My other idea is to give my thoughts on the women's action from both WWE and TNA as the Knockouts and Divas go head to head each week. Let's check out this week to see which company came out on top.
Raw - Bella Twins, Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes, Maryse, Melina & Tamina vs Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, AJ, Kaitlyn, Natalya & Kelly Kelly:
I saw danger the moment other divas started following the Bellas down to the ring. Whenever Raw has these multi-diva tag matches you almost always have an "assume crash positions" mentality. These multi diva tags aren't always awful (see the great 4-on-4 that main evented Superstars back in March) but sadly this week was little more than a trainwreck. I hate for my first entry to be so negative but what else is there to say? Out of all the seven heel divas and they pick Rosa to work the match? Hell even Maryse would have been better. Kelly did her usual five moves of doom, they looked fine but when you know they're all that'll be in the match what good are they? What bugs me the most is that it wasn't just a throwaway episode of Raw - it was the 3-hour Raw and the divas usually get more time for matches. If they wanted to get all the divas on the card they could have had Brie vs Kelly for the title in a lumberjill match. That would have at least served some purpose. But it seems like the Raw creative team flip coins each week to see whether or not they'll bother putting any effort into the diva segments. I actually got hopeful when Eve grabbed the mic, maybe she was going to cash in her long awaited rematch against Brie? But no, someone actually thought the Rockettes thing was a good idea. Beth, Nattie, Gail and Eve looked ridiculous. Next week it's the "Viewers Choice" special, also 3 hours so I'm expecting another multi tag or a battle royal but I hope it's a title match. 1/10
Smackdown - Natalya, AJ & Kaitlyn vs Tamina, Rosa Mendes & Alicia Fox:
WWE still went for quantity over quality this week as they booked a six diva tag with less than four minutes for the overall segment. Step up, Smackdown. This time last year we at least were getting more time for matches even if the feud wasn't that great. That being said, the match wasn't a total catastrophe. It was miles better than Raw's match but way too short. Kaitlyn looked pretty good in the ring and her clothesline looked effective which is something a lot of the divas haven't got the hang of. And it's good for Natalya to get back in the ring this week and we saw more of the good work between her and Tamina. I'm still holding out for a singles match on Superstars next week between them. I wish AJ could have done more since she just came in, threw a few punches and then got pinned. They shouldn't have shown both entrances anyway as that cut into valuable match time. If we hadn't had the first entrance then it would have been much better, adding on nearly a whole minute to match time. I did like that Booker T put over the fact that the divas are all after the top spot now that Kharma is gone and he payed special attention to AJ. I do see them pushing her forward as the top girl on Smackdown while building her up as the underdog. And I wish Tamina would use something else as a finisher because the Samoan Drop looks too weak. 5/10
Slammiversary - Mickie James* vs Angelina Love (Knockouts Championship):
If I'm being honest, Mickie's title reign hasn't wowed me. She's well past her prime and she's been hit and miss in terms of matches ever since she joined TNA. However I'm happy with how she's been booked. Three successful title defences is a good sign and she's certainly been booked better than Brie Bella in WWE who's been champion since April and only made one title defence. The match was ok, not awful and not amazing either. One moment that stuck out annoyingly was Mickie's blatant calling for Winter to trip her at the ropes - she blows a kiss to Winter and then runs right near her? How kayfabe dim can she be? The rest of the work was fine and I'd rather think of this match as a building block. I would love to see a Mickie/Winter program since their work in WWE was quite good. Winter could be a great Knockouts Champion and I have a feeling if she gets the belt then it'll be her vs Velvet at Bound For Glory. Anyway the finish really brought the match down and I would have preferred if she had ended the match with something else (not a punch though, the botch wasn't that bad). 6/10
Impact - Velvet Sky & Miss Tessmacher vs Rosita & Sarita* (Knockouts Tag Team Championships):
At last Sarita is back in the ring. I wasn't expecting much from this but I was happy enough with how the match turned out. Velvet was on form here and I liked her wheelbarrow arm drag and that new neckbreaker she did. It almost looked like a Twist of Fate. She has evolved into quite the competent worker and I have been enjoying all the storylines they've been putting her in. Each week she comes across more and more as a top Knockout and she is well on her way to becoming a star in the division. Brooke was impressive this week as well and she and Rosita worked well together despite being so green. It is also a nice feeling to see that all three Extreme Expose members have evolved into competent wrestlers. That being said, there is room for positive criticism here - the match was a little sloppy. Rosita and Sarita spent most of it as punching bags for the faces and made a lot of confusing tags. They didn't really develop any chemistry for themselves which is a shame because we know it's there. Anyway it's good that they've got another successful title defence under their belts (pun intended) and it also looks like a certain feud will still be going...6/10
Jacqueline Returns:
I'm happy to see her back. I was a huge fan when she was in WWE and I didn't keep up with the Knockouts while she was with them before so I'm very excited to see her back again. It seems like they might be developing a storyline with former Knockouts blaming Velvet for losing their jobs, which I think is a great idea. And it's kind of true - last year Bischoff and Hogan buried the division by letting go of Roxxi, Alissa Flash, ODB, Awesome Kong, Traci Brooks etc while heavily pushing the Beautiful People. Now while I'm happy with this new development, this segment wasn't so hot. The beatdown looked incredibly awkward and I feel they should have just hit a move on Velvet and have that be it. But sadly ODB doesn't do these kinds of beatdowns well. Hopefully next week they'll be in the ring where we know they can bring it. Segment rating: 4/10
So from this week my girls in WWE are sinking fast but Smackdown is treading water for the moment. The Knockouts do look to have some promising weeks with a new development in the Velvet/ODB feud and a returning Knockout. Mickie could also be finding herself in another feud. I'm crossing my fingers that the Raw writers will give us something decent next week but let's not get our hopes up then. Till next week
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