Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Submit News

NXT Redux (November 2nd, 2010): The Internet Wedding of the Century Ends With a Resounding Slap!

Previously on NXT….

The Halloween edition of NXT certainly left a positive taste in the mouths of viewers. Brie Bella and AJ put together a match that was perhaps one of the best Diva matches on television this year. Nikki Bella continued her descent into WWE heeldom much to the disgust of her twin. Maxine won a Halloween candy eating contest, while Kaitlyn took home top prize in the costume contest for her Vickie Guerrero impersonation. Was it mentioned that the sexual tension between Kaitlyn and her mentor’s boyfriend, Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler, reached an all-time high?? Oh, lets not forget the fact that Ted DiBiase and everyone’s favorite French-Canadian Diva, Maryse, invaded the show. They set out on a quest to get the Million Dollar Championship back from Goldust and Aksana. Aksana saved the day once again and looked amazing while doing so.

Tonight, the highly anticipated wedding between Lithuanian-born Aksana and the adorable Goldust will take place. Will Maryse and Ted show up? There’s an elimination too. Which rookie is going to be sent packing during the ninth week of competition? Lets take a look!

Note: Please excuse the audio on the videos. It looks like a production copy of the show leaked.

Striker is in the ring and he brings out the rookie girls. Kaitlyn, Maxine, Naomi, AJ, and Aksana make their way to the ring. All the girls look gorgeous tonight as they’re in street clothes which leads me to believe no one will be wrestling tonight. Striker explains to them that tonight is the elimination but adds that with three challenge wins Naomi is eligible for immunity. He also says that with the exception of Aksana, the other three girls can catch and tie Naomi. Since mathematics is not on Aksana’s side, Striker excuses her from tonight’s competitions so she can get ready for her wedding. Aksana waves, walks off, and we’re told that the first challenge tonight is a kissing contest. Striker wants a special guest judge so of course, Hornswoggle is brought out. Maxine is not happy about this but Horny, on the other hand, is overjoyed. Striker tells him that he gets to pick which Diva kisses the best.

Read more

Raw Redux (November 1st, 2010): Natalya’s Last Chance + Lita Returns to Raw

In an effort to get this Divas Championship feud rolling again after last week’s lull, WWE gave us another Michelle McCool vs Natalya match, but this time with a twist: If Natalya could beat Michelle McCool in singles action, she’d receive one last shot at the Divas Championship at Survivor Series. Can Natalya overcome the odds and get another crack at the title? Will Lay-Cool cheat their way to another victory? Find out… after this pointless Divas segment. Damas y Caballeros, I present to you: Diva Twister!!! (With a very special cameo):

I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t expect the majority of the Raw Divas to be lumped into a segment with Pee-wee, so I wasn’t really surprised. The jokes were cheesy and the acting bad, no surprise there either. Another typical Guest Host segment, all in all. If I feel bad for anyone, it’s everyone in the audience under 21, who had no idea who Pee-wee Herman was and The Bella Twins for having to share their “Guest Host Arm Candy” spot with Eve and Melina and any other Divas that don’t happen to have a match on Raw or Superstars that week.

Believe it or not, there was a silver lining in this black cloud of a segment. Four-time Women’s Champion made a rare appearance, accompanying her self-professed idol, Pee-wee Herman in this segment. As a huge fan of Lita, I almost blacked out when I saw her pop up on my screen. She could have eaten a live puppy on the air and I’d probably say it was the best moment of Raw this week. That said, even Lita’s appearance couldn’t save this bomb of a segment. Thumbs down for Diva Twister and two thumbs way up (I wish I had more thumbs) for Lita’s cameo.

Read more

SmackDown Redux (October 29th, 2010): Lady Gagool, Layonce, Spider-Melina & Friends

It’s not Halloween without the Divas breaking out a costume — or eight, and that’s exactly what we saw this week on SmackDown. Some were uninspired (Batman & Robin? Yawn.) and some (Lady Gaga, Beyonce) tried to capture the pop culture of the day, even though WWE is about a year behind in what’s relevant.

Watch as what begins as a Halloween costume contest becomes a full-fledged eight Diva tag team match:

A rarity for the Divas, they each get their own entrance in order to show off their costumes. The Bellas are out first dressed as Batman and Robin. Out next is Alicia Fox dressed as Cleopatra; a valiant effort but not quite as breathtaking as Asha on last night’s episode of ‘Outsourced’. Kelly Kelly, rather predictably, goes for a ‘sexy’ Little Bo Peep costume. Rosa Mendes is a leprechaun? Doesn’t she realise Hornswoggle is in the ring and likes to sexually assault Divas? Former Divas Champ, Melina is Spiderwoman and then it’s the pièce de résistance: Lay-Cool as Lady Gaga and Beyonce. You’d think they’d go for the matching Telephone outfits, but nope — Layla is Beyonce in the two year old ‘Single Ladies’ video (which is what we suggested for Alicia Fox last year and sorry Lay, it would’ve suited her much better) and Michelle is Gaga in the equally old ‘Poker Face’ video. Still, A for the effort of trying to do something relatively current.

Onto the costume contest now, but before Teddy Long can begin his officiating, Michelle takes to the microphone and pretty much says Lay-Cool should win and save us from the laborious task of watching each of them shake their rumps and embarrass themselves. Melina takes exception and argues with Lay-Cool only to be hit with a zinger from McCool. “Why are you even dressed up? You’re scary enough as it is.” I giggled. Sorry Melina… Layla shoves Melina but before she can fight back, Hornswoggle intervenes and knocks poor Michelle on her butt in fright. Didn’t that little sex pest troll learn from last time not to mess with Michelle?

Read more

NXT Redux (October 26th, 2010): Halloween Edition of NXT: Trick or Treat?

Previously on NXT…

Rookie Divas Maxine and Kaitlyn stunk it up in what was perhaps one of the worst matches in WWE history. Naomi swept the challenges, putting her first in line for immunity from elimination. Aksana received her engagement ring from Goldust and fawned over it, even during challenges. And last, but certainly not least, the highlight of last week’s episode was the beginning of perhaps the end of the Bella twins as Nikki Bella showed some fire (as well as major heel tendencies) during the tag team main event which pitted Nikki and Brie Bella against Naomi and her pro, Kelly Kelly.

This week can only be better, right?

Mr. Blue Eyes, Matt Striker, was waiting for us as the program began. He introduced us all to the Halloween edition of NXT and brought out the rookie Divas. They were dressed in Halloween costumes of course and kudos to them for not being so stereotypical. AJ was out first this week and she was dressed as Ninja Turtle Raphael. Naomi followed her and was dressed up as the Hamburger Helper hand. Wow. Kaitlyn is out third and she’s wearing a dead-on Vickie Guerrero costume complete with padded backside. Out fourth is Maxine and she’s playing the part of “Ice Queen” tonight. And last, but certainly not least, the future Mrs. Goldust walks out and she’s dressed in a fire engine red devil costume. The girls get in the ring and Striker lets us know that elimination is next week and that currently, Naomi is leading the pack with immunity challenge wins. He tells the girls that there is plenty of time left to catch Naomi and even pass her, and with that being said the first competition of the night is about to take place. Of course, it’s a Halloween costume contest. Each girl will have fifteen seconds to impressed the WWE Universe with her costume and the fans will be the judges.

Aksana went first. Music started to play and Aksana really did nothing but blow kisses, pose, and move around a little bit. She didn’t even dance. She probably should have just done her push-ups again. Maxine went next. Striker asked her what her costume was and she told everyone that she was an ice queen. Striker remarked that she could certainly melt that costume, and Maxine looked up at him. She said that she could melt that costume and that she could send shivers down his spine. Maxine asked Matt if he knew what cold water did to a man. She looked away from him and revealed that she would hate to embarrass him so she is going to use the rest of her time to say that there is only one place for this queen, and that place is on top.

Read more

In Video: Divas Want You to Know How Much They Love Their Jobs

Here’s the latest ‘Stand Up for WWE’ video that aired last night on Raw featuring several of the Divas, as well as the divine Alberto Del Rio and other men we don’t care about. Watch below: Thoughts: Despite the obvious political agenda behind ‘Stand Up for WWE’, I really enjoyed this video package and I … Read more

NXT Redux (October 19th, 2010): Cloudy Days on NXT

Previously on NXT…

Fresh off a disaster of an elimination episode, NXT put together it’s most impressive and exciting episode yet. Naomi soared to new heights as she impressed in a match against pro Diva, Alicia Fox. Kaitlyn and Vickie Guerrero reached the point in their relationship where they reluctantly agreed to tolerate one another until the next elimination. AJ proved to everyone that she is a legit wrestling fan by dominating the “Name That Tune” challenge and Maxine continued to impress everyone with her mic skills. The icing on the proverbial NXT cake at the end of the night when Aksana lost it over her immigration woes and Goldust reiterated to her that they do indeed have options to fix these problems. He got down on one knee and popped the question, and Aksana happily accepted it.

So what happens next with the second elimination a mere two weeks away? Lets take a look…

It’s redundant that NXT always begins with Matt Striker introducing the rookies and tonight was no exception. He’s standing in the ring and introducing the rookie girls. Kaitlyn, Aksana, Naomi, AJ, and Maxine make their way to the ring where the host himself is standing. He tells the girls that they’ve made it to the halfway point of the season and that in just two weeks, the second cut will take place. He congratulates Naomi and AJ on their wins last week and tells them that they are one step closer to immunity. He starts to tell the others that they have plenty of time to catch up when Vickie decides that she wants to interrupt. She starts screaming “Excuse Me” and begins to walk down towards the ring. She tells Matt that she just can’t handle the way he talks to the rookie Divas and then she turns her attention towards Kaitlyn. Vickie wants to know why Kaitlyn is dressed the way she is and basically, Vickie does not approve.

Read more

Raw Redux (October 11th, 2010): Lay-Cool and The Bearded Lady

After the frustrating mess that was the Divas action on Raw last, WWE decided to forgo a match altogether this week and have Natalya and Lay-Cool cut a promo in the ring. Will they be able to deliver on the mic or will we be just as upset as last week? Check out the segment … Read more

NXT Redux (October 5th, 2010): Jamie Says Goodbye While Aksana Shines

Five weeks of build, anticipation, heart break, and horror culminated last night in the very first elimination for season three of NXT. One poor girl would have her dreams shattered as she is sent packing back to Tampa. Also this week, the Aksana/Goludst angle heats up as an immigration officer rears his ugly head (literally… he has an ugly head) and threatens our favorite Lithuanian. The Rookie Divas try their best to master the art of faux bull riding and of course, a Diva talent show takes place.

Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun!

This surely gets redundant but once again NXT (now exclusively on WWE.com) kicks off in grandiose fashion with Matt Striker announcing the rookie Divas. Naomi, Aksana, AJ, Jamie, Maxine, and Kaitlyn make their way onto the stage where the Pros (including Alicia Fox, Vickie Guerrero, Kelly Kelly, Brie Bella, and Nikki Bella) are already sitting. Striker teases the girls that this is the biggest night of their young careers. He explains how things are going to work tonight and then brings us into our first rookie challenge of the evening.

It’s a bull riding competition complete with mechanical bull.

Read more

Raw Redux (October 4, 2010): Blink and You Missed It… Twice

After a decent showing and a controversial finish at Hell in a Cell, Diva fans were looking for some storyline progression in this Natalya/Lay-Cool rivalry. Well that simply wasn’t the case. Instead we were treated to a couple of lightning fast matches and a heaped helping of confusion on the side. First up, Natalya faces off against Alicia Fox in a match that flew past so fast, it broke the sound barrier:

We start off with both Divas already in the ring and neither one get so much as an introduction. The referee signals for the bell and Alicia goes on the attack with a flurry strikes. Natalya reverses an Irish whip to the turnbuckle, but gets a kick to the face for her trouble.

Read more

SmackDown Redux (October 1st, 2010): Lay-Cool Preview A Natalya Filled Future. They Are Not Amused.

Last week on SmackDown there wasn’t really any Diva action so the Redux took a week off. But this week it’s back. SmackDown officially made its highly anticipated move to the SyFy network and to kick that off the show aired live. The Divas took part in an 8-Diva tag match. The team consisting of Natalya, Kelly Kelly, Brie Bella, and Nikki Bella took on the team of Michelle McCool, Layla, Maryse, and Alicia Fox. Lets take a look at the action!

The heel girls are out first and all of them are looking oh so fierce. Lay-Cool lead the way while Maryse and Alicia trail behind. They do their usual posing in the ring and then the face team come out. They’re led by Natalya. The faces are all decked out pink and black, showing their unity, and once all the shenanigans die down Kelly and Alicia begin the match. Alicia strikes the first blow with a kick to Kelly’s mid-section. She follows it up with a suplex attempt but Kelly wiggles out, slaps Alicia in the back, and both girls take each other down with a clothesline. Alicia holds her head in pain and makes the tag to Maryse. Kelly does the same and goes to her corner where she tags in Natalya.

Read more

WWE Superstars Redux (September 30th, 2010): Twintuition Comes Through Again

The Divas return to WWE Superstars as The Bella Twins take on Alicia Fox and Jillian. Check it out below:

Alicia (accompanied by NXT Rookie, Maxine) with her Tina Turner esque outfit, and Jillian are the first tag team to make their way down to the ring. Jillian, of course, begins to speak to the audience about the laryngitis rumor being completely untrue and tries very hard to prove it to those watching by showing off her redonkulous singing skills. Her song of choice? “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem and Rihanna.

This may be my very first time being excited to see the Bellas. My ears are thanking them for interrupting the drowning cat… err, I mean Jillian. They are accompanied by their NXT Rookie, Jamie, looking prepared for a war with their camouflage get up. Can’t say I’m a fan of the curtain like material covering their boots, though.

Alicia is in the ring to start the match with Bella #1. Bear with me, you guys. I have no idea which twin it is and of course Cole & King didn’t bother to help. Alicia and Bella #1 lock up before Alicia pushes her off. Alicia tries to go after her with the clothesline, but she is monkey flipped by Bella #1. Numero uno delivers a couple of forearms to the face of Alicia, who tries to counter by ramming her head into the turnbuckle, but Bella #1 is able to block it with her foot and throws Alicia into the turnbuckle face first. She gives Alicia a kick in the gut for good measure before tagging in Bella #2.

Read more

Raw Redux (September 27, 2010): All That Glitters is Not Gold… It’s Pink & Black!

On last week’s installment on Monday Night Raw, Melina lost her rematch against Layla, leaving the #1 Contender spot wide open for the newly formed Unified Divas Championship. You know that means, right? BATTLE ROYAL! Watch below as Melina, Gail Kim, The Bella Twins, Eve, Natalya, Tamina, Alicia Fox and Jillian compete to determine who will be the next Diva to face Lay-Cool for their Divas Championship:

We return from commercial to find all the Divas already in the ring. (All the Raw Divas, that is. Sorry Kelly and Rosa. Better luck next time!). Before the referee can signal for the bell, Lay-Cool’s music hits and they make their way down the ramp in matching hoodies/dresses. Once they settled in, the bells rings and match is underway.

Within the first few seconds of the match, it quickly breaks down into a mess of flailing limbs, as is the norm when it comes to these sorts of matches. Tamina goes straight for her rival, Natalya, but Natalya is saved by former champion Melina. Melina clings to the back of the formidable Samoan beauty, but is quick thrown down to the mat. Tamina picks Melina up and tosses her over the top rope for a shocking first elimination.

Read more

NXT Redux (September 14th, 2010): Knock Knock. Who’s There? Jamie. Jamie Who? Jamie Keyes, Your Next WWE Diva?

Last week during the season premiere of NXT, we were treated to a dominating performance by Naomi, a pretty decent performance by AJ Lee, and a dance contest. As seen on Monday Night Raw, dancing skills are must haves for all potential Divas! This week, the Divas got a chance to prove that they have a sense of humor by competing in an exhilarating joke telling contest. We also got two matches. Lots going on so lets get started.

NXT did NOT kicked off in its usual fashion with Matt Striker announcing the pros and rookies. Vickie Guerrero started us off tonight and she came out screaming “excuse me.” She said Kaitlyn embarrassed her last week so she decided to bring someone out this week that would make her proud. She announced her boyfriend, Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler. Dolph, Vickie, and Kaitlyn make their way to the ring while a package of Vickie getting punked by AJ played. Zolph got ready for ring action and then helped Kaitlyn in the ring. Their opponents are AJ and Primo Colon.

Dolph and Primo begin the match and the guys start jockeying for position. Dolph struck Primo and Primo replied with a dropkick. Dolph didn’t appreciate that and he tagged in Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn didn’t seem to happy but she got in there anyway. As the rules of a mixed tag go, AJ had to come in. So she did.

Kaitlyn taunted AJ for a second and the Jersey girl wasn’t impressed. She motioned for Kaitlyn to come on, so they locked up. AJ got Kaitlyn around the midsection and ended up getting in her a quick pinning combination. Kaitlyn powered out. AJ applied a side headlock to Kaitlyn and the greenest rookie of them all tried to power out of it. AJ held firm until Kaitlyn was finally able to force the smaller woman into the ropes and knock her down with a clothesline. With AJ down, Kaitlyn decided to be smart and step across AJ’s midsection. She tried to pick “Pocket Rocket” up by the hair, but AJ responded with a kick to the skull and got up. Kaitlyn came rearing back but AJ pancaked her with a kick to the gut. AJ continued her onslaught with forearms to the face and a kick, before running to the ropes and flying at Kaitlyn with a crossbody. Kaitlyn caught her like she was supposed too (and set it up so we could see how choreographed it was, haha) and fell back, with allowed AJ to hook the leg and try for a pin. Kaitlyn kicked out, got to her feet, and snapped AJ in half with a clothesline. She made the tag to Dolph.

Read more

NXT Redux (September 7th, 2010): Naomi’s Night of Dominance

On the heels of last week’s shock announcement that season three would consist of nothing but rookie Divas, controversy has reigned supreme. From the internet backlash and scrutiny, to the firing of the six foot nine woman beast known as Aloisia, season three hasn’t been given much of a chance to succeed. It debut last night and instead of an epic failure of a program, we were treated to two fun challenges, some comedy, great ring debuts from the two season favorites, and the reveal of Vickie Guerrero‘s new rookie. The show was campy, a tad ridiculous, and yes, it was messy in a few spots. But above all else, the show was entertaining and has given us a lot to hopefully look forward too.

Here we go!

NXT kicks off in grand fashion with a hot entrance video for all the rookie girls and their pros, as well as a pyro, and to my delight, a lot of pink. The fans seem really excited for the all Diva show and that in turn, makes me excited! Josh Mathews and Michael Cole introduce themselves and talk about how excited they are for this special NXT season. They shoot it to Matt Striker, who looks so damn delicious I wanna take him home with me, and he says it’s time to meet the pros! Kelly Kelly walks out first and she officially introduces us to Naomi Night. She calls her rookie sassy, fun, and feisty! The Bellas come out next, and Brie Bella says that last season we watched their rookie do her thing on the mic. Nikki Bella takes over and says that this season, their rookie is going to do her thing in the ring. Why are they using their sex voices?! Jamie Keyes walks out after Nikki talks about how tight her (Jamie’s) body is. Oh Lordy.

Primo has to follow that and he gets no reaction what so ever. Maybe it’s because everyone is disgusted over his awful entrance music. No one should ever walk out to something that could be played during a ballroom dancing competition. Primo says that is rookie like a firecracker; she’s small but she will light you up. He brings out AJ Lee and wow, she’s peppy. Alicia Fox struts out to the stage after AJ and Primo, and she introduces her rookie as the meanest of the mean. Maxine walks out and immediately my eyes start to bleed. Homegirl clearly got dressed in the dark today. Yikes. Thankfully GOLDUST comes out and gets a nice pop from the crowd. He says he is going to premiere the next breakout star and he breathes Aksana‘s name out in a real creep voice. I love it so much. Aksana walks out in a hot ass gold dress and she just looks perfect next to the Golden One.

Read more

Southern Belle Smack: The NXT Season Three Debate… Is it Doomed to Fail?

Season three of NXT is no doubt the most talked about season so far in the show’s history. Last week, during the finale of season two, Josh Mathews and Michael Cole made a historic announcement by telling us that season three is going to be comprised entirely of Diva rookies. When the average wrestling fan hears the term ‘Diva’, he automatically assumes that a hot girl with a nice set of puppies will walk out to the ring. Or what’s worse, is average fan may believe Diva time is really bathroom time. The majority of average wrestling fans are ignoramuses, but the point remains the same. What the term ‘Diva’ actually stands for is overcoming the odds in WWE land. That’s exactly what six rookie Divas have a chance to accomplish starting this week on NXT.

The decision to make NXT 3 about the Divas was met with a lot of well documented controversy. Fans, pro wrestling media personnel, and “writerz” took to their Twitters, Facebooks, MySpaces, etc. to make their feelings known about this upcoming all Diva show. A nice chunk of these people took one look at the pros and decided not to watch. Some people decided to just talk a lot of smack and back up their verbal BS with weak arguments and ridiculous ‘facts’. The saving grace in all of this were the real Diva fans. They chose to remain open-minded and optimistic.

The all Diva season of NXT could go one of these two ways: it could either be a success and the WWE could find their next breakout Diva or it could go the opposite way and be an epic failure.

Read more

In Pictures: Sunday’s SmackDown House Show (Divas in Bikinis… with Water)

Happy Labor Day! And what better way to celebrate Labor Day, boys, than seeing some of your favourite Divas in their bikinis? We’ve got a little bit for everyone — are you Kelly Kelly inclined? Rrrrosa Mendes, perhaps? Or are you a Layla kinda guy? Diva Dirt reader, John, had a perfect view of all … Read more

NXT Lay-Kav-Ool Watch (August 31st, 2010): Kaval Wins!

After thirteen weeks of straight up drama, season two of NXT finally reached it’s conclusion last night. The show delivered in every aspect you could think of, and for us Diva fans, Christmas certainly came early this year! The amazing finale had surprises, unexpected announcements that kept us on our toes the entire night, tears, beatdowns, and one winner who probably deserved it more than the others. So how exactly did last night’s show pan out? Well read on and find out for yourself!

Ashley Valence, who is more often than not missing in action, is in the ring tonight and she starts us off by introducing the pros. MVP, Zach Ryder, John Morrison, Mark Henry, and Cody Rhodes walk out and take their seats. Following that, The Miz struts out and announces his rookie, Alex Riley. Michelle McCool and Layla are up next and they announce Kaval. Kaval walks out and holds his arms out, which the girls gladly take and kiss him on the cheek. Finally, Kofi Kingston walks out. He announces Michael McGillicutty. All the finalists are in the ring and Matt Striker is in a freakin’s suit! Talk about sexy!

Striker motions to the front row where the eliminated rookies are sitting. Titus O’Neil, Eli Cottonwood, Lucky Cannon, Percy Watson, and Husky Harris are all introduced to the crowd. Striker reminds us all that the winner will not only be the next breakout star, but they’ll also earn a championship match on pay-per-view. Striker teases us some more and tells the three rookies that they will all be in action tonight; in a triple threat match against one another! Things start breaking down with Kaval shoving The Miz. Alex and Michael start going at one another, with Kofi jumping into the fray and clotheslining Miz over the top rope. Alex ends up out of the ring as well and Kaval spites Miz by holding up the United States Championship.

The cameras go to Josh Mathews and Michael Cole who launch into a discussion about Season Three beginning next week. And guess what diva fans, Season Three is going to consist of nothing but diva rookies!

Read more

In Pictures: Divas Hit Red Carpet for SummerSlam Kick Off Party 2010

The WWE is in LA and what better way to celebrate than throwing a true Hollywood-style party complete with D-list guests? That’s exactly what WWE did last night to celebrate SummerSlam this Sunday. Granted, Alcide from True Blood is rising in popularity but the rest of the red carpet walkers ranged from ‘Unrecognisable Face A’ … Read more

Raw Redux (August 9th, 2010): Only Fools Rush In

After an exceptional 6 Diva tag match and a huge return by Melina last week, Diva fans were waiting with bated breath to see what was in store between the returning Melina and Divas champion Alicia Fox. WWE decided to give us a treat this week in the form of Melina vs Alicia in a non-title bout. Unfortunately for us, the action didn’t quite live up to the hype. Check it out below:

First out is Melina, who is looking great, followed by Alicia Fox, who is looking rather… interesting. The two alpha females stare each other down before the referee starts the match. Melina goes for a lockup, but Alicia scoops her up and powers her into the corner. After a fierce elbow, Alicia flings Melina across the ring by her hair. While Melina is getting her wits about her, Alicia kicks her in the gut, forcing her to retreat to the apron. Alicia tries to follow up, but Melina lands a shoulder block and slides between the champ’s legs, pulling Alicia down over her knees for a unique backbreaker and a near fall.

Before Alicia can get back to a vertical base, Melina starts wailing on Alicia with strikes to the back. Alicia tries to get back into the mix with a clothesline, but Melina dodges with a matrix move, followed by a snapmere driver and a flying faceplant. Alicia retreats to the outside to regain her composure, but doesn’t get the chance, as Melina is hot on her tail. Melina charges around the ring to bring Alicia in the hard way, but is laid out by a vicious clothesline.

Read more

Raw Redux (July 26, 2010): Gone in Sixty Seconds

After a mysterious (and illogical) absence from last week’s Raw, Divas Champion Alicia Fox is back in action this week in a non-title bout against Brie Bella (Bella Twin #1). Will the twin Divas manage to switch their way to a upset victory over the champ? Check out the match below:

First out are The Bella Twins, who are dressed identically (I wonder why…) in electric blue. Cole and King use this time to plug the sponsor, which means I have to hear more of the Bellas entrance theme than I should. I think I’d rather watch a Khali match… The champion is out next and she’s making her way to the ring rather quickly. I guess Cena went over his allotted time this week, so the Divas have to pick up the slack as usual. The referee rings the bell and the match is on.

Alicia doesn’t waste any time going to work on Brie, laying in a kick to the gut. Alicia throws Brie into the turnbuckle, then rams her back first into the corner. Alicia snatches up Bella #1 by the hair and executes a fierce irish whip, sending Brie to the mat. Alicia proceeds to stomp out poor Brie until the ref pulls her off.

While the referee is preoccupied with Alicia, Nikki and Brie go for their patented switcheroo to turn the tables on the champ. Unfortunately for the identical beauties, Jillian makes her way to ringside and blocks their attempt to switch out. Alicia and the referee turn their attention back to the Bellas and Alicia lands a stiff kick on Bella #2, sending her down to the floor. Alicia tries to get back in control of the match, but Brie rolls her up with a school boy for a near fall. Before Brie can get in anymore offense, Alicia kicks her in the gut before landing a brutal axe kick for the win.

Read more

WWE Superstars Redux (July 8th, 2010): Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun

On WWE Superstars, we were treated to Divas starting the show and ending the show. First match we saw Gail Kim teaming with Yoshi Tatsu to take on Jillian and Primo. But what of the feud between Jillian and the Bella Twins?

As Superstars begins, we hear “You can look but you can’t touch” blare over the loudspeakers. Out come Nikki and Brie Bella – in matching referee outfits! The announcer tells us that the Twins are our special guest referees for the following match. You can guess hijinks are about to ensue. Out first is Primo and Jillian, and our Songstress does not look happy to see who the referees are. Jillian’s sporting a nice sky blue outfit tonight. Out next is Yoshi and Gail Kim, who’s looking good in yellow tonight. We hear Michael Cole explain that one Bella will be inside the ring and one will be on the outside. But neither him nor Lawler can tell who’s inside the ring at the moment… and neither can I.

Gail and Jillian start things off. They lock up and Gail has Jillian by the arm but not for long – Jillian simply SHOVES Gail down with a hand to Gail’s face. Jillybean’s temper is flaring already! Picking her up via the hair, Jillian takes the moment to jaw at Bella Ref #1, before throwing Gail back down using her hair. She goes for the cover but only gets one. Disgust is all over the blonde’s face – she clearly should’ve gotten the win right there!

Picking her up once again using the hair (Bella Ref #1 repeatedly warning Jillian about abuse of hair), Jillian snaps Gail down to the mat and follows up with a stiff kick to the back. Whipping Gail off the ropes, Jillian is met with a kick to the head, followed up with a clothesline that sends both women to the mat. Jillian crawls over to Primo and tags out. According to mixed tag rules, Yoshi comes in automatically but not before Primo eyes Gail with a rather unpleasant grin. She rolls to the side as Yoshi comes in.

Read more

Raw Redux Does WWE Superstars (July 1st, 2010): Two Bellas, One Jillian

Last week, we were treated to Brie Bella vs “The Singing Sensation” Jillian. This week, perhaps seeking some revenge, Jillian faces off with Nikki Bella. Where one goes, the other follows. Will we see more twin hijinks, or will Miss Hall score a victory? Lets find out!

The Bellas are first out and we get our first hint of trouble: matching outfits and flowers in their hair on the same sides. The sky blue is a nice color but the ruffles on the legs… honestly ladies, switch up the design! You don’t have to have ruffles on everything you wear. Just a tip.

We get a recap of last week’s shenanigans before Jillian comes out in a nice purple ensemble. She looks all business tonight as she climbs into the ring. The poor dear looks fustrated! She then speaks words that drive a dagger into my heart: after last week, after what the Bellas did to her, she can’t even sing. Woe to her fans! Our weekly perk has been denied us thanks to that devious duo! However the twins clap as does the audience. Everyone’s a critic. Jillian removes her portable mic and the referee calls for the bell. Michael Cole gets one of his oh-so-witty jabs in, “Instead of Lady GaGa, they should call Jillian Lady Gag.” I hope he doesn’t write his own material. I choose to tune out the commentary and focus on the match.

Nikki and Jillian lock up, with Nikki forcing Jillian into a corner. The ref calls for them to break it up. Nikki backs away but the pop star rushes out, nailing Nikki with a strong right hand to knock her on the ground! Vicious move and the crowd signals it’s displeasure. Jilly follows up with a kick to the shoulder then grabs Nikki by her hair, jerking her back against her knee. Waiting until the last moment, Jillian finally releases the brunette, who’s grimacing in pain. Hall goes for a pin but only gets a two-count.

Read more

Raw Redux Does WWE Superstars (June 24th, 2010): Two-on-One

This week on WWE Superstars we have Jillian taking on the Bella Twins. Okay, so she’s really facing Brie Bella, but by now we know that when you face one Bella, it’s pretty much a 2-on-1 affair. Watch the match below:

Jillian comes to the ring all microphoned up and in keeping with the World Cup fever sweeping the world, she sings the “Olé Olé” tune until she’s interrupted by the entrance of the Bellas. With Brie in the ring and Nikki at ringside, the match begins. They start with a tie-up, Brie getting control and wrenching Jillian’s arm, but Jillian slams her to the mat. Brie regains control, twisting her arm behind her back, but Jillian quickly trips her up and causes her to hit face-first onto the mat. For good measure, I suppose, she slaps Brie on the butt. Good lord, I hope that doesn’t become some recurring thing. I can only dread what the WWE would do with a spanking gimmick.

Brie seems to take this as a personal insult, as she immediately leaps onto her and starts a bit of a tussle on the mat. After all the scrambling and hair-pulling, Jillian reverses an Irish whip into the corner. Brie braces herself against the corner, leaping and latching her legs around Jillian’s neck, but it’s telegraphed and Jillian pulls her free of the turnbuckle, letting her fall full-on onto the mat. Jillian then chokes her against the second rope, bashing her throat against it. After toying with her a bit, Jillian hits a snapmare and kicks her square in the back, attempt a pin that only garners a 2-count.

She grabs Brie by the arm and twists it back, wrenching her shoulder. When Brie starts to fight out, she simply slams her face onto the mat. Jillian hits her with a scoop slam and goes for her cartwheel splash, but is met in the midsection with Brie’s knees. This slows her down considerably, and allows Brie to go on the patented Diva babyface offensive tear (I’m sure it’s in the manual somewhere, with illustrations of dropkicks and clotheslines), hitting a series of dropkicks, a clothesline, and a bulldog. She goes for the pin, but Jillian kicks out at 2.

Read more

Raw Redux (June 7th, 2010): So Much Time, So Little Divas

Tonight’s Raw, being billed as a 3-hour, “viewer’s choice” show featuring wrestlers from both Raw and Smackdown, was destined to be a little cluttered, given how many elements were in the mix. Unfortunately, very little of that mixture consisted of Divas. In the whole span of three hours, the Divas (all 12 of them) took up about 4 minutes of time. That’s a “needle in a haystack” situation if I’ve ever seen one. But, there’s always hope that they make the most of the little time they were given. Did they? Let’s see..

The stipulation of the Divas match was, like the rest of the matches, determined the fans’ vote. The choices were either: a 6-on-6 Tag Team match, a battle royal, or a champion vs. champion match, which would pit Eve vs. Layla. The fans picked the battle royal, and I’m sure the WWE were glad for that (if the vote wasn’t rigged, which it probably was) because that means MORE DIVAS!!!~~~~~. Nothing can ever go wrong with fitting as many Divas as possible into a 4-minute slot, amiright?:

We start with the 64 12 Divas in the ring, and they all more or less pair off. A double-team by Brie and Nikki Bella sends Rosa Mendes flying out of the ring. Sucks for her, but it’s better than when she practically threw herself out of the ring in the last battle royal. Tiffany is eliminated next, falling from the top turnbuckle while pummeling Michelle McCool. Kelly Kelly gets knocked off the ring apron by Michelle while trading blows with Layla.

Gail Kim and Alicia Fox eliminate each other while tussling on top of the ropes, a modified hurricanrana taking out both the deliverer and the recipient. Michelle and Layla stop a Bella Twins attack on Maryse and eliminate the both of them with tandem dropkicks. Eve attacks Laycool, fighting valiantly and hitting some impressive spots before eliminating the both of them by shoving Layla into Michelle, causing them to slip through the middle rope.

Read more

Raw Redux (May 24th, 2010): Old Tricks and New Faces

After the underwhelming Divas Championship match at Over the Limit, I was hopeful that the following Raw would pick things back up and continue the Divas Championship feud down the more unique path we’ve been enjoying these past few weeks (exhibits , B, and C. Not so, folks, because it seems that we’re back in “piss break” territory. Of course, all could turn around next week, but a week’s stay in “piss break” territory still leaves you smelling of.. well, you know. Putting it in more eloquent terms, instead of continuing with the more unique ways of building this feud between Maryse and Eve Torres, the WWE decided to book them in a tag team match, effectively packing their feud together with the one between Alicia Fox and Gail Kim. That’s one 2-for-1 sale I’m not happy about. Watch the match below:

Gail and Alicia start things off. Gail goes for a tie-up but Alicia has a better idea, booting Gail in the stomach. She blasts her wit ha forearm before irish-whipping her into the corner. When she attacks, though, she gets a face full of elbow, setting Gail up to hit a top-rope hurricanrana (How long has it been since we’ve seen one of those??). Alicia flops around, sans equilibrium, finding a corner to lean against. Gail stays on the attack, hitting her hit-and-slip move. While on the apron, Maryse tries to sneak an attack, but Gail kicks her in the stomach. Gail stops another attack from Alicia, burying her shoulder into her midsection and vaulting over the ropes into a sunset flip pin attempt. However, she can’t even roll Alicia onto her shoulders, and Fox takes the momentum, holding onto the ropes. Maryse takes this opportunity to tag in, and as Gail rolls Alicia back into a pin, Maryse slips in and kicks Gail square in the back. This of course, breaks the non-pin.

Maryse lays another boot into Gail before going for a pin of her own. Gail kicks out at 2. She hoists her up into a backbreaker and toys around with her a bit before Gail kicks her away. Gail moves to tag in Eve, and Maryse tries to stop this, but Eve ducks out of the way of her haymaker, hitting a right hand of her own before finally getting tagged in. Eve goes on a string of offense (a clothesline here, and dropkick there, and a neckbreaker for good measure) before trying for the pin. Maryse kicks out at 2, but before she can pop up to her feet Eve kicks her back down, leaping over her and hitting a standing moonsault. She goes for the pin again, but Alicia break it up.

This brings in Gail, and with the referee distracted by her, Alicia boots Eve right in the face. This allows Maryse to set up the French Kiss, hit it, and get the pin.

Read more