My First Blog

My first blog..

Okay, so I know a lot of people are now writing blogs associated with WWE and the divas etc, but I thought it would be a good idea to write a blog on my opinions, as they are unconventional and it would be interesting to see what people think of them.  I thought I would write my very first blog on all of my opinions on the current divas roster.

Nikki Bella

Nikki Bella is the current Divas Champion and I believe that the creative team has ruined her chances at having a decent divas championship reign, however even though I do think she should have been rewarded with a better run as champion I believe the time for her to drop the title, is as soon as possible. I feel like her position in the current storyline with Naomi and Paige is irrelevant, and the fact that the most irrelevant person in the storyline is the champion seems a tad ridiculous. It seems to me that the storyline is more between Paige and Naomi, Nikki seems more of a third wheel, which doesn't help the importance of the title which is already at an all time low, which says a lot. Even though Nikki has greatly improved in the ring and is now more over with the crowd then I thought she ever would be, her title reign seems to have flopped and that wasn't helped by her random face turn. Were the crowd supposed to suddenly be behind her after all that time as a heel? Well I certainly wasn't. I don't know how the current storyline will go, but I can only hope that Nikki drops the title soon.

In ring abilities: 7/10          Character: 3/10

Brie Bella

Okay. Brie Bella. Brie is a difficult diva to write about due to the lack of input she has had in the recent storyline. I think her taking a backseat to Nikki was fair, as Nikki took the backseat for the majority of last year. However, the ending of the Nikki vs Brie storyline seemed to have damaged Brie more than Nikki, as Brie's random heel turn was not only unrealistic but extremely non-climatic, and seemed rushed and unplanned. Even though I, along with most people, were glad to see the back of that awful sister feud, the ending could have, in reality ruined her career. I personally don't see Brie lasting the year in the business, and I see her retiring along with her husband this summer. Even though I'm always upset with a diva departure I don't think it will be much of a loss for the divas division. Even though I think Brie is a decent in ring performer I believe her lack of skill on the mic put her behind Nikki this year, and also I personally think Nikki is a better overall in ring performer. I really don't see Brie getting another title reign in her career, and I am not bothered about that. Brie has had a decent, long WWE career and I think it's the right time for her to go.

In ring abilities: 5/10          Character: 1/10

Natalya

Natalya is with out a doubt one of the best workers on the roster. Personally I believe she is in the top 5, however I still think her in ring abilities are over rated. I know this is an unusual opinion but Natalya's move set seems to have hardly changed in 5 years and from what I've seen backstage and on Total Divas she seems to think quite highly of herself. Of course I know total divas is highly scripted and what I've seen is probably not her full personality, but I'm just not a huge fan of her. Firstly, I think she needs a new finisher. To me it seems like she attempts to put the sharpshooter on her opponents at least twice in every match she is in. And this has been happening for her entire WWE career, and also her move set needs some more originality. But of course, this is completely my opinion, and is not fact. I am quite happy with the role Natalya is currently in, and I don't have any wish for her to become divas champion anytime soon, however the fact that she is only a 1x divas champion seems ridiculous to me. I think at this point it is obvious that Nattie won't have another championship run, or huge singular push, but the valet role seems to be working well for her and is giving her plenty of screen time, it's just a shame that she's been used so terribly throughout her career. I hope to see another year at least from Nattie.

In ring abilities: 8/10          Character: 5/10

Naomi

Naomi seems to currently be the victim of online hate. I personally don't understand the hate for Naomi, as to me, she is a solid and interesting in ring worker. Of course she lacked character development at first, however after her recent heel turn I believe she has become one of the most dynamic, and interesting divas on the current roster. At first I wasn't thrilled by her heel turn, however the passion she has brought to her promo's, her new theme tune, and her impressive heel in ring techniques changed my mind. The recent promo she cut with Paige on Smackdown was not only a highlight of her career, but a highlight for the divas division in general. It was the best divas promo since AJ's pipebomb, and as it came from two divas that I was told 'couldn't work on the mic' not too long ago, made it even more impressive. If Naomi became champion anytime soon I would be nothing but pleased. In my opinion, Naomi is the most deserving diva on the roster to become champion, and anyone but her at the moment would be wrong. She's getting heat and is fresh. Striking when the iron is hot is something WWE rarely manages to achieve with the divas, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case again, but I live in hope. A lot of people seem to cling onto the phrase that Naomi is 'botch prone'. I will openly admit that Naomi occasionally botches, however this is due to the fact that she adds high risk moves to her move set, similarly to Lita (who also regularly botched), and of course the moves come with a higher risk of botching, which I would prefer, rather than basic stereotypical diva maneuvers.

In ring abilities: 7/10          Character: 8/10

Cameron 

Cameron is another diva that gets unnecessary hate. Cameron, just like both Bella Twins, has improved greatly. People seem to forget that she has been wrestling for a very short amount of time, with little training. Cameron is also one of the most developed characters in the divas division. Her bitchy heel attitude is portrayed so well, and the extra effort she puts in really shows the passion she has for improvement. I don't think Cameron will ever hold the divas title, and even though this disappoints me, I think Cameron holding the title would bring down its importance, due to the majority of wrestling fans holding little, to no respect for her. I think Cameron would really benefit from a second divas title, or even a divas brand split. Smackdown seems to be the right place for her current status in the divas division, just WWE have no idea what to do with her. I think teaming her with Summer Rae was a good start, however I don't think they blended well enough. If Layla was 5 years younger I think Layla and Cameron could have been the new Laycool they have clearly been looking for. I think the right step for Cameron at the moment is making her a prominent character on Smackdown, feuding with someone like Alicia Fox or even Natalya, who can make her look better in the ring. The mini storyline that began on Smackdown between Alicia, Cameron and Natalya carried a lot of potential and could have been a great mid-card diva feud, however they only seem to ever want one women's feud at a time. It's unfortunate for Cameron that there are so many talented women on the roster, as I feel she will never get the push she deserves.

In ring abilities: 5/10          Character: 9/10

Eva Marie

Honestly, there's not much to say about Eva Marie. Until recently she has shown, little to no motivation to get better in the ring, and has become one of the most hated women in WWE. It would be different if she had an interesting personality, but to me, she is the most boring cast member of total divas. Her training videos seem promising, and I'm not going to loose hope completely for her, but I don't see her staying in the company for more than another 2 years.

In ring abilities: 1/10          Character: 4/10

Summer Rae

I always had high hopes for Summer Rae in NXT. Her heel persona and in ring skills were constantly on point and she had the stereotypical diva image. She was the perfect fit. At this time in her career I expected her to be a 1x divas champion and be a top heel in the division, but of course, I was wrong. Summer has barely won any matches since her main roster debut, and her cowardly heel act has pushed her further and further away from the title picture. Without an NXT special match under her belt, Summer had a slight disadvantage under the likes of Emma and Paige. Everyone who watched Summer on NXT knows she is great in the ring, however she never got the chance to properly excel in a live special match, unlike Paige and Emma, meaning there is no match for her to refer back to, to really show what she can do. Since her main roster debut I feel like her in ring skills have regressed, due to the lack of TV matches she has had, and her NXT character has been watered down, making her more like Jillian Hall, than Maryse (who she's been compared to in the past). With the mic skills, in ring work and image Summer Rae has there is no reason why they shouldn't push her, and I have no idea why they haven't so far. Being in her thirties, Summer is one of the oldest on the roster and doesn't have more than 3 years left, which is a shame. I still think Summer will be the divas champion at one point in the future, but if she started when she was younger she could and would have been a multi time champion. 

In ring abilities: 6/10          Character: 7/10

Paige

Paige is without a doubt one of the most talented divas on the roster. She along with Natalya so far would definitely be in the top 5 based on in ring skills. However, personally I think Paige has been unfairly over-pushed this year, and it needs to stop. Paige is only 22 years old. She has, at the very least another 10 years. Paige has already held 2 titles on the main roster, had a Wrestlemania match, and competed at 11 out of the 12 PPV's that aired during her time on the main roster. What is there left for her to do? She has had more title reigns in her first year than Natalya and Alicia Fox, who are equally, if not more talented. Don't get me wrong, I love Paige. However her constant presence in the title picture is making me begin to resent her. Why is the 22 year old being pushed over the 30 year olds? Where is the logic? Summer Rae, Natalya, Tamina and Layla are all running out of time, but particularly Summer Rae, who has limitless potential. The fact that Paige is still in the title picture extremely annoys me. She filmed a movie and is now a judge on tough enough. It's as if she's the only diva on the entire roster they can see. It may not seem like it now, but the crowd will be bored stiff of Paige this time next year, which is a shame. If they let her take a backseat for a while it would help her career. My only hope for Paige is that she doesn't get the title for at least another year.

In ring abilities: 8/10          Character: 7/10

Emma

Emma is the third diva so far that I would put in my top 5 in terms of wrestling ability. Emma showed so much potential in NXT, however similarly to Summer Rae, her main roster debut flopped. Her goofy character seems to have been holding her back from being taken seriously, and her alliance with Santino didn't really help her. Surprisingly her match with Paige at the first ever NXT special seems to be forgotten, and no one seems to remember how talented she is. Her new heel persona on NXT seems to be working for her, however I'm anxious to see how they plan on translating it to the main roster, if they do at all. After Emma was reinstated after the arrest incident, I assumed they had plans for her, however for her to just come back as a jobber seemed slightly pointless. In my opinion, until Emma changes her character on the main roster nothing will change. Emma deserves to be taken just as seriously as Paige as they are both equally talented.

In ring abilities: 8/10          Character: 4/10

Alicia Fox

Out of the current roster Alicia is my favourite. Alicia is, in my opinion the most talented in ring performer on the roster. Yes, I think she's better than Paige. Alicia has everything, she has the technical ability of Natalya, the athleticism of Naomi, the mic skills of Summer Rae, the selling skills of AJ and the personality of Cameron. In my opinion Alicia is an all rounder, and her lack of screen time and accomplishments baffle me. The matches Alicia has with Natalya and Paige are always phenomenal, and her move set is unique and constantly switched up. Alicia has had difficulty getting over with the crowd as the creative team are never sure whether to have her heel or face, which is ridiculous, however her performance playing either persona is consistent. I think the crazy gimmick she had was perfect. Her tantrums were extremely entertaining and she tried so hard to make them amazing, which they were. For a month Alicia was the most entertaining part of Raw, which for a diva is a big accomplishment. This should have shown the creative team the potential Alicia has, however unfortunately, her character was dropped and she went back to jobbing. Alicia is still on the younger side of the roster and I believe she could still become a 2x divas champion some day. She deserves it more than most of the roster.

In ring abilities: 9/10          Character: 3/10

Layla

Many people find it surprising that I would put Layla in the top 5 in ring workers on the roster. Layla may not be the best or stand out as much as other divas, but I find her in ring work so polished and unique. Her move set, particularly the pinning maneuver she calls 'Infinity' is something I've never seen before. I began to love Layla during her face run as divas champion in 2012. At this time the divas division had become extremely stale and Layla's energy freshened everything up. Her fast and comedic matches always entertained me, particularly her matches with Beth Phoenix and Natalya, which included so much depth as Layla had history with both divas. During her time in Laycool I wasn't really interested in Layla as Michelle over shadowed her, and I found her rather annoying. Her face turn showed her in a new light and over her year off it was obvious that she trained extremely hard. This time last year I would have argued with anyone who said it was time for Layla to leave, however at this point, her amount of TV appearances have started to decrease rapidly and her age is beginning to show more, and I feel that if she is going to go out with dignity, the time is now. I think it is clear that WWE are no longer interested in her and are just waiting for her to retire, and I believe she has accomplished enough during her lengthily career. I do believe that Layla and Michelle will both be inducted as a duo into the hall of fame in the future and I can only hope that Layla does get some recognition at the time she does eventually decide to leave.

In ring abilities: 8/10          Character: 5/10

Tamina

I am a big fan of Tamina. Even though she isn't a great in ring worker, her mysterious character, and powerhouse style is something the division seriously lacks. I believe that if Tamina was a more solid in ring performer she would have been heavily pushed during her career, however I think the body guard role for her is well suited. It is clear to me that Tamina isn't championship material, however I would love her to hold the belt some day, even though I seriously doubt it will ever happen. Tamina is one of the oldest women in the division and her chance of a solo push is unlikely at this point. Tamina's current role as Naomi's bodyguard is in my opinion, a great role for her, however I think it will be short lived. Considering the fact that AJ was the one that was supposed to be in Naomi's position, I highly doubt they would have kept Tamina and AJ together for a long time again, therefore I believe Tamina was planned to turn on AJ, which is why I think Tamina will eventually turn on Naomi and possibly cost her the title. Tamina could definitely be a credible title contender at this point and I would like to see Nikki vs Paige vs Naomi vs Tamina at some point. Maybe money in the bank. I really hope the creative team actually have something planned for Tamina and Naomi, otherwise the recycling of storylines they are currently doing is very disappointing.

In ring abilities: 5/10          Character: 8/10

Rosa Mendes

It's annoying that Rosa is a really nice person because it's preventing me from full on venting. Rosa seems like such a great girl, and from watching Total Divas I can really see why she's still employed, however the fact that she is still so simply awful in the ring is unbelievable. To say the worst in ring worker on the roster is classed as a veteran is cringeworthy. Even though Rosa is useless in the ring, it is great to see WWE finally using her correctly in a valet storyline, which helps her to really excel. Unlike Eva Marie, Rosa actually has personality which makes her have some sort of purpose in the business. I am really enjoying the current role she is in, but it must really be a slap in the face to all of the more talented women to see her get more than double the amount of screen time they get. Even though it may not seem like it, i really do like Rosa, and I am gutted that she's been axed from total divas.

In ring abilities: 1/10          Character: 8/10

Thank you for reading this. I am hopefully going to be posting maybe 2-3 blogs a week from now on. Please comment anything you agree or disagree with me about. Any feedback is appreciated.

-- @DivaFreakk