"Divas" Wrestling thread

Feel weird commenting on AJ Lee until we hear her side of the story - her book could be REALLY interesting. Meltzer made it clear on Wrestling Observer Radio she was dealing with as much **** backstage over Punk as you'd expect. It was a very toxic and unfriendly environment. To the degree that you wouldn't blame her for being mentally and physically checked out. Going by Meltzer she quit/retired midweek. WWE were unaware hence they shot a new feud/put her over on Raw. Fair play to her if she worked WWE into giving her one last Wrestlemania payday.

Personally wasn't a fan of her for most of her career. Liked her on NXT but her WWE run didn't do much for me with the "geek" stuff, the head tilt, condensing smirk and way of talking. Disliked the online debates should she would inspire (not on here) whether it was her One Directioner type fans or people calling those attracted to her paedos and that leading to message board back and forths. I hope WWE shelves all the crazy girlfriend/lesbian storylines associated with her and moves towards the muted new direction in presenting WWE women.

AJ Lee is getting grief online for not putting anyone over on the way out. But I am going to given a pass on that. She put over Paige on her debut. Despite how the feud didn't click in the ring the AJ Lee/Paige feud did help establish Paige at best or gave something for Paige to do at worst. She also low key passed the torch to Bayley over Wrestlemania Weekend and in her Raw appearance.

Reading into social media can be kind of silly as simply other members of the roster could have just said their goodbyes in private. Also given the weirdness of the situation Tweeting about AJ Lee maybe get heat. People in WWE knew she was in a rough spot but the consensus was that she did "change" from whom she was in FCW. Very rude and into herself essentially. There were complaints from fans about her attitude at WWE Axxess last weekend. Lee was the only person who walked around with private security accompanying her. Even Paige walked around Axxess freely on her own.

For whatever reason and even before CM Punk she rarely did non-wrestling Diva stuff like photoshoots, PR or charity work. This lead to resentment from some Divas and Superstars. Practically speaking those things are a few hours less in bed. She rarely worked Live Events either. People like the Bellas and Paige did all these things so it wasn't like AJ Lee earned a "main eventer" perk. Obviously some of this resentment played out that promo Nikki Bella cut two weeks ago on Smackdown.

Personally don't feel too bad about her as she will earn a mint on the convention circuit even if she never does anything with WWE again. Either one her own or as a package with CM Punk. She has an extremely passionate fanbase and 1.8 million Twitter followers to commericalise. Even if CM Punk gets battered in his UFC fight in will have at least one last PPV pay off. Along with that CM Punk paid off their current apartment home in cash in 2010. So both are set up for a nice life. The only thing that may derail that is that lawsuit with the WWE doctor which may financially drain them.

RollieFingers wrote: »

Never liked AJ and the way she skipped to the ring was almost as cringey as her promos! Hopefully won't see her in the WWE again!

Can't say I'll miss her or see myself wanting to revisit her main roster work. Maybe she will be associated with a bad period for WWE Divas with the likes of Bayley, Becky, Charlotte and Sasha waiting in the wings. Along with the likes of Nikki Bella working hard to improve and even Cameron is showing progress.

https://twitter.com/natalieevamarie/status/586369494391468032

Got to do some #SuicideDives today at training with @mr.briankendrick ���� #RedStormRising #AllRedEverything #DoWork #OneDayAtATime #BettaThanEva

https://instagram.com/p/1mNOk8GzY_/

I am ALL in on heel Naomi:

Furious-Red wrote: »

Think they need to change her music and why are the Bellas going face at the house show

There's rumours they are turning Bellas face and putting Naomi and Cameron back together.

They kinda road tested Bray Wyatt on the European house shows too as in Bray didn't fight the cheers.

Kendrick on Eva Marie

WWE.COM: What kind of matches are you watching?

EVA: Every night, Brian gives me homework, which I go home and study. I’m watching so much! Right now, I’m watching a lot of Super Crazy, Tajiri and a lot of ECW and Japanese women’s wrestling. WWE Network has been phenomenal for me. It’s an amazing directory for not only myself, but for anyone who’s into wrestling. You can type in anybody that you want and see their matches.

http://www.wwe.com/inside/exclusive-interview-eva-marie-brian-kendrick-27318614

MitchKoobski wrote: »

Any backstage info on how she is ACTUALLY getting on?

Videos and sound bites look good but those are just select clips.

I really don't know. If she is learning a lucha libre style then that's pretty useless as the current main roster Divas aren't very good at basing (catching) opponents. It is a problem both with the men and women. For every Cesaro there's dozens of Mizs. It is kind of like throwing a football at your head really fast, not flinching and catching the ball. You also need to be strong and in the proper position etc.

The NXT women seem to be better:

A Brad Maddox Guy wrote: »

Is JoJo still training?

She does but she is on the road half the time. The ring announcer gig is very well paid ($200-250k) with all expenses paid for if I was her I'd shoot right for that. Sasha Banks is obsessed with idea of JoJo wrestling. I'd imagine she'll Wrestle again eventually.

MrMac84 wrote: »

4 grand a week PLUS expensis?? For a ring announcer???

They do 5 shows a week or so in fairness. Jericho did a podcast with Justin Roberts while Justin was still with WWE. Miz who also sat in on the podcast and Jericho talked about how they would hop into Justin's rent a car or room with Justin in his hotel room to save money.

When the WWE Universe waged a social media campaign two months ago asking WWE to give Divas a chance, Vince McMahon acknowledged their pleas and said to keep watching.

It was a 30-second Divas tag match on Raw that that sparked the outcry, and since then the women have been given more time in the ring.

What Vince apparently has failed to realized, however, is that to truly give Divas a chance, it's not just about longer matches. Like the men, the women need compelling story lines and clearly defined characters.

In those regards, WWE still has work to do, especially as it pertains to character development.

The combination of AJ Lee's retirement, Page going on hiatus and Naomi turning heel has left WWE with no babyface Divas (unless you count Natalya, who sometimes shows babyface traits but is part of a heel act with WWE Tag Team Champions Tyson Kidd and Cesaro).

To further muddy the Divas landscape, the Bella twins -- whose mean-girls act has made them the top heels in the division -- came across as babyfaces on Raw this past Monday.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by the questionable booking. During my time on the WWE creative team, we actually were told that there really are no babyfaces or heels in the Divas division. It was strongly implied that the Divas are all just a bunch of catty chicks, most of whom are mentally unstable.

A perfect example of that philosophy was the booking of the program between AJ and Paige last year. Instead of establishing a babyface and a heel, both characters acted heelish,

Their "frenemies" angle was more confusing than compelling. Thus, the rivalry between one of the most "over" Divas of all time and a heralded newcomer to the main roster wasn't nearly as good as it should have been.

More at: kevineckwrestling.sportsblog.com/posts/2218634/to-truly-give-divas-a-chance--wwe-needs-to-give-them-better-creative.html