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?

Kharma Released

Kharma has confirmed that she is no longer going to be with the WWE. What could you possibly say about it? She definitely had potential. She had hype to her even before the WWE debuted her last year. They debuted her with a storyline that connected her with the fans in a huge way, having her demolish almost every eye-candy diva in her path like a one-woman Nexus. And then she had to take her hiatus due to her pregnancy. After the misfortunes, she seemed ready to work her way back to the WWE. And nothing.

This should not be shocking, of course. Given that the WWE wants to maintain their diva division, the only hope I saw for Kharma would be if they had transitioned her to some angle in the periphery after her debut storyline, which had seemed to be developing in a way to put over Kelly Kelly, who was being built to be the new centerpiece back then, in some way. It would seem that they just could not come up with anything that they would be willing to do. Had they not gone with the periphery treatment, like having her wrestle the men regularly, the only option was phasing her out. She would not be developed as the top diva or centerpiece. Using a woman like her as just a regular credible jobber would be stupid. It is a shame they did this, but not a shock.

You have talk about TNA getting Kharma back. I don't think I need to say much there. Go back to what I said about Angelina Love leaving. You have too many women to push well and they are not doing it. If Kharma did return, she would be on the same show as Gail Kim, Mickie James, Brooke Tessmacher, Velvet Sky, and other women who deserve to be featured prominently. Just tossing all these women into multi-woman matches is not featuring them right. This is not how you develop stars. A lot of potential will be wasted. A lot of potential is already wasted.

The last thing I want to say is on Sara Del Ray. She is coming to the WWE. I am going to be honest. What I am about to say may sound offensive, and I apologize, but this is what I honestly think. Whenever I would read something saying that this woman wants to come to the WWE, I would think that this woman is an idiot. Can she not see what has been going on in that diva division in the last few years? The division has collapsed. This is not a good women's wrestling division. She might think that she will be going there to make it better, or maybe her fans believe that more, but she will be there to be used as the WWE sees fit. Of course, she will benefit from the fact that the division has fallen apart. Had she been signed at a time when there was a centerpiece in place and solid, she would most likely be used as a credible jobber. With the current state of affairs, she stands a chance of being used properly. Not properly in terms of good wrestling on a regular basis, but properly in not being completely wasted in terms of use. Since I usually like holding out that small benefit of the doubt, it could be that the WWE will start rebuilding a good wrestling division for their women with Sara Del Ray, but I am not counting on it. If they were going to, they would do more to keep Kharma.