Greetings to all and welcome to The Stockwell Section. This week is the first part of a duo of articles relating to some booking issues in the current landscape of WWE. The first part will discuss*the current angle regarding the Divas of Doom and Kelly Kelly.*
For those unaware, Beth Phoenix has finally captured the butterfly belt after beating Kelly Kelly at the Hell in a Cell PPV (with a little assistance from Natalya) – they say the third time is a charm and that certainly proved to be the case as Beth won the title on her third attempt after the previous champ beat her at the past two PPVs.
Now to be honest, I have absolutely no idea what the WWE are trying to achieve by their recent booking of these women. Kelly had been portrayed as the dominant diva and Beth quite frankly, has been made to look extremely weak by her constant losses.
In kayfabe, Phoenix has declared that these losses were a stroke of luck but after two consecutive PPV losses, an eventual dirty win and an arse kicking on Raw courtesy of the former champ, it comes across as Beth being the lucky one in this feud. So the question remains as to whether Beth Phoenix is now considered a believable champion, which in my opinion, she isn’t. The fact that Kelly is now (in kayfabe) a more dominant competitor is quite simply, mind blowing.
WWE still find themselves pushing the wrong star. Before her release, Mickie James was extremely over and should have been the backbone of the division and here we are again with Beth who has proven very popular with fans over the last few years but instead, they opt for Kelly to be the main attraction of the division.*
Kharma debuted this year and her response was incredible and in my opinion, her pregnancy had wonderful timing because she was able to make an impact and then take a break which leaves us awaiting her return with plenty of excitement. I’m quite sure that upon her return, the division will be centered upon her, or at least we hope it is. Alot of people have mentioned that the idea of Kharma versus Phoenix is somewhat mouthwatering so its hard to understand the logic as to why the WWE isn’t building towards this confrontation.*
People have said before that they can’t understand why Beth hasn’t been booked to win the title and dominate the division until Kharma returns but the WWE seem intent on building Kelly up, likely so that when she finally beats the behemoth formerly known as Kong, it won’t be by luck but by skill and technique which as we all know, she doesn’t have much of.
The thing is, a division shouldn’t be built around someone like Kelly and what’s even more frustrating is WWE know this – hence the likes of Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler never holding a title. Some may argue that Laycool shouldn’t have been the centre of the diva division but they could at least talk the talk and draw heat. Kelly on the other hand has nothing to offer, she’s liked simply because she’s hot and we’re told to like her. Trish, Lita, Mickie, Beth, Natalya, Kharma and even Laycool to an extent were and are liked and respected because they did have something to offer, be it in-ring prowess or simply being good on the mic.*
Beth and Natalya could be the biggest stars in the female division and they could reach that level far more easily because people have far more respect for them. Take a look at Daniel Bryan – he didn’t have to do much to get over because he has the respect of the fans. It’s a simple notion so why it isn’t used with the divas is a tad bewildering.*
I suppose at the heart of this column, it isn’t addresssing the booking per say but rather the choices that have been made because everything inclusive and within the bigger picture is ridden with fault be it by bad decisions or a particularly bad creative spine. It’s like Chewbacca, a 8foot Wookie who comes from the planet Kashyyyk, living on Endor with a bunch of 2foot Ewoks – it just doesn’t make sense.
Until NXT Time….. * * *
For those unaware, Beth Phoenix has finally captured the butterfly belt after beating Kelly Kelly at the Hell in a Cell PPV (with a little assistance from Natalya) – they say the third time is a charm and that certainly proved to be the case as Beth won the title on her third attempt after the previous champ beat her at the past two PPVs.
Now to be honest, I have absolutely no idea what the WWE are trying to achieve by their recent booking of these women. Kelly had been portrayed as the dominant diva and Beth quite frankly, has been made to look extremely weak by her constant losses.
In kayfabe, Phoenix has declared that these losses were a stroke of luck but after two consecutive PPV losses, an eventual dirty win and an arse kicking on Raw courtesy of the former champ, it comes across as Beth being the lucky one in this feud. So the question remains as to whether Beth Phoenix is now considered a believable champion, which in my opinion, she isn’t. The fact that Kelly is now (in kayfabe) a more dominant competitor is quite simply, mind blowing.
WWE still find themselves pushing the wrong star. Before her release, Mickie James was extremely over and should have been the backbone of the division and here we are again with Beth who has proven very popular with fans over the last few years but instead, they opt for Kelly to be the main attraction of the division.*
Kharma debuted this year and her response was incredible and in my opinion, her pregnancy had wonderful timing because she was able to make an impact and then take a break which leaves us awaiting her return with plenty of excitement. I’m quite sure that upon her return, the division will be centered upon her, or at least we hope it is. Alot of people have mentioned that the idea of Kharma versus Phoenix is somewhat mouthwatering so its hard to understand the logic as to why the WWE isn’t building towards this confrontation.*
People have said before that they can’t understand why Beth hasn’t been booked to win the title and dominate the division until Kharma returns but the WWE seem intent on building Kelly up, likely so that when she finally beats the behemoth formerly known as Kong, it won’t be by luck but by skill and technique which as we all know, she doesn’t have much of.
The thing is, a division shouldn’t be built around someone like Kelly and what’s even more frustrating is WWE know this – hence the likes of Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler never holding a title. Some may argue that Laycool shouldn’t have been the centre of the diva division but they could at least talk the talk and draw heat. Kelly on the other hand has nothing to offer, she’s liked simply because she’s hot and we’re told to like her. Trish, Lita, Mickie, Beth, Natalya, Kharma and even Laycool to an extent were and are liked and respected because they did have something to offer, be it in-ring prowess or simply being good on the mic.*
Beth and Natalya could be the biggest stars in the female division and they could reach that level far more easily because people have far more respect for them. Take a look at Daniel Bryan – he didn’t have to do much to get over because he has the respect of the fans. It’s a simple notion so why it isn’t used with the divas is a tad bewildering.*
I suppose at the heart of this column, it isn’t addresssing the booking per say but rather the choices that have been made because everything inclusive and within the bigger picture is ridden with fault be it by bad decisions or a particularly bad creative spine. It’s like Chewbacca, a 8foot Wookie who comes from the planet Kashyyyk, living on Endor with a bunch of 2foot Ewoks – it just doesn’t make sense.
Until NXT Time….. * * *