The WWE Divas. The ECW Vixens. The TNA Knockouts. Whatever you call them, they're mainly eye candy. Except Victoria. I'm certain she could actually kick my ass. In any event, the women of professional wrestling have changed over the years. Gone are the days of real women who tried to really wrestle. No one can really blame the current divas in the WWE, because they have tried. Sometimes, the talent just doesn't come on its own, and it's unlikely that talent is chosen over beauty when looking over the women of wrestling. And if summer ratings are any indication, fans love to watch the Diva Search, despite opposing claims made by many internet wrestling fans.
It's been a sacrifice of most fans that we have all forgotten about seeing a girly roster, chock-full of talented diva superstars. For every Trish Stratus, there's a Torrie Wilson, a Candice Michelle, a Kelly Kelly, and a generic Diva Search contestant that didn't win the 2006 competition. But that's not to say that the divas that are in the WWE, ECW and TNA aren't talented. It's just that they're not talented while wrestling in the ring, for the most part. So what purposes do they serve? On the outside, many are beautiful women, gracing the covers of various magazines, from Maxim to Stuff to Playboy. But there are key players in the Diva Division that play crucial roles that their male colleagues may not pull off so easily. And I'm not just talking about lingerie pillow fights!
Managerial duties have been filled by many legends over the years, especially shown in a special DVD involving the greatest WWE managers of all time released several months ago. Bobby the Brain Heenan, Mr. Fuji (who doesn't love Mr. Fuji?!), Captain Lou Albano, and Sensational Sherri are just notable manager names, just to name a few. Currently, many of the best managers are from the diva division.
Originally bestowed upon us by WWE Smackdown, Melina began her manager position with Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro, making up the stable MNM. Amidst tons of rumors regarding drug usage by Mercury, Nitro and Melina were "fired" from Smackdown, and showed up on Monday Night RAW. While Nitro has done a fine job as the smug, arrogant Hollywood boy-turned WWE superstar, Melina has perfected her mic skills while sizing up her man and belittling Nitro's opponents. At ringside, her Xena: Warrior Princess screams have filled arenas, as she motivates her man to steal the win. But, what happens when Nitro can't get a clean win? Melina to the rescue.
The definition of a great heel manager is a person who will make sure that the managee will win the match, by any means necessary. And by any means necessary, I really do mean any means that means necessary... um, yes. If that means that cheating is required, the manager will use foreign objects, distract the opponent, and even tie up the referee (not literally) with conversation on the apron that we never hear. Melina has done that numerous times perfectly, rarely looking conspicuous, and it has resulted in several title wins for Johnny Nitro.
Not all divas work well in the feel of managing. If a diva is not quite the talent in the ring that would be required to wrestle full time, then perhaps a position in backstage interviewer is a possibility. Much like the manager's position, an interviewer's job is an easy one. It's the person behind the role that can add their own unique personality or character to the role, to do an exceptional job.
Enter Maria Kanellis, a participant in the 2004 RAW Diva Search, best known to her fans by just Maria.
Maria's position in the Diva Search was less than stellar, ranking below the final two in the competition, Carmella and future TNA Knockout Christy Hemme. However, one can safely say that Maria has had the most success out of the 2004 Diva Search in the WWE, bringing something extra to a job that was mainly the straight-laced man's position: the interviewer. From Lord Alfred Hayes to Mean Gene Okerlund, from Jonathan Coachman to Todd Grisham, the backstage interviewer was normally the one place where professionalism and intelligence was shown. While it can be argued that Maria (the character) is merely a Legally Blonde, of sorts, in that she is more intelligent than she appears. "Never judge a book by its cover" was never more applicable. Just ask Eric Bischoff, before being "fired" on national TV in 2005.
Batting her eyelashes and staring doe-eyed, the ditzy diva ponders aloud about the particular predicament that her interviewee is in. Often confusing babyfaces and infuriating heels with all sorts of ridiculous questions, Maria excels at being just-not-good-enough when it comes to being an interviewer. What began as a possibly unintentional flubbing of Edge's name as "The Edge" (I would hope the U2 guitarist wouldn't be confused with the Rated R Superstar), quickly became something that was thought to be impossible: a wrestling interviewer with personality. Okay... perhaps I'm giving Maria far more credit in her role than, say, Mean Gene Okerlund. But I will easily admit to enjoying Maria's screentime on RAW, providing laughs that aren't based around toilet humor, dick jokes, and necrophilia (Katie Vick won't die!). And, she is easily the sexiest diva in the WWE, in my humblest of humble opinions.
When the Divas do take it to the ring in a one-on-one encounter, it's a bit more difficult for the likes of Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, and Candice Michelle to put on four star classics with the limited in-ring experience they have. It's likely that they rely on the more talented women on the roster, even though they are few and far between. This past Monday on RAW, Lita delivered a final speech, announcing her retirement. Speaking a fair amount of truth, Lita made it known that she was one of the first to share the eye candy role with an in-ring role. In the new generation of wrestling in this new century, Lita has made her mark, along with the likes of Trish Stratus, Mickie James, Molly Holly, Jazz, and Victoria.
But, it's notoriously difficult for the women of wrestling to have the same matches and programs as their male co-workers. We all know that most male fans don't give two craps if Trish Stratus and Mickie James hate each other in the ring. All they want to see is low-cut tops and high-rising skirts. And why shouldn't Vince McMahon capitalize on the insatiable appetite that heterosexual man have for T and A? Historically, the Diva Search has been one of the highest rated (if not the highest rated) segments on RAW. And where else will you find that much eye candy?
When you get right down to it, the effort to push the divas as legitimate wrestlers has occurred. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that the fans in attendance care about it. And some just don't care about the divas in general, and don't feel they belong in the ring in any capacity. That's fine, but women have been a part of professional wrestling for a long time, going back as far as The Fabulous Moolah. It's perfectly normal to wish that Mickie James and Victoria had stronger, more talented competition in the ring, while more eye candy (like Maria) could take their roles and make them their own. The perfect blend is slowly becoming impossible, especially with the contract signings of bikini models with a lack of wrestling knowledge. All we can do is succumb to the ever-changing business of wrestling, no matter how beautiful it may appear on the outside.
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