Time for Me to Eat a Lot of Crow...

I have stated my dislike of the Bella twins before on this blog. I don't think they are the division needs, they aren't the best wrestlers, they are a waste of valuable t.v. time.

Now, I must eat those words (but just a little bit). Teaming the Bellas with Team Rhodes Scholars was a bit of genius. It brought the Bellas back as heels, ended Kaitlyn's "thing" for Cody, has helped Cody and Sandow get more heat with the crowd (if possible), showcased Naomi's and Cameron's (The Funkadactyls) various skills, and placed them against the only other women BFF's on the roster (who get along).  We have seen a weak beatdown, a pretty good ringside catfight, and a great match, all due to the Bellas. All of this has helped the women's division.

How has this helped the division? Simple. They put on a heck of a match against Naomi and Cameron on WWE Main Event. Which leads me to believe the company really is trying to improve the division. Those four women delivered the most entertaining and unbelievable match (single or  tag team) that the t.v. audience has seen in quite a while.

It seems Nikki and Brie seem to have picked up a few skills in their time away from the company. I was really surprised by their speed. Makes me wonder if they had all this talent in their back pockets before and maybe WWE brass told them to scale it back in their matches. While Cameron still needs to improve her timing and increase the moves in her arsenal, she's a bit of a firebrand when wrestling. I would love to see more of her mic skills, she's just feisty. Naomi, whom I can't say enough good things about, needs to be a contender for the title. The girl can fly.

All of this has led to Team Funk vs. Team Rhodes Scholars in a mixed match on the grandest stage of all...WRESTLEMANIA!!!!!!!!!

So I eat my less than positive words about the Bellas and must now extend a gratuitous thank you to them. They have done the division a great deed of good in a very short period of time. So thank you ladies! I'll see you at Wrestlemania!!!!!!!!!

Layla, the British Beauty...

 

Layla 

There are so many great things about Layla. She's British for starters: they have incredibly talented wrestlers "across the pond". She won the Diva Search, learned how to wrestle and became a champion. She has gotten really good at taking an opponent down to the mat. She was the most underrated champ in modern times. I do not think she was used properly during her most recent title reign. 

Many of you, or at least the one person who reads this blog (myself), may argue with what I'm about to say: Layla is a Trish Stratus. Layla (unlike Trish) had no previous knowledge of wrestling. She worked hard, trained hard, did stupid/borderline humiliating gimmicks, and eventually became a champion, just like Trish. Neither lady was shy about showing her skin either. The difference is, Trish had better and more opportunities to succeed than Layla:  Attitude Era (Trish) vs. the PG Era (Layla). The Attitude Era had divas flashing their parts everywhere at anytime. Trish was at the forefront of that movement. The company nixed those ideas in the PG Era while Linda Mcmahon ran for public office. 

If WWE were not PG, who would be their reigning diva? I think it would be Layla. She's gorgeous, talented, great mic skills, the crowd loves her. In a previous life, she was a dancer. She is incredibly athletic and she always entertains. But she needs to be used more.

Layla El & Michelle McCool

Honestly, her best work has been as a heel in Lay-Cool. She could sell a bump and take a hit, while Michelle didn't take nearly as many hits and bumps as Layla. Michelle was the mouthy leader to Layla lapdog act. The way they mixed it up with all the divas was a blast. They were the stupid, funny, mean girls. I was a little sad to  see them break up.

Layla needs to have her own stable of wrestlers, male and female, with her being their leader, if she's not going to be Diva's champ anytime soon. The role could work for her: she is the diva who's been with the company the longest and she's also the oldest, if I'm not mistaken. She could impart her "knowledge" to a younger stable of wrestlers. She can be heel or face, but she's much better as a heel. I would love to see her and Aksana in a feud, it would be entertaining and funny, if done right.

 

Layla, Diva Search Winner

When she first came on the scene during the Diva Search, she had curly dark hair. Her look set her apart from the other divas. It was a glamorous yet earthy ethnic look. 

While I love her new hairstyle (the longer blonder locks definitely work for her), she looks like any other diva. Now she just blends in, style wise.

Layla's wrestling gear is fairly generic and standard. She wears the typical WWE bra-like top with short shorts. She needs different ring gear that suits her personality.

(On a personal note, I would love to see Layla and Cena as a couple, that would be cute. I'm a romantic sort of girl and visually, I like how they look together).

Really WWE..Really?

I have a bone to pick with WWE. So the word on the block is, WWE is looking to beef up their women's division. In other words, they are hiring divas. So instead of bringing back talent who can truly beef up the division, they bring back...the Bella twins. Not Beth Phoenix. Not Karma. Not Lita. Not Trish. Not Eve even. Not a NXT diva. Not anyone from their developmental territory. They bring back Brie and Nikki Bella. Why?! They are mediocre at best. They don't really sell that well. And they don't have many moves. Their only gimmick is being mean hot twins who cheat to win a match.



And to top it all off, how are they re-introduced to the WWE universe? As dates for Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Not in a match or physical altercation to assert their dominance, as many a diva has been introduced to the television audience. But as dates. And immediately, they start in on Kaitlyn, who has a thing for Cody, which is a storyline I was kinda looking forward to, so I hope the Bellas return doesn't sidetrack it. (Update: As I am blogging this, Kaitlyn has told off Cody and the Bellas, saying she is done with his mustache, and theirs. So it looks like no more Kaitlyn/Cody romance).

 

That attack on Cameron and Naomi on Smackdown made the Bellas look weak and silly. I know I'm not the only one who believes that the Funkadactyls would take that and not defend themselves, as they were portrayed to have been seriously "beaten up" by the twins. The Funkadactyls sold receiving the beating better than the Bellas dishing it out.

The IWC believes the Bellas were rehired because they are dating John Cena and Daniel Bryan. I don't know if it's true or not, but it's funny because it just may be true!

Seriously, to improve the division, bring up some NXT girls and some of those ladies in their developmental territory.




I admit , Brie and Nikki are ridiculously gorgeous and hot. They could rule the division, if they were better in the ring.  Keep them as a team, but DO NOT put the title on either lady. They are o.k. on the mic. I just think they sound a little slurred in order to sound sexy. It doesn't work, for me.

When they first showed up in WWE, I wasn't their biggest fan. I didn't like the way they wrestled. I didn't care for their look. That whole mess when they turned on each other was just a waste of tv time. I hope they have learned and trained in their time away from the company.

The key to making them a success, IMO, is to make one twin smart and calculative and the other twin the brawn and muscle. And to be better wrestlers. So Bellas, I'm rooting for you! Show us what you're really made of, because what we're seeing cannot be the best of what you are capable of.

Cameron!

Cameron

Cameron is a former Tough Enough contestant. Tough Enough is the WWE's reality show competition, where the company searches for new wrestling talent. It's a little funny because she was the first contestant eliminated, but the only one who made it to the main roster. 

What WWE is doing with her right now is just perfect for her. Let her keep dancing for Brodus, as one-half of his Funkadactyls. She's really great at it. However, she still needs in-ring training. She can sell pretty well and her timing isn't that bad. 



She is fairly athletic, as seen with her dancing. Her mic work is fantastic from what little we've seen of it. She actually has a character (unlike most divas): she's a mean, feisty, loyal sidekick. I hope they keep that aspect of her for a bit, and I would like to see her stay with Brodus for a while. I think he and the Funkdactyls are a fun little group for WWE. Like Too Cool and Rikishi back in the day. With what little time they are given, they entertain with flair.

 

Eventually, I'd like to see her feud with AJ, because they are both small and with time could put on some great matches. Might I add, she was  a contestant on WWE's reality show Tough Enough. It's a little funny because she was the first contestant eliminated, but the only one who made it to the main roster. 


Just a side note, outside of Tough Enough, this woman has no wrestling background whatsoever. She has degrees in marketing and psychology. I mention this because she wrestles better than most other past divas who walked into this business with no prior knowledge of wrestling. 



Her attire is fine. She's a dancing cheerleader. Should she ever move from that character, she'd need new duds. But the whole glitter, boots, and pom pom thing works for now. Again, with time and training, she could prove to be an excellent addition to divas division.