The Divas Need Gimmick Matches

[Mac Attack]

Triple H has said that he wants to revamp the divas division and push the idea that have actual importance in wrestling. I couldn't agree more. I think the divas division is one of the most underrated divisions in WWE and it needs to look important again which is why if some of you have read my total divas thread I'm so ecstatic about the upcoming show. However one television show is not enough to make the divas interesting. Neither is a feud between AJ and Kaityln. No the divas division needs an extra push and for that push to come I fully believe the divas need gimmick matches.

Now the last time we had an actual divas gimmick match that didn't involve Vickie or a hog pen was a match between Laycool and Natalya and Beth Pheonix in 2010 at WWE:TLC. It was a quality match that showcased the divas division. Now whilst one could argue the reason it was so good was because of those in it I still believe the current roster has wrestlers who cool make the gimmick matches look good. Also one must realize that a gimmick match does not necessarily mean weapons but it can also range from Falls Count Anywhere, submissions, Last Diva Standing etc. I am under the full belief that if executed correctly these gimmicks could turn the divas division from piss break to need to watch.

Now let me be clear I'm not saying do gimmick matches randomly do them when they make sense. For example if AJ and Kaityln were to have a submission match soon it would make sense. If Kaityln wanted to she could even offer a loser leaves the WWE, (wouldn't happen but would make sense.) I'd down the line someone like Natalya wants the title why not have her put another diva through a table and set up a tables match? Sure it's more risky cause the divas can be considered smaller but if done properly I say there's no reason not to. Making something slightly new and changing its foundation can only elevate an overall product. There are several athletic and well trained divas In the WWE, having a diva money in the bank match could actually be very interesting. If you throw in a healthy mix of veterans like the Bella Twins, Natalya, with a few up and comers, like kaitlyn and AJ, and then add someone like Tamina you could realistically have a quality ladder match which people would pay to see because it's different.

I feel this is one scenario in which the WWE needs to follow TNA and just let it happen. With the right workers used correctly this elevates the divas division to somewhere where its never been before. This idea emphasizes the fact that the divas are quality performers too and can actually go in a ring. Plus lets look it from a viewing standpoint. What 15-40 year old wouldn't turn on RAW to see divas beat the crap out of each other whilst looking sexy. I'm not saying make it the Attitude Era I'm simply saying allow the divas to do what the men are allowed to do and make them more interesting.

WWE has an amazing bunch of divas in NXT. My hope is when they are called up they have the full ability to shine and feel important like they were on NXT. Gimmick matches in the divas division could do that.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I think it just comes down to revamping the division by creating better characters with better storylines and start hiring women wrestlers instead of women who later become wrestlers. There's nothing wrong with Diva's but no one wants to see a wrestler who can't wrestle and put together a decent match. There are so many other ways you can use a Diva outside a match, hell watching CMLL (maybe AAA) you would be looking at chicks literally the ENTIRE time, when there's a slow spot on a match camera pans and...."here's a hot chick to stare at for a bit", fucking brilliant. If you are gonna just hire hot chicks for the sake of hot chicks do something with them besides put them in a ring.

For an actual Diva's division however they need to find talent that can work a match and a program. Now they have some that can but they aren't really used well, I'm sure AJ vs. Natalya program could be very good for example but get some more solid women on Raw to wrestle like Sara Del Ray (I thought she signed with WWE. Am I wrong on this?) if you are serious about a real Diva's division. Gimmick matches can definitely play apart depending on the characters, feud, ect. Given the right diva's I could be up for watching a Diva's ladder match or Diva's in a cage, as long as they have a reason for it I'm all for it.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

A gimmick match now and again is fine but it's not something that I see coming for quite a while yet.

When you look at how women are used in NXT compared to how they've been used on the main roster, in general, for many years; it's worlds apart. Down in NXT, Triple H has the final say so on what goes down the way Vince does on the main roster. As someone that's spent most of his adult life wrestling, who knows that it's like to go up & down the roads when you're dog tired, to work hard and to go through the wear & tear of the business; Triple H has a perspective that Vince simply can't have. That doesn't mean that Vince doesn't know about all that but there's a difference between knowing about it and going through it yourself.

Even on the main roster for the past few months, there have been improvements in the Diva Division. AJ & Kaitlyn have had a pretty good feud that's resulted in good matches and a coherent storyline. Now that's supposed to be common place and it is in WWE...for men but it's a rarity for women. Diva matches in general have also been longer and there do seem to be attempts in using the Total Diva show as part of possibly building angles among the Divas. There's a LOT of work to do, but at least it's work that's been started.

What the Diva Division needs, in my opinion, is long term stability before gimmick matches. There needs to be a solid grouping of women on the roster that have good character development, that are involved in actual feuds & storylines rather than randomly put together matches and said matches can't be designed to fill up 2 minutes of air time.

 

[Blade]

Like Jack-Hammer said, the divas division needs to have some kind of credibility outside of AJ and Kaitlyn before it's important enough to have gimmick matches. Natalya needs to be features more often, as well as whichever divas can actually wrestle a half-decent match. It's the one area where WWE could really learn from TNA.

With that said, AJ and Kaitlyn are two good divas that a reinvigorated divas division could be built around. Let Summer Rae wrestle a bit, she's pretty good. Emma and Bayley are really promising talents that could really help out the main roster's diva division. And, when they feel Paige is mature enough, have her come to the main roster and dominate.

Once the divas division looks genuinely competitive with consistently decent matches, throw in the gimmick matches to take it to the next level. Gimmick matches are used to blow off big feuds. As much as I'd like to see AJ vs. Kaitlyn in a ladder or tables match, the division isn't important enough to warrant such matches. Hopefully that'll be fixed in the next year or two, though, cause the more talented divas, both on the main roster and in NXT, deserve better.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Gimmick matches is looking at Diva talent the wrong way, unless youre talking about Bra and Panties.

With Divas, sex appeals. Guys want to see skin and as much of it as possible, and thats what they're going to look for with the Divas. The more skin they wind up showing the more popular the divas will be getting.

As far as their talent goes tho: there has to be more drama involved with their feuds such as Kaitlyn and Aj having that little screw around over the fake secret admirer. This will get people pumped as it sends adrenaline rushes through their veins over hot on hot diva action.

 

[MCMG]

As long as they use it in moderation just like gimmick matches in general. TNA do a good job of mixing up the matches in their Knockout's division. The last divas standing match a few months ago was very good. Instead of having AJ v Kaitlyin in a regular match they could easily have had a Last women standing match.

If they are going to have a Divas match on ppv that they may as well make it entertaining and if a gimmick match helps that, than I am all for it.

 

[The Butcher]

I wouldn't mind it provided the talent is there, but the main issue is that women's wrestling isn't a draw. Like Super Awesome said, most guys who attend wrestling events want the women for aesthetic purposes, not athletic ones. Even during the last decade's heyday of quality female wrestling, when they had a gimmick match it was usually of the Bra and Panties match variety. It may be chauvinistic, but WWE only puts stuff out there that will sell. Besides, gimmick matches aren't going to get the Divas over. Personality, look, and ability will do that. For the ladies that have those tools, they don't need any special stipulations in their bouts. For those that don't, no amount of gimmickry will help.

 

[joeg]

I don't think so. First the crowds have to actually show interest before WWE can even think about it. Heck you don't even see the crowds into most of the guys anymore. I remember when RAW once kicked off with Jeff Hardy vs. Carlito in a random ladder match which was probably just for the IC title, now you don't get that anymore unless it was for main eventers on PPV.

 

[Klown_Karnage]

I like the idea of having the option open for Divas to be in gimmick matches. Ladder matches are a great start. I'd enjoy seeing a few steel-cage matches as well featuring Divas and possibly a Divas MItB ladder match. Sure, it's unlikely we'd see something as brutal as a TLC match, but I sure wish the option was open.

That being said, the point was made earlier that the Divas themselves need to be built as being competitive and/or "tough" enough to compete in gimmick matches. These days, let's face it, the Divas are being booked as far physically weaker than the male wrestlers. As such, the implication is that they "can't handle" anything beyond a singles or tag-team match. Either that, or that they aren't "important enough" to be featured in such a role. That needs to change before anything else can.

Also, I think that the Divas (the individuals I mean) need gimmicks before considering gimmick matches. With the possible exception of AJ the mentally/emotionally unstable whack-job, pretty much all the Divas have the same character, and almost the same look. Switch around hairstyle, outfit, and occasionally skin-tone and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I'm sorry to say it, but the WWE Divas have become (I shudder to say this) Bratz dolls. If the WWE is going to build up the Diva's division it needs female wrestlers with distinctive looks, distinctive characters, and some promo/face time to put the characters over. If you don't have that, all the gimmick matches you put them in will not matter.

I often find myself comparing the WWE Divas to what the TNA Knockouts used to be. Yeah, perhaps some of them had less sex appeal (or maybe even more to those who preferred something other than the media-driven ideal) but they were all distinct, got some face time, and yes they even had the occasional gimmick match. This is something that happens only rarely in the WWE and is either sex-based (such as bra and panties) or tongue-in-cheek demeaning (such as the "extreme makeover" match).

I always believed that the ladies can be just as brutal and vicious as the men, especially in the PG era where the guys have become almost as restrained as the women used to be. But, unless the gals have characters and individual personas we can actually get behind, it won't matter.

 

[The Eighties]

I think AJ vs Kaitlyn was primed for a gimmick match that could have given the division a boost. Obviously it needs depth and some booking consistency, but a gimmick match between two Divas in an actual feud would have garnered some spotlight to get momentum rolling.

 

[sufyaan05]

Bra and panties is the only gimmick match I want to see in WWE.

I'll stick to TNA for ACTUAL womens wrestling.

 

[Mac Attack]

Bra and panties is the only gimmick match I want to see in WWE.

I'll stick to TNA for ACTUAL womens wrestling.

I'm not exactly sure why but I've never gotten the appeal of the bra and panties match. If I'm correct they start off in clothes and ultimately get stripped to bra and panties. Now what I don't get about it is their normal wrestling trunks are basically bra and panties for all intents and purposes so exactly how in the world is their any shame when they simply call it that. I mean wrestling trunks is pretty much just bra and panties.

Now to respond to your second topic, I think that what TNA does with their divas is exactly what WWE needs to do. TNA divas are given time storylines and above all else importance and therefore if the WWE could emulate this I feel like they'll improve and potentially surpass TNA. Now I know TNA fans won't like me saying that however the WWE divas and the NXT divas have a lot of potential they just need to be given the tools to achieve it.