I admit, I am a pro wrestling fan. It is a business like no other on this earth (it is fake, but the injuries are real). It has drama, violence, romance, comedy, revenge, and the list goes on. There are two major pro-wrestling companies that air shows on tv. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is owned by Vince McMahon and his family. They are the biggest wrestling company around. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) is owned by Panda Energy International. Admittedly, I'm not as into TNA as I am WWE.
There is only one reason I started watching wrestling: Stephanie McMahon. Somewhere around 2000-2001, when Smackdown aired on UPN, there was a promo about Steph turning against her father, Vince McMahon, by marrying this wrestler, HHH. I watched one episode: it was amazing. I was hooked. Here was this young, smart, beautiful, evil woman running her fathers' company. And she did it while looking hot and fierce, with that gorgeous man (HHH) on her arm. So I tuned in for the next few years, just to see Stephanie McMahon and her shenanigans.
Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley
There were other wrestlers that made me tune in also: Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, HHH, Lita, Hardy Boyz, Trish Stratus, Chris Jericho, and a few others. Those were good wrestling days.
As entertaining as the male wrestlers are, I love to see the ladies wrestle even more. Let's be honest here, everyone loves to see women mix it up. But when you have hot, fit women do it, it takes wrestling to a whole other level. Especially when they know what they are doing in the ring. But these days, it seems like no one cares about women wrestling. The ladies matches are often referred to as a "bathroom break". The matches generally last less than five minutes. I know being a wrestler isn't easy, but some of the women on the WWE roster and the TNA roster have no business being in a ring. Some need to take on the role of valet or manager and cheat for their men. Let the real female wrestlers be in the ring. So let's talk about how to fix the WWE's Diva division.
Here are a few terms you may need to know about wrestling:
Face: a good guy/girl
Heel: a bad guy/girl
Diva Search: WWE contest to find women to put on their roster
Diva: the name WWE has for its female division
Knockouts: the name TNA has for its female division.
A few years back, starting around 2000 (also known as the Attitude Era), WWE brought in some serious female wrestlers. They already had a few, like Chyna, Jacqueline, Tori, and Ivory. Then they brought in Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, and later Jazz and Victoria. I'm sure I'm leaving a few out, but these women stick out in my mind because they were pure wrestlers. These women could go in the ring, even better than some of their male counterparts.
My two favorite wrestlers of all time are Trish and Lita. They had a rivalry that lasted for years (the likes of which we may never see again in ladies wrestling). They put on the best matches. Lita was a high flyer. She always had the arenas attention when she was in the ring. She had great comedic timing as a heel. Trish was a killer when it came to doing promos, the girl had mad mic skills. While Trish was good when she was a face, she shined when she was a heel. They were both incredible actresses. While I loved their rivalry with one another, I absolutely wholeheartedly loved them even more when they were involved with their men. Lita and Matt Hardy were so sweet when they got together. Lita and Edge were just pure wicked fun. Trish being Vince's mistress was entertaining, while her relationship with Chris Jericho was pure gold (it made me wish they were a couple in real life!).
Trish Stratus
Lita and Trish
Lita
Anyhow, my point is, these women were wrestlers. Those divas participated in street fights, hardcore matches, and even a steel cage match. I don't see any of WWE's current roster of divas (excepting Nattie and Tamina) participating in those matches today. Due to the Diva Search a few years back, the WWE hired women who had no previous wrestling experience, at all. The company hired models who they trained to wrestle, and not wrestle well at that. These girls were constantly getting hurt (they were thin, like lingerie model thin, they didn't have the padding to fight off the injuries) and messing up in the ring. A few improved, but none have been as great as the Attitude Era Divas. Granted, Trish started out as a fitness model, but later she learned to wrestle. And she had been a wrestling fan. Many consider her to be the quintessential Diva.
These days, the Divas seem to lack the toughness and personality that their predecessors had. They even wear ring gear that resembles each other. It could just be a sign of the times. Maybe it's because the Divas have their own division and don't participate with the men so much anymore (some of Lita's and Trish's biggest story lines involved men). Maybe its the PG rating WWE now has, instead of the TV-MA rating they had during the Attitude Era. Maybe the company doesn't want the ladies to outshine the men and they limit their actions in the ring (that's the rumor going around). But something needs to be done about it. So that's one of the reasons I have this blog: to talk about the Diva division.
So yay! I made it through my first posting, technically my second. Wish me luck (I just may need it to see this through)!
Thanks for tuning in to Rainee's P.O.V.
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