State Of The WWE Diva Division: January 2014

The diva division is the worse it has ever been. How many times have I said that? It just seems to get worse. I wondered at one time how much failure the WWE could take before they really lost it, but I really didn't think it could get this bad.

First, compare this time of year to the same time last year. January 2013 was when the WWE's last attempt to create a centerpiece did not work out. Eve left them prior to getting as over as a centerpiece should be. The WWE then pushed Kaitlyn as interim centerpiece. But the reason one year ago was not as bad as right now is that they had AJ Lee getting an interesting angle in the periphery. You had more than one thing going on. You had AJ Lee working with Dolph Ziggler, title matters, even though they were poorly developed, and The Bellas soon returned to at least start something to talk about. Right now, AJ Lee is the Diva's Champion. No diva is really getting any interesting periphery angles. Title matters are getting stale. Is the WWE planning to debut someone or have a diva return in the coming weeks? Because you have even less interesting angles going on right now than you did last year, I would say right now is worse than last year.

Let me talk about AJ Lee with the title. There is a good chance that she may beat Maryse's record for longest run with the Diva's Championship. Does it really matter? Is it helping the overall division? Is it really even helping AJ to stay looking interesting. AJ fans may love it, but I don't think this is that great. I may not be a fan of AJ Lee, but that does not mean I don't want to see her used right. If you are an AJ fan, let me ask you a question. Would you rather she get a long title reign and be treated boringly or be pushed in an entertaining manner, regardless of title reign? If you asked me that same question about Mickie James, I would definitely have chosen the latter. I remember feeling since all the way back to my diva blog prior to this one that I would like the WWE to push Mickie James a little more like Lita. Give her some great storylines alongside main-eventers. She never got one angle alongside the men that even ended properly. Now that I am more of an analyst of the diva division than I was back then, I realize it was because they were too focused on recreating an eye-candy centerpiece. That is why they didn't do that for Mickie, or any other female wrestler at that time. Moving back to AJ, she is not doing anything too interesting right now. Even her recent title feud with Natalya was not too interesting. The last thing the WWE did with her that was really interesting was that promo on Raw against the divas on Total Divas. What have they really done with her since then that is great? Is this a sign that AJ Lee is going down the path of Mickie James? I wouldn't say that. This is more of a sign that the WWE is just out of gas.

This is what you get for putting all your eggs in one basket, especially in a situation as precarious as this. Things are very bad now. They have been for years. The one woman you were pushing interestingly a year ago is being pushed mediocrely now, and you can still argue that she is getting pushed better than anyone else in the diva division right now. I think it would be best if AJ Lee lost the title. I am not against her having a long title reign. I don't care whether she loses it before or after breaking the record. But once she loses the title, because this is someone the WWE actually wants to feature, there is a good chance of her getting another angle in the periphery. While that is going on, you have someone else with the title going through opponents. It would be basically like turning back the clock to a year ago. You will still have issues in the diva division, but at least AJ Lee would be utilized better and other women might be more relevant.

And as I am writing this blog entry, I happen to stop by the message board I frequent the most and see that Kaitlyn is no longer with the WWE. Okay, I wasn't exactly prepared to talk about that now, but I guess I should. Kaitlyn was utilized as a credible jobber. After her filler run with the title, they didn't use her properly for anything. That is more depth in the diva division that is lost. Should they have treated her better? She was not amazing in the ring, but she was improving. And she was connecting well with the fans. She wasn't over enough to cause people to really scrutinize why she was not being pushed better, but the fact that she did connect as well as she did despite the mediocre treatment is worth mentioning. I would say she was one of those divas they should have pushed better to add more creative depth to the division.

How is Summer Rae doing? Of the women on the roster, she is still the best choice to eventually be pushed as centerpiece. Since her mini-feud against Natalya, she has done things here and there, but nothing huge. Fandango is also in the midst of inconsistent treatment, so Summer Rae will not benefit from any great periphery angles. But I still expect her to eventually split from Fandango and be pushed more regularly in the diva division.

With Kaitlyn gone, that might make some fans even more eager for the debut of Paige. She is a female wrestler. You look at the success AJ Lee has had and that might make you excited for Paige. Keep in mind that the WWE developed AJ Lee as a periphery diva at a time when they were giving up on the woman they were pushing as centerpiece, Kelly Kelly, and developing another woman in the periphery that went on to be the next centerpiece, Eve. They had more momentum then than now. And given their recent lack of interest to develop more than one diva properly at a time, where would it leave AJ Lee if they did want to develop Paige as a success? Unless they plan to stop running an agenda focused on eye-candy divas, and there are a lot of those women still in NXT, I don't see why the WWE would want to develop two female wrestlers as periphery divas right now. They did that kind of thing during the first dark age, but that dark age was better than this one. I cannot picture great things for Paige if she debuts. It is not that I don't want her to debut. I just do not think they will use her properly.

Let me end it the way I started. This is the worst the diva division has ever been. Respectability is not there, they are not efficient, obviously not productive, lack of depth creatively and in the roster, inability to properly push women they do want over, and I'm sure they are only five seconds from booking Jinder Mahal to win the Diva's Championship. Problems just get poured onto problems. I don't see how things can get worse. I'm sure the WWE will surprise me.

Is Kaitlyn A Victim Of Total Divas?

I saw someone on a message board recently say that Total Divas was the reason Kaitlyn has been depushed as she has in the last few months. That seems like a good topic to talk about.

Kaitlyn obviously has been depushed. There is no arguing that point. She was Diva's Champion for a few months, continued her feud against AJ Lee a little while after losing the title by teaming with Dolph Ziggler to face AJ and Big E Langston, and has not been too relevant since. But is it because of Total Divas? The rise of that show has coincided with Kaitlyn's depush. Fact is, it really is just a coincidence. If Kaitlyn was a priority to the WWE, this reality show would not be an excuse to do what they have done to her. Look at how Kaitlyn has been pushed since last year. She was developed as a jobber to the centerpiece against Eve. After Eve left, Kaitlyn really just got filler treatment. The fact that they were not even pushing her for a few weeks around Wrestlemania tells you a lot. They are pretty much telling you that you should expect a depush once the title reign was over. And Kaitlyn's title reign ended in a feud where she was being used to put over the top periphery diva during this current dark age, AJ Lee. AJ has since moved on to feuding against "Total Divas" divas. Does that mean you should blame Total Divas for Kaitlyn's depush? No. Kaitlyn still would have gotten depushed no matter what. Kaitlyn and AJ were not going to feud forever. AJ Lee is a top periphery diva. She is someone the WWE wants to be a star. Kaitlyn has never gotten great periphery angles and has obviously not been pushed to be the centerpiece. In this age of lowered standards, Kaitlyn is a credible jobber. Her depush was going to happen. I don't think Dave Meltzer has gotten around to saying anything outrageous to slander Kaitlyn as to why she has gotten depushed. If he ever does, just remember what I just said.

The person on that message board also brought up the point that Kaitlyn was getting over. That makes some fans wonder even more why the WWE would mistreat her. Kaitlyn getting over off the type of pushes she has gotten is similar to Mickie James getting over off being pushed as a credible jobber during her time in the WWE. Why would the WWE mistreat an over diva? It has to be Total Divas! It has to be a weight issue! It has to be an affair! Yeah, sure. Did you analyze the way the diva in question was being pushed to make sure they wanted her over in the first place? Nevertheless, Kaitlyn has shown some potential to connect with the fans. If it needs to be said, I really don't care about her too much myself. However, since she does have potential, she deserves to be treated better. I don't think she is good enough in the ring to be the centerpiece. She has gotten good, but I don't think she is experienced enough. I would give her an angle in the periphery. Exactly what? I don't know. I don't think she needs to be shot all the way to a main-event position. A midcard position would be good, but the midcard is such a mess. Would it be wrong to pair her with Big E Langston? They were somewhat involved in a storyline together a few months ago.

Let me switch to talking about Total Divas. I have still not watched an episode of the show. At one time, however, I did say that the show is good for the diva division because it gave other women something interesting to do. While AJ Lee and Kaitlyn were feuding, the women in Total Divas had their own thing going on. It added some creative depth to the division. There wasn't just one diva angle to be interested in. Recently, that is no longer the case. AJ Lee is involved with the "Total Divas" divas. The "Total Divas" divas are involved with AJ. What other storylines and feuds to you have developing? I don't really see anything. The WWE is just tossing all these women together, as you saw around Survivor Series. The women on the show are still getting attention, but other women are not getting anything great to do, except for AJ, obviously. Things would hopefully be better if they got the title off AJ. Have the women on Total Divas fight amongst themselves over the title and give AJ a great angle somewhere else. Until that happens, Total Divas is no longer helping with the creative depth of the diva division.

Kaitlyn Vs. AJ At Payback

Kaitlyn has held the title for a few months now. There is really no point in prolonging it much longer. They have not developed her well for the majority of her reign, so it doesn't seem she will be pushed as centerpiece. Where does that leave her title defense against AJ Lee?

AJ will most likely be winning the title. Whether it happens at Payback or the PPV after or a title defense on Raw, it is only a matter of time. They are not going to have Kaitlyn break the record for longest-reigning Diva's Championship. There is still over a month until that becomes an issue, but now seems like a good time to end her reign. And why not let it be AJ Lee? This is her big push. I would rather the WWE spread things around better in the diva division, especially considering AJ already has her angle alongside the current World's Heavyweight Champion, but she is their top diva during this dark age and giving her the title makes better sense in that regard than handing it off to a Bella.

What will become of Kaitlyn? They just had this bullying segment on Raw where AJ sold the idea that no one would want Kaitlyn. Big E was revealed as the mystery man. It was a trap. Perfect situation to have some other guy come in and stand by Kaitlyn? Cody Rhodes turning face? Whatever the case may be, Kaitlyn could easily have an angle after her reign ends. I don't feel bad for her. As I said before, she does not seem to be the one they want to be centerpiece. The only reason she has been given the big attention she has gotten over the last month is because she is feuding with the top periphery diva. Before that, she was lost in the shuffle around Wrestlemania. Before that, she had a filler title defense against Tamina, a credible jobber. And before that, she was being pushed against Eve, who was the centerpiece until her departure. Is Kaitlyn going to get released shortly after her loss? No. She may be getting treated as a credible jobber, but there is no centerpiece. She is not in anyone's way and the WWE can still use her for other things. It's a dark age. The WWE isn't in the same situation that they were in in 2010. They are still in the kind of situation they were in in 2000.

Bellas Or AJ Vs. Kaitlyn?

For a little while, it looked like the WWE would be developing The Bellas to feud with Kaitlyn. Now they seem to have moved back to AJ. Both have a reason to feud with Kaitlyn. Brie and Nikki returned and ended the brief romance between Kaitlyn and Cody Rhodes. AJ and Kaitlyn had been friends for a long time, which ended with AJ's heel turn. I don't feel either story had been developed as properly as it could have. In any case, the WWE will have to go in one of those two directions. Who should they develop a feud with against Kaitlyn and eventually give the title?

The Bellas aren't as high up the periphery ladder as AJ. If the WWE cares about developing more stars in the diva division, they have to spread the focus around. Reality shows cannot save the quality of the actual diva division. And since the twins are the kind of divas the WWE would like to develop to be the centerpiece, they might even eventually develop them to hold that position.

Why should they give AJ the push and the title? She is their top diva. It has been over a year since her big push started and they have not given her the Diva's Championship. Lita did not have to wait that long to win the Women's Championship after she debuted in the first dark age. Giving her the title might even bring more credibility to Dolph Ziggler. It would widen up some options for developing storylines. More divas might even get main-event rubs from associating from AJ while she is aligned with Ziggler.

If I had to pick, I would let The Bellas get the push. AJ does not really need the title. She already has a good position and is allowed to run with a gimmick. Putting everything on her would not be smart. And I don't think they will improve the diva feuds after giving her the title. Theoretically, they could. Realistically, I don't think they are willing. Pushing Brie and Nikki can at least provide something else to talk about in the diva division.

Rhodes Scholars And Bella Twins Return

A little bit of midcard inconsistency is showing. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow have reunited as a tag team again. Was it necessary? Both seemed like they had some kind of angle going for their singles career. They had something to get them utilized individually. And now, they are back as a team again. If nothing else, it isn't like the tag division had a lot of other teams the company seemed interested in pushing, especially in the title hunt. Rhodes Scholars might as well win the titles before breaking up again. Aside from The Shield, they are the top heel team right now.

The Bella Twins also made their return. Instead of debuting a female wrestler or bringing one back, the WWE chooses to bring back two eye-candy divas. Unless the WWE plans to push them as the centerpiece of the division, these two will not help get the diva division back on its feet. They will help with periphery matters. They returned in a segment involving Rhodes Scholars and Kaitlyn.

Combine it all together. What is the WWE likely to do with this situation? Title feud between one of the Bellas and Kaitlyn? They can also develop Cody's face turn by having him eventually side with Kaitlyn over the other heels. They could have done this without bringing the team back together, but it could make for a better storyline, if they follow through. It would be nice to follow through with something.

Keep The Diva Division As It Is?

Since it is likely the WWE will never be able to get the diva division back to where it was a decade ago, how about looking at some of the ways they can decide to run the division from now on. The old plan no longer seems to be successful. I'll start with talking about the most obvious option. How about trying to maintain the kind of diva division you have now?

First of all, exactly what kind of diva division do you have right now? You have no true centerpiece. The Diva's Championship is still around, but the WWE is not developing good title feuds and is not even featuring the woman holding the title too well. You do have some periphery angles going on. Both female wrestlers and eye-candy divas are getting featured there. Natalya had her angle with The Great Khali. Kaitlyn has an angle going with Cody Rhodes. AJ is aligned with Ziggler. You have various other women acting as valets. You still have things going on for the women.

The pros of this kind of division? I would say periphery angles are often more interesting than title feuds. The centerpiece is frequently getting hyped up to be the best and may seem over-pushed at times. But periphery divas do not need to be pushed that hard and sometimes get more interesting gimmicks or storylines. There is a lot more potential there for entertainment. With the quality of matches deteriorating from what it used to be, that might be even more reason to just go with periphery angles. But when title matters may help a storyline seem more important, the Diva's Championship is there.

The cons? Where do I start? I'll probably end up forgetting something wrong with this division. Let me just say the reason that pretty much kills all that I said was good about this kind of diva division. Yes, the women are getting periphery angles, but development is still poor. Natalya's angle with The Great Khali looks to be over. I don't have too much faith in Kaitlyn's romance angle with Cody Rhodes, since the midcard is such a mess. And even AJ Lee is stuck in mediocrity right now. Moreover, what is the point in having a title when the woman holding it will not even be featured properly? The guys holding the midcard titles may sometimes job for stretches, but they are still wrestling on the major shows. Can't say that for the women.

I don't think the WWE should be settling for just keeping the diva division like this. I don't think they will. You're not developing any women properly to be stars. Even if they can't recreate Trish Stratus, they should be trying to make new stars in the division. Once they are made, you have to feature them to deliver. That is not going on well enough. They will have to get it going soon.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: February 2013

The WWE managed to squeeze in a diva match into last night's PPV card. Kaitlyn retained against Tamina. Nothing shocking. This feud had not gotten proper development in a while. Online segments and this new App crap they have isn't anything major. Major developments in storylines and star development happen on the televised shows. If nothing else, they hype these online segments and news hard for those stars they want you to care about on the televised shows. This diva feud did not get that development. To put it simply, this was a filler feud.

I had a feeling that the WWE would be without anyone they would be willing to develop to replace Eve after she left. I don't see anyone being developed to be the new centerpiece. Some can argue that the WWE is busy with Wrestlemania matters right now. They can't fit in developing new diva stars. Problem is, going back to last year around this time of year, the WWE was developing both Eve and AJ Lee. AJ Lee is still a periphery diva and Eve went on to be pushed as a centerpiece. Eve left before she could do too much as centerpiece. Nevertheless, if the WWE did want to develop a new centerpiece, they could attempt something. It all comes down to the decisions they make. The first step is picking that woman they want to develop. After that, they start planning and executing that plan. I would say the hardest part for the WWE is actually picking the diva, not developing the plan. They don't pick just anybody.

I do notice that the WWE has been doing slightly more with the periphery divas and credible jobbers. You just saw Tamina get a title shot. Natalya is still teamed with Khali and Hornswoggle. They could do more with that group. Naomi and Cameron are getting featured more. Rosa is getting a little more relevance. AJ Lee is still with Dolph Ziggler. That's pretty much it, but it would be good if the WWE also at least tried to find real angles for divas like Layla and Aksana. Maybe not with all the Wrestlemania storylines being pushed, but after.

And through it all, you still have a very messy women's division. Right now, I just want them to find themselves an eye-candy diva to be centerpiece and start using female wrestlers like they did a decade ago. You may call me a hypocrite for that. I used to say that I wanted to see female wrestlers to get opportunities to become the centerpiece. This current diva division is such a mess, I think you first have to get it back to where it was when it was solid before you can worry about treating female wrestlers better. Trying to change everything from where they are now would probably require a huge overhaul. It would be easier to just go one problem at a time. What's the first problem the WWE should tackle with their diva division? To them, it's probably finding that next star to be the centerpiece. To me, it's getting more female wrestlers to help the division at least look respectable again and have that solid base. Until either of those two things happen, the WWE will just coast along.

Kaitlyn: The Hybrid Diva

Kaitlyn is the hybrid diva. What does that even mean? Given the current state of the diva division and Kaitlyn's likely role right now, does a nickname even mean anything? There's probably a few things I can talk about off this. I never really talked about "anti-diva" gimmicks. I'll save that for another day. Since this is a dark age and Kaitlyn does not look like the centerpiece, let me go back to the first dark age.

The woman on the left is Debra. The woman on the right is Ivory. Those were the first two divas to hold the Women's Championship after Sable left. Debra was an eye-candy periphery diva and Ivory was a credible jobber.

Why would I bring those two women up in a discussion about Kaitlyn? I would say she might be viewed as a hybrid of those two. No, I'm not simply talking about a mix of their hair colors. I'm talking about her wrestling ability. She is showing herself to be more of a wrestler than Debra, but she is not at the level of Ivory.

What does it say about this current dark age that they let Kaitlyn win the title off Eve when Eve, their centerpiece, was leaving? The first dark age featured some questionable choices holding the title, including a mix of eye-candy divas and credible jobbers, as well as other periphery divas and a guy. This current dark age, they aren't doing anything too crazy, yet. I wouldn't say Kaitlyn was the best choice to give it to, as far as wrestling ability goes. Storyline-wise, she made sense. She was feuding with Eve. But this is still a step back for the diva division. An eye-candy credible jobber without great wrestling ability is interim centerpiece.

It might still be too early to call it, but I don't see the WWE doing anything with Kaitlyn to make me believe they want her to be the true focal point of their women's division. Development isn't there. Tamina is getting a push, which should please some fans who still have hope. I don't see anyone fitting the profile of what the WWE likes to develop as centerpiece getting built for the position. That makes this dark age even more like the first. I don't think they will go more in the direction of Debra as far as who they give the title to. Giving the title to a female wrestler might help make things look more respectable. However, they should also try to do something to actually entertain. The general audience won't always force themselves to cheer for something that is more respectable than entertaining. You want a hybrid? That mix of respectable and entertaining is what you want to go for. Where does that leave Kaitlyn? I don't consider her the hybrid diva that will help this diva division.

Trish Stratus will be inducted in the Hall of Fame. Does she deserve it? Yes. But now? That's what I have an issue with. The diva division is the worst it has ever been. It is neither respectable nor entertaining. You have less effective divas now than you did in the first dark age. And this is what Trish paved the way for? Speaking for myself, if I was ever being honored for something I helped to pave the way for, create, or had some significant impact on, I would not feel right about being honored at a time when that something is a mess. What kind of message would that send? I'm not saying you have to blame Trish Stratus for the mess. This is the WWE's fault for making poor decisions. But this is essentially the same division you had with Trish. Eye-candy centerpiece, women with wrestling credibility used as credible jobbers, and the only female wrestlers getting successful careers getting it in the periphery. The problem has been the women the WWE trying to develop to be the next Trish not getting it done, or the WWE not getting it done with them. So are you honoring Trish for paving the way to this current diva division or for the career she had? You can honor Trish for her career at any time. I just think it would mean more if you honored her at a time when you can legitimately say Trish paved the way for a great women's division. That's not now.

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.

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.

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.