Beth Phoenix Will Face Kelly Kelly

You are about to see a standard diva title feud. When the diva division is operating how it is supposed to, this is what you will most likely see going on for centerpiece booking. Beth Phoenix won the right to face Kelly Kelly for the Diva's Championship, and then turned heel right after.

Kelly Kelly is your centerpiece. She is following in the line of Sable, Trish Stratus, Michelle McCool, and the failures that came in between. Beth Phoenix is your credible jobber. She is following in the line of Jackie, Jazz, Molly Holly, Victoria, Mickie James, and so on. Beth Phoenix has already had a few tastes of being a credible jobber. Her first title win in the WWE was against Candice Michelle. Despite being sidelined with an injury twice, Candice Michelle returned and was thrust back into a feud against Beth Phoenix both times, and both times at the expense of Mickie James, who had received a filler push in Candice's absence. After Candice flopped in the ring, the WWE gave up on pushing her as centerpiece. Had Candice not flopped, she would have been winning the title back from Beth Phoenix. Why else push her so hard both times she returned? And that is classic centerpiece booking in the diva division. The centerpiece trades wins and titles with the credible jobbers, but one woman always gets the continuous booking and hype and another woman falls back into the pool so the WWE can push another to put over the one still standing.

Look at The Bella Twins. Yeah, these two heels outlasted all the other heels in the match tonight, but with Beth Phoenix going heel, how can Brie and/or Nikki still be in the same position in the Raw diva hierarchy as they were just a month or two ago? They can't. And that is why they were simply jobbers being used to put over Kelly Kelly. They do not have as much wrestling credibility as Beth Phoenix, but that is why the WWE had planned to spice up the story with Kharma. You can say the twins are getting the depush because they suck, they were not working out, or whatever else may cross your mind or you might find on a dirtsheet article, but it does not even matter. The depush would have still came for them. Their purpose was never to be centerpiece. Just look at Mickie James.

Beth Phoenix wins a title shot and turns heel. That sounds familiar to me. Just a few months ago, Melina won a title shot and turned heel to face Natalya. I want to compare the current feud to Melina/Natalya from earlier this year. Melina/Natalya lacked a centerpiece. Raw, in general, lacked a diva centerpiece. Smackdown's Michelle McCool and Layla were still the duo centerpiece of the whole division, which is why the WWE frequently had them show up on Raw even after they lost the Diva's Championship. Melina/Natalya was not meant to make either woman look too amazing, yet it was more than just a filler title defense. Jillian had just left. The WWE needed a new low-level heel jobber. It is no coincidence that they turned Melina heel. Look at her now. If she had a stupid gimmick, it would be even more obvious that she is Jillian's replacement. Melina was the first one out in the battle royal tonight. And Natalya? What has she done lately? Beth/Kelly does contain a centerpiece. Moreover, this match is about more than just turning Beth Phoenix into a heel jobber. It is about putting over Kelly Kelly by having her stand her own against Beth. These two have traded wins before, but now the WWE will use Beth Phoenix to make Kelly Kelly look good as a Champion, and most likely up her title reign count. Who else is Kelly supposed to drop the title to? Rosa? She's even lower than Melina.