Hey, what’s happening? Looks like you’ve stopped to read another edition of The Prime Cut, for which I thank you. It really makes me happy to get more and more different feedback from you guys, and I truly appreciate that! Just wanted to start with this message and say Thanks to everyone who sends me e-mail, whether positive or negative. Remember to use an e-mail address on which I can contact you though because otherwise I won’t be able to write back, which was the case with a couple of readers not that long ago.
Well, if I want feedback, I better start with my column! As you could guess by the title, today I’ll be taking a look at what I feel has been underrated not so much by the WWE, but rather by the fans and that’s the Women’s Division.
The WWE Women’s Championship hasn’t had the value it probably one had, and never will. Then again, if you think about it, not too many people like to pay attention to that championship, or to that division as a whole. The Fabulous Moolah, the wrestler who holds the record for holding a single’s championship for the longest time ever, held the World Women’s Championship for 25 years! 25 years! Wow! I would probably take a wild shot and say here that when Moolah held the belt, its popularity might have reached its peak back then. The WWF (as it was called back then) never really did much with the belt in the 80’s, and it was becoming apparent that interest has been lost. Which brings us to today…
The Women’s Championship wasn’t a huge deal during the Attitude Years as back then Women were rather used to create controversy. While you could certainly argue that point to be true to some extent today, you’ll be totally wrong in my opinion. The WWE has been struggling to re-create and focus more on the Women’s Division, but they haven’t exactly been successful. However, right now, after this week of TV, I once again have faith that the WWE can definitely create a very solid and legit Women’s Division with the great talents they have. The two women’s matches on RAW were not bad at all in my opinion, and the current storylines (i.e., Victoria‘s character) writers are trying out with the women’s division can become very interesting. Let’s take a look at the people that are the center of the division as of this writing and the potential that can make it even better.
Trish Stratus
To me Trish Stratus is the perfect example of how the Women’s Division has progressed over just the past year. I will say this right now to get it out of the way — Trish Stratus is my favorite WWE Diva, so I might sound bias, but in my opinion all the things I’m going to say, Trish has backed up with her work in the ring. When she entered the WWE a couple of years ago, to put it into the words of a friend of mine, “Trish Stratus was nothing but a piece of T & A.” And it was true. Trish had no wrestling skills whatsoever. She wasn’t even used to wrestle, but rather to look hot while managing Test and Albert. She did very well too 🙂 Anyway, getting off the subject here. Fast forward to 2001. Trish Stratus has begun wrestling, but suffered an ankle injury which got her out of action for a while. Trish then was a host on WWF Excess. Then she made a return, and boy, did she come back with a bang or what?! Stratus has turned into a legit wrestler who was taking bumps and coming up with great moves! Trish was certainly someone new. This is why in my opinion, the backbone of the Women’s Division should be Trish Stratus. Recently some people are stating that she’s working stiff with her kicks, but I don’t think it’s that bad of a situation, as nobody has gotten hurt.
Trish Stratus is very capable in the ring and she has shown a lot of courage and what’s even more important — the ability to sell moves. She’s like the female version of The Rock in some ways! Just look at how she sells all the moves done on her and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Without a shadow of a doubt, Trish Stratus is the one wrestler which the WWE can push not only as a legit wrestler, but also as a Diva. That is very important these days.
Victoria
The WWE Women’s Champion seems to be on top of her game, as we speak. When the WWE finally brought Victoria on TV and began her storyline with Trish Stratus, I felt that the women’s division was to be reborn, and if you think about it, we’ve had somewhat of a complete turnaround, ever since Victoria showed up. She worked a great program with Trish, and has proven her great in-ring abilities on several occasions now. Trish Stratus and Victoria were the backbone of the Division (still are) and even had a Hardcore Championship match, where Victoria was victorious and is still holding on to her belt! Though she was portrayed very well at the time of her debut, Victoria’s character has taken a new route with a “psychotic bitch” twist. To be honest with you, I hated that character when it was born, but I love it now because of the way Victoria has handled it. She’s an incredible in-ring talent nonetheless, and seems to be handling her storyline like a pro. Let’s for how long it lasts, and can the WWE make it happen?
Ivory
While the WWE Women’s Division is certainly centered on Trish Stratus and Victoria, Ivory has made a comeback to WWE, as she’s been doing Tough Enough. Ivory has proven in the past that she’s a great talent, and though she hasn’t worked too many matches on RAW since returning, she recently had a good encounter with Stratus. The experience behind Ivory and her passion, as well as her great ways of telling a story while wrestling, can be definitely used to further things in the Women’s Division, and I would expect the veteran to fill in the holes when needed and always help out, like it should be. She’s a great addition to the current division.
Jacqueline
It was really nice to see Jackie back on RAW on Monday night. She’s the one wrestler the WWE can always count on, and just like Ivory, she has proven herself a lot of times in the past. Jackie wrestled Victoria on RAW and even won, which was a bit odd to me, but anyway. I think a great storyline can be started between these two, while Trish faces Ivory or another woman I’ll talk about shortly. I just want to say that Jackie is a great talent and her experience can be also greatly used! She puts up one hell of a fight if everything else around her is right. I doubt the WWE has any plans of pushing her as the champ or anything, but I think she should be kept on the show to help out, as she still puts up great fights.
Molly Holly
Molly Holly’s title reign slowed things down for the Women’s Division, no doubt. It seems to me that it wasn’t so much the storyline the WWE wanted to go with (how Molly was a very pure woman), but the fact that the company killed the storyline by themselves. Molly had nobody but Trish Stratus to feud, and the not-at-all-funny remarks by Jerry Lawler pretty much killed her character. This could have went somewhere, as she was paired up with Chris Nowinski but this was not to be as Harvard got injured. Currently, Molly Holly is trying out a new persona, and rumors have it she’ll be returning with a new look as a face. No matter what the case is, she’s always welcomed from where I sit and she’s probably one of the best female wrestlers the company currently has.
Lita
Now to some women who’re currently out of action due to injuries, or what-have-you. Well, what can I say? If you’re looking for another Diva who is also Champion material and can carry the division on her shoulder … well, look no further than Lita! A former Champion herself, Lita has proven over the years that she’s indeed “extreme” and she’s one great performer. She can put up a great match, and make it look good! With Lita returning, the Women’s Division will get a very strong boost in my opinion. Just one thing to note here. Lita’s character hasn’t been repackaged ever since she joined the Hardyz/left Essa Rios. Lita has been doing the same moves, and has had the same persona since. A main reason for Trish Stratus’s success upon her return from injury was the new creative things the WWE came up for her. In Trish’s case it was mainly in-ring improvements, which is an important part. The point I’m getting to is that I think now is the PERFECT time for Lita to get repackaged and changes to be made to her character. She just needs that something that will make her different and much more interesting to look, not that she hasn’t been. The Hardy Boyz are no more, and I think that’s where the key could be — Lita should be more individual and more pursuing toward personal success. We’ll see what the WWE has cooking.
Jazz
No doubt, a great wrestler! Jazz carried the Women’s Championship for quite a while and feuded mainly with Trish Stratus over the belt. Her title reign wasn’t exactly the best and most exciting one we’ve seen. Her heel character was selling well, but at one point I truly had troubles trying to figure out if it was the character the audience booed, or the fact that they were getting fed up with Jazz’s storylines? Either way, it’s not her fault, so I think we should lay off her case a bit. Hopefully, the WWE has something in mind for her as well upon her return, and damn, just think when Lita and Jazz arrive, how strong can the Women’s Division become?!
Non-wrestling Divas
There isn’t much to say here, wrestling-wise. Stacy Keibler, Torrie Wilson, Dawn Marie, Nidia, Gail Kim (yet to debut), and Terrie are the women that wrestle occasionally and usually in gimmick matches. Of course, if we’re talking about the SmackDown! divas, there really isn’t anything to wrestle over on their show, as the belt is on RAW. Either way, I think it’s a safe bet to say that even somebody like Torrie Wilson, who nobody considered as a wrestler in WCW, has picked it up a notch and has proven that the WWE Divas can work as good as they look. I’m not saying they’re perfect, trust me, there’s a lot to work on where their in-ring skills go, but all these great women have a lot of potential. Another question is whether the WWE wants to capitalize on that potential or continue to use them the way they have been. I personally think it’s smarter to use Stacy Keibler as a manager rather than a wrestler, as her character gets more exposure and is a nice addition to a storyline (Test’s character) that way.
The fact remains — now could very well be the time for the WWE to once again get the Women’s Division up and running. Great wrestlers like Victoria, Ivory, Jazz, and Jacky have proven they’re worthy, and the two big ones — Lita and Trish — have proven that they can be very “profitable” champions, as they can be used both in gimmick and straight wrestling matches thanks to their great abilities. With Lita and Jazz to return soon, I personally think that the chances of a strong women’s division can be pretty high!
The Women’s Division has been underrated by a lot of people on-line, and in a sport famous for its big men, that’s somewhat normal. However, we shouldn’t close our eyes and totally ignore what the other sex is doing, as those girls can kick ass, and let’s face it, they look good doing it too! 🙂
Any feedback is appreciated and again, I always write back, as long as you include an e-mail address that is available for me to reach you at. Thanks for reading and I’ll see ya around soon. I have something big planned for my next column, so stay tuned to see how it folds out. Once again, Thanks for reading!
Eddie
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