Potential Future Of The Divas Division

[Jack-Hammer]

According to PWInsider.com, WWE has recently been conducting focus groups in which they're asking fans about the Divas. Allegedly, the focus group focus on asking fans what they thought of The Divas Division now, what they thought about it in days gone by, which Divas they liked today, which they liked back in the day, etc.

The report also states that fans were asked as to what role they'd prefer to see the Divas in: as wrestlers, dancers, managers, love interests, etc.

The report doesn't list what percentage of fans answered which specific questions, but it does state that the WWE knows the Divas Division of old is long gone. The report also suggests that fans didn't exactly have overwhelmingly positive things to say about the Divas Division as a whole. As a result, there's said to be some heavy talk about revamping the Divas Division in 2013.

At one time or another, there've been numerous threads complaining about the Divas Division and what should be done about it. With Triple H gaining more and more power in WWE, we've seen several neglected aspects of WWE getting more focus as of late, such as more emphasis on titles as a whole and more focus on the Tag Team Division. As a whole, I'd say the Divas hav consistently gotten the most criticism of any aspect of WWE over the course of the past decade.

So what would you ultimately like to see come about if the Divas Division is indeed revamped?

Personally, I'd just like to see it become an actual women's division rather than what it's been for much of the past 5 years especially: incredibly hot women playing at being wrestlers. I don't expect it to be the center of attention in WWE nor would I want it to be. But if they're going to have women wrestlers, then give Divas actual characters, storylines and matches that have some degree of relevance. Otherwise, I'd rather WWE get rid of all but the hottest and keep them around as valets or something.

 

[hatehabsforever]

If it were up to me, I'd scrap the WWE Divas Division altogether. The WWE Women's Championship is already defunct, and I think the Divas belt should follow in its footsteps. The simple fact of the matter is, there's absolutely nothing to suggest that any form of revamping is ever going to happen with respect to the divas. WWE has shown no inclination whatsoever to do anything to give it even a shred more of respectability. I'm not even sure the the talent is even there to be able to do it. And even if the desire to do so was there, and the talent magically appeared, I'm not even certain that the WWE Universe even has any interest in seeing it happen. It just seems to me to be such a huge undertaking to pull such a transformation off, and the reward for doing so is nowhere near the task it will take to make it happen.

I would get rid of about half of the current female roster, and I would use the remainder in predominantly non-wrestling capacities. Managers. Ring announcers. GM's. Eye candy. Girlfriends. Simply to take advantage of their looks, which is all the WWE Universe and the WWE brass seems to care about anyway. This does not mean a return to the days of Sable or Sunny, because we all know that isn't happening either. But we could still see hot women in roles such as the above, but with no specific division, no actual title, etc.,

For example, keep Vicki Guerrero as a GM or a heel manager. Maintain AJ as the crazy chick. Four or five other girls as managers, valets, whatever. And occasionally, they can get involved in the action, and even have the occasional match, on RAW or Smackdown or even on PPV. But the days of having Eve versus Kaitlyn, for example, for the Divas title on PPV, these days would be over. There's plenty of other opportunities to take a piss break during the show, and there's no reason to continue to waste time on a meaningless Divas Division.

 

[DJS92491]

Well, if the rumors are true like Maria is implying, then she'll more than likely be returning with a debuting Mike Bennett (I predict his WWE name will be Ben Michelangelo). She's a familiar, and a pretty face that seems to be 100% dedicated to wrestling now, and that's three things WWE loves.

Paige is going to be one of the hottest debuting stars since AJ and you could even say Lita, and she'll be a fan favorite upon entering.

And then, if WWE would like to, they could call up Sara Del Rey to fill the role that Beth Phoenix left as the dominant heel Diva that puts the Divas WWE wants to push over.

Other than that, the only other debuting Divas in developmental I see being called up anytime soon are Emma and Charlotte. Charlotte for obvious reasons (Wooooo!), and Emma since she's actually quite talented and attractive...pfft, who are we kidding! WWE will just focus on the fact that she's Australian.

In any event, I am in support of the Divas just being valets idea if Divas wrestling just isn't cutting it for everybody. Attractive Divas who can actually perform are quite rare, and they seem to be the only types of Divas WWE cares to push (see Eve's title reign, Kelly Kelly's entire career).

However, doing this could lead to a PR nightmare. The fact that women are in the ring performing could be the one thing that's keeping feminist and other groups fighting for politically correctness away from WWE. If WWE shows one glimpse of attempting to objectify women, the backlash could be disastrous.

There are positives and negatives for whether or not Divas should wrestle, or just be valets. Either way, women always have to be involved with WWE's product for today's media to continue to view WWE's product in a contently positive light.

 

[Piss Bucket]

Most of today's Divas can't wrestle anyway IMO, bring back Chyna (yeh I know, she does Porn, therefore it won't happen), Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, Ivory, Mickie James and Tara/Victoria, all of those women are actually attractive and know more wrestling moves than just being Ryback in drag (2 moves anyone?).

 

[Wrestlefan27]

It would be great if some women who can actually wrestle were brought in. Unfortunately, I have to say that I don't want that to be at the expense of their looks. I actually don't think the fact that the Divas came from modeling is a bad point. Trish came from modeling and she turned out quite nicely. As long as they have willingness to learn the craft and are athletic and coordinated, it doesn't matter what background they came from.

I hate to admit it, but attractiveness is the only thing that makes me care about the Divas. The writing behind their characters would have to become astronomically better to change that. The Knockouts attracted me to TNA when I first began watching in early 2008. The women were good looking and they could actually go in the ring as well as the men. It was quite impressive until Bischoff came in and it went to hell.

I'm looking for the best of both worlds. I like both the in ring action as well as the bikini/dance/bra and panties action.

 

[TheHorndogSays]

I may be in the minority but I'm AGAINST bringing back wrestling to the divas division. When they are struggling to get air time for good interesting performers like zack ryder, joe henning, and tyson kidd I can't justify giving extra air time to a divas match every week. I say use the divas as valets. If it helps with storylines then I have no problem with mixed tags or even the OCCASIONAL divas match between 2 divas who are paired with guys in a feud. It can help build interest in superstars. To those who disagree tell me you didn't start to want more Ted Dibiase appearances when he started appearing with Maryse? Look at the original diva herself, Sunny. She did HUGE wonders for the body donnas, LOD 2000, and other tag teams.

One of the biggest complaints I personally have with the divas division has been they are for the most part HORRIBLE on the mic so it becomes hard for them to develop any sort of meaningful feud. You have to have decent mic skills in some of the players involved in order to successfully develop long feuds.

 

[stonecoldstv86]

I would like to see them build back up the Divas Division. But right now the fact is that the Divas Division will not go back to what it use to be while the PG Era is going on.

Back during TV14 we have gimmick matches (Bra and Panties, Pillow Fights, gravy pool, paddle on the pole match...ect) that could cover up the Divas that weren't exactly that talented in the ring. You had ladies like Stacy Keibler, were VERY over with the fans but were far from a great wrestler in the ring. Plus stuff like Bikini contest that gave the Divas more screen time.

Also, they need to bring back out more merch that helped promote the Divas. Calenders, posters, yearly mag, DVD among other stuff. But seeing that right now the product is geared towards kids they are not going to put money into stuff that has ladies in Bikinis and their underwear. Also their whole deal with Playboy.

As for stuff they could do to up the match quality, they need Finly back working on the Division and maybe bring up Sara Del Rey, and maybe bring back Trish and/or Lita that could be on the road with the Divas and can teach them stuff. Also, give them more time then their usal 2-4min match that they been getting. Having that short of time, they try to cram so much into that short of time which they get more screw ups and makes the matches look aweful.

The focus groups being asked what role they would liked seeing the divas in, back when the Divas Division was big the Divas were in all those kinds of roles. They were in major stories, they were love interest, had matches that could top the mens matches, they were managers and had high profile matches at Mania.

I would really like to see the Divas Division to get back to what it use to be. But just right now it's too much of a mess and in the PG Era they are too held down.

 

[gk11973]

First off, let me just say that my first wrestling show that i watched regularly was GLOW. So I have a soft spot for women's wrestling. And no, my interest in them has nothing to do with sex, T&A, bra & panties or anything like that. (I've got Ziggler, Gabriel, Orton and a few others to fuel those fires) Unfortunately, I would hardly call what has gone on with the Diva's division of the last few years wrestling. Even when they have solid talent on the roster, the WWE has focussed on the lesser talented models and barely given any time or attention to storyline or character development. In the age of 3 hour Raw shows, there is now certainly time to be invested and I hope they take it. The vast majority of the WWE universe are not internet fans, they are basically sheep who buy and follow and invest in what the WWE tells them to. The real problem is that the WWE themselves has spent the last few years telling the the universe that the Divas are a waste of time, one only needs to look at Cole's commentary to see that. I hope they are finally committed to making the women a more important part of the show. As for talent, Natalya is certainly the best in ring talent they have and if they chose to capitalize on her heritage, I think she could be huge. Eve has come a long way in-ring, and knows how to talk and get her self some heat. AJ is over for other reasons, and if done correctly could easily carry that success over to an in-ring role. Tamina has some talent and a unique look but no charisma. Alicia Fox is in the same boat. Kaitlyn needs time to develop, and show some personality. Layla is decent in the ring, but cannot seem to connect with the audience. Aksana is a waste of space. Paige and Sara could both be very successful if pushed correctly, and there is always the hope that Kharma could make a return since her WWE career never really got off the ground. But none of it will matter if the women are not allowed to develop multi-dimensional characters who connect with the audience. The move away from the models has already begun, and things have improved, but they have a lot of work to do. My hope is that they really make the commitment to taking things even further.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

Speaking from my perspective, the division has never meant a thing to me. Would I be against it being reinvented, and or rebuilt? Absolutely not, despite the high chance that I will still fail to care to about in the slightest way possible.

In my opinion the Divas/Women's division has only served 3 purposes, to fill time/give the crowd a breather, to keep feminist organizations off of Vince's liver spots, and to possible dazzle some men with their looks. They are like the low card superstars, very few people care about them storyline wise, and when the go out there the ideal time for going to get a snack comes upon the average crowd attendee. That's not to say there isn't any room for improvement, but unless we are treated to matches/stories that were as good as Trish/Lita ultimately the interest in the division from a general fan perspective will remain stagnant.

What I would do with the women that are actually talented in some area that could benefit the company is simple keep them in backstage roles. Gals like AJ, Vickie, and Eve are talented enough in non-wrestling roles (spare AJ who has talented in both the ring and in non-wrestling roles) to keep around if by any chance they eventually call for the demise of the division. I say there is no point in revamping the division unless you're going to go VERY far with it. You could Natalya and Beth Pheonix go out there and wrestle a 15-minute clinic and I doubt a significant amount of people would care at all. The chances of it receiving the attention for this potential "revamp" going really far are slim, and unless that's what is going to happen I think WWE should spare themselves the effort. Leave the Divas as they are, filling time, and doing nothing for much of anybody, we do need our bathroom breaks do't we?

 

[info62]

I am a fan of women's wrestling. When WWE was doing the Mickie James vs Beth Phoenix vs Melina feud a few years ago it was one of the most interesting parts of RAW, but they only did it because Candice Michelle (who was getting a megapush) was injured.

I HATE that a lot of people say that the women wrestlers are only good for so-and-so. I also HATE that WWE has been so dead set on pushing the likes of Kelly Kelly, Maria, Ashley while they let Victoria, Beth, Katie Lea ETC fall on the backburner.

However I know that neither of these things will change and if WWE were to just kill the women's division once and for all, then hopefully the people with the capacity to put on entertaining matches/feuds will find themselves in a place where they are able to do that.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'd just like to see it become an actual women's division rather than what it's been for much of the past 5 years especially: incredibly hot women playing at being wrestlers.

That's reasonable, but it still requires a plan the company must adhere to. The problem is that WWE keeps changing what they want the diva division to be. In the old days, they installed Fabulous Moolah as their champion for many, many years and it had to do with her ability to wrestle; it sure as hell wasn't for her looks. Other gals followed suit and the division was one that featured actual mat action; some it quite good. After Vince Jr. took over, the meaning of what a diva was began to change, the notion being that fans would rather look at women in their underwear than show appreciation for their mat skills. If you feature gals like Torrie Wilson, Sable, Terri Runnels and Stacy Keiber, what else can you expect? They were horrible in the ring, but looked great and certainly gained a lot of attention for their efforts, didn't they? Anyone who says this was the golden era for divas wasn't overly worried about their technical skills in the ring.....which probably meant Vince McMahon was right, at least at the time.

Yes, sprinkled among the lingerie and evening dress matches were women who could really bring it as wrestlers, but folks like Molly Holly, Victoria, Ivory and Lita eventually left; they were either released or grew tired of being used more for how they looked in a nightgown than how they performed in a match. Fast-forward to now, we're left with a bunch of athletic models, who certainly wrestle better than Torrie or Stacy, yet aren't to be confused with Lou Thesz in the area of technical wrestling.

Lately, there are fewer divas, yet the company is letting them actually work in the ring for awhile, allowing the fans to appreciate (or not) the spectacle of women's wrestling. I enjoyed watching AJ fighting Layla and Tamina; there were stories being told rather than random matches thrown together with no purpose. It's a throwback to olden times, but will it last?

Personally, I like the track WWE is on today; let the gals be valets, cheerleaders, managers, etc.....but when you want them to wrestle, give 'em a chance to show their stuff in contests that last longer than 90 seconds. If they're involved in storylines outside the ring, let them have the same thing inside.

However, if indications are that fans don't care about watching divas wrestle at all......then call a halt to the pretense and find Rosa-like roles for the few you allow to stick around.

Do it, yes......or do it, no.........but pick a direction and stick with it.

 

[EastCoastFan]

Based on the report that WWE is once again having a 'casting call' for new Divas, I think they've decided to listen to the guys who think "I don't care as long as they're hot". These are probably the same people who think the solution for the Divas division is "Bring back bra & panties matches!" Not gonna happen in PG-WWE.

I like looking at a beautiful woman as much as the next guy, but if they can't wrestle, KEEP THEM OUT OF THE RING!! WWE believed that the way to find 'the next Trish' was to recreate the Trish Formula - find a hot model and train her how to wrestle. Thus, the Diva Searches began. Granted, the Diva Search gave us Lay-Cool, Maryse and Eve Torres, but is generally regarded as killing the women's division by emphasizing looks and charisma over ring skills.

Most of the women they hire through this method are more interested in using WWE as a springboard to a modeling or acting career (Stacy Keibler, Maria Kanellis, ...) than in being a good wrestler. They lack the desire to be great in the ring. Candice Michelle had the desire and worked hard to improve, but while her model figure was nice to look at, it couldn't take the bumps of being a wrestler and she kept winding up getting hurt.

As for what they should do with the division, they should put an end to the AJ-Cena storyline and get her in the ring. She's a good wrestler and shouldn't be wasted in a non-wrestling. She and Eve Torres should be fighting over the title, not over who's going to be the boss.

 

[Dyscord]

The thing is the WWE seemed to be trying to find the next Trish Stratus...that is, a woman who was hired for her looks and then improved tremendously in the ring. But at the same time, they ignored women who actually have talent. What sense does it make to have the likes of Beth Phoenix and Natalya have awesome matches on your C show, while you trumpet the Bellas and Kelly Kelly on your A show? No wonder fans don't care much about the division.

I think the best time was during the "Ruthless Agression" era. Trish and Lita were still around and while the division wasn't perfect it was at least entertaining. Then WWE decided that people cared more about looks than talent and started to push things like the Diva Search.

 

[#tamale]

The thing is the WWE seemed to be trying to find the next Trish Stratus...that is, a woman who was hired for her looks and then improved tremendously in the ring. But at the same time, they ignored women who actually have talent. What sense does it make to have the likes of Beth Phoenix and Natalya have awesome matches on your C show, while you trumpet the Bellas and Kelly Kelly on your A show? No wonder fans don't care much about the division.

I think the best time was during the "Ruthless Agression" era. Trish and Lita were still around and while the division wasn't perfect it was at least entertaining. Then WWE decided that people cared more about looks than talent and started to push things like the Diva Search.

Because the Bellas and Kelly Kelly were over and Beth and Natalya were not.

Seriously, you don't need a 5 star work rate. Just be a colorful character. Have a gimmick. Actually, I like where the Divas division is at right now. You have the top babyface (AJ Lee) and a good heel (Eve). Bring up Paige, Emma, and maybe Audrey Marie with interesting storylines and characters, and maybe the division will start shaping up a bit more.

 

[jarulara]

They should bring in a girl maybe managed by a top contender wrestler with decent mic skills or just paul heyman whatever. Anyways bring her in like the next big thing. She will trash chyna and sable and trish and other women in her past for being maybe too sexual and not truly strong enough. Maybe she's just a bad ass fighter who's going to take down these pillow princesses. I would say push her like that, have her cut off peoples promos and even some of the boys scared of her. I mean why not.

 

[M]

They've either got to completely re-vamp the whole diva's division or get rid of it completely.
If they're serious about this "division" then they seriously need to give the girls some lessons in public speaking - they ALL suck on the mic (that's probably why they don't get mic time anyways) - vickie's not really a "diva" so i'm taking her out of that generalization, but she's at best an average speaker with a screechy voice providing a reason for the fans to hate her.

I want to know how much training the divas actually go through before they get an opportunity on TV because most of the matches are completely unwatchable piles of filth with a lot of screaming and pulled hair, it's almost as if all the divas were brought into a room and taught a basic set of moves before the trainer gave up and handed them to vince. They need to work on improving the division's ability to wrestle before I stop fast forwarding their matches.

If they truly want to make us care about them though, they need to be given more than just one random match nobody gives a shit about involving people nobody gives a shit about because they have personalities nobody gives a shit about, "i'm hot" doesn't differentiate yourself from the 12 other people saying "I'm sexy."

What they need:
- Better mic work
- Better wrestling
- PERSONALITY

None of them are that sexy anyway, I would'nt go near any of them... maybe AJ but she's a 56/72 at best

 

[XXJJ]

They probably should get rid of the diva's division. You can still use them in storylines.

Beth and Kharma left and they dont look like they are going to call up Sara Del Rey. Womans wrestling isn't a draw and they dont seem willing to push the legit female wrestlers, so they might as well just be done with it.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

What would I like, or what's realistic? I firmly belive the womens division can hold very strong entertainment value. I'm not gonna imply anyone not named "trish stratus in 2005 / 2006" could be an actual "draw" but neither is tyson kidd. What they COULD be, is perfectly acceptable mid card entertainment / spot fests. Don't believe me? I invite you to go see the series of matches Madusa had with bull nakano, akira hokito, and luna vachon in late 96/majority of 97 in WCW. Legitmately rockin and rollin. Easily on par with most of the mid-card entertainment wise, and BETTER than what much of WWE's current mid card gives us. It can be that, if the right workers are hired, and they are allowed to fully go all out.

Realistically though, the best we can hope for from the WWE ilk is for them to be managers, and not waste more than one segment per show.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

They need to pick a direction and go with it.

A lot of people complain that only girls with model looks get hired. I'm not opposed to them hiring models and then training them to be passable wrestlers. It worked with Eve. She may not be the best female wrestler in the world but she can hold her own. When they do that though they need to seriously train them and keep them off TV until they are ready. Look at Alicia Fox. Johnny Ace saw her in a clothing catalog and pushed for her hire. That is fine if you properly train them, but she is awful. Her timing is everywhere and she hurts people.

Then you have those like Beth Phoenix. She was good and had a solid range of moves, but she couldn't connect with the crowd.

That has been a big issue. They can't find the balance, and I believe some of it may be a lack of screen time and character development for the girls. AJ is over right now because she plays a character. Eve gets a response because she was in a high profile storyline and plays a character. For a time when Kaitlyn was on TV more often than not, she was over. They can't just make one girl champ then have random girls come out to face her each night. They need to be consistent.

Honestly if we want the Diva division to be better we are all going to have to tolerate some shit matches and segments while they sort out who is worth pushing and who is better served for managerial duties. We all have to take a bite of the shit sandwich before it gets better.