Kelly Kelly: The 6 Biggest Reasons We'll Miss This WWE Diva

In case you haven't heard by now, Kelly Kelly, poster girl for the WWE and one-time Divas Champion, was officially released earlier today.

The news has caused more of a stir than your average WWE release, and for good reason.

Indeed, while it may be easy for some fans to dismiss Kelly (real name: Barbara Blank) as simply another generic blond Diva with patchy in-ring skills, the fact is during her seven-year stint, she amassed a decent body of work and helped create some very memorable moments.

In fact, we believe her absence will create a massive void in the company for a few reasons. With this in mind, here are the biggest 6 reasons she will be sorely missed.

6: She Was a Great Poster Girl for the Divas Division

With her photogenic good looks, charisma, and personality, Kelly Kelly was absolutely the perfect poster girl for WWE's Divas division.

She may not have had the wrestling ability of someone like Natalya, but she had mainstream appeal (Kelly posed for the cover of men's magazine Maxim in November of last year and even made 2012's Maxim Hot 100 list, ranking highly at No. 38). 

A modern day Sunny or Sable, Kelly was one of the few women the company had that could feasibly carry the women's division from a PR standpoint and get many fans to sit up and take notice of it. 

5: The Divas Division Will Be Even More Lost Without Her

One thing is for sure: WWE's Divas Division has lost a ton of talent over the past year.

Canadian Diva Maryse left last year. The Bella Twins followed her out the door soon after. Then NXT star Maxine exited the company, citing frustration with her stagnant career. The cull hasn't stopped in recent times, either.  Long-term star Beth Phoenix is reportedly finishing up soon, too.

Even the women in developmental are rushing out the door.  Yesterday, it was reported NXT star Shaul Guerrero had requested her release from the company.

With this in mind, WWE really didn't need to lose yet another Diva, especially one who was as over with the fans as Kelly was.

4: There Really Isn't Anyone to Take Her Place as the Top Babyface Diva

One question that must be troubling WWE management these days: Just who will replace Kelly as the division's top babyface?

This is tough.

Current Divas Champion Layla is talented, but comes off as rather bland and boring in the babyface role. She really is better off—and more interesting—as a heel.

AJ Lee is the current Raw GM and too busy with that role to wrestle on TV and pay-per-views (AJ is probably too crazy/erratic to be a truly sympathetic and likable character, anyway).

Alicia Fox has the personality and in-ring skills, but has been neglected for so long by the booking team that it's difficult for fans to care about her. Ditto for Natalya.

Former NXT star Kaitlyn is pretty and has an endearing, down-to-Earth charisma, but is so clueless in the ring it's difficult to see management trusting her with a big push (some of her recent matches on TV, to build up her Divas Championship program with Layla, were truly wretched).    

Wow. Things really don't look good for the company's Divas Division.

3: She Was One of the Few Decent Wrestlers in the Division

OK, so Kelly wasn't exactly Manami Toyota in the ring, but she did improve massively as a worker throughout her seven-year WWE stint, as her great matches with Beth Phoenix in late 2011 showed.

Showing an eagerness to take punishment and be thrown around, Kelly performed admirably in there with "The Glamazon" and the two managed to put together some of the best women's matches WWE have ever had (the pair's match at SummerSlam 2011 was particularly impressive).

Kelly may never have been a great women's wrestler, or even a good one, but her matches were usually respectable—no minor feat in WWE's botch-filled Divas Division.  

Considering how much some of the girls on the roster struggle greatly in the ring (Kaitlyn and Rosa Mendes, most notably) Kelly's decent if patchy in-ring work will be surely missed.

2: She Was One of the Few Divas That Was over

At a time when the vast majority of the women on the roster elicit mostly silence from the fans in the crowd, it is regrettable that WWE has now lost one of the few Divas that was genuinely over and loved by the WWE Universe. 

Indeed, whether it was her good looks, her plucky underdog character, or her better-than-usual matches, fans took note of Kelly, and usually responded warmly to her appearances on Raw and SmackDown. 

1: She Was a Great Divas Champion

Let's be honest: Kelly's Divas Championship reign last year may have been the last time the belt was truly relevant in the company.

Kelly (and her long-running feud with Beth Phoenix) got ample time on television, the fans were in full support of her, and the title was treated as a big deal and regularly defended on pay-per-view.

Considering how marginalized the Divas Championship is now (many fans even forget who the champion is), this is pretty significant.