Diva Search

You may have noticed Brie and Nikki Bella are back in WWE. They've returned to the company that made them famous for two reasons. The first is that established female performers are needed to save its flimsy Divas league. The second is that whatever projects they were banking on for their post-WWE life didn't work out as planned.

If rumours are to be believed the Bellas aren't the only women WWE have contacted for a return. They are the first to agree to terms on new contracts. Other women who have apparently been contacted are Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix and Kharma. That Brie and Nikki are back shows that WWE are aware of the problem they have and indicates that they want to do something about it.

The thing is that the company should have tried harder to re-sign them in the first place. The company books the Divas as an afterthought but it clearly cares enough about them to want to have something resembling a worthwhile division around. If they felt otherwise they'd simply retire the concept of female wrestlers and have all the women under contract work as valets or in other on-air roles.

Don't let Cena and Bryan see this, guys

Kharma left the company under difficult circumstances without ever wrestling a televised match. Beth Phoenix decided to retire. Maryse and Kelly Kelly both wanted to pursue careers outside of wrestling. I'm unsure how K2's getting on with that but I know Maryse has launched her own jewellery line.

With a bit of leniency when it came to negotiating WWE probably could have retained the services of Maryse and Kelly. Both women wanted to able to do non-WWE stuff in their spare time without getting authorisation from management. WWE dislike this because they feel they should profit from anything contracted talent do. Seems unfair to me, considering WWE is a multi-million dollar company.

A more reasonable second reason for making talent get authorisation is to ensure they're not doing anything to wreck the WWE brand name. That I can understand. It doesn't mean the company's entitled to a share of the profits though.

The cases of Phoenix and Kharma are different. I think both needed to be away from wrestling for a bit. 'The Glamazon' has been wrestling for a long time and says she wants to do other things with her life. I believe she means that but I think if WWE had offered her substantially more money they could have convinced her to stay for a year or two more.

The only lady I don't think WWE could have kept around (nor do I think they should have tried) is the former Awesome Kong. She needed to go away for a bit.

It's still unknown whether any other ladies will follow the Bellas back to WWE. As Phoenix has had a taste of being off the road I think she'll be a difficult acquisition. Kharma may be easier. She's had some time away and is still capable of leaving her mark on the WWE Divas scene. I'm sure that's something she'd like to do. It's why she signed in the first place.

Kelly Kelly and Maryse returns are entirely dependent on WWE's negotiating skills. As I mentioned above I think the promotion would be well advised to be a little flexible with regards to outside projects and name ownership. They'll still be making money from the merch sales the ladies attract.

The situation WWE currently find themselves in is entirely of their own making. They should either be more willing to grant a little freedom to employees or they should have called up some new Divas a year ago while they still had the established names available.

The promotion is doing the smartest thing it can in these circumstances. Trying to bring back former stars is a good move. It could give the division a boost and give champion Kaitlyn some credible challengers. It will only be deemed a success if the returning starlets help to establish a new batch of women. The likes of Paige, Sunmer Rae and Sasha Banks should all be called up to share screen time with the more famous women. Scripting meaningful feuds and giving the newcomers wins is the best way to ensure this situation doesn't arise again.

SmackTalk 28.09.12

When I said Sheamus needs a fresh opponent I didn’t really mean the Big Show. Sure it makes a change from ‘The Celtic Warrior’s’ endless bouts with Alberto Del Rio but I can’t see them producing anything that could be described as a classic. Wade Barrett would have been a far better choice to oppose Sheamus for the World Heavyweight championship.

This week’s SmackDown felt like a chore to watch, partly because of the Big Show’s ascension to the lofty status of number one contender. His boring, plodding victory over Randy Orton didn’t make either man look good and did nothing to excite me for the WHC match that will take place at Hell in a Cell.

At this point the only interesting thing I think WWE could do with the situation they’ve placed themselves in is to have ‘The World Largest Athlete’ defeat Sheamus and then lose the title to a cashing-in Dolph Ziggler. That would get the title onto a wrestler who would inject something new into the stagnant headline scene and would tie in nicely to Show losing the title to Daniel Bryan moments after winning it at last year’s TLC.

There were only two good things on this week’s show. The first was the news of a tag team tournament to crown number on contenders to the WWE tag team championship, currently held by Team Hell No. WWE’s tag team division has been crying out for attention for years and it’s nice to see it finally get some. True the bout pitting Jimmy and Jey Uso against the Rhodes Scholars wasn’t a great example of tag wrestling but there’s still plenty of time for the tourney to improve.

 

Future WWE tag team champions?

 

The other good thing about the show was the Divas battle between Beth Phoenix and Natalya. ‘The Glamazon’ did everything she could to fire up her hometown crowd and they reacted to her like a genuine star. That had to be nice for Phoenix. The match was the best Divas match of 2012 and shows that if WWE gave the women lengthier matches and some basic plots fans would view them as a relevant part of the show.

The way WWE treats its female grapplers is unlikely to change anytime soon, and that’s part of the reason Beth Phoenix is leaving. Assuming she’s not convinced to stay Phoenix’s departure will be another blow to a division that is thinner than it’s been in years. On the plus side WWE seems to be going somewhere with Eve Torres as the league’s figurehead. We can only hope that the ladies get the same treatment as the tag teams have.

In conclusion I’d say that if you missed this week’s episode of SmackDown then there’s no real point catching up with it. You can find out what happened below and save an hour and a half of your life being lost.

Opening moments

Tweet 1: SmackDown. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Tweet 2: Recap of the shenanigans between Bryan and Kane, including Bryan hiding in a bin.
Tweet 3: As good as that show-long story was does it really warrant a three minute recap?
Tweet 4: Ah, wait, they finished on that shot where Kane looks like Al Bundy. It all came good in the end.
Tweet 5: "It's one of the biggest main events in SmackDown history" - Michael Cole on Randy Orton v Big Show

Big Show promo, featuring Randy Orton

Tweet 6: For the last year Big Show has been continually involved in title feuds. #worryingWWEstatistics

Tweet 7: Looks like Orton's teasing some sideburns.
Tweet 8: On Show's WMD punch: aren't closed fists illegal?
Tweet 9: Oh good, Alberto Del Rio's still in the title picture.

Santino v Antonio Cesaro for the United States championship

Tweet 10: The United States championship is every WWE fans favourite championship.

Tweet 11: Is Aksana going to be paired with Santino next? Might as well. She's got nothing else to do.
Tweet 12: Santino's singlet is a bit loose. I don't like it. I'm worried it's going to slip off. Nobody wants to see that.
Tweet 13: Maybe Jack Swagger will return as a babyface and beat Cesaro for the US title on RAW. I'm going to make that an Official Prediction.
Tweet 14: I now want Cesaro to say "winner" in five different languages.
Tweet 15: Has anybody made a Swiss gold joke yet? Probs.

Beth Phoenix v Natalya

Tweet 16: I've heard Phoenix v Natalya is a great match. I'm looking forward to it. Looking forward to Eve's Tout less.

Tweet 17: Beth and Natty adhere to the Code of Honor.
Tweet 18: This match should be for the Divas championship. Best WWE women's match of the year.
Tweet 19: Eve promo. This one's live. No Tout involved.
Tweet 20: So they know that a blonde attacked Kaitlyn. Assuming that's true why does nobody suspect Kelly Kelly.
Tweet 21: Oh yeah… She left.

Booker T, Teddy Long and Eve have a natter backstage

Tweet 22: Is Booker going to reform Harlem Heat to compete in the tag team tournament? Hope so.

Tweet 23: More trouble brewing between Teddy and Booker. GM storylines are the bestest!

Wade Barrett v Zack Ryder

Tweet 24: Want to see Barrett's ring coat? Too bad. He's retired it.

Tweet 25: Barrett is doing a bare knuckle boxing gimmick and starts the match by kneeing Ryder multiple times. Also, Kassius does it better.
Tweet 26: "Wade whadda you doin', uh?" - The referee that looks like Benedict Cumberbatch
Tweet 27: Barrett should be feuding with Sheamus. His weekly battering of jobbers is wasteful.

Miz TV, with Sheamus as guest

Tweet 28: I like Miz but I couldn't care less about Miz TV. WWE's cycle of chat segments needs to come to an end. #datedconcept

Tweet 29: What's this segment meant to achieve?
Tweet 30: A radio show, a book, and a film. Miz is actually doing a lot better than Sheamus overall. Gutted, fella.
Tweet 31: #Zigglerpop #heel #heelsdoitbetter
Tweet 32: Ziggler has just announced he'll cash-in at Hell in a Cell. I'm not convinced.

Sheamus prepares to take flight

The Usos v The Rhodes Scholars

Tweet 33: Reason for the lack of shouty entrance for the Usos? They have sore throats.

Tweet 34: The Rhodes Scholars seem like a safe pick here. I can't see the Usos getting close to the belts anytime soon.
Tweet 35: Not much of a match but the right team won.

Ryback v Tensai

Tweet 36: Ryback being on Twitter feels wrong.

Tweet 37: "Smash! Smash! Smash!" - Tensai as he threw punches at Ryback
Tweet 38: What is Ryback's finisher called? Ryback Buster?

Randy Orton v Big Show

Tweet 39: I assume Orton has been written out of the match and Del Rio will replace him. I'm tired of ADR. He should be given a month or two off.

Tweet 40: Bring him back and give him a fresh feud.
Tweet 41: Being a super-babyface Orton is going to wrestle despite the handful of punches he received backstage.
Tweet 42: It's also interesting to note that ADR smashed a box into 'The Viper's' leg but Orton's holding his ribs.
Tweet 43: It's almost like wrestling isn't real...
Tweet 44: "Big Show's hands are as wide as a football" - Michael Cole
Tweet 45: Christ, this match is dull.
Tweet 46: An RKO isn't enough to keep mega-heel Big Show down. He shrugs off finishers like a machine.
Tweet 47: Not to be outdone Orton kicks out of a choke slam. Show hits another and gets a (sort of) clean victory over 'The Apex Predator'.
Tweet 48: Sheamus versus Big Show. That will be utterly diabolical. Jim Ross on commentary could make it tolerable but that won't happen.

Woman's Hour

WWE’s obsession with hiring models for its Divas division, as opposed to women with a passion for wrestling, is finally beginning to prove ill-considered. By loading up on women who were persuaded to join the group because it could offer them fame and fortune WWE gleefully failed to think about what would happen when that fame and fortune was achieved. The likes of Kelly Kelly and the Bellas have done their best to make it as wrestlers and are now “taking time away from WWE” to pursue other ventures.

“Taking time away” can be taken as a euphemism for “leaving until they’ve exhausted all other options.”  At that point the girls will put a call in to WWE safe in the knowledge that they can get their old jobs back.

This wouldn’t have been the case years ago. WWE has always had a spot on its roster for attractive women. It’s part of the nature of the modern wrestling business. But a decade ago these women would have been limited to roles at ringside. Only women who could actually wrestle would have been booked in proper matches.

Things have changed. During John Laurinaitis’s time as Head of Talent the company hired more and more models and less and less women with actual wrestling experience. Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria (now Tara in TNA), and Mickie James all left the group for various reasons. It’s unfair to blame that solely on Johnny Ace. However, it was his job was to either entice these performers to stay or find replacements for them. He did neither and so must be considered at least partially to blame for the current state of WWE’s female league.

There’s still hope for the Divas yet. The recent rumours of WWE signing Sara Del Ray are promising, and will be a step in the right direction if it turns out to be true. ‘Death Ray’ is one of the most accomplished grapplers in the world with years of experience and solid matches on her resume.

That Kharma has been released may be disheartening for both her fans and people hopeful of a Divas resurgence but it’s important to remember that while she may be gone there is still every chance she will return to the company at some point. I’m of the opinion that this could be a similar situation to the one Daniel Bryan went through after the Nexus formation angle and that she will be rehired by the company whenever she is ready to return to the ring full time.

Kharma would be ideal for a WWE Divas show

The forthcoming WWE Network will provide an excellent opportunity to rebuild a worthwhile women’s division. A one hour weekly show is exactly what the Divas need. Create some interesting characters, put them into logical storylines that fans want to follow, book matches that last longer than two minutes and you’d have a Divas show with every chance of success.

I’m not condoning shuffling the Divas off into a corner to be forgotten about. The top names in the division could and should still appear routinely on RAW and SmackDown. Think of the Divas show as a chance to give some of the younger names a chance to get noticed (both by fans and officials), with the women appearing on the bigger shows helping to draw in an audience.

Sort of like NXT, but for female performers only.

Character-wise WWE is already in a deceptively strong position. It may have lost the Bellas and Kelly Kelly (for now) but they still have some well-rounded female roles on our screens. Eve Torres is a shining example. She may not make an ideal regular wrestler for a Divas show but she would be perfect as a heel authority figure. Her work earlier in the year as John Laurinaitis’s Executive Assistant proves that.

AJ would be a perfect candidate to construct the show around, at least during its early stages (read more on this here). She has been involved in a top programme that has seen her rub shoulders with the WWE champion (CM Punk), an accomplished, well-respected veteran (Kane), and arguably the most over man in the company (Daniel Bryan) over the last few months.

She is a star. On top of that she is passionate about being a wrestler. Her first show as RAW GM left me feeling that the WWE writing team are unsure how to best use her in the role. Maybe it could be made a short term arrangement with her resuming active competition in a few months.

AJ is currently the RAW GM but she'd be better used as a babyface wrestler

They may have had their pushes decreased lately but both Beth Phoenix and Natalya have had solid character work done in the past. Natalya could be pushed as a babyface looking to proudly continue the Hart legacy while ‘The Glamazon’ can simply be pushed as a strong, dominant ass-kicker. While I think the focus of the show should be restoring some honour to the Divas title after six months or so a tag team championship could be introduced. The Divas of Destruction would be an excellent choice for inaugural champs.

As mentioned above Kharma has finished with WWE for now. Assuming she does return it would take very little effort to establish her as an unstoppable monster. She could be fed (not literally) a jobber each week for a few months before gradually being pitted against bigger names, gradually moving her towards a proper programme for the Divas championship. Think Ryback with ovaries.

The development system is currently home to women who would benefit greatly from a programme such as this. Raquel Diaz (daughter of Eddie Guerrero) springs immediately to mind. Her Exfoliating Ugliness Tour is an interesting gimmick that warrants more screen-time. She is unlikely to get that on NXT but she would get it on a Divas-only show.

Meanwhile the likes of Tamina, Kaitlyn, Alicia Fox and Layla would all benefit from not playing second fiddle to their male counterparts. All have had rough personas sketched out for them, a new show could help flesh them out a bit. Perhaps if this show had been around a few months ago Layla wouldn’t have flopped as Divas champion.

To create a worthwhile show WWE would need to bring in some more talent. Del Ray would be a good start. She could have excellent outings against the Phoenixes, Natalyas and Kharmas of the roster. Both Angelina Love and Velvet Sky have just finished up with TNA and Sarita is rumoured to want to leave too. They would all fit in nicely on a WWE Divas broadcast. The Beautiful People could have an excellent tag team feud with Phoenix and Natalya.

The Beautiful People could help to establish a Divas tag division by feuding with the Divas of Destruction

WWE also has the option of asking Trish Stratus and Lita to be involved. Lita has commentary experience working alongside Jonathan Coachman on Sunday Night Heat. She wasn’t the best in the role but she would be an interesting choice for a female-only in-ring product. Trish could be tried in the role too. Both women are busy but a show such as this would likely follow the NXT format of being taped at a regular venue once a month. I’m sure they could fit that in.

I’m sure both women could be persuaded to make occasional appearances in matches. A bout involving either of them (Trish in particular) could attract a ratings spike if promoted in the right way.

There are plenty of women plying their trade on the independent scene. WWE could easily afford to bring in three or four of the best to flesh out the lower portions of the roster, with an eye to rewarding those who do well with a push once the show is firmly established. The promotion could even hold some women-only try-outs to scout for new talent. Their bank account affords them plenty of options.

A Divas show could create programming with a different sort of appeal for the WWE Network and help WWE create some new, bankable female stars for the future. It wouldn’t be quick or cheap, but it would be worth it. The company can afford it and will soon have an entire channel’s worth of time to dedicate to the venture.

Girl Next Door

Last summer AJ was just another face in the flock of WWE Divas. Her lack of a certain form of enhancement and her down-to-earth, girl-next-door persona helped separate her from her peers a little but, for the most part, she was treated like every other female on the roster by the writing team. The lack of a proper Divas division didn’t help much either.

In short, AJ didn’t stand out and her opportunities for advancement looked extremely limited.

How times have changed.

Since being paired up with Daniel Bryan at the end of last year AJ has developed into WWE’s most interesting and unpredictable character. During the initial stages of the pairing it seemed as though WWE was going to present us with an abusive side of the then-World Heavyweight champion. Instead they had Bryan blame AJ for his infamous eighteen second loss to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII and then kick her to the curb. That was refreshingly novel.

‘The Geek Goddess’ didn’t take her dumping well. She made advances towards CM Punk and Kane (who were involved in a feud with Bryan, natch) in the weeks following her dumping, and revealed that she likes it when men look at her. She flitted from one of the men to another, keeping fans and the men themselves guessing as to who she was most interested in.

Since Kane has been dropped from the storyline AJ has become even more of a focus in the Punk v Bryan rivalry. She will act as the guest referee during their WWE championship bout at Money in the Bank and has received far more screen time than any other female performer this year. That includes Eve, who was the recipient of a pretty impressive push in the first few months of 2012, current Divas champion Layla, and Beth Phoenix, who started the year with the butterfly belt and is arguably the fed’s most accomplished female grappler.

AJ is easily WWE's most successful female performer since Trish Stratus

It has been years since WWE invested this much time and care into a female performer. Not since the days of Trish Stratus and Lita has there been a woman on the WWE roster who is over as an act in her own right. It’s a state of affairs that has come about because AJ seized the chance she was given when originally paired with Bryan, entered compelling, memorable performances and made every moment of screen time she receives count.

If only more WWE contracted performers were afforded such a chance to shine and were rewarded when they took the intiative.

That she’s still tied to the WWE title scene makes sense for now. The storyline still has steam left and has yet to reach its natural conclusion. With SummerSlam a month away I think WWE should be planning to have this programme culminate there, or perhaps at Night of Champions a month later.

But what after that? Whether she screws one or both men (not like that, that’s a whole different kind of pay-per-view) there’s only so long that WWE can string out a title feud with AJ’s involvement, no matter how good it may be. There’s obviously no chance of AJ winning the title herself and so sooner or later WWE are going to have to find some other way to capitalise on her popularity.

The obvious answer is to move AJ over into the Divas division. As the WWE’s most over female performer in years she is a natural choice to headline a revived women’s league. By the time the company’s ready to make the move RAW will be a three hour show. That’s plenty of time to get the women’s scene back on track.

A brief feud between AJ and Layla could be booked to culminate at either Night of Champions in September or Hell in a Cell in October. From there Layla could have her role scaled back and Beth Phoenix and Kharma could be brought in to help construct a worthwhile women’s division in a three-way feud with AJ.

While we’re on the subject of making use of AJ why does she not yet have a T-shirt available? She has gotten into the habit of wearing either a Punk or Bryan shirt (or dressing as Kane). That’s fine to an extent as it makes sense for her character, but some merch of her own would help WWE (and the lady herself) make some extra cash. How about a T-shirt that reads “I dig crazy chicks” for guys and one that says “Do YOU like crazy chicks?” for female fans?

Just a thought.

GlamaKong

Nikki Bella is the WWE Divas champion.

That’s not a sentence likely to fill any wrestling fan with joy. Nikki and her sister Brie are good looking young ladies and have improved greatly in the ring over the last several years but they’re nowhere near as good as TNA’s Knockouts or the women that comprise the SHIMMER roster (generally considered to be the best female only promotion outside of Japan). WWE simply isn’t seen as company that takes women’s wrestling seriously and Nikki’s victory is a perfect example of why.

But it should be pointed out that there’s a plan in place.   

Beth Phoenix, the woman Nikki toppled for the gold, is said to be injured. This isn’t true. Phoenix is as healthy as any active wrestler can hope to be. The reason that WWE are claiming she’s injured, with ‘The Glamazon’ helping the story along on Twitter, is that they wanted to take the title off of her because they are about to embark on their highest profile women’s feud in years.

Kia Stevens, formerly known as Amazing Kong and now billed as Kharma, is about to make her full time return to WWE. She is regarded as one of the best female wrestlers in the world and was considered a big signing for WWE back at the start of 2011. The most notable work in her career so far came during her stint in TNA, where she worked incredibly enjoyable matches with many of that company’s top names, including a stellar series with Gail Kim. She has wrestled extensively in Japan and across the US indies too, including the aforementioned SHIMMER.

WWE quite rightly believes that a programme between Kharma and Phoenix could be their hottest Divas feud in years. The decision to relieve ‘The Glamazon’ of the belt was made so that the company can bring Kharma back to television and immediately start building her up as the most dominant woman in the division without rushing into her clash with ‘The Glamazon’.

Presumably this will start with her crushing Nikki Bella and then ploughing through every other female performer on the roster. Once she’s established as a powerful force in WWE (and replays of her hitting the move formally known as the Implant Buster on Dolph Ziggler during this year’s Royal Rumble should help there) expect Phoenix to be brought back to begin chasing her for the title.

Can Kharma help revive the WWE Divas division?

I think if the two women are given substantial time and leeway to put on the best matches possible on pay-per-view and their feud is booked logically on RAW and SmackDown they could help to reinvigorate WWE’s knackered Divas scene and make the butterfly belt mean something. Phoenix has been WWE’s best female worker over the last year and a rivalry with Kharma should finally give her something to do beyond beat up expendable models each week.

If WWE handle this correctly they could set themselves on the path to having a competitive and enjoyable women’s division again. Natalya could be brought in after a couple of months to add a fresh dynamic to matches and perhaps enjoy a surprise title reign. Tamina Snuka keeps getting better and would be an interesting opponent for Kharma, Phoenix or Natalya. Meanwhile Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox can keep improving and work as outmatched babyfaces against the division’s top string of stars.

It will all start with Kharma obliterating Nikki Bella, and possibly Brie too. Rumours have been going around that the Bellas are leaving WWE very soon so I’d expect that to happen sooner rather than later, possibly as early as this evening’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. It will likely be WWE’s way of writing the twins off of TV. I will take an admittedly sadistic pleasure in watching them get squashed and I imagine others will too. I hope in six months’ time we can look back on Kharma’s return and see it as a turning point for WWE’s female performers and the starting point of a resurgence of their division.

Girl Power

I’ll usually be among the first to criticise WWE’s approach to the booking of its Divas division but I have to admit that in the last couple of months they have displayed signs of actually booking the women under contract properly.

Last year’s push of Kelly Kelly was a decent start. It may have fallen flat because she has no discernible personality and can’t wrestle but at least the promotion was willing to give a female performer a chance to stand out again. I think they were hoping Double K would leap out of the pack as the next Trish Stratus. That that hasn’t happened doesn’t mean the company should give up their search and in their defence they haven’t.

The biggest positive about the Divas division (and I’m using the term “division” fairly loosely) right now is that Beth Phoenix is the champion. Phoenix can talk when she has to and is a fantastic wrestler. She’s also a good size for a champion in that she can realistically work with anyone. If you’re too big or too small it limits the options of the booking team when it comes to opponents (male examples would be Rey Mysterio and Big Show).

With ‘The Glamazon’ at the helm I feel the Divas have a shot at earning back some of the TV time they’ve lost over the years.

Tamina Snuka’s brief push last month was also a positive. It may not have lasted long but Jimmy’s daughter was permitted to look competitive against a woman who had been positioned as the top star for months. Phoenix made Snuka look like her equal before she beat her, which is exactly the right way to elevate a talent when they have to lose a match. Tamina also deserves credit for improving her wrestling skills so much over the last year or so. She’s gone from a valet who looked incredibly wooden and uncomfortable to someone who can work a long match (by WWE women’s standards) and feels confident enough to do a splash from the top rope.

Two of the best female performers currently in WWE

The recent elevation of Eve Torres may seem like one of the more soap opera aspects of wrestling (because it is) but it’s also WWE making the most of a character development that has seemingly come about as a side effect of a bigger story. That too deserves praise. If Eve is handled right she could be successfully elevated to a feud with Phoenix. That would require ‘The Glamazon’ to turn face or play tweener, but she’s shown she’s capable of doing both.

With Kelly Kelly having announced her dissatisfaction with Eve’s recent heelish ways a feud between those two could be written into storylines with ease. It may not produce the greatest matches in the world but it would provide the division with a mid-card feud while Beth Phoenix continues ploughing through challengers. She could possibly get involved herself for a three-way feud. That would be something different for the Divas.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that if WWE spent enough time planning things out now Eve Torres could be the company’s lead heel Diva in six months’ time.

The rest of the Divas all have something to offer. Alicia Fox has shown that she can wrestle competent short matches when provided with the right opponent. The Bella twins have well defined characters and work well as a tag team (because it hides their weaknesses and allows them to pull the “heels that look alike switching places” trick). Kaitlyn is one of the best options WWE currently has for elevating someone to the top for a run with Beth Phoenix, but for some reason they seem reluctant to make that move. For now she seems to be stuck on NXT. That show has also given us Maxine, a decent talker who wrestles well enough to warrant a raised profile within the company. If built up properly she could work as a heel champion sometime in the not too distant future.

Speaking of the future I believe that if Daniel Bryan loses his World Heavyweight championship at WrestleMania we could see a storyline develop in which he blames on-screen girlfriend AJ for the loss, eventually leading to him slapping the LeBell lock on her. If that happens it will likely lead to her ending up as the on-screen girlfriend of a face like Big Show or Sheamus, but it could be used as an opportunity to boost the Divas division: give AJ a couple of months off to sell the devastation of the hold before making a courageous comeback to the ring to chase the Divas championship. The timing could be worked out so she captures the belt at SummerSlam.

The final women to mention are Natalya, Kharma and Layla. Kharma and Layla are still on compassionate leave and the injured list respectively, but when they return they will be capable of making a big difference to the female roster. If WWE makes use of the talented women they currently have access to then they could have a decent division up and running by the time both ladies are back on television.

Alongside Phoenix, Natty Neidhart is the best female worker WWE has under contract. That she’s been saddled with the tedious gimmick of “breaking wind” in “amusing” backstage segments is a perfect example of WWE getting things wrong. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed though: just stop filming that arrant nonsense and give her matches instead. Simple. If given time to breathe as a performer Natalya can be one of the best female workers in the history of the promotion.

They are getting things right with the women, which is a good sign. Talk of a Divas TV show of some description airing on the WWE Network is also a good sign that the women will get more attention from the writing team. The company just needs to keep pressing on with the good work and continue giving the women things to do.

SmackTalk 03.02.12

For the second week in a row I present my tweets from this week’s broadcast of SmackDown. They should give you a rough idea of what happened on the show but this is not intended as a thorough recap. Let’s go!

Opening segment, featuring Teddy Long, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes and Sheamus

Tweet 1: It’s SmackDown time.

Tweet 2: Randy Orton is "venomous." Wade Barrett is "calculating." That is the story of SmackDown's first minute.

Tweet 3: Teddy Long! AND HE'S DANCING.

Tweet 4: #player

Tweet 5: Teddy has officially confirmed that SmackDown will participate in the Elimination Chamber PPV. I was worried they'd sit it out.

Tweet 6: This Chamber match doesn't look as good as RAW's but it still looks good.

Tweet 7: Show, Barrett, Cody, Henry, and Orton challenging Bryan.

Tweet 8: I know Henry's getting taken out. Nobody could have avoided that spoiler. Ah, speaking of #Shark Henry...

Tweet 9: Booker was impressed by Henry walking to the ring apparently.

Tweet 10: "I'm the most dominant talent on this program. I'm the big fish" - Mark Henry, who can't possibly really believe that.

Tweet 11: I am amazed that Henry is being accepted as a tweener for the second week in a row. The crowd are booing him not getting a title match!

Tweet 12: Hashtag Sheamus save.

Tweet 13: Henry takes a kick to the face well. In fairness I imagine it's difficult to NOT sell getting kicked in the face.

Tweet 14: Sheamus promo. #fella

Tweet 15: Cody needs some new trunks. Change it up, buddy. Go for electric blue. Maybe yellow.

Tweet 16: Cody eliminated six guys in the Rumble. The commentary team should have pushed that in the match. They're never prepared.

Tweet 17: Sheamus v Cody Rhodes. More exciting matches are available.

Tweet 18: This Elimination Chamber video starring Shemus features bagpipes. Why?

 Cody Rhodes v Sheamus

Tweet 19: Sheamus will announce who he's challenging at WrestleMania after the Chamber event. I imagine it'll be the SmackDown Chamber winner.

Tweet 20: Disaster kick outside the ring. Nice spot.

Tweet 21: Rhodes does a tasty moonsault.

Tweet 22: "Tremendous impact" - Josh Mathews

Tweet 23: How many times per broadcast does Booker say "Here we go!"?

Tweet 24: Booker has never seen Sheamus's new finisher before? Maybe watch a Finlay match from five years ago, Book. You'll see it there.

Tweet 25: Sheamus wins. Cody never stood a chance against the guy getting the Rumble Winner Push™.

Justin Gabriel v Hunico (which doesn’t because Hunico cuts a promo and then joins Cody Rhodes in doffing up Gabriel)

Tweet 26: Justin Gabriel is accompanied to ringside by his hair. Cody is still at ringside.

Tweet 27: Hunico on a bike!!

Tweet 28: Hunico with a mic!!

Tweet 29: #Hispanicheelbeatdown

Tweet 30: Khali? #facepalm

Tweet 31: Why is Khali back? Why? WHY?

Announcement that Cole will interview Daniel Bryan and various backstage shenanigans

Tweet 32: Cole interviewing Bryan later in the show. I suspect that will lead to Cole's official on-screen acceptance of the champ.

Tweet 33: Bryan's a heel. Cole is the pro-heel announcer. They need to do an angle that will allow Cole to openly support Bryan. Straightforward.

Tweet 34: Drew McIntyre thinks he could be the biggest superstar of all time. He is wrong.

Tweet 35: Teddy wants Drew to impress him. Sounds a bit weird to be honest.

Tweet 36: Who's being wasted in a team with Santino this week? Ah, Jim Duggan. That's not a waste of talent, just a waste of a spot.

Tweet 37: The lighting effect and saxophone that signal Aksana's arrival: does that indicate that she has Undertaker- and Kane-style powers?

Tweet 38: Maybe she's Sin Cara's sister...

Hall of Fame induction video

Tweet 39: They probably planned to induct anyone who'd ever been a Horseman but then realised that that would include Benoit. He's never going in.

Tweet 40: Tyson in HOF video. Again.

Tweet 41: Getting punched in the face by Tyson was Michaels' final bump for four and a half years. I've only just realised that.

Tweet 42: Watch that clip: Michaels takes that punch really well.

Jim Duggan and Santino v Epico and Primo

Tweet 43: Santino and Jim Duggan v Epico and Primo. I'm going to find it hard to care about this match.

Tweet 44: "That's what you're going to look like, Booker, in about a year!" - Michael Cole on Jim Duggan. I laughed.

Tweet 45: The most over person involved in this match is Rosa Mendes. Doesn't say much for WWE's talent building, does it?

Tweet 46: Shucky ducky quack quack!! #Bookerism

Tweet 47: I'm bored of the Cobra.

Tweet 48: Pretty bored of this match too.

Tweet 49: Primo and Epico win. I'm not surprised.

Tweet 50: Dont. Do it. Like that. Baby. #Bookerism

Daniel Bryan promo

Tweet 51: Shhhhhhh. Cole wants our attention.

Tweet 52: Look how happy Bryan is. It's nice to see such a positive wrestler.

Tweet 53: "This is about me," said Daniel Bryan, officially becoming a heel.

Tweet 54: They've changed the font on the title belt's name plate again. Things like that annoy me.

Tweet 55: Daniel Bryan's role model gimmick is good for heat. He does it very nicely.

Tweet 56: It's a variant on Punk's bad guy character. Veganism replaces straight edge.

Tweet 57: Vegans are heat magnets. That's fact. That's science.

Tweet 58: Bryan doesn't want to go into the Chamber. That's how I'd have booked it.

Tweet 59: Reference to the WWE Board of Directors. Not heard of them for a while.

Tweet 60: Big Show stumbles out. Fat men the world over rejoice at the sight of him.

Tweet 61: Big Show mentions eating a steak and gets a pop. See? Fat guys love him!

Tweet 62: Why does everyone keep bringing up maths regarding the Chamber?

Tweet 63: Daniel Bryan is right: Big Show WON'T win the title at Elimination Chamber. Want to know why? Because Sheamus v Show would be awful.

Tweet 64: AJ sighting.

Tweet 65: She's wearing a neck brace. Nobody pulls off a neck brace like Joel Gertner.

Tweet 66: The facial expression from Bryan as he hugged AJ was brilliant! One of the best heel looks I've seen in WWE for ages.

Natalya and Beth Phoenix v Aksana and Tamina

Tweet 67: This wind gimmick of Natalya's is going to get very annoying very quickly.

Tweet 68: Aksana and Tamina against Beth and Natalya. At least one team is good.

Tweet 69: "Get outta my ring, Natty" - Beth Phoenix to Natalya

Tweet 70: Maybe they're going to do Natalya v Beth for 'Mania. That's the best women's match they could do.

Tweet 71: I predict there will be some sort of altercation between Beth and Natalya at Elimination Chamber.

Beth Phoenix and Natalya. Are the Sisters of Destruction going to end up as opponents at WrestleMania XXVIII?

Randy Orton backstage and From the Vault

Tweet 72: Orton stretching backstage. In front of a camera. What a show off.

Tweet 73: From the Vault: Undertaker v Chris Jericho. One of the better uses of the segment.

Tweet 74: Jericho just hit a hilariously poor drop kick. The irony is that he used to team with Lance Storm.

Tweet 75: Matt Striker is an awful commentator. He is somehow making this match less enjoyable just by talking.

Tweet 76: The Codebreaker is one of my favourite finishers in wrestling, because it can be used surprisingly and on an opponent of any size.

Tweet 77: 'The Dark Terminator'? 'The Minister of the Night'? What has Striker been smoking?

Tweet 78: Matt Striker backstage. What have we done to deserve this?

Tweet 79: Orton's beard is back again. I am peeved.

Tweet 80: Orton just admitted he would've tried to kill Barrett had their roles been reversed. They're as bad as each other.

Wade Barrett v Randy Orton

Tweet 81: BARRETT RING COAT ALERT!!

Tweet 82: This new entrance music is DIRE. This opinion isn't helped by the fact that I loved Barrett's old music.

Tweet 83: Barrett threw Orton down stairs "two months" ago? No. It was about five weeks ago.

Tweet 84: Random backstage shot of Bryan, AJ and Teddy. No idea why.

Tweet 85: Josh says Orton spent "nearly a month" on the injured list because of that stair incident. I thought it was two months? Make your minds up!

Tweet 86: Booker just nonsensically yammering away about the British Bulldog there.

Tweet 87: Orton just high fived a child. He is channelling John Cena.

Tweet 88: Stomping a man's head onto metal steps is not earn censorship from Sky Sports. #goodtimes

Tweet 89: Tables are the height of hardcore insanity in today's WWE.

Tweet 90: Barrett has the second best hair in WWE. The best? Dolph Ziggler, obvs. #heelsdoitbetter

Tweet 91: Did Cole just say that Barrett was brought up bare knuckled fighting in order to "pay for his meals"? Where does he get this stuff?

Tweet 92: Orton is being very athletic here. Barrett's selling well. The audience are into it. Good main event.

Tweet 93: The annihilation of an innocent chair. A woman in the audience weeps at the carnage.

Tweet 94: It's back to being called Wasteland it it? I thought it had been renamed the Barrett Barrage?

Tweet 95: Whoever wins, the chair loses.

Tweet 96: Barrett's side slam is a nice move. It needs an amusing name though.

Tweet 97: They teased a table spot. Perhaps it will get obliterated in a post-match scuffle.

Tweet 98: The snake wins. Not surprising. Good match though.

Tweet 99: Bryan v Orton next week: that's a good move. Solid match announced a week in advance. Should encourage people to watch.

Tweet 100: Orton v Bryan deserves to be SmackDown's lead feud.

Tweet 101: And that concludes my tweeting of SmackDown.

That was one a good episode of SmackDown. With the exception of Khali all the Elimination Chamber entrants are good picks. Although that said I didn’t hear the announcement that Khali has replaced Mark Henry in the match. Perhaps I wasn’t paying attention or perhaps it was edited out by WWE and they’re planning someone else to replace ‘The World’s Strongest Man’. We’ll work on the assumption that I wasn’t listening for now.

The Chamber matches have done their job of getting me excited for that pay-per-view. The last several years have seen some pretty random choices thrown into the cage bouts at the show and I’m pleased that this year the line-ups feature so many talented guys who deserve chances to main event shows.

I’m expecting Justin Gabriel to be the man who dethrones Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental title. A feud is gradually being built up between the two. I’m not a huge fan of Gabriel but he could be a decent mid-card guy if given a chance. There are worse people WWE could put the Intercontinental gold on. I still think Brodus Clay should beat Cody though.

Finally, Daniel Bryan was definitely the star of the show. He entered another strong performance and once again proved that he works very well in the heel role. His character is very similar to Punk’s right now, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just not what I was expecting. I’ll only complain if he starts up a Vegan Society and starts using lower card guys as henchmen.

With Orton v Bryan announced for next week’s show it looks like SmackDown will put on another good show. That’s standard: it’s the most consistent show in wrestling.