Eve Quits

Kaitlyn won the Diva's Championship, but that is really small news compared to what else has happened. Eve quit.

Eve was the centerpiece of the diva division. The WWE has lost another centerpiece of the diva division. If anything can possibly go wrong in the diva division, it looks like it will. Michelle McCool left in 2011. Kelly Kelly was let go last year. 2013 has just started and another attempt to recreate a centerpiece fails. I think Eve would have eventually worked out, at least better than Michelle McCool. Developing a centerpiece is like making an investment. You put something in and hope to get a good return. The WWE invests time, creative energy, and other workers to help the centerpiece look good. The centerpiece still has to work too, but the WWE usually ends up doing a lot of work for whom they want to be a top star, hence why it is usually easy to tell the difference between those pushed to be stars and those used to put over stars or act as filler when the stars are not around. You are going to get some filler now, but I'll get to that in a moment. Fact is, the WWE once again fails to get a good return on this centerpiece investment.

Is Kaitlyn the new centerpiece? She came to the WWE as a fitness model. Developing her as centerpiece would not exactly be the same as developing a woman who came to the company as a female wrestler as centerpiece, so you would still have the same diva division you have had for over a decade now. Female wrestlers would still not be featured properly. That's another issue. Even though Kaitlyn might still fit the basic profile of the kind of diva the WWE develops as centerpiece, I'm not convinced they want to push her in that position. I don't think she has the look they would want. I'm not saying Kaitlyn is ugly. I'm just saying I don't think this is who they would like to push in that way. There is also the fact that she is not great in the ring, but the story of a woman lacking wrestling experience being developed to be the best in the division is what the diva division is all about, in regards to the centerpiece position. Although Kaitlyn now holds the title, this may be a filler push.

Is Layla going to be centerpiece? Askana? Someone from developmental? If they don't have anyone they are willing to push as centerpiece under contract, you are going to be seeing a lot of filler. When the WWE gave up on Kelly Kelly as centerpiece, they had Eve to develop. Although Layla won the title, they were not pushing her well during that title run, which made it clear to see that she was not the centerpiece and would get lost in the shuffle like she has now found herself. You look back at Eve's run with the title, they featured her better than they did with Layla before her. Will they go to Layla as centerpiece now? She is the best option left. It wouldn't be shocking for the WWE to do this. Keep in mind that Eve had held the title twice before her recent run, but the first run came between the WWE giving up on Maryse as Raw centerpiece and moving onto Michelle McCool (LayCool) as overall centerpiece, then the second title win came when McCool was still in that position. Eve did not get featured well during those two reigns. It would not be out of the question for them to start pushing an eye-candy credible jobber as the centerpiece. It's not like they have a lot of other options. And yet, I don't think they will do it. I don't think there is anyone on the roster that they can really count on and are willing to give it to. The result? Filler. This is even the kind of division you are more likely to see AJ win the title in.

Needless to say, the WWE needs to start debuting more divas. They lost Beth Phoenix, a credible jobber, last year. They lose Eve, a woman being developed as centerpiece, just this week. You have a bunch of women already on the roster being wasted, but some of them are not exactly good enough in the ring to be a proper credible jobber or centerpiece. Of the three female wrestlers, only AJ is pushed well, and as a periphery diva. Tamina and Natalya are wasted. The WWE should debut someone with good wrestling ability, regardless of whether it is a female wrestler or eye-candy diva who became solid in FCW/NXT.

Let me end it with a comment on Mickie James. Mickie James was never the centerpiece. If you have never read my blog before, you are going to say I'm crazy. The WWE loved her! Always pushing her! She had to have screwed herself out of that great career! Take a second look at the situations in which she was being pushed. She was only getting legitimate pushes when being used to put over the centerpiece or act as interim centerpiece when the centerpiece was not around. That's not how you push someone you want to be over. In the roughly 6 years since Trish left, the WWE has gone through 5 centerpieces, and not one of them worked out as well as Trish. For years, the best thing they had was Mickie James, a credible jobber. She had the overness and earned it on her own. She is still active today. She has proven to be a loyal worker. She has not suffered an injury that has ruined her career. She is still solid in the ring. If the WWE had kept Mickie James and given her the career she had earned, you most likely would have had her still working out as the centerpiece today, instead of awaiting the WWE choosing their 6th centerpiece since Trish left. The division never would have collapsed like it did. I can't say whether or not the WWE regrets releasing Mickie James. It doesn't look like they have learned their lesson.

Layla Has Gotten Better

Layla is definitely the most improved eye-candy diva in terms of in-ring ability to be used as a credible jobber, never as a true centerpiece. Of course, 2012 has not been the year where she has been used the best. The WWE featured her best when she was teamed with Michelle McCool. That angle lasted over a year, but the bulk came in 2010. I want to compare that period in her career to the current one.

Teaming Layla with Michelle McCool was the biggest thing to happen to Layla. Prior to that, she was just a minor periphery diva. Alicia Fox was originally Michelle McCool's sidekick. Alicia went to Raw. McCool was still having trouble connecting with the fans in the manner you would expect of a centerpiece. It is not surprising that they would find another sidekick for McCool. And they actually treated her and Layla as a team. LayCool. Together, this pair was treated as the centerpiece. Layla won some titles and started to improve in the ring. When McCool left in 2011, the WWE tried developing Kelly Kelly as the centerpiece. Layla was soon out with a long injury.

Layla came back this year. She has really shown that she is better in the ring. Thing is, what are they pushing her as? LayCool was pushed as the centerpiece. When you take away McCool, who was pushed as centerpiece before Layla joined her, where would that leave Layla? Even though Layla won the title as soon as she returned and had a long reign, she was not featured properly during the run and has been lost in the shuffle since putting over Eve. That is pretty much the career of a credible jobber. The WWE is going to show more consistency with the centerpiece, less with the credible jobber. It reaffirms whom the WWE really wanted to be the top star of LayCool. If they really viewed Layla as McCool's equal, they would have featured her better during her last title run, at the very least. And I would imagine that they would try to find some periphery angle to keep her fresh and develop her. She doesn't need to be pushed as hard as AJ.

Out of Eve and Layla, who should be centerpiece? This is one of those situations where the woman you don't choose would definitely still have the ability to be a good centerpiece. Neither of them currently have the overness to be a truly successful centerpiece, but the WWE will eventually be successful in making it happen.

Eve And AJ Are Heels

Eve is the centerpiece of the diva division. She is the one being developed as the chief star of the actual diva division. AJ is a periphery diva. She is a diva developed to be a star away from that main focus of the diva division. And now, both are heels.

Starting with Eve, it looks like her feud with Kaitlyn is not over yet. I still don't think Kaitlyn is as good in the ring as other credible jobbers, or jobbers to the centerpiece. Of course, that is not something that will be written in stone. I'm sure she will get better in time. Until then, it is very likely that they may put the title on her. There was no need to force this feud to continue. They had other options to develop to feud with Eve. They had a battle royal on the TLC pre-show filled with possibilities. Kaitlyn did not win there, but it does not matter too much. She beat Eve on Raw. Eve is showing more character these days. In time, she may get the overness you would expect of the centerpiece.

AJ just turned heel. She turned on Cena. This woman has just been pushed extremely hard. Yes, I seem to say that every time I talk about her, but the WWE is showing no signs of backing down. She has been involved with the World Heavyweight Champion at one time, Daniel Bryan. She has been involved with the WWE Champion, CM Punk. She is now involved with John Cena, the centerpiece of the company. The obvious question? What's left? How long can they legitimately keep her so high at the top? It is going to become a headache to keep her going sooner or later. They will have to drop her momentum one day. They will probably be hoping her overness carries through for whatever angle she ends up with after this big storyline. Until then, this all shows just how much is invested in developing some periphery divas. Some can get just as much invested in them as the centerpiece, even though they do not hold the same position in the diva division.

With both women being heels, you will not see a title feud between just the two of them. I still don't doubt for a second that AJ will eventually win the title. I can picture Kaitlyn winning it and eventually dropping it to AJ. Where will that leave Eve? Will the WWE switch to a system where they have a model and wrestler switching off centerpiece duties? While one is positioned as centerpiece, the other gets periphery angles? From the time Trish became centerpiece in 2001 to her retirement in 2006, the WWE did not really split the centerpiece spotlight between her and Lita. Difference between then and now, the current diva division is struggling. A change could happen. Nevertheless, there are female wrestlers out there who deserve opportunities like this more than AJ Lee.

Tamina Moves Up

Tamina has been more relevant in recent weeks. She has been working as a heel since her return. Heel credible jobber. She is obviously the choice to take Beth's place, at the moment. There is still a shortage of credible jobbers. I can't really get too excited for Tamina. It is clear that the WWE has just been using her to put over AJ Lee, who is still embroiled in that bigger storyline involving Vickie Guerrero, John Cena, and Dolph Ziggler. Nothing major will come of this for Tamina.

You would have expected the WWE to want to debut and develop a female wrestler to be a face credible jobber to eventually be used to put over Eve. That is where they are really lacking. I was expecting them to use Tamina in that manner, but recent developments for her make that unlikely. They can try doing it with Natalya. AJ Lee will definitely be winning the title eventually, and it might be from Eve, but that is the kind of match you would hope they left for Wrestlemania. The Diva's Championship has never been defended there. What better opportunity than the centerpiece of the division taking on the top periphery diva? But how do you keep the title matters going until then?

Askana & Kaitlyn: Two New Credible Jobbers?

Askana and Kaitlyn were both a part of that NXT season that featured new divas. Kaitlyn won that season. Askana has had a few storylines alongside the guys. In this current dark age of the diva division, however, they find themselves being used as credible jobbers.

With Beth Phoenix gone, you had to wonder who they would push to fill her spot as heel credible jobber. Eve is the centerpiece, and also a heel. Natalya is a heel credible jobber, but she is not fresh at all. When you get right down to it, it seems Askana is the heel they are teaming with Eve in tag matches. She doesn't have much credibility at all. I don't really want to consider her a credible jobber, but they may actually use her in that role. She definitely doesn't have anything going on for her in the periphery. Askana really reminds me of one of those eye-candy periphery divas you would have a decade ago, like Stacy Keibler. You never had to invest too much creative interest into women like that. Their beauty and sexy/cute characters got the job done by themselves. In this current diva division, with issues in developing a centerpiece and a shortage of real credible jobbers, Askana can't have the same kind of career that someone like Stacy Keibler had. If the WWE had been more consistent in teaming her up with the guys, like Cesaro, or keeping her involved in GM storylines, I would say Askana was a periphery diva, without any doubt. Right now, she is not getting the development and seems to be getting used more as a credible jobber.

Kaitlyn seems to be still in the title picture. I mentioned before that a storyline like you have going on right now would usually involve the face getting payback against the heel by taking the title. Problem is, Kaitlyn really isn't a great wrestler. I don't even want to waste time arguing whether she is better than Askana. Eve is definitely better in the ring than both. And yet, without considering promoting a female wrestler from developmental, you don't really have any good options to take the title off of Eve. In terms of the storyline that is going on, Kaitlyn would be the obvious choice. I don't want to say that they will give her the title. I don't want to believe that their standards are dropping that far. No offense to Kaitlyn, but I don't think she's even at the level Layla is currently at.

It would not be unusual for eye-candy periphery divas to sometimes be used to put over a centerpiece or credible jobber, who would then be used to eventually put over a centerpiece. Stacy Keibler was used in that role a few times. Maria was used like that just a few years ago. The main difference between that time in the diva division and now, as I already mentioned, is you had a lot of real credible jobbers back then. With a shortage of real female wrestlers and the WWE relying more on women who came in as eye-candy models to be jobbers to the centerpiece and act as interim centerpiece, women like Askana and Kaitlyn can legitimately be used as credible jobbers. Another way of trying to put what is currently going on, women like those two are still eye-candy periphery divas, but not as effective as a diva like Stacy Kiebler was a decade ago. They definitely do not have the overness. When you combine how ineffective they are with all the other problems in the diva division, they are being called upon more often to fill the duties of true credible jobbers. If the WWE had more female wrestlers or eye-candy divas with solid wrestling ability to be credible jobbers, these eye-candy divas who are not at that level in the ring yet would be getting featured a lot differently. They would be pushed more as periphery divas. It might also help if PG went away.

Eve Torres Vs. Layla Vs. Kaitlyn At Hell In A Cell

I was hoping for a triple threat for the tag titles, but it seems that the PPV coming up will have a triple threat for the Diva's Championship. Eve will defend against both Layla and Kaitlyn. It was revealed that she was the attacker on Raw. There are a few points I want to make about all this.

First, looking at Raw, the segment that featured Kaitlyn finding evidence against Eve happened backstage. I don't really like that. Major segments almost always happen in the ring. That is the way it should be. What you have going on here is an elaborate diva storyline, albeit a weak one. I feel the reveal should have happened in the ring. They obviously would have had to write it differently, but I think it could have been possible. Eve comes out to do a promo about AJ's situation, Kaitlyn confronts her, and then Layla joins in. Give it that focus.

Next, I really don't like the pacing of this feud. Earlier this month, I talked about the state of the diva division. I mentioned that Beth Phoenix's last act may be putting over Eve in this storyline. I wrote that on a Monday. On that Monday's Raw, Eve beat Beth. They should have drawn it out more. They could have given at least one more week to develop Beth's involvement in the story, then have Eve go over her. Since then, Eve has also faced Kaitlyn and Layla. Definitely rushing through things. I would have had Layla get her rematch at Hell in a Cell. Drag on the drama of the storyline a little. Have the reveal happen after the PPV. If they still want a triple threat, rather than Eve vs. Kaitlyn, go for it. I realize that they don't have a ton of workers to have many filler matches, but you have enough to not rush things so fast. They definitely could have spread it out and made this a more intriguing elaborate diva storyline.

Should it have been Eve? She was the obvious choice. But they are really low on credible jobbers. Layla is being used to put over Eve. So is Kaitlyn, but I don't think she is solid enough in the ring yet to be considered a true credible jobber. They could have used this situation to debut a henchwoman for Eve. Debut someone from NXT. In a few months, Eve and her henchwoman can have issues, then that leads to Eve feuding with whoever that woman would be. Altogether, if you do things the way I would have done them, the diva division would be set for the rest of the year and into 2013, as far as centerpiece issues go.

Who should win? Eve is the centerpiece. She just won the title last month. Although she has had some title defenses, I see no reason to end it, especially when you consider who the other choices are. I mean no disrespect to Layla. She is solid now and deserves to be treated properly, but she just had a long title reign. I see no reason to give it back to her so soon, especially when she is not the centerpiece. As for Kaitlyn, as I said before, she is not solid enough in the ring. I don't think she should win. In the typical elaborate diva storyline, you would have the title change hands. Since Kaitlyn is the victim of heel Eve, it would make sense, storyline-wise, for her to eventually win it. I don't know if they will eventually do it, and I'm still not sure of whether they should, but Eve seems to be the safe choice to retain here.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: October 2012

Before recent developments, I figured my next post about the diva division would only be about the current storyline they are running. Now, it seems some fans think the sky is falling.

Let me still start with the current storyline involving the divas. It is the most elaborate storyline you have had in quite some time. Who took out Kaitlyn? Was it a blond diva? Eve in a wig? Rikishi? Not only is Eve involved, but Kaitlyn, Layla, a number of other suspects, and this might be Beth Phoenix's last act. She will likely put Eve over in the storyline. And even after that, they might still run the storyline longer to include Eve vs. Kaitlyn. The characters are rather weak in this elaborate storyline, but it is still better than anything you have seen with Layla and Beth's previous reigns this year. I need not mention the reign in between those two. The fact that they are investing this much into Eve makes me believe further that she is the centerpiece.

One person who it will not be, Kelly Kelly. She is officially released from the company. When I look at some of the reactions by some fans, it seems so ridiculous. They act like this is a big development. She hasn't been around in weeks. And when she was there, it was only for a single televised appearance. Prior to that, she was gone for a long time. And if you go back even before that, the WWE had already given up with her as centerpiece. Did her desire not to be committed to the WWE lead to them giving up on her? I am not going to act like I work backstage and know exactly when she first gave notice to the WWE. As far as I was concerned, Kelly Kelly was already finished with the company the first time she left. When she did return, had she expressed interest to be more committed, they might have ran with her again. Fact is, you can't have a centerpiece who is not going to be around prior to even solidifying her position. Kelly Kelly was no longer being pushed as something vital to the diva division. Because of that, they did not really lose anything that will force them to take a bigger blow than they have already taken in recent years.

Sara Del Rey might just be a trainer for the WWE. I believe I already said what I thought about Sara Del Rey wanting to be in the WWE. I am not going to repeat it.

I hope you can see how the current diva division is different from what you had a few months ago, when the focus was mainly just on developing AJ in the periphery. The diva division itself was not being featured properly. Now, you have a storyline that actually involves the title and numerous women. That is interest in the diva division. That is what it is like to have a centerpiece. That is the most important position in the division. You can't really blame the WWE for wanting a new centerpiece so badly after Trish and Lita left. A centerpiece is worth more than a periphery diva. Let me put it this way, in football, a field goal is only worth 3 points, while a touchdown is worth 6 (plus a chance for an extra 1 or 2 points). When a football team works their way down the field, they would love to get a touchdown, if they are able. That has the most value. Developing a centerpiece is like scoring a touchdown. Having to settle for a periphery diva is like settling for a field goal. It still has worth, but it doesn't have the same worth as the centerpiece. With a centerpiece, you have real interest in the actual division. That is the woman they want to be the top star of their division.

Is the sky falling? That is the say, is this the end of the diva division? As I have said before, if the WWE has 9 out of their 10 divas in the division being real female wrestlers, but that odd woman out is an eye-candy diva being pushed as a centerpiece, the division still stands. That is not exactly the division you have now. You have the typical centerpiece, but not a lot of good female wrestlers to really revolve around the centerpiece. That makes for a messy division. The division had already collapsed. They are now trying to rebuild. If it collapses again, I would love to see how the WWE reacts. How much can they take before they realize that this style of a women's wrestling division no longer works?

Layla Vs. Kaitlyn, With Eve Nearby

I am not going to go back to that battle royal and try to figure out whether or not the match ended the way it was supposed to. Fact is, they are running with Layla vs. Kaitlyn for Night of Champions. Eve has been involved in this storyline, as well. Without that, you would have gotten a basic title feud for the Diva's Championship.

This is really not even about Layla or Kaitlyn. Although Layla is holding the Diva's Championship, she has not been given the treatment to consider her the centerpiece of the division. If there was not a PPV coming up where all titles are defended, you have to wonder whether they would even bother featuring as much of her as they have recently. Kaitlyn is even less featured. She had a minor purpose alongside AJ earlier in the year. More recently, they were using her with Eve. Even though she is now getting a title shot, I don't expect much to come after it. Even if she does win the title, they will not run with her.

Eve is the one to keep your eye on. I have said before that she is a better choice to be centerpiece than Kelly Kelly. In terms of wrestling ability, she is better. She started out the year in a storyline involving Zack Ryder and John Cena. She moved on to aligning with Laurinaitis. She got another spot on the periphery recently. They did not need to throw her into title matters. They could have had her get more involved in Booker T's current storyline issues. This face turn you are seeing is most likely a fake turn. Act like a face, then strike when the time is right or mock the faces that believed in you. But it is an angle that puts interest in Eve. I believe they are about ready to pull the trigger on pushing a new centerpiece.

Who wins between Kaitlyn and Layla? Layla should retain. Eve is obviously the one on the horizon to get the title shot after the coming PPV. Eve vs. Layla or Eve vs. Kaitlyn? The former will make for a better match. The latter, moreover, has already been done in recent weeks. Go for the better match and fresher option.

Random Thoughts For Smackdown 8/17/12

First, there was this match on Smackdown to determine who Booker T's new assistant would be between Kaitlyn and Eve. Did you need a more blatant example that the WWE is currently more concerned with the periphery of the diva division than the actual heart of the diva division itself? You would think things would revolve around the title. When was the last time there was a match on Raw or Smackdown to determine the #1 contender for the Diva's Championship? I don't even know. I'm not even going to cheat and look it up to seem like I know. Instead, two women fight for a position on the periphery. If you think about it, this current diva division really is the reverse of the division you had after Trish and Lita left. At that time, the WWE's chief concern was recreating the centerpiece. No divas were being properly developed in the periphery. After the WWE struck out multiple times, the agenda has changed to develop periphery divas, but you have no centerpiece. And you can see how that makes the division look. Anyway, Eve won the position. Because I have other things to talk about, I will not go into that too much now. I will get back to it one day.

Chris Jericho's final week before his next hiatus is winding down. On Smackdown, he was inserted into the matters involving Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, and Booker T. He lost his match, which furthers the storyline he currently has, and still has Ziggler to look forward to at Summerslam. While on a message board recently, I saw someone come up with an interesting idea. Have Sheamus/Del Rio happen early on the card. No matter who wins, Ziggler can cash in and win. His match with Jericho would then turn into a title match later on in the night. Since Jericho is taking time off for his band, he obviously is not going to leave with the title. Although the idea is interesting, I wouldn't do it. Just have Ziggler beat Jericho and not cash in at all. In kayfabe, sell that loss as the reason Jericho finally breaks down and leaves. Ziggler can then get a ton of momentum from doing that. That will build him up for his eventual cashing in of the briefcase. Even if he does not win it through the briefcase, I think the WWE wants him to win back the title one day. And he will need the build for it. And it would be great if he is holding the title when Jericho is ready to come back. Perfect progression of this storyline. Jericho failed before, but he's re-motivated and back. Then, he wins the big one.

And what about Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio? Yes, it's back on. Sheamus wanted it, so Booker T eventually obliged. Weak. I was hoping for something good, but that was weak. It is not as bad as the hype for Jericho's return this year leading to no big actions, even though that seems to have been part of the storyline, but it is still a waste. The match is back on. I already spoke about why Ziggler does not need to cash in when talking about Jericho. There's another way to look at it. Why have Ziggler win the title and kill Del Rio's momentum? Del Rio has been going for the title for months now. To just write him off so easily to push Ziggler now would be a waste. The WWE should follow through with Del Rio now and continue to develop Ziggler for the moment.

Nothing Without Laurinaitis

Back when I was talking about the end of John Laurinaitis in power, I don't think I did proper justice to what would happen to his two sidekicks, Eve and Otunga. I should have. Obviously, without Mr. Excitement in that GM role, Eve and Otunga would not be featured as prominently as they were before. That is exactly what happened.

When Eve returned, she found herself without that gimmick she had alongside Laurinaitis. What has she done instead? She has been involved in the storyline with AJ, but AJ is obviously the one getting the major push right now. Eve doesn't really have that strong purpose. Pairing her with Miz regularly might be a good move. Personally, I was expecting a feud between Eve and Layla over the title. Why not? Eve is a heel and Layla is a face. Both won a Diva Search. It could be a good feud, but the WWE needs to actually go in that direction. Just making a basic title feud would be dull. There is room for potential.

Otunga doesn't have anyone to play an attorney for with Laurinaitis gone. He did have that brief minor feud with Brodus Clay, but the WWE was inconsistent with even that. Brodus Clay is back to beating jobbers, who are now putting up more of a fight. Once again, there was potential to do something good here. Didn't happen.

I still would have continued having Laurinaitis be GM for a few more months. The longer it lasted, the better the feuds and storylines for his sidekicks. The way things went down, nothing great was really developed for either Eve or Otunga before the plug was pulled, and the WWE has been inconsistent since. With a heel GM backing those two, feuds would have been risen to a whole new level. The faces who feuded with them would have something to actually overcome and the fans would love seeing the heels get it in the end. Only Laurinaitis really got it, and too soon to build up the other two properly.

The GM's Assistant: Eve Torres

The WWE can call Eve's role whatever they want, but she is pretty much the assistant to the GM, John Laurinaitis. Many women have had this kind of role before, with various degrees of power. Even a few guys have been in this position. There have been heels and faces who have taken on similar versions of this role. For a diva, like Eve, having this role puts you in the periphery. Eve has not been involved in the major diva division feuds and storylines for over a month now.

How is it working out for her? So far, it seems to be working out fine. Just looking at the role she has, the things she is being written to do, this is a good way to get the fans connected to her. She was one of the heels who stood up to Big Show and humiliated him. She is also getting rubs from associating with Laurinaitis, who a lot of fans despise, and by working against other top faces, like Cena himself.

Stepping away from the role she is playing, how is Eve Torres actually doing in playing this character. There is where I see a problem. She does have a great role, which allows her to be featured weekly without even having to wrestle. She does look sexy, which would please a lot of guys. Problem is, I don't feel she is doing enough with how she plays the role. When she talks, I find her trying to be professional too much. I am not saying she should try to be as annoying as Vickie Guerrero to get cheap heat, but put more emotion into it. I think this is a character that can definitely use more emotion. Her performances are dry. If she was a serious face character feuding against a strong heel, I might understand a need for her to hold back. As it is now, she is going out there to play a heel character meant to get heat. Laurinaitis and Otunga go out there to play roles to get them hated. You already know I think Laurinaitis is doing his job fine. Otunga even seems to be putting more feeling into his effort than Eve. And all he ever does is flex and drink coffee! Point is, Eve has a gimmick, but I think she can definitely be doing more than just dressing for the part and following the script to really make herself stand out. 

Layla: New Diva Centerpiece?

Layla returned a few weeks ago to win the Diva's Championship. She now finds herself in a feud with Beth Phoenix for the title.

The important thing, is she being developed as the centerpiece of the diva division? Is she the one following in the path of Sable and Trish Stratus? She has the background that the WWE likes in their centerpieces for the diva division. She is currently in the typical feud a centerpiece will find herself, feuding against a credible wrestler. Of course, what matters most is whether or not the WWE will continue to revolve the major diva division issues around her. That is what is going to separate her from being the centerpiece to being just another filler push in this dark period the WWE finds itself.

Layla is not a bad choice. She has definitely improved in the ring over the years. She has some potential to her. Beyond that, she already has some build to her. Back in the LayCool run, she was teamed with Michelle McCool, whose centerpiece push failed to get her over. The WWE deciding to continue to develop Layla would not be a shocking choice.

In another diva matter, periphery action is still running wild. In the few years I have been blogging, I don't think there have been better examples of what I mean when I say that the WWE can develop stars in the diva division outside of the diva division. Vickie Guerrero was probably the only good example I usually had, but how else would they push a non-wrestler? Currently, the WWE is still developing Eve and AJ. Both of these women are getting storylines in the men's world. Eve has not had a match on Raw in a while. Does she need it? No. They are developing her character. That is what will really get her over. And AJ? She has seen a little more action in the ring recently than Eve, but she is neither a centerpiece nor a credible jobber feuding against a centerpiece or acting as filler. Her matches have been part of her larger storyline involving Daniel Bryan. Yes, it is not over. It seems they want to sell that she is going psycho. I'll probably talk about that and Eve's role another day. I just wanted to point out that the WWE is developing more divas than just Layla, and they are doing it in the periphery. In case anyone ever gets confused by what I mean by that, you are seeing it play out right now.

The Other Bella Wins The Diva's Championship

The Diva's Championship changed hands last night on Raw. If you saw the match, you saw the awkward finish. Beth Phoenix hopped off the apron and landed awkwardly. Looks like an ankle injury. Reminded me of how Orton got injured a few weeks ago. Hopefully, nothing too serious. Beth has had bad luck with injuries. She was out for about a month while still holding the Diva's Championship.

And the new Champion? Nikki Bella. Did they toss her the title to convince the Bellas to stay? Were they never leaving? Giving them the title so they can drop it to Kharma, assuming she is ready to return? Whatever the case may be, will the WWE even do anything good with this title run? What did giving the title to Brie really accomplish for her last year? Aside from that little boost in credibility, it didn't make her more over or do too much for the diva division. I can say the same thing will happen with Nikki. And this is all definitely not a reward for getting very over.

How was Beth's title run? Aside from the month she was injured? They pretty much just built up various opponents for her to work with and go over. They created this partnership with Natalya, but that dissolved rather easily. People can talk about how great it is that her reign lasted so long, and she did come close to breaking Maryse's record as longest-reigning Diva's Champion, but so what? Being realistic, did it actually help her get over, entertain, or do anything to really draw for the WWE? I don't think so. It was a long reign, but the WWE did not invest good creative interest in it. That is exactly what you would expect in how they treat a credible jobber.

Does that make Nikki a centerpiece? Beth Phoenix is a credible jobber, which is one of those women whom the WWE has around for their wrestling ability, not to develop them to be over, and she lost the title to a woman who was obviously hired more for looks than wrestling ability. But Nikki is not a centerpiece. Just like the WWE did not do a proper job of wrapping the division around Brie a year ago, they are not going to do it with Nikki. The build to Nikki's title match was poor. She beat Beth a few weeks ago in a non-title match, didn't really do much since then to further the feud, and got the title shot. That's not how you treat a centerpiece.

The WWE diva division is still a mess. But you probably know that. They are still in this dark age. More interesting stuff is going on in the periphery than in the actual wrestling division. Eve is the Executive Assistant to John Laurinaitis. They are doing more for her than they had been doing for Beth Phoenix. They are developing Eve. If Eve should succeed in becoming over from this, they can insert her back into the diva division as the centerpiece. Go back to the first dark age of the diva division. That would be after Sable left. Sable was their first centerpiece of the diva division. After she left, it took a few months to get Trish Stratus, then it took even more time to develop her, but they eventually did get the division revolving around her. Remember one of the major things they did to develop her? Put her in a storyline with the McMahons. Eve is going in the same direction. I would be paying more attention to what they do with Eve in the coming months than Nikki.

Eve Eying Laurinaitis

It looks like the WWE are going down the direction of having Eve use her female assets to get in good with the GM of Raw and Smackdown, John Laurinaitis. Of course, it helps that she also had a hand in helping Laurinaitis win at Wrestlemania. When Eve gave her promo right after Wrestlemania, this was definitely one of the possibilities laid out that the WWE could have followed up with Eve. However, this is not a direction I am loving.

Is it necessary? I still don't think the storyline between Eve and Zack Ryder got a good finish. Ryder looks like an idiot after Eve manipulated him again after revealing she was using him in the first place. If you were going to put Ryder back with Eve, and then even bring Kelly Kelly into the story, you would have had a very interesting storyline right there. And what about Miz? He is the guy who beat Ryder. Seeing as how he is somewhat lost in the shuffle, teaming him with Eve to feud with Ryder and Kelly Kelly for a while would not have been horrible. It would have given more individuals some interesting focus.

Eve can potentially get a major rub from working with Laurinaitis, the top heel authority figure. Does she really deserve it? I am all for Eve being used right, but I already gave how I would have done things right now. I have no problems with the WWE pairing her with Ryder, getting her involved in the feud between Cena and Kane, turning her heel by using Cena in the storyline, and most of whatever followed for her after that, but they just seem to be pushing her up that kayfabe ladder. Too much? I understand every diva they pushed to be a success since Trish left has failed in one way or another, but will investing all this really lead to a success? I know Eve has gotten some good heel reactions in the past few months at times, but that does not necessarily mean her overness is solidified. That is to say, is she a hated heel outside of fans just chanting insults at her? Is the WWE really getting her over with this?

Just to switch things slightly, I just want to end with how the WWE is pushing Eve's gimmick. She is a woman who uses her body to get what she wants. Is this really PG? Don't get me wrong, I'm not a PG guy. I'm 26. I can spend hours on Youtube looking at hot women in their lingerie or spandex. I'm no rapist or sexist, or anything like that. I'm not a parent. I let my 5-year old nephew watch wrestling with me, but he doesn't understand storylines. Point is, this isn't an issue for me because I take it personally offensive. I just find it annoying. On the one hand, the product is toned down to attract a younger audience. On the other hand, you have slutty storylines going on. I think this might be one of the sluttiest storylines on Raw in the diva division in some time. The Bellas being prostitutes for guest hosts was more of a joke a lot of fans made up, not really the idea the WWE was pushing. And I can't think of anything else near to this present diva angle since then. They used this idea to turn Eve heel. Then they used it again to hook Eve back up with Ryder, which then led to Ryder getting humiliated again. And now, they keep it up so they can sell the idea that Eve wants to use her looks to get in good with the GM? How long do they plan to keep pushing this gimmick? I would say parents would have a right to put their foot down and not let their children watch this stuff. I'm not looking to get into a debate with anyone about the difference between the various ratings, but when I see little kids in the audience, I know the WWE is attracting an audience that this kind of storyline may push the boundaries for. I just hope the WWE doesn't push this too much harder.

The Miz: From Losing Streak To...

The Miz is no longer on that big losing streak. He won it at Wrestlemania. Night after that, he beat Zack Ryder.

Was it worth it? In terms of the storyline, Miz's frustration in not being able to make it onto the Wrestlemania card, after winning the main event last year, motivated him to find a way to get into a match. Granted, saving John Laurinaitis was nothing too fancy. But it got him the spot. After that, he came through for his team. Most of the guys in the tag match to crown one GM did not even have that much of a storyline build in getting selected. Drew McIntyre was a random substitution for Christian. Booker T was a surprise final choice for Long. Point is, as I have said before, that losing streak Miz had for him was not necessarily a bad thing. It was a storyline that paid off in the end. It put some interest in this guy.

But where does he go from here? There is still a small amount of hype from him being the guy who got the job done for the heel team. But will they follow up properly? He beat Zack Ryder, but who can he really feud with now? Or enter a good storyline with? Remember that losing streak Sheamus had last year? It ended with him winning the U.S. Championship. The title reign was not too awesome, but he went on to be involved in Orton/Christian, turned face, went on a big winning streak, won the Royal Rumble, and look at him now. The whole world hates him for squashing Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania to win the World's Heavyweight Championship. Doesn't get any better than that. Will Miz go down a similar path? Miz, much like Sheamus last year, has held a World title before. I would not be surprised if he wins one again one day. Right now, however, I am having a tough time thinking of a good position for this guy. There are no top faces to work with him who are free. That leaves the midcard, but what midcarders can he enter a legitimate feud with? Kofi Kingston? Over what? Booker T might be a nice choice, but they may not head in that direction. In the end, unless the WWE really has a good plan for the guy, he might have been better off with that losing streak.

I talked about the guy who got the job done for the heel team, but what about the woman who got the job done for them? Eve screwed Ryder. Who really didn't see that coming? Ryder would look like a giant idiot if the WWE did not have him continue in the storyline against Eve, even if just to tell her off. The night after Eve cost the face team the match, she did another heel promo. Reminded me of how this kind of started. When she first turned heel, she would do these promos to put over that new heel character. Aside from putting over John Laurinaitis, this new promo did nothing new. It reset the same heel character people already knew she had. Unless they plan on formally aligning Eve with Laurinaitis, there was no real development here. I guess they can now go back all the way to when they were building a feud between Eve and Kelly Kelly. Will they put the title on Kelly Kelly first? Whatever they do, it would be best not to mess things up with celebrities for a while.

Wrestlemania 28 Diva Feud's Minor Development

Before I talk about the Wrestlemania diva feud, let me just briefly mention what happened to the previous woman to feud with Beth Phoenix. Remember Tamina? She was given a bunch of wins, most at the expense of Natalya, made to look like a major face for a few weeks, got a PPV title shot, was booked to lose, and has not been doing anything important since. This is not surprising at all.

Had the WWE not set up a tag match to allow a celebrity to get involved at Wrestlemania, there probably would have been not as much Beth Phoenix around this time, either. Even then, you have not seen good development for this feud last week. Last week, it was just a recap of when the four women involved in this match got together. A lot of it is just WWE.com segments. Could you imagine if the WWE just hyped Cena/Rock with online segments? Funny thing is, even though the two men have been having exchanges on social media, that still gets mentioned on TV with hype. This diva feud is definitely getting the short end of the stick in comparison to all the other Wrestlemania feuds. This is the last week. How will the WWE develop Kelly Kelly, Eve, Beth Phoenix, and Maria Menounos to make this feud seem like something more? I'm not even going to try guessing on it.

Wrestlemania's Bottom Three

There are some big feuds being developed for Wrestlemania. That is to be expected. This is the time of year for big hype from the WWE. I want to talk right now about how the WWE has recently been developing the 3 feuds that I don't like that much. Those will be Sheamus/Bryan, Orton/Kane, and the diva match.

First, you have the Royal Rumble winner, Sheamus, taking on the World's Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Bryan. If you have read what I have been saying about this feud since Sheamus earned the shot, you might think I am pessimistic about everything. No matter what the WWE does, I seem negative. It all comes down to a matter of expectations. When I see the WWE will not live up to my expectations, I modify my expectations. Sometimes, that means lowering them. Other times, it means hoping the WWE will do something else possibly even better than my original expectations. Instead of repeating everything I have felt about this title feud from the start, let me go back to the point where Orton returned from injury. Since I realized that the WWE was not going to develop a good feud between just Sheamus and Bryan, I started to like the idea of Orton getting in there. Then I see Kane enter the picture to feud with Orton. I'll get to that feud in a minute. Back to the Smackdown World title feud, how has it developed between those two men recently? They have inserted AJ a little more into what is going on, but other than that, no strong development. Even that development does not raise the bar of this match to what you would expect for someone who won the Rumble. Bryan's relationship with AJ is probably more interesting at the moment than the title feud. And even that romance angle can use more focus, but it will probably be getting that in time. Aside from so many wins and momentum, Sheamus is almost left out here.

The storyline reason for Kane feuding with Orton will be revealed on Smackdown this week. It makes sense and sounds good. He is still playing mind games with Orton, but his character has been diminished since Cena, which isn't shocking. My main problem is that they have been having Orton look way too strong too soon in this feud. The way things are going, they might as well have Kane win this feud. But I would think this match, which is on Orton's birthday, will go to him. Meaning, Orton will win it. They need to give Kane some major momentum in the coming weeks. They did it for Jericho/Punk, so I am sure they will step in with something here.

And then you have the diva match. I talked about lack of good storyline development and hype in the Smackdown title feud. Momentum is my issue in Kane/Orton. I don't even know where to start with this diva match. A storyline was being developed between Eve and Kelly Kelly. This was a personal storyline. It was really between just these two women. If anyone else really had a business in the match that should have happened between these two at Wrestlemania, it would be Zack Ryder, a guy. If they wanted to insert another guy to make it a tag match, that would make sense. But a match between just the two women would have been fine. The storyline was heading there. The only thing that was missing was the proper hype to build it. And they didn't build it. It is going to be Beth Phoenix and Eve vs. Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos. Not to be rude, but I don't give a damn about Maria Menounos. What do these two extra women have to do with Eve's heel turn and initial issues developing with Kelly Kelly? The WWE have thrown them in there now, that's for sure. And with so little time left to now develop this tag feud, you are going to have to do a rush job to hype it more properly and build up the momentum, if you want to make it good. What am I even talking about? This is a celebrity match. This is a diva match. Why would the WWE even bother building it right? To them, the glamor will draw. Luckily, I'm sure the feud between Eve and Kelly will be developed better after Wrestlemania. The WWE needs to do something interesting with their women. Last time I checked, this Maria you will be seeing a lot of in the coming weeks is not one of their women.

Heel Eve And Face Kelly Kelly

Heel Eve looks like she has her first face diva rival. That would be Kelly Kelly. That's right, after a few months with nothing really going on, Kelly Kelly is back in the picture. Heading into Wrestlemania, this looks like it will be the big diva feud for the event for the WWE.

The question you have to be wondering, who is really being used to put over who? After the feud ends, which woman, if either, will be depushed back into the mix. Is Kelly Kelly being used to put over Eve's new heel character? Was Eve turned heel so Kelly Kelly could have an interesting storyline to work with again? Or will both really benefit?

Should the WWE be taking advantage of the heel turn to benefit Kelly Kelly, that would mean the rest period they gave her was only meant to plan and develop a storyline that would benefit her. That is not too unusual. It would have been messy to overpush Kelly Kelly, while furthering an elaborate storyline involving Eve and still featuring Beth Phoenix, who is still holding the Diva's Championship. You could say that the WWE could have tossed the title back on either Eve or Kelly Kelly for this feud, but one of them will be holding it again soon enough. Besides, Cena didn't need the title for his feud with Nexus or recent feud with Kane. Sometimes, the WWE will invest more in non-title storylines than title storylines. I was never totally convinced that the WWE gave up on Kelly Kelly as centerpiece. Am I going to say that it was the WWE's plan all along for this to happen from the point they had her lost the title, or try to pinpoint exactly when they might have decided on doing what? Why bother?

If the WWE is using Kelly Kelly for the benefit of Eve, that could mean that they have decided to further her as a new centerpiece. Although Eve has held the title twice already, she was never really the centerpiece. The centerpiece is the person the WWE wants to be the main player in the division or show. When Eve won her first title, she lost it rather quickly to Alicia Fox, then got phased down for a while. When Eve won her second title, she became an afterthought around Wrestlemania time, lost it to Brie Bella in a mediocre feud, and got lost in the shuffle again. Her recent storyline has been the best she has ever had. I already compared it to what Trish Stratus got. But will the WWE follow through with it for her benefit?

What if this is for the benefit of both? The WWE is developing rivals in the diva division. They are developing two women who will be the "faces" of this era of the diva division. In other words, this is your new Trish and Lita. If that is their plan, it is weak, so far. Before Kelly Kelly came to Raw last year, there was no really strong relationship between these two women, in terms of the storyline world. They tagged up, would be out there for the other girl's matches at times, had a few segments here and there, and the relationship was casual. They didn't build up the friendship well enough. However, having them be rivals now can really add that story to their relationship. Inserting Zack Ryder will not hurt.

The situation I doubt will happen? Unless one of these two women flops in some way, you will not see both get phased out and pushed back down after this feud. Why would the WWE depush two individuals who feuded against each other? Look back at that feud between Tamina and Beth Phoenix. Where's Tamina now? Where's Beth? Someone can argue that the WWE is simply rotating things to keep it fresh, but I have two problems with that logic. First, the WWE did not invest well creatively in Beth's feud with Tamina. If the WWE really cares about making people into stars, they do more than just have them wrestle every week. Second, Tamina and Beth are the kind of women who have always been held back in the history of this division, so I can imagine them getting phased out easily, and possibly released eventually. To put it simply, rotating to keep things fresh? To me, what they just rotated out was poorly developed and involved women who the WWE does not want to make it. What just rotated in, on the other hand, has better development and includes the kind of women the WWE does want to succeed. There is an inequality here that makes the "keeping it fresh" argument fail.

Of the three real options as to where this feud between Kelly Kelly and Eve will go, I am think the WWE is trying to build both women up to be top divas. Even though Kelly Kelly was not absolutely perfect in the months before her depush, I don't think she did anything to make the WWE actually give up on her. It looks like it was just a rest they gave her to develop something else down the line. As for Eve, a lot of people could compare her to Lita, so why not build her up as the rival to the new Trish Stratus? But can the WWE get the fans to connect with it?

Eve Goes Heel

If you keep coming to my blog regularly for what I have to say about the diva division, you are probably getting ready to drive an ax into my skull. Why am I talking about Barrett? Why am I wasting time on Mr. Excitement and Otunga? And Zeke? Seriously? Zeke? Did I run out of things to say about Jinder Mahal? Yes, the big diva news this week is Eve Torres turning heel on Raw. They followed up with a promo that was taped on Smackdown this week. In case you did not watch it online, Eve basically teases an apology, but then cements her heel turn.

Eve was humiliated in that segment on Raw. She basically got caught admitting she was using Ryder for attention and was going to try to use Cena too. She then followed Cena to the ring, where she still tried to follow through on her plan, and humiliated herself some more. I know a lot of people feel bad for Eve, but I really don't see it as that bad. No, I'm not heartless. First of all, this is a kayfabe humiliation. This idea that Eve is using over men for her own success is all part of a storyline. They are not attacking her real image or real self. If they were humiliating her based on how she looks, her ethnicity, or something like that, then I would criticize the WWE for what they did. Second, this humiliation is not part of Eve being used to put over some other diva, or even guy. As I said before, this is a periphery storyline for Eve. This is not a straight diva feud. I don't think even John Cena, the centerpiece of Raw, even really benefited from that segment that much. He didn't need it that much. The WWE could have easily have found some other way to smooth over his relationship with Ryder. And that brings me to the last reason why I'm not feeling too bad for Eve right now. It got Eve the best reaction of her career. She never got too over as a face. Even while with Ryder, even though she said in her segment that using Ryder got people talking about her, she still really wasn't that over. The way they turned her heel, the way they are having her handle it, she is finally getting that good reaction. To sum it up, it's not an attack on her real image, she was not simply being used as a tool for some other worker's benefit, and it is bringing good results for her, so far. This is not a tragedy.

In a way, this is similar to what happened with Trish Stratus, just slightly reversed. When Trish Stratus first turned face about a year after she first debuted, she did it in an epic way. They were running this storyline where she was using her sex appeal to get into a comfortable position with the boss, Vince McMahon. As they ran it, she was acting like a dog. That led to the infamous humiliation scene with Vince and Trish in the ring. After that, Trish eventually stood up to Vince and Stephanie, turning face in the process, and the WWE never looked back with her. Over a decade later, things are reversed. Eve had been face her entire career. Even though she is a good worker in the ring, she never got over. Not only did they turn her heel in an elaborate way, she did it in a segment involving the top guy of the company. This might be the best storyline rub John Cena gave a diva. Depends on how the WWE follows through, as well as how Eve does herself.

Even though I don't feel bad for Eve's humiliation and see it as something positive for her, I still don't think they should have done it like that. I'm not against her turning heel. I just feel it would have meant more if she did it in a segment involving Zack Ryder. It might not have had the same feel as doing it with Cena, but it would have fit the storyline better. Also, having her turn heel like they did this week just seemed kind of random. It came out of nowhere. There were some moments where it looked like she really did care for Zack Ryder. The title match she had against Beth Phoenix on Raw comes to mind. They sold it as Eve being too emotional about what happened to Ryder to concentrate, and she ended up losing the match fast. In terms of kayfabe, her plan involved her not being focused in a title match? Then you have the fact that siding with Ryder was putting her in the path of Kane. That was part of her plan too? Kane definitely could have done some damage to her at some points, if the storyline went that way. I'm not saying that it will be revealed that Eve and Kane were working together the whole time, but the storyline was not too smooth. I would have spent a little more time drawing it out. As long as it gets a reaction for Eve, who cares, right?

Diva Division Recovering From Slow Start In 2012?

If you just took a look at what has been going on recently in the diva division, you would see a lot of women getting storylines and getting things to do. You would think that this would be good. If you look a little closer, however, you would notice that women's wrestling is not improving in the division. What is going on?

There is a lot of periphery things happening recently. Kharma, who obviously had her baby, returned to participate in the Royal Rumble match. Eve Torres has her angle with Zack Ryder continuing. AJ Lee has her angle with Daniel Bryan still going on. In all three of these, there is no real diva feud connected. Kharma was in the ring against men a few days ago. Eve is pretty much just a supporting character in the bigger storyline between Kane and Cena. I will talk more about that in a second. AJ is being used to make Daniel Bryan's heel turn more interesting. In all three situations, the involvement is more in the men's world than the women's. That is usually how periphery treatment will work. If the WWE continues to push these women in the men's world to get over(Kharma mixing it up with the men and Eve and AJ getting romance angles), then you would have periphery divas on your hands. Time will tell whether or not they do it with Eve and AJ, but I cannot imagine them centering the diva division around Kharma. They are definitely going to keep her on the side. Having her enter the Rumble was not surprising to me. Was I expecting it to happen this year? Since I did not know she had the baby yet, that part was surprising.

I want to talk more about Eve's storyline because it gives me an excuse to talk about recent title matters. Beth Phoenix, after being sidelined with an injury and being kept off Raw for about a month, had her first title defense on Raw since that injury this week. As you saw, it was against Eve. Alicia Fox was actually the last woman to pin Beth Phoenix, and injured her, but Eve gets the shot. That's fine. Obviously, it wasn't even about furthering diva matters properly. Eve vs. Beth Phoenix was the last match on the show. Such an honor? No, not really. Look at how it went. It didn't even last a minute. I know, the story was that Eve was distracted by Zack Ryder's recent drama, so she couldn't handle herself emotionally. That's kayfabe. That's the storyline. The reality of the situation is what I do not like. Look at what happened in the earlier squash match with Brodus Clay winning. I think that match actually lasted a few seconds longer, but that is not even my point. What happened after Brodus won? He danced. He celebrated. Focus still on him. What happened after Beth Phoenix won? Out the ring. Time for Kane. Focus no longer on Beth. For the moment, it was still only about Eve. That quickly turned into Kane/Cena. That is my major issue. It isn't even so much that the match was so short and not interesting. It was that the match was completely overshadowed by something the WWE obviously cared more about. A Diva's Championship match was basically used as just a means to set up Cena brawling with Kane. You can say that the women will benefit from this, but Eve actually stands to benefit from all this than Beth. I can picture fans connecting with Eve's character. Beth is being used in a boring way. At the end of the day, it's still all for Cena at the moment.

There is something going on right now on Smackdown that I want to talk about. No, not AJ. Natalya. If you watched last week and this week, you know what I mean. I don't even want to say it. You want to talk about crass? What they are doing with Natalya isn't even crazy and fun. It is not intriguing and exciting. It doesn't draw me, unlike a certain other act involving a diva that Vince McMahon did say was crass. Natalya is being humiliated. Is it necessary? I don't care if this is supposed to lead to a split between Beth and Natalya, there are more entertaining or respectful ways to do it. Some people can say that humiliation happens in pro wrestling, so don't take it too seriously. Nevertheless, there are some forms of it that are not entertaining and disgust your fans. Moreover, you have to think about why it is even being done. Let me talk about the two biggest instances of diva humiliation. You have Vince McMahon forcing Trish Stratus to strip and bark like a dog, and Michelle McCool making Mickie James cry by calling her fat. The main thing I want to bring up in comparing these two right now is what the WWE was trying to accomplish. How were they going about it? Starting with the segment in 2001, this was part of an elaborate, main-event storyline that Trish Stratus was getting. Trish was not there simply to help Vince look like a good heel. Vince doesn't need that kind of help. But Trish Stratus turned face for the first time through this storyline. How many women can say they turned face in a storyline involving Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and other top names? They had Trish Stratus stand up for herself. This happened in the first quarter of 2001. By the end of 2001, Trish was holding her first Women's Championship. She was the centerpiece. You know the rest. And Mickie James? Why was she humiliated? She wasn't exactly in there against someone able to gain their own heat well. Michelle McCool was quite the opposite. But McCool got the best heat of her career while Mickie was there to put her over. And that was the point. The WWE never really did anything to properly sell the idea that Mickie James was not fat. They never even had McCool stop bullying her after Mickie won the Women's Championship. And you know what came after that. While the WWE continued to develop an epic career for Trish Stratus after her humiliation against Vince, the WWE tossed Mickie James aside after using her for McCool's benefit. Back to Natalya. This humiliation obviously will not benefit her. What makes it even more stupid is that they are not even using her for the benefit of some other diva. It's just plain stupid.

The last thing to talk about? Where's your centerpiece? Kelly Kelly? Is she still the centerpiece? She sure isn't being treated like it. I still can't tell why. Bad driving? That would be stupid. She obviously did not have the solid in-ring ability as other centerpieces, but I don't think she had flopped yet. She was over, but not all the wrestling fans were buying into her. This all could still be a rest period. But if they have given up on her, don't plan to push Layla as centerpiece, and don't have any other option on the horizon, then you will definitely be having a period like you did right after Sable left. Periphery diva storylines and usage was very common back then. Already showing signs of that now.

The promise I made myself is that I would stop writing a pro wrestling blog when I see the WWE diva division end. Meaning, I want to see them stop pushing models as the best wrestlers in the world at the expense of real wrestlers. If you look at the division right now, would you say there is improvement? As I said before, more women are getting used well. However, match quality is not improving. There may be no model centerpiece currently, but this has happened before. The WWE can very well coast the division like this until they have chosen a new centerpiece, assuming Kelly Kelly is no longer it, and developed that new woman. And the cycle will continue. All that being said, I don't think I will be retiring from this blog in the near future.