win the title at this time, they eventually gave it to Trish. From her first reign to her last, no other eye-candy diva held the title but Trish. After her, Candice Michelle was the first such model diva to get it. They were indeed trying to make her into Trish's replacement. Look at the booking and build they gave her. On the other show, Michelle McCool and Maryse won the prestigious butterfly title. Maryse was sent to Raw, where they did try to build her into the centerpiece there, filling the spot Candice left after her flop. Maryse flopped as well. Do I even need to discuss whether or not McCool is a centerpiece?

Back to Raw. Back to the current era. Eve, a Diva Search winner and eye-candy diva, has gotten two reigns with the title. Look at her most recent reign. They treated her like an afterthought, even though she had the title, for weeks while they pushed something else for Wrestlemania. The way I see it, they have also failed to push her and hype her as you would expect a true centerpiece. All this makes me believe that she is an eye-candy diva not meant to be a centerpiece. Then look at Brie. I hardly believe they will build her and her sister to be centerpieces. This is indeed another crappy diva division period, like 1999/2000.

Two things you have to keep in mind about why this era is the way it is. First, every woman the WWE desired to be the centerpiece has flopped either in maintaining a solid performance in the ring or in getting over. The only woman who had both solid ability and a great overness since Trish left was a woman only meant to be a jobber. That brings me to the other thing. During the rich era of Trish Stratus, the WWE had a steady flow of real wrestlers debuting to work with her and keep her looking at their level and bring credibility to the division. For the past year or so, you have not gotten that. That flow of real wrestlers to put over the the centerpieces is not coming. Tamina came to Raw last year, but what has she really done that is relevant? The WWE brought in Serena, had her head shaved, then released her. Natalya won the title recently. She was a valet before that, had a somewhat below average reign, and has done nothing of importance since then. Smackdown's centerpieces (LayCool) have been entertaining themselves, working with Trish and Snooki for Wrestlemania, and working around that with the likes of Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix. Beth is a jobber, and also losing what freshness and momentum she had. She has been around for years. Kelly is someone they may try building to be a centerpiece in the future. And that is part of the problem with what is going on right now. Models are getting more of the focus than the wrestlers, and all those models won't even be built to matter that much.

I will not say much about Awesome Kong now. Let me just say, it will be only a matter of time before she is teaming with those Barbie dolls and acting like they are her best friends ever. Either that, or she gets released before they even get that far.