Smart, Sexy and Powerful: A Glance at the WWE Current Divas

The term "Diva" in WWE was born in the late 1990s, with Sunny being deemed the original Diva. Since then, there have been ups and downs in the division. Many argue that the present day version is the worst yet.

The sixteen female wrestlers currently signed to WWE will be judged, one by one, in order to judge the self-proclaimed "Smart, Sexy and Powerful" Divas division.

NOTE: Savannah, a ring announcer with WWE, is officially listed as a Diva. However, she does not wrestle in the company and will not be assessed.

Also not being mentioned is Tamina, the female with the Usos. She is the daughter of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Since she has only been seen for the past two weeks and, therefore, a fair judgement cannot be made on her yet.

Alicia Fox

There is something about Alicia Fox that makes me feel like she could be decent in WWE. There was a time where it seemed like she was getting booked well on RAW and close to a Divas Championship reign.

Fox just disappeared after that until popping up alongside of Zack Ryder in recent weeks. Turning on him on RAW this past week was, certainly, unusual.

Her move set isn't the worst in the company. Fox shouldn't go anywhere, but needs a solid gimmick, which is a necessity for many of the Divas. She has come a long way, however, from dancing in the ring with D.J. Gabriel in ECW.

Beth Phoenix

The Glamazon is a solid female cornerstone in WWE. She can carry any Diva in a match - literally. If she tried, Phoenix could probably carry most male wrestlers on Smackdown. The idea of Phoenix being the next Chyna isn't too far fetched.

Her injury right now hurts more than any fan could understand. Get well, Beth. WWE needs to cater to her as much as they can, just to make sure that she will return with the company, as opposed to "crossing the line". Phoenix is irreplaceable.

The Bella Twins

I'm going to do both of these girls at the same time.

Save the dirty references.

I can sum up where the Bellas fit into the plans of the WWE Divas with a trip into the "WWE Not Being Consistent" file.

During the RAW that was hosted by the cast of the movie Hot Tub Time Machine, the Bellas were the two remaining Divas in the hot tub with two of the cast members. The hot tub was a contest that would bring a future Divas Championship match to the last remaining Diva.

Suddenly, Craig Robinson appeared to end the contest, awarding both Brie and Nikki title matches. That was back at the end of March.

Eve

Eve is one of the products of the WWE Diva Search. It's actually shocking to see how many Divas, past or present, came from the contest.

As the current Divas Champion, Eve has been put into a position of having to be one of the top females in the company. It is a lot of pressure that Eve may not be ready for.

The company doesn't have much to work with, so if Eve is to have a long reign, expect many matches, but not many title matches. Priority number one for WWE, in regards to their Divas, is to strengthen the division as a whole. It all starts with Eve.

No pressure.

Gail Kim

They certainly don't treat Gail Kim like she was a two-time Women's Champion. Let's not even get into those that were still around when Gail was champion.

Do the words Lita and Trish mean anything to you?

Gail should be in the position that Eve is in right now. She could carry the entire division, alongside of a healthy Beth Phoenix. Gail is likely still being punished, much like Christian, for jumping to TNA.

Regardless, she is one of the most decorated women in wrestling today and needs to swing her experience around. She needs to be the one that lights the fire under the rest of the Divas.

Jillian

The storyline writers must hate Jillian.

I can't think of which gimmick was worse: when she had a gross growth on her cheek and was JBL's valet or pretended to be a pop star.

Her five minute reign as Divas Champion was the five scariest minutes in WWE in the last ten years.

She isn't awful as a wrestler. Give her a decent gimmick, though. She can be a so-so worker in the division. God, though, it is SO hard to take her seriously.

Kelly Kelly

Kelly Kelly is hot hot... Actually, let's throw one more "hot" in there just for good measure.

Kelly can get by beyond her looks, though. She can hold her own, to a point, in the ring. She definitely needs more work, but she is still very inexperienced.

In fact, she is only 23. Kelly is the future Diva. With her on Smackdown right now, it is important to bring in a veteran, possibly the free agent Victoria (known as Tara in TNA) to be a mentor to her. While it is a long time away from this comparison, Kelly could be the next Trish Stratus if she gets the correct training and work.

Layla

Layla rarely gets much offense in during matches. We don't really know much about her move set. We don't know what her finisher is off the top of our heads (It's a neckbreaker, by the way).

So what do we know? We know that she likes to dance.

She also can speak in a bunch of different accents. Which one is her natural voice? That much is a mystery still.

She's also the Women's Champion... I'm sorry... Co-Women's Champion. Layla gets her first win of this decade and wins a title, only to share it? Here in lies the problem with the division.

Maryse

Perhaps the best active Diva around at the moment. That shouldn't be the case.

Her offense needs some work to solidify her as a top Diva. Her hair flip DDT finisher is a tad stale after a while, but she still hits it well-enough to get by. Her new pin attempt, which includes her laying on top of her opponent in a suggestive way, is perfect for her character.

I like her as a sexy heel. In fact, I love it. Don't you DARE touch her gimmick. She should never be a face. I mean, just read the translation to the lyrics of her entrance song. She's getting away with that on a PG-rated show. So heel-ish.

Melina

Melina is expected back very soon and will strengthen the Divas on RAW incredibly. She has become known for her dexterity and flexibility.

She needs to help Eve from one face to another. It seems like there are so many more heels than faces, but Melina knows how to play both well. After coming off of an injury, Melina has to come off of this injury and fall into the role of being a veteran to these younger and less-experienced girls.

It's hard to believe that just a few years ago, Melina was just that hot girl that did a split coming into the ring. Now, she is one of the top Divas in the company. That split is still nice, too.

Michelle McCool

Michelle used to be the most deserving Diva that never got a title push. Her in-ring ability was coming along and her popularity was getting up to an all-time high.

Then, two years ago, the Divas Championship was born, and McCool would be the first one to hold it. Since then, one could make a case for McCool to be the most overly booked female in wrestling. McCool has not had a title for only eight of the past 24 months. Her off-camera relationship with The Undertaker may have something to do with that.

Regardless, McCool is a great wrestler in the current make-up of the WWE DIvas. Her mic skills are her one weakness, which is why she is paired up with Layla. I like Team Lay-Cool, but them both being Women's Champion right now is just lame. Let's hope that the two of them don't ruin NXT or Kaval's chances of making it through.

Natalya

When Natalya comes to the ring now, she is sporting some nice gold belts. The problem with that is, however, that none of them are actually hers. All that the daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart has to show for herself is being eye candy for the Hart Dynasty.

Natalya doesn't even have matches anymore, which is just a shame. I'm pretty sure that Nattie hasn't had a televised match of her own in 2010. Hopefully, her impending feud with Tamina in the Hart Dyansty/Uso get togethers will be booking's way of reminding us that Natalya is a good wrestler.

We all knew that already, so get Natalya some matches and give her the gold that we know she can hold on to. What are you waiting for?

Rosa Mendes

It seemed to take forever in order to see Rosa Mendes actually wrestle. She followed around Beth Phoenix and Santino for what felt like years. By the time that she finally wrestled, Mendes showed pieces that could be molded into a decent wrestler.

She is far from a place of being a top female right now. She is still very inexperienced, so that may come over time. For now, getting her more exposure wouldn't be terrible. It can only build her some momentum and confidence in her abilities. So far, her one match on Smackdown is known more for being the match that injured Beth Phoenix.

Bringing her to ECW didn't make sense, at first, until it brought Rosa to the side of Zack Ryder. She did well managing him as they moved to RAW together, until she was drafted to Smackdown.

It didn't and still doesn't make sense of why they were broken apart. It would be a shame to have nothing important for her character there. Unfortunately, she might be one of those talents that gets lost in the shuffle.

Serena

Serena is a good developmental wrestler, but WWE hasn't showed you that yet. As the lone female in the Straight Edge Society, her lack of attempting to win a female title and bring power to the SES makes you scratch your head. Serena is the embodiment of an untapped resource.

The WWE Universe wants to see what she has to offer. That means you, WWE booking. Wake up and smell the coffee.

Tiffany

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Tiffany's shift from general manager of ECW to Smackdown Diva is a microcosm of how WWE felt about ECW. Tiffany did a decent job as a general manager. Her mic skills seemed to increase, little by little, on a weekly basis.

Since ECW folded, Tiffany has been used a handful of times in matches. She isn't terrible and shows a lot of fight. Just like many of the new crop of Divas, she needs time to develop. Her attitude seems to be in the right place. She wants to get better and, at this point with the WWE Divas, that's a step forward.