Spoilers for this week’s SmackDown tapings are in. Click the ‘+’ to read. Show airs on Friday, December 18th:
Thoughts after the cut:
Friday Night SmackDown
SmackDown Redux (December 11th, 2009) – Table for Two at TLC
With the last minute addition of a Women’s Championship match to this Sunday’s TLC pay per view, the Divas of SmackDown were given a brief build-up to the event. After Maria‘s return last week, we saw the obvious tag team match as she made her in-ring return, teaming with Mickie James against Layla and Michelle … Read more
SmackDown Spoilers: December 11th, 2009
Spoilers for this week’s SmackDown tapings are in. Click the ‘+’ to read. Show airs on Friday, December 11th:
EDIT: More detailed spoilers added.
Thoughts after the cut:
SmackDown Redux (December 4th, 2009) – Best Divas Action in Years!
Congratulations are in order for the Divas of SmackDown as I can positively say that this week’s episode was the best Divas action that I’ve seen in quite some time. From the #1 Contenders Match featuring three of the most talented women in the WWE, actual storyline set up afterwards and the return of a Diva — WWE managed to pack a lot into 10 minutes [which is pretty long for a Divas segment on TV] but it all came across as being important. Watch the action below:
On paper, the triple threat match between Beth Phoenix, Mickie James and Natalya seemed full-proof and it was. The work between all three Divas was fantastic, particularly the interaction between the power houses of WWE’s women’s division — Phoenix and Natalya. The way the pair cleared the ring of Mickie James in the early going and then fought among themselves was a great touch. Natalya is probably one of the most talented Divas to ever step foot into the WWE but hasn’t received the same opportunities as Phoenix or James. If we didn’t have spoilers prior, Natalya would be the one I would be rooting for — and to be completely honest, even though I knew the outcome, I still kind of did hope for her to win!
Some beautiful spots in this match including Mickie’s hurricanrana on Natalya, and Natalya’s discus clothesline on Mickie. But perhaps the most impressive is Beth’s effortless Glam Slam on a woman that equals her in stature. A fantastic spot.
The end sees Mickie James dropkick Beth out of the ring and ‘steal’ the victory. I really liked Mickie’s placement in this match, she couldn’t conceivably be considered as physical as Beth or Natalya, so they used her as a scrappy underdog fighting against the larger Divas.
Meanwhile, the real greatness in this match was the work between Beth and Natalya. I’d absolutely love to see a secondary between these two as a result of this week’s show, in addition to Michelle-Mickie. With Beth squashing Divas left, right and center, here she got an opponent that can step toe-to-toe with her and have a knock-down fight with. Perhaps market Natalya as almost an equal to Beth and see which Diva comes out on top.
SmackDown Spoilers: December 4th, 2009
Spoilers for this week’s early SmackDown tapings are in (the brand taped the show early due to a conflict with the Tribute for the Troops taping). Click the ‘+’ to read. Show airs on Friday, December 4th:
Thoughts after the cut:
SmackDown Redux (Nov. 27, 2009) – The World’s Shortest Interview
If, like me, you watch SmackDown only for the Divas, let me save you the trouble: Mickie’s not leaving SmackDown. Yeah, that’s all you need to know. Seriously, no need to even watch the show — just read those four words and you’re good to return to your Thanksgiving-induced food coma or Black Friday shopping. … Read more
SmackDown Spoilers: November 27th, 2009
Spoilers for this week’s SmackDown are in. Click the ‘+’ to read. Show airs on Friday, November 27th:
Thoughts after the cut:
SmackDown Redux (November 20th, 2009): We’re Not in High School Anymore
This week’s edition of SmackDown moves away from the juvenile high school pranks of last week and if it’s even possible, regresses to kindergarten, sandbox-esque bullshit. I don’t enjoy seeing any Diva berated and being called ‘Piggy James’, whether it’s ‘acting’ or not. We all know that unlike real scripted television shows, there’s a fine … Read more
SmackDown Spoilers: November 20th, 2009
Spoilers for this week’s SmackDown are in. Click the ‘+’ to read. Show airs on Friday, November 20th:
Thoughts after the cut:
SmackDown Redux (Nov. 13, 2009): Friday the 13th Proves Lucky for Divas
Friday the 13th may be considered an ‘unlucky’ day but mark the date in your diaries folks, because this Friday the 13th brings good luck to the Divas and their fans alike. On paper, Mickie James vs Natalya is a dream match waiting to happen and this week, the dream match became a reality…
Just moments prior to this match, we see Layla approach Mickie backstage in another badly-acted backstage segment. While Layla distracts Mickie, this allows Michelle McCool to sneak into Mickie’s lockerroom because otherwise that close-up of Mickie’s dressing room door will have been for nothing. Mickie once again calls Layla ‘Scary Spice’ in a lame attempt at humour. Note to WWE: It’s not going to catch on.
Anyway, with the rising tension set, it’s time for all to boil over, in where else, but the ring. Mickie gets a full entrance while Natalya has to make do with a Beth-jobber-sized ‘announcement’. Rude.
Easily two of the best wrestlers on the Divas roster, we finally get to the wrestling bit as the bell rings and Natalya takes down Mickie by her legs and then begins slapping her around the head. Nothing pretty about Natalya’s style, as has been much noted, but it’s fun to watch and breaks from the Diva norm. Natalya then gets to her feet and looks rather like ODB as she taunts her opponent. She goes for a clothesline but Mickie counters into a snapmare and a beautiful low dropkick which stuns the powerhouse third-gen Diva. Natalya scatters from the ring in true heel fashion crying, “You back her up!”
Mickie, taking no nonsense, goes for a baseball slide but Natalya moves out of the way and shoves Mickie into the steel steps. When was the last time the steps came into play in a Divas match? And no, Melina tripping on them doesn’t count. This was a nice display of physicality from Natalya, it’s rare to see the harsh steel steps used in Divas matches but it fits with Natalya’s rough-house style. Mickie sells the spot well as Nattie takes the lead and throws Mickie back in the ring and capitalises on hurting Mickie with a quick pin fall.
Natalya grabs Mickie by the hair and slams her straight back onto the mat, before locking Mickie into her patented surfboard submission move. With Natalya’s shoulders down, the referee begins the three-count in Mickie’s favour but Nattie breaks the hold, causing her to fall smack-flat on her face. Great spot here.
The Hart Dynasty Diva follows up with forearms and stomps Mickie in the corner with no relent. In a very nice Melina-esque spot, Natalya attempts to force Mickie out of the corner by her legs, Mickie holds onto the ropes with her arms and ends up jumping to her feet and comes at her with forearms. Natalya then comes back with a forearm of her own, then shoves Mickie into aforementioned corner and lays in knee strikes to Mickie’s body. Mickie manages to hit her patented hurricanrana from the corner and then gains momentum with clotheslines, Natalya then comes back and somehow Mickie ends up jumping through the bottom rope. O… kay…
Natalya runs at Mickie on the apron, Mickie with a shoulder block and goes up top, the two Divas then trade blows. All of a sudden we cut to Layla and McCool coming down to the ring with a few choice garments from Mickie’s lockerroom. In the ring, Mickie hits a Thesz Press from the top and goes for a cover but Natalya kicks out. Mickie becomes distracted by Layla & Michelle, who [wearing gloves, by the way] cut into Mickie’s purple wrestling top.
In the ring, Natalya takes advantage with a clothesline from behind and locks in her finisher, the Sharpshooter and Mickie eventually taps out. Meanwhile, Layla & Michelle are now cutting into Mickie’s pants. Mickie, who seems to be emotionally invested in her clothes, is visibly in tears. I know clothes can hold a sentimental value but this just came across silly. Wouldn’t you expect her to jump out of the ring and chase them? Not watch on in a flood of tears like they’ve run over her cat.
The match itself was very solid and featured great work from both Divas; it was hard hitting, it was at times rough and thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a shame that the fans in attendance weren’t more into it, which is unusual for UK crowds who pretty much cheer the whole show. The commentary also, was rather bland and monotonous for the most part and added little to the match. Perhaps those two factors could have helped a little more but other than that, I thought this was a great match and both Divas did a great job. I can’t help but feel that with more time and perhaps a little less restriction, it could’ve been even better. This came across as just 25% of what they can do and hopefully one day we’ll see them go all out.
Next up, the Glamazon Squash Tour stops by Britain:
SmackDown Spoilers: November 13th, 2009
This week’s episode of SmackDown has been taped live from Sheffield, England. Click the ‘+’ to read the spoilers. Show airs on Friday, November 13th:
Thoughts after the cut:
SmackDown Redux (November 6th, 2009) – Glamazon Squash Tour Continues
This week’s SmackDown saw the continuation of the ‘Glamazon Squash Tour’, with Beth Phoenix facing New Jersey local, Brittany Carter. Meanwhile, Layla and Michelle McCool developed a fun new gimmick of sorts, which I liken to the evil stepsisters from Cinderella. Does that make Mickie James, Cinderella? If so, despite scare tactics from McCool & Layla, Mickie shall go to the ball that is Survivor Series in three weeks time. We learned that we’re going to see a good old fashioned elimination match on November 21st with McCool and James as team captains of opposing teams.
Let’s check out all the action, beginning with Beth:
Skip to 00:40
So one week after decimating Jenny Brooks, Beth gets a new toy to play with and from the outset, it’s surely obvious that this one will go the same way as last week’s bout, right? Beth’s opponent is a slighty over-tanned Brittany Carter aka WSU’s Brooke Carter aka Brittney Savage.
The Glamazon gets physical from the outset, hoisting the smaller visitor over her shoulder and driving her into the corner. Welcome to the big leagues! Just in case that wasn’t enough, Beth repeats the same move in the opposing corner and Brittany may wanna stop by the gynae to check her womb is still intact. Beth applies what looks like a Von Erich-esque claw [much more effectively than Lacey, I might add] before backing up at the referee’s request. Beth then hits a a running butt-bump a la former WWE Superstar, Umaga. Hey Brittany, may wanna add a plastic surgeon to that ‘medical to-do list’ for your nose.
Before Carter can get to her feet, she is picked up by Phoenix who then slams her over her knee, not once but twice. The Glamazon then grabs Carter by her hair, seemingly dragging the poor girl around the ring by her roots — no ‘weavedrobe malfunctions’ here unlike TNA. Beth picks up Brittany over her shoulder in a dominator position and spins her around before wrenching her and then dropping her to the canvas like litter. Carter drops face first, adding further insult to that nose.
Phoenix wraps up her tour date this week by picking up Brittany for a Glam Slam, which much like last week is elongated with Beth coming across like a fierce lionness flaunting her prey as she lets the whole audience get a look-see. And again like last week, she takes a moment to compose herself before pinning her opponent.
Following the same simple formula as last week, Beth is made to look strong in a one-sided affair. The danger with this is that I am almost 90% certain Diva fans will begin complaining already about it being predictable. I dare say, some have a shorter attention span than the average fan. WWE, for that reason, perhaps needs to be careful about how much longer they follow this formula before giving Beth a more suitable opponent, i.e. Layla before working up to Michelle McCool and/or Mickie James. The purpose of these squash matches is to re-establish Beth and they are a doing a good job so far of having her come across as a big bad take-no-nonsense heel. The general idea of these squash matches with Superstars like Sheamus and Umaga before him, is to create hype around a Superstar and make them look menacing and make the fans care about that character in that sense. Given that the average fan cares little about the Divas roster, it surprises me then that that same effort is going into Beth; I hope it pays off and the fans begin showing some sort of reaction towards her i.e. deafening boos.
Anyway, follow the cut for the backstage segment:
Identity of Beth Phoenix’s Opponent This Week
As with last week, Beth Phoenix faced a local talent at last night’s SmackDown taping [to air this Friday]. This week, Beth faces 22-year-old Brooke Carter from Long Island, New York. Carter also wrestles as Brittney Savage and worked the taping as ‘Brittney Carter’. As noted by some readers, Carter held Women Superstars Uncensored’s tag … Read more
SmackDown Spoilers: November 6th, 2009
This week’s SmackDown spoilers are in the tags below. The show will air this Friday, November 6th. Click the ‘+’ to read:
Thoughts after the cut:
SmackDown Your Vote: Who Deserved to Win Halloween Costume Contest?
The fans in attendance at SmackDown voted Mickie James as the winner of the SmackDown Divas Halloween Costume Contest. But what do you think? Did Mickie deserve the win or would you have picked someone else? Based on the looks above & the little ‘performances’ each Diva gave, who would you have picked to win? … Read more
SmackDown Redux (October 30th, 2009) – Worst. Costume. Contest. Ever.
Note: As a result of the ‘Diva Dirt Trade’, the SmackDown Redux is now written by Melanie! Like Mickie James, I have left behind Raw after two years of the Raw Redux but left it in the very capable hands of Erin. You can read Erin’s Raw Redux every Tuesday here at Diva Dirt.
In the words of Comic Book Guy: “Worst. Costume. Contest. Ever.” Much second hand embarassment was felt for the four Divas involved; from the unflattering costume choices [that’s you Mickie!] to the ‘white people dancing’ [thanks Michelle!], this one didn’t look too hot.
However earlier in the night, we kicked things off on a much brighter note when the Glamazon, Beth Phoenix made her in-ring debut as a SmackDown Diva in a squash match. This to me was the perfect set-up. Since her debut in 2007 [let’s ignore the original debut], Beth has been pushed as the monster heel of the women’s division; the powerful and dominant Glamazon. In the past year, it’s safe to say she’s waned a little as a character as a result of poor booking but all that seems to be changing thanks to the move to SmackDown. Usually with these monster heel types, they’ll have squash matches for weeks on end against the ‘jobber of the week’, we’ve seen it with the likes of The Great Khali, Umaga, Mike Knox and most recently, Sheamus on ECW. I think it’s really intriguing for a Diva to be given similar treatment and really have that time to be put over as a ‘big bad monster’. This almost re-introduces Beth, putting out of mind what she’s been doing on Raw lately, and sort of starting from scratch. So it would Beth Phoenix versus local jobber known as Jenny Brooks, who it’s explained has some history with Beth:
Fresh from defeating Melina to take a win for Team SmackDown at Bragging Rights, Beth gets her first match on SmackDown. We kick off with Beth throwing Jenny to the mat and laying in some kicks & punches and then literally, kicking Brooks out of the ring. That definitely looked impressive.
Beth then drags Brooks back into the ring by her hair and then picks her up for a standing suplex, hoisting Jenny into the air for a good 30 seconds or so. This is something we’ve seen before in Beth’s arsenal and really is a sight to see, so it’s nice to see that it’s dusted off here. Beth then picks up Brooks by the neck and slams her over her knee, before just throwing her into the corner like a rag doll. Jenny then tries to fight back but is thrown against the ropes by Beth and then gets hit with an axehandle across the head. The end is here for the visiting Brooks as Beth sets up an epic looking Glam Slam, once again just holding that position as with the suplex, and as you’ll see she does a 360 on the spot so all the fans in attendance can see her sheer dominance which is a very nice touch, and then slams her down. Beth then takes a moment to adjust herself, looking composed and not in a rush, before pinning Brooks with ease.
I really enjoyed this. Like I said, it almost re-introduces Beth and her dominance with the use of the elongated standing suplex and Glam Slam, using Beth as a spectacle almost. She really came across great here as a non-chalant bad ass heel. The little touches like taking her time before pinning her opponent, while just a small touch, added that much more to atmosphere and I really like that. I hope they can keep this up and continue to have Beth booked strongly & break the mould of what it means to be a Diva today; as mentioned earlier, Diva squash matches are unthinkable but for that to be used as a storyline device for Beth shows some progression. Good segment.
After the cut, the Divas Halloween Costume Contest:
Identity of Beth Phoenix’s Opponent on SmackDown
The identity of Beth Phoenix‘s opponent, Jenny Brooks, on SmackDown this week is Canadian wrestler Athanasia Alexopoulus aka She Nay Nay. She Nay Nay has previously worked in OVW, the former WWE developmental territory and is said to be an aspiring WWE Diva. Earlier this week, it had been speculated by PWInsider that the local … Read more
Identity of Local Woman Last Night at SmackDown Taping
The identity of the local woman who wrestled last night at the SmackDown taping is reportedly a woman named Alexxis Nevaeh. PWInsider is reporting that the same woman appeared as a jobber for Awesome Kong in TNA last year at the time of the $25,000 challenge. Alexxis is also known as Lexxus and mainly known … Read more
SmackDown Spoilers: October 30th, 2009
This week’s SmackDown spoilers are in the tags below. The show will air this Friday, October 30th. Click the ‘+’ to read:
Thoughts after the cut:
SmackDown Redux (October 23rd, 2009) – Divide and Conquer
Last time on SmackDown: Mickie and Beth made their SmackDown debuts, both confronting Michelle backstage. Mickie wants to wrestle at Bragging Rights, while Beth wants the Women’s Championship.
This week: Will we finally see SmackDown’s newest Divas in action? How about any buildup for Bragging Rights? Will SmackDown’s team, despite the fact that they seem to be gunning for each other, be able to band together and beat Raw on Sunday?
We start the night, as is usual with SmackDown, with a backstage segment. Mickie James is speaking with WWE legend Mae Young, having a friendly conversation. Things, however, get messy when Michelle McCool shows up (Skip to 1:45):
Michelle tells Mae that it’s nice to see her. Mickie? Not so much. Michelle expresses her sympathies that Mickie didn’t make the team for Bragging Rights and says that there’s always next year. Mickie says she knows why she didn’t make the team–Michelle says it’s because Beth Phoenix and Natalya are way more talented than she is. This high school-level tête à tête continues until Mickie tells Michelle to “break a leg” this Sunday, leaving the scene.
Michelle can barely take a breath before Beth appears behind her, pretty much reiterating what she said last week, threatening to take her title. She tells her she’ll see her Sunday and heads off, leaving Michelle with Mae who says, “She told you!” (Burn!). Michelle tells Mae to shut up, and gets a slap in the face for her rudeness.
Later, it looks like we have a match, as Mickie makes her way to the ring. She’s followed by Layla, and we get started:
They start with a tie-up, Mickie getting control with a side headlock. Layla fights free, shoving Mickie into the ropes. On the return, Mickie knocks Layla down with a shoulder blast. She goes to the ropes for momentum, and Layla flattens herself to the mat to avoid her. Mickie cartwheels over her, dropkicking her the moment they both get to their feet. She attempts a pin, but Layla kicks out, and she drags her back to her feet.
SmackDown Spoilers: October 23rd, 2009
This week’s SmackDown spoilers are in the tags below. The show will air this Friday, October 23rd. Click the ‘+’ to read:
Thoughts after the cut:
SmackDown Redux (Oct. 16th, 2009) – The Times, They Are A-Changin’…
Last time on SmackDown: Michelle and Eve did battle, with the Women’s Champion coming out on top. Meanwhile, Maria’s untimely chair stealing cost Dolph a match and the both of them their relationship. This week: To say that Monday’s “Diva Draft” put a different spin on things would be an understatement. How will SmackDown two … Read more
SmackDown Spoilers: October 16th, 2009
This week’s SmackDown spoilers are in the tags below. The show will air this Friday, October 16th. Click the ‘+’ to read:
Thoughts after the cut:
Diva Trade Analysis: Looking at the New Divas Rosters
Just for the sake of compilation and to give you [and us] a picture of what your new Monday, Tuesday and Friday nights will look like, we have made lists of the new Divas roster on each brand: Raw Faces: Melina (Divas Champion) Brie Bella Eve Torres Gail Kim Kelly Kelly Nikki Bella Heels: Alicia … Read more
SmackDown Redux (Oct. 9th, 2009) – Big Boots, Breakups, & Blubbering
Last time on SmackDown: The 10th Anniversary of SmackDown took center stage, as Divas from every brand served as Lumberjacks for a Women’s Championship match between Michelle and Melina. With some help from Raw’s heels, Michelle retained her title.
This week: With Michelle defeating Melina, does that close the curtains on their feud, and if so, will both go their separate ways this week? Will Maria finally take some initiative?
We kick off the show with Eve Torres making her way to the ring. It’s been a while since we’ve seen her in one-on-one action, so this should be a bit of fresh air. Next out is Michelle McCool, bedazzled knee brace and all. I wonder if Michelle’s having violent flashbacks to that ill-fated house show match with Eve that landed her with that bum knee in the first place..
At the start of the match, the two fight for momentum, struggling against one another in a tie-up. Michelle eventually gets Eve in the corner, pounding her fiercely. Eve tries to get out, but Michelle shoves her back in, showing some great aggression. She pauses for a moment and Eve takes advantage of this, turning the tables and taking her to task in the corner. Dragging Michelle to the center of the ring, Eve whips her back into that same corner, as if Michelle were a boomerang. She goes for the attack, but only gets a face full of Michelle’s elbow.
Michelle goes after Eve, but Eve sweeps her legs out from under her, mounting and pounding her in the head. This turns into a bit of a cat fight, Michelle flipping to the top and putting in her licks. Eve eventually shoves her off, and Michelle retreats outside the ring. Eve follows, and they go for a quick chase before Michelle slides back into the ring, looking to attack Eve upon her entrance. Eve, though, telegraphs Michelle’s kick, catching her leg. She clotheslines her and goes for a unsuccessful pin attempt. Both are slow to their feet, but as Eve goes to grab Michelle, Michelle makes a grab of her own, pulling Eve face-first into the second turnbuckle. She lays prone in the corner, and Michelle takes a run at her, slamming her thigh into her face.
Eve demonstrates some great selling, looking absolutely exhausted as she’s sprawled out on the mat. Michelle admires her work before yanking Eve foot-first to the middle of the ring, mounting her and punching her in the head. Eve looks to be moving slower and slower as Michelle hovers over, kicking and driving her braced knee into her head one, two, three times, finishing it off with a good old-fashioned leg drop. She then grabs Eve behind by the neck, placing her knee square on her back and yanking her head back, choking her. The referee checks her hands to make sure it’s not an actual choke, but it’s close enough–Michelle’s obviously not focusing on taking out Eve’s back.
She grows tired of this, letting for and allowing Eve’s face to slam into the mat. Not giving her any time to breathe, Michelle grabs her hands, criss-crossing them in front of herself and pulling back. This submission isn’t as easy, as Eve seems to be fighting back a bit. Resistance is futile though, because Michelle eventually gets Eve to her knees, locking in the hold and shaking her back and forth violently for good measure. Eve tries to fight out, but Michelle keeps her on her knees. Eve finally gets to her feet, using brute strength to get the advantage. She goes to flip Michelle forward, but the Women’s Champ only performs a cartwheel in response, staying on her feet. Though, Eve meets her quickly with a clothesline, finally knocking her down.
SmackDown Spoilers: October 9th, 2009
This week’s SmackDown spoilers are in the tags below. The show will air this Friday, October 9th. Click the ‘+’ to read:
Thoughts after the cut: