I know this has become an annoying topic for us over the months but the WWE continues to fuel the fire and slap the face of intelligent wrestling fans (like us) and this time I can't help but chime in.
First was RAW. Did you guys see the Divas Battle Royal for the #1 contendership for Trish's title? Absolutely brutal. I will say that I feel so bad for Victoria. She embodies what a professional women's wrestling should be (physique and ability yet good looking) but she's been jobbed down to the point where she's putting Ashley over. Then Candice ends up ****ing winning? Oh, that's right. She just happens to be going to be on the cover of Playboy. Since that gives Vinny Mac his jollies, it is no coincidence that Candice is suddenly the #1 contender. What a f***ing joke! I don't give a damn about Divas posing in Playboy. I'm so glad Trish and Stacy kept their self respect and said no.
This leads to my next point. Speaking of Stacy. She's now going to be a mainstream star thanks to that Dancing With The Stars show. You'de think Vinny Mac would do everything in his power to treat her like a queen to give the WWE an injection of some much needed positive mainstream publicity. But he's more concerned with Candice taking off her clothes for Playboy, a concept that is no longer a novelty in WWF/E circles (Sable twice, Chyna, am I missing any others?). In a way, I guess us loyal fans should not be surprised by the juxtaposition. If that's the case then, Stacy, the WWE needs you far more than you need it. Good riddance WWE. Stacy, good for you. I hope you become an even bigger star than Dancing With The Stars is making you.
Second is SmackDown. "Backstage Interviewer," Krystal is out to hype the Divas Lingerie Magazine, or whatever. Wasn't she ELIMINATED from the Diva (Bimbo) Search Contest? Doesn't that mean that we're never supposed to see you again? Anyway, out comes Gillian Hall. You know, accomplished independent circuit WRESTLER (so I hear), Gillian Hall? (I won't even get into that Star Trek-like growth she had on her face until recently or that'll add another 10 paragraphs.) We get a pseudo-catfight where Krystal slaps Gillian and takes her top off and Gillian runs off like a little bitch all embarrassed to show her beautiful body (gimme a break!) and Krystal strips down to her lingerie, much to the adorning and, generally, idiotic male audience.
Before I go any farther, yes, these girls are hot. That is not my issue. My issue is that they had a good women's division, fired practically all of it and has set it back to the point where it will be past my (our) lifetime(s) before it fully recovers, if at all. If I (we) want to see that stuff then we can access soft porn, hardcore porn buy Playboy, buy Stuff Magazine or do any other number of things. This crap does not belong on MY WWE TV screen. Vinny Mac preys like a lion whose jaws are clamped to the throat of a gazelle to those majority of males in the 18-35 demographic who, basically, don't understand wrestling and, frankly, think with their penis rather than their brain.
Yes, this is an annoying subject. But it is like a scab that as a kid, you couldn't stop picking at until it came thus making the healing time longer (O.K., maybe that was a bad example, but you get the idea!)
Once upon a time, the WWE provided me with countless hours of entertainment and even before that, some very old school classic encounters (I'm talking pre-Samoans....i.e.; Bruno Sammartino, Victor Rivera, Fabulous Moolah, Vicki Williams and the legendary George 'The Animal' Steele). I used to look forward to the Saturday evening weekly show in hopes that I could catch a glimpse of twinkle toed Vicki, Wenona Little Heart or Daisy Mae getting pounded by Moolah, Leilani Kai or one of her co-horts.
Then, the PPV-era erupted and things got......even better (well, maybe not the workrate, but the characters were outrageous). Who could forget Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, Demolition, Wendi Richter, Sherry Martel and the Honky Tonk Man? While Wendi botched a number of her moves, she executed some that until then, were reserved for men (i.e.; powerbombs, powerslams, etc.) Then psychotic Sherry came along we saw a woman who would not back down from any man, let alone any woman.
As cyclic as wrestling is though, it took a downturn and then the 'Attitude' era swept in. This really started the wave of great women's wrestling in the federation as Alundra Blayze (why oh why Vince?) aka Madusa appeared and took the womens division to new heights as they brought in some imports like Bull Nakano and Monster Ripper (aka Bertha Faye....uggh!) Even Aja Kong was on her way until (depending on who you believe) either Madusa wanted no part of her or Vince did his usual idiotic move and pulled the rug out from under the women.
Slowly but surely, the division recovered (in spite of Sable and that whole mess) and it led to a period where we had Lisa Moretti (Ivory), Teri Poch (Tori), Trish, Jacqueline, Lisa Marie Varon (Victoria), Chyna, Nora Greenwald (Molly Holly) as well as valets like Terri Runnels, Stacy Keibler and Dawn Marie. Soon thereafter we got Jazz, Nidia and Gail Kim (yes, we all can forget Shaniqua if we try really, really hard). By this time, we fans of womens wrestling were pinching ourselves that so much talent could actually be seen every week. Sure, the matches were short and they weren't given too much in the way of angles but the talent was there.
Alas, the death knell (at least in the WWE) sounded and along came.....the DIVA SEARCH CONTEST! This numbskull of an idea should have died a very quick death and subjected the originator to forty lashes but instead we have been treated to it week after week and then year after year. And what did we get for this lovely idea? First, the release of nearly all the capable female talent on the roster. Secondly, fodder for Vince's gutter perversion in the form of Playboy caliber women (and that's not a compliment bunny readers!) Worse yet, they force them into the ring in what are the lamest attempts at wrestling. Granted, I cannot blame some of these women as they either try to do something they are not yet capable of or get fired. All of it is for that fleeting but money burning demographic 18-35 whose attention span is as fleeting as their stamina in other areas. But we loyal viewers suffer nonetheless.
As Daigz said (albeit in shorter fashion), thank god for the FWF! Here we get a glimpse of what women's wrestling could be in somebody else not named McMahon were running the show. Great storylines, great wrestling and (are you listening Vince?) outstandingly beautiful, athletic women.
A little news blurb I read today on wrestling-edge.com:
The word backstage is that this set of WWE Diva Search Contestants are more clueless as to "wrestling" than any other group of contestants in the past.
Ugh. Between Jennifer Walcott dropping out and that, I have officially lost any interest I might have had in that dog and pony show.
The word backstage is that this set of WWE Diva Search Contestants are more clueless as to "wrestling" than any other group of contestants in the past.
I actually watched the part when the divas came outand introduced themselves. All they did was made some sexual reference about themselves. No hint that they are planning to learn to wrestle or develop some sort of talent besides being a wet dream for some pubescent teen male.
So, yes, the Bimbo Search, oops, I mean Diva Search is back. Thanks for reminding us, guys. I guess the amount of TV time it'll take away from Shelton, Ric Flair, Mickie James, Victoria (who's she, again?), the Tag-Team division (oh wait. There can't be a tag-team division if there aren't any tag teams. Stupid me.), and Carlito/Trish + Nitro/Melina wouldn't have been GLARINGLY obvious.
Now that you've got the Insider going, did you notice who's hosting the entire thing? The Miz. A SMACKDOWN talent. That wasn't too blantantly obvious on Monday when he forgot his lines on RAW because, golly gee, not only RAW is WAR but it is also LIVE, unlike Smackdown, which is taped and those mistakes can be edited. So let's take a SMACKDOWN guy (HOO-Rah!) to host the RAW Diva Search and throw him in front of a LIVE audience, which he hasn't done yet. Brilliant.
Also, not too obvious that the first event, the stupid-ass Sgt. Slaughter Boot Camp will be on SMACKDOWN this week. Even though it's the RAW DIVA SEARCH. The brand extension RULES!!! HOO-Rah!...
I think Vince McMahon needs to bend over and kiss OUR ass.
THIS is where the entertainment lies.
WOMEN in tights, and, in practically nothing, is the future of sports entertainment when properly written.
Watching that freak Viscera and the ra-ra-swish-swish new version of "3 count" getting tons of time (Spirit Squad) makes me want to flip to ballet or the home shopping network.
EL "e" stupid is back again I see on Smackdown. Athletic as ever......
Maybe Sandman will cane an old lady next week. Or perhaps Alf.
Vince has lost it.
And not even ECW is going to revive his sorry ass.
"EL "e" stupid is back again I see on Smackdown. Athletic as ever....."
Who's that? I haven't been watching Smackdown lately.
I keep wrestling websites that McMahon is taking more direct control of ECW (contrary to what the original plans supposedly were) and wants to make it more like his other brands--which is why "extreme rules" is now only in effect for certain matches instead of being the default condition. My question is, why bother reviving ECW if you're just going to turn it into a raw clone?
If only someone with access to the hundreds of millions needed (or me if I could get hold of Warren Buffet and a mind control device) would buy out the McMahons and give the WWE the revamp it needs: let ECW be ECW, make Smackdown the venue for more technical wrestling (having the luchadors and cruiserweights there already makes it better suited), have RAW for the bruisers, and in all three venues have women be at least 30-40% of the storylines and matches.
