Current Divas Champ AJ Lee, one of the
few true performers on TV currently. Courtesy:wwe.com
They’re
strong and they’re sexy, but their wrestling skills are about as flawless as
Tim Tebow’s passing game. Today’s Divas division in the WWE is easily the most
lackluster the company has ever seen. Long gone are the days of having 100%
Stratus-faction in each Diva’s match or the jaw-dropping ring entrance by
Melina. Sex may sell, but real fans want more.
Since
the inception of the “Divas Championship” in 2008, the WWE had already begun
phasing out former Divas in an effort to shake things up. Some of the pushed
talent came from some unexpected faces, like Michelle McCool and Kelly Kelly.
The new wave sparked more competition, with the now-defunct Women’s
Championship still making its rounds. The problem is, you can’t have TWO
singles titles for a division that has maybe six actual wrestlers, and 15
bottom-feeders.
The
Women’s Championship prestige was being compromised by a marketing ploy to
exploit the new and improved “Divas” brand. For die-hard fans, the integrity
for the championship remained, with the Mickie James’, Melina’s and Beth
Phoenix’s duking it out for the gold, while the Layla’s, Kelly Kelly’s and
Bella’s were fighting for a purple butterfly they had the audacity to call a
championship.
Don’t
get me wrong, there are true performers in the division today. AJ Lee is a
great champion and her personality through vignettes is something to be encouraged.
Kaitlyn, Alicia Fox and Natalya are all phenomenal wrestlers, and I think these
four women are all championship material. This is what drives me nuts: when you
have a log-jam at the top, and everything after that is a significant drop. The
Bella Twins have looks that would give any guy whiplash if they walked by.
Their 8-move arsenal however is almost laughable. A bulldog, a face buster, a
drop-kick. Lather, rinse, repeat. The same can be said for 80% of the Divas
that walk through that locker room. We can’t keep accepting mediocrity so long
as there are a few good wrestlers in the bunch. A division should not be
carried by a handful wrestlers, men or female. The Cruiserweight Division was
on life-support before WWE finally realized they couldn’t deliver anymore.
I
think anyone who watched WWE from 1999-2009 would say the Divas division has
been in good hands. In fact, I would say almost an embarrassment of riches stepped
through that curtain in that 10-year span. Isn’t that what a business wants,
promotion from within? More incentives for the wrestler, save money, and you
know what you’re getting. I think Triple H would agree that is good for
business.
My
best suggestion would be quality not quantity. Take Alicia Fox, for example.
She has the look, the skill and the tenacity to be a consistent champion.
This
match is from September, 2012. The overall fight was not bad, but both Natalya
and Alicia Fox showed off their athleticism and actually were able to have a
match longer than 90 seconds.
The
key to being a good wrestler is not being good yourself, but making your
opponent look better than you. I think Alicia made Natalya look superb by
selling her flips and not being choppy in the ring. Of course, Natalya is
already a great performer, but Alicia was able to make herself look a little
less dominant than she is. Her legs are her strength, and Natalya was able to
return the favour by allowing Alicia to take control. If they put a match half
as good as this every week, then they’re on their way. The whole 6-person tag
just to have face time is a real snore-fest when the pin fall happens within
the opening minute. If they need more work, save it for Smackdown before coming
over to Raw.
The
talent is there, but the supporting cast remains in the water without a paddle.
Sex will always be the selling point in women’s wrestling, just remember the
wresting part.
**This article is also featured on That's my Quarterback.com**
