WWE’s Divas Division Getting the Attention it Deserves

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The divas division of WWE has stagnated greatly in recent years, as everyone knows. With WWE being in what the internet calls the “PG Era”, it has lost the often-risqué content they used to put into the divas division, and while for a long time, bra and panties matches, swimsuit “contests”, and the like were a fairly normal filler in the programming, that isn’t all that has caused the division to become boring. In fact, losing that has made it feel more legitimate, albeit stale. I think back to my younger years watching Lita tear it up with the Hardy Boyz and Trish Stratus rise to become an icon for her era, both sensually and in the ring.

I’m very optimistic in the attention they’re giving the divas in the past while, from Paige’s in-progress heel turn against AJ Lee to Nikki Bella’s struggle with Stephanie McMahon after Brie’s “departure”.

While these storylines are going extremely well, I fear that it isn’t enough. The WWE roster has many talented ladies in the division with the potential for so much, and still too many of them just fall into the background. I think it’s possible that “Total Divas” on the E! Network could be serving as a pretty big distraction in the division, with more emphasis being put on promoting that show than the talent of the divas in the core of the company – wrestling. That aside, within the product, for some, the problem is poor writing, and for others it’s a lack of development and refinement.

Firstly, looking at poor writing, an obvious example is Alicia Fox. I think she’s showing some good potential in the ring, but the way her character is being written – whether it’s Creative or just the way she portrays herself, I get a little disappointed when she performs. Crazy or not, she is presently a heel, and I do prefer when heels do meaningful things to terrorize the others on the roster. I just couldn’t be bothered to care about her shoving popcorn and water down Aksana’s throat, then hugging her, then doing the same thing again. However, if she had truly brought a challenge to Paige for the Divas title, or at least had been given something more entertaining to do than running around and stealing fans’ drinks, I could get behind her.

Case in point for development is Eva Marie. I like Eva Marie a lot, but she has proven in recent shows that her wrestling ability could use some refinement. A jump down into NXT would take care of that quickly, and probably could breathe new life into her. There really isn’t a whole lot more to say on that. I have been watching a fair amount of NXT lately, and watching the talents there progress is fantastic. It’s a completely different world from main roster, and an amazing proving ground for new superstars or ones who need a refresh.

I’d love to see the divas division be lifted up in terms of importance. There is a great feud brewing with Paige and AJ now, which is as exciting as any other feud going on right now. These ladies are intense and more brutal than I’ve seen from any divas in a long time, and they’re unpredictable as well. Right now it’s not entirely apparent who is in what role, as they’re both feeling very in-between the traditional heel/face spectrum. We’ve seen some great things in the Divas/Womens’ division in the history of WWE, but one thing that is incredibly uncommon – if it’s ever really happened – is a Divas Main Event at a PPV. I think that if the cards are played right, AJ and Paige could have an easy in for such a thing. They are looking extremely good, they have some good chemistry together, and with the beat downs they’ve delivered to each other the past two weeks, there should be some serious heat on their battles, which I can see easily getting more and more brutal.

There’s a lot more WWE could be doing far more with the divas division, but as they begin to pick things up in the entire show after quite the scramble of confusion and mediocre decisions that overtook a couple months post-wrestlemania, and the intensity being shown in everyone – from Ziggler and the Miz, to AJ and Paige, to Orton and Reigns, to Lesnar and Cena – everyone is getting pumped up, and the divas are no exception. This begins to give me hope that there will be a lot of excitement and quality content coming from the divas this year, and hopefully that keeps going throughout the Divas roster.