How do we solve the Diva problem?

[ckoneagain]

The Divas revolution is well under way with the 4 new divas from NXT making their presence known throughout the WWE universe. But i read posts about them on here and everyone seems worried about the same thing, that they will eventually be used in the same way they have been in the past and they'll never be seen as equal.

One of the main reasons for this i've always thought was the commentary. For years we had Jerry Lawler shouting for puppies and even now JBL and Michael Cole point out how good looking the Divas are before they mention their wrestling talents. So what do we do about it?

A female on commentary. Putting Renee on commentary on Raw will mean that any chauvinism by the male announcers will get pulled up by Renee and shot down. What do you think? Can the Divas hold their own the way things are or do they need a female at the announcers table to even the odds a little?

 

[Messiah]

The divas can't be equals. They would have to give them half the program and nobody wants to see that. It's a good start for now, let's just see if they're consistent with them. They've given the divas a push before and always pulled back on it for whatever reason.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

There's definitely a problem with the divas. They can't wrestle. I've never seen a good divas match because they're not good wrestlers. I've heard some good things about the NXT divas, and maybe they can start the revolution everyone so desperately wants to see.

NOTE - I have nothing against women. Just telling it how it is.

EDIT - Did you see the promo on Raw between Charlotte, Paige, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Tamina, and Naomi? The crowd was silent. Mainly because it was an awful promo.

 

[wrestler36]

A female on commentary. Putting Renee on commentary on Raw will mean that any chauvinism by the male announcers will get pulled up by Renee and shot down. What do you think? Can the Divas hold their own the way things are or do they need a female at the announcers table to even the odds a little?

I see what you mean, and it makes sense from a wrestling fan's perspective, but the fact is, it is ratings that will ultimately jumpstart the division and adding Renee to the mix may be a cool thing to do, it won't affect the ratings.

I think there would have to be some mainstream crossover appearance, like how Eva Marie escorted The Rock out to a movie premiere. Adding them to Total Divas may attract more women to watch Raw as well.

 

[stingray11214]

The problem with the Divas are that they are not there to become wrestlers. They are looking for modeling/Recording/movie deals. Look at "Total Divas". Why would ANYONE consider that a precursor for a wrestling compnay. In the end, the recent NXT callups are going to be little more than hood ornaments because thy do not have "supermodel" good looks. And, Creative has ZERO clue on how to write for them. Look at the crap they have on right this minute. "Beautiful and Dangerous"?!? They recycled that from the second season of GLOW. That little segment made me think that I was watching Hollywood and Vine versus the Cheerleaders. This is high school crap. That is why I'd rather watch the Japanese or Indy promotions. They do women's wrestling RIGHT. Sure, you can have beauty. But, they also know how to WRESTLE and to tell a story. They Divas are intended to be little more than eye candy and a smoke/potty/hot dog break.

 

[Aquaman6686]

There's definitely a problem with the divas. They can't wrestle. I've never seen a good divas match because they're not good wrestlers. I've heard some good things about the NXT divas, and maybe they can start the revolution everyone so desperately wants to see.

Watch any of the Victoria vs. Trish Stratus matches, including the Triple Threat with Jazz at WrestleMania 19. Or Trish Stratus vs. Lita that headlined RAW in early 2005. Trish vs. Mickie James at WrestleMania 22 was one of the best matches of the night. Mickie has also had some great matches with Melina and Michelle McCool.

 

[JoeMallard]

There's definitely a problem with the divas. They can't wrestle. I've never seen a good divas match because they're not good wrestlers. I've heard some good things about the NXT divas, and maybe they can start the revolution everyone so desperately wants to see.

These NXT women have been putting on match of year candidates every Takeover event. Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch are truely the best womens wrestlers the WWE has seen in at least 15 years. Yes, I know people said that about AJ, the difference is these women actually are. Watch the match Sasha beat Charlotte for the women's title, Sasha Banks title defence against Becky Lynch from the last Takeover event and tell me these divas can't wrestle. The Bellas are so far behind them in wrestling ability, it's not even funny.

 

[Prince Vee]

Its an inappropriate comment to be made that Divas can't wrestle. After Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks made their debuts, the Divas matches look more interesting. To be honest those girls are extracting the talents of the other Divas. Brie Bella showed signs of improved wrestling skills in the Triple Threat Match at Battleground. So does the other divas during the consecutive RAWs. In my verdict, there's nothing wrong with the Divas division. They're in their Resurrection period. Let them groom to the level where Divas are an undeniable part of the WWE.

Cheers!!

 

[SJ5522]

The problem with the Divas are that they are not there to become wrestlers. They are looking for modeling/Recording/movie deals. Look at "Total Divas". Why would ANYONE consider that a precursor for a wrestling compnay. In the end, the recent NXT callups are going to be little more than hood ornaments because thy do not have "supermodel" good looks. And, Creative has ZERO clue on how to write for them. Look at the crap they have on right this minute. "Beautiful and Dangerous"?!? They recycled that from the second season of GLOW. That little segment made me think that I was watching Hollywood and Vine versus the Cheerleaders. This is high school crap. That is why I'd rather watch the Japanese or Indy promotions. They do women's wrestling RIGHT. Sure, you can have beauty. But, they also know how to WRESTLE and to tell a story. They Divas are intended to be little more than eye candy and a smoke/potty/hot dog break.

What Japanese and indy promotions do womens wrestling right?

I love ROH and NJPW but let's not pretend those companies aren't more interested in getting a frame shot of Maria Kanellis' arse than putting on women's wrestling. So what companies are you talking about? I'm not having a go, for example if you know SHIMMER women's wrestling or something I'd be very interested to hear if you have any recommendations

The best easily available womens wrestling at the moment is right there under the WWE banner on NXT.

As for the Womens revolution, I like it but I think it's overbooked. Team B.A.D is never gonna get over and they would've done well to wait for something else for Sasha. The three teams is not a great set-up, and I think takes some babyface shine away from Becky and Charlotte. Of course, not every fan in the arena WANTS to care about womens wrestling so you're never gonna be dealing with Rock-type pops, but if they at least run storylines that make a little sense or at the very least have thought behind them and give them a bigger timescale to actually wrestle in the momentum will keep growing for them.
Although just as an aside, Paige on the mic is like, my least favourite thing on the show. I want to like her so much as she only lives a few miles away from me but...nah. Decent wrestler but I can't stand her on the mic and that's surely a contributing aspect to their promos not being particularly over. I wish this thing was just Becky & Charlotte v The Bellas tbh. No reason to not keep it as simple as that. Then you have an easy heel turn ready for the slightly more capable Charlotte while Becky Lynch (my fav ) doesn't get lost in the mix like she is now.

I think at the moment we're in a bit of a transitional phase where the actual womens division is from now on going to be fairly free of model types, I expect some like Cameron and Rosa Mendes to probably be released, Eva Marie has started training hard to fit in (a 'pro-wrestler' should be doing that regardless, sure, but I don't see any video packages of Cameron in intensive training) - you'll see those types of women still for the time being, but in smaller doses, more in a Lana/Summer Rae role which while that storyline is AWFUL, it makes no harm on the actual division of womens wrestlers

 

[Mustang Sally]

"Beautiful and Dangerous"?!?

I took that slogan to mean: "Tune in because of how we look.....but keep watching because of how we wrestle."

If WWE management is doing things in the best way possible, that slogan should be the only reminder of the past decade, when the only reason to watch women's wrestling was to see how they could stuff a bathing suit. I don't know how many of the current divas are using pro wrestling as a gateway to a career in Hollywood or how many will be leaving after a few years to have CM Punk's baby (!) but the gals brought up from NXT represent a fundamental change in the way divas do business.

Now, they have to wrestle.....and the old guard has to do it, too. Except for those stupid push-ups Nikki did during her match, she spent the rest of it wrestling.....and I enjoyed her more than ever before because of it.

The question is whether WWE can keep it up.....but if Triple H is truly in charge of this, there's probably a good chance they will.

That's how we solve the problem. Let 'em wrestle instead of pose.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

The Divas revolution is well under way with the 4 new divas from NXT making their presence known throughout the WWE universe. But i read posts about them on here and everyone seems worried about the same thing, that they will eventually be used in the same way they have been in the past and they'll never be seen as equal.

It will depend on how the ratings and merch move, because they are most certainly being given the chance.


Its made to feel like this is just as much about being able to position Steph Mcmahon as some maverick of womens' empowerment as it is about making the product better, but oh well. Ends justify the means, etc.


If the extra time being given to them and the recent seriousness with which the division is being treated nets ratings and merch gains, it will continue. If not, then it won't.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Women's wrestling has never been a draw, plain & simple. The only reason it's being given a chance now is because the product as a whole is drawing so poorly now that just about anything is worth trying. With the low numbers and interest I believe WWE will give the womens wrestling a legit chance, but much like it did in the past I doubt it will generate much buzz or interest.

At best it maybe like the cruiserweights in WCW in the mid 90s, WCW basically had no mid card and was willing to try almost anything to generate buzz in their product outside their Hogan/Flair/Savage/Sting main event tier. The CW's got a lot of air time and even got some decent storylines, in the end they generated little buzz except among hardcore ardent fans that honestly were watching already, it wasn't worth much. At times it was entertaining but no one cared. The CW's never generated enough interest to grow up the card and hardly any of them actually became legit stars outside Rey Misterio, Jr (you could argue Eddie Guerrero although he bulked up and gained significant weight as he became a star, Chris Jericho competed here for a bit but he always seemed to big to be a "cruiserweight" in terms of size).

 

[Messiah]

Women's wrestling has never been a draw, plain & simple. The only reason it's being given a chance now is because the product as a whole is drawing so poorly now that just about anything is worth trying. With the low numbers and interest I believe WWE will give the womens wrestling a legit chance, but much like it did in the past I doubt it will generate much buzz or interest.

Right, it's as simple as that.. Woman don't draw in WWE and they never have. It's a male dominated business, because the guys know how to get their characters over, they can work matches without it being awkward. No diva has ever drew big for WWE, not Trish, Lita, none of them. They've given them chances before but majority of the fans don't care. They're giving them another chance and if they don't draw money, they'll be back being irrelevant in 6 months.

 

[SJ5522]

More women watch wrestling today than at any other point, I doubt that the division will fall fully back into the dark ages, even if some fans are ambivalent - it means a huge amount to a lot of us and it will NOT be forgotten.

Shame the thing's been overbooked really, Becky/Charlotte v Bellas is a perfectly adequate set-up, Sasha should've been introduced weeks later - Team B.A.D. comes off as extremely forced. But it's salvageable for sure. They still need to hire a proper bruiser of a woman, not necessarily even like a Kharma, I'm thinking more someone who can bring a bit of Ronda Rousey appeal to the division and I'd like to see more women who can show aggression on the mic rather than sounding like a bratty private school girl like Paige. Then we could really be talking. The fans respond to aggression more often than not, but no "diva" currently seems to show a whole lot of it

 

[miserablemidcarder]

Bring back some divas who made the division successful in the past few years and get rid of the divas who have no wrestling talent whatsoever and get by on good looks and let the more experienced divas put over the newcomers and help complete the divas revolution and make divas matches watchable again, entertaining live crowds so arenas don't empty as soon as divas make their entrance

 

[Bernkastel]

The Divas revolution is well under way with the 4 new divas from NXT making their presence known throughout the WWE universe. But i read posts about them on here and everyone seems worried about the same thing, that they will eventually be used in the same way they have been in the past and they'll never be seen as equal.

One of the main reasons for this i've always thought was the commentary. For years we had Jerry Lawler shouting for puppies and even now JBL and Michael Cole point out how good looking the Divas are before they mention their wrestling talents. So what do we do about it?

A female on commentary. Putting Renee on commentary on Raw will mean that any chauvinism by the male announcers will get pulled up by Renee and shot down. What do you think? Can the Divas hold their own the way things are or do they need a female at the announcers table to even the odds a little?

WWE seems to be in good place with the women's division. It's hard to gauge what is or isn't a good place for the division because women's wrestling has never been consistent. Fans of WWE cannot compare past and future incarnations to the Trish/Lita or Sable Era's because those are the only times outside of very brief runs in the mid 80's and early 90's that women's wrestling in the States have been largely profitable since the 50's. I can't blame Vince McMahon for being reluctant to push the division unless they have workers that are highly marketable. And for years they didn't. Even with the success of Total Divas I really struggle to compare the marketability of the Bella's to Trish, Lita, Sable, Torrie, or even Chyna. Maybe the women putting on better performances and competitive matches will allow for that marketable Diva that the WWE has been looking for years for to rise to the occasion.

Point being if you're thinking WWE is going to stop placing emphasis on the Diva's looks, they aren't. Promoters have been using sex appeal to sell women's wrestlers and grapplers for nearly a century. In every market both foreign and domestic. The key I believe is placing equal emphasis on looks, sex appeal, and skill. The promotions that do this make money off their women. The one's that put too much emphasis on one or another don't.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Sable, for a while, was the number 1 segment. She had 0 talent.

Total Divas does pretty good ratings, but it's not about wrestling.

The current division has a solid mix of beauty, characters, and wrestlers. I feel like the division is more dynamic than it has been in years. The only thing that needs to change is that the NXT women need more time to be developed as characters on screen.

 

[ThePrawnCurry]

The solution is not a diva commentating.
Give them enough ring time. The NxT title matches have been
some of the best wrestling on all the shows.
Ring time and good booking. Simple.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

the only way you can change the divas problem, is to change the mind of the fans, especially those like us that talk and write about wrestling all the time. If i look at the diva'S revolution right now, it kinda seems like the only fans that are not excepting what they are doing is the hardcore wrestling fans or smart fans. It's not because they haven'T had good matches because they did, it's because we can't except that the older diva'S like nikki bella and alicia fox can actually wrestles and put on a good match.

We've been condition for so long by the wwe that the diva's matches mean nothing and we're mostly bathroom break, that now that they actually want to do something we them, we don't want to except this.

In the end, the isn'T really a problem, with the divas, they can wrestles as well as the guys can, it's just that we have to move past what we were condition to by the wwe and actually see how fun the diva'S matches have been lately.