Should the Divas...

[SacredMesa]

Take more bumps from the men? I know some most likely stopped reading at that statement but hear me out.

The last time I remember the Diva division really being entertaining was when Trish and Lita where lighting it up. Now I'm not sure how everyone else came to love Trish and Lita but I remember when I really started looking at them as more than just something pretty to look at. For Trish it was when she took a power bomb from Bubba Dudley through a table. When I saw that my first response wasn't "damn dudleys" it was "holy shit Trish is tough of nails." With Lita she got my attention when she was doing all the same stuff with Essa Reos but really got my attention during the TLC fueds which saw her take some rather rough bumps from E&C and the Dudleys as well.

For me this really sold both Divas as not only being tough but also created a sense that they could do anything the men could do. There was also the bonus for the men as beating up a woman was a rather effective means of getting tons of heat, see Christian and Jericho with Stacey when she was with Test, and then later when they both worked with Lita and Trish.

So I say all this to ask a really simple question. Do they think the WWE should start having the women involved with the men more to the point of taking bumps from them, and more than just the lame Big Show runs over AJ stuff. It doesn't have to be to the extent of being put through tables but I could see Daniel Bryan putting AJ int he Labell Lock when he loses his final rematch against Sheamus sometime down the road blamming her for his losses. There are other examples but that was just the first one to come to mind.

 

[D-Blaze]

I don't see why women like Kharma, Beth and Natalya don't get more of a chance to get into the ring with men. Beth has wrestled males in the past, Kharma could obviously hold her own with most of the roster and Natalya is about the same size as Beth and could realistically do the same things she could, perhaps better.

Unfortunately, male on female violence is still frowned upon in society, even in rare situations where the women are presented as equals. Do I think any diva could step into the ring with a male superstar? Theoretically, they could book Kelly to go clean over Cena if they truly wanted to, but as far as believability goes, I'd stick with the three I listed, if we're talking WWE. (My GF actually said back in the fall that Beth and Nattie should get the WWE Tag Titles... I mean why not? Not like they're doing anything with them at the moment. lol)

I'd like to see it. I'd prefer a WWE where your in-ring ability isn't defined by your gender. I just don't realistically see it happening anytime soon, which is a shame.

 

[Merkin353]

If you were Primo & Epico would you want to dropkick Natalya in the face? Yeah I didn't think so... There is no way shape or form I could watch this today... Back in the attitude era it was one thing. Now it would takes years of building the divas division as something to watch & only then would it be given the green light

 

[Nick Black]

It's a reasonable idea. But again, it seems like it will never happen. Sure, maybe a diva could help out a male wrestler by cheapshotting, but other than that, no females will take actual bumps or match up against men. (With the exception of Kharma).

 

[Shotaro]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: there are times when a woman taking a bump adds to the story, look at Bryan/AJ and the Big Show. Did she take the knock out punch? No. Did she get knocked to the mat by a male wrestler for the purposes of a storyline? Of course. The important thing is not that the women can go toe-to-toe with the men. (they can, we have seen three Divas in the rumble match) It's about picking the time, place and story behind it. I could see someone like K2 being abducted by Kane and Kharma stepping up to help her (assuming Kharma comes back as a face of course). It's all about the context.

 

[neildittmar]

While I don't flat out disagree with the female wrestlers taking bumps from the male wrestlers in general, there are way too many reasons why it won't happen today.

I understand where the OP is coming from as Chyna, let alone Trish and Lita, benefited dramatically from physical altercations with the male members of the roster. I mean, Chyna held the IC title for crying out loud. The fact that she could go one-on-one with the men and they weren't really "taking it easy" on her solidified the "suspension of disbelief" factor for any doubters. Chyna deserved to be there, she deserved to be in the Royal Rumble and she deserved to hold the title.

Problem is, I doubt much value will be placed on competition in the "fake" sport of professional wrestling, particularly in this day and age. No matter how successful Kharma is at showing she has got the fortitude and skills to hang with the male roster, and no matter how powerful Beth Phoenix may be, any major bumps from the men will be construed as "abusing women" by a media and general public who wouldn't give 2 cents worth of value to the WWE or wrestling in general.

On the other hand, Advertisers would and do give money to be on WWE programming and sponsor PPVs. I'm sure if the company got a reputation for "abusing women" on their shows, they'd cut those ties in short order. No company wants to be stigmatized in that way and unfortunately, negative public perception based on misunderstandings vented via Facebook and Twitter is what currently dictates policy a lot of the time. I'm not saying I agree with it, but it's true in an overwhelming number of cases.

In short, companies have been harmed financially for much less than a woman taking a bump on a pro-wrestling show. The WWE doesn't want to lose money. This is essentially why you'll never see "attitude era" style competition or physical altercations between men and women on the WWE roster.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's understandable that the company would want to make divas relevant in WWE, but I can't see that women taking a lot of bumps from men would be the way to make it happen. If they did it too much, it would lose it's shock value, while placing the gals at risk. Face it, we aren't built like you guys and can't take the same pounding. I remember Bubba Ray Dudley doing that power bomb on Trish Stratus and having it look pretty effective because he took most of the entire impact himself, protecting her to the max even as it looked like he was hurting her. That was great, but for how long would it really be entertaining? More importantly, how long would it be before one of the divas got hurt badly?

As for competing in matches.....forget it. Chyna was the prototype for this kind of contest, and honestly, I thought a more mobile woman would have looked better doing it than she. Surprisingly, Chyna was slower than most of the men she mixed it up with, and it was plain as day they were taking pains to not injure her while they put over her offense. If I wanted to see this type of match (and I don't) I think Beth Phoenix would look better than Chyna ever did; she can move around more fluidly and make it look more realistic.

In all, I don't think women taking bumps from the men is the best way to use divas. To make the girls matter again, there should be more programs with the men, as currently being played by A.J. and Rosa Mendes. WWE has had some terrific interactions in the past with Randy Savage and Elizabeth, Goldust and Marlena (Terri Runnels), and Edge with Lita.

Let the gals be actresses who occasionally get physically involved in the action. That's sooner the ticket than having them beat up by the guys.

 

[Pedigree1]

I am surprised no one has brought this up!! They cant do it simply because it wouldnt be politically correct IMO to do anymore!! With the whole WWE Promoting Be A Star and going against bullies if the divas took more bumps from men wouldn't that send a bad message?

While i am not against the idea of the divas taking bumps from men sometimes it serves as a purpose i just dont see it happening!! You have Beth Phoenix against the barbie doll image and she is her own person which i highly respect. I just dont think it could happen anymore were way out of the attitude era and it would send a wrong message IMO

 

[IHW]

I am surprised no one has brought this up!! They cant do it simply because it wouldnt be politically correct IMO to do anymore!! With the whole WWE Promoting Be A Star and going against bullies if the divas took more bumps from men wouldn't that send a bad message?

Everything thing in WWE sends a bad message these days. Everything they have done with Rock/Cena, Ryder/Eve, Kane/Orton, and so on have been against everything Be A Star stands for.

Divas taking more bumps from men would be no different. But, it has been down before and did nothing.
Did Maria vs. Umaga a while back give the Diva's division a bump up in the world of Pro Wrestling? No.
It would change nothing.

 

[EastCoastFan]

One of the biggest reasons they don't take more bumps is because the management won't let them. Michelle McCool and Melina had a pretty intense match years ago (I think it was falls-count-anywhere or some other kind of specialty match) and when they got to the back, they were told "Don't ever do anything like that again!"

Today, they're constantly told to be "more girly". They would rather have the girls act like Torrie Wilson than Lita. As long as management considers them eye-candy first and athletes a distant second, there's no hope for the Divas division.

 

[thegreatone]

The last time I remember the Diva division really being entertaining was when Trish and Lita where lighting it up.

Those days are long gone in my view, sure WWE has got some talent with Beth, Natalya and Kharma but in my mind that's all they have, the rest are there to look good on the 5 or so minutes of tv that they get.

And its not as if the names I have mentioned can go out and put on the match I just think there is not any real interest in the Woman's scene in upper management in the WWE.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Take more bumps from the men? I know some most likely stopped reading at that statement but hear me out.

The last time I remember the Diva division really being entertaining was when Trish and Lita where lighting it up. Now I'm not sure how everyone else came to love Trish and Lita but I remember when I really started looking at them as more than just something pretty to look at.

Ironically though when Trish and Lita were the focus of the diva's division during 2002 to 2004, I felt it was really not that entertaining because the diva matches took very little bumps hence making the matches look less competitive.

Hate on the current Diva's you may but one thing I can give credit to them now, compared to before, is that their matches are a lot more physical. Even in NXT when Naomi and AJ had a match it looked really good and competitive.

 

[studly_113]

As someone said it would be politically incorrect to have the Divas take bumps from the Superstars. Personally I dont think it would send the wrong message, but to each their own. WWE only cares about the Diva's Sex Appeal IMO, so I dont see them taking bumps anytime soon.

 

[Beastmode 24]

Nah man, the Diva's division is in shambles enough as it is, the last thing they need is to have AJ get chokeslammed by kane or something, plus, it would send the wrong message to kids like "hey its cool to put your hands on women"