Eve Torres: What Her Reported Departure Means to a Depleted Divas Division

If Eve Torres follows through on her reported departure from WWE after Monday Night Raw, what does that mean for the future of the WWE Divas Division?

It may not be the death knell for the female wrestlers yet. But the loss of yet another top Diva star cannot be a good thing long-term for the division.

Over the time frame of a year, WWE has waved goodbye to several top stars—Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly and the Bella Twins, to name a few. It received a bit of a transfusion with the emergence of young talents AJ Lee and Kaitlyn.

But of those two, Kaitlyn seemed to be the heir apparent to winning the Divas title. The WWE creative team decided to take AJ in that now-famous “crazy chick turned Raw GM” direction.

That is the problem with WWE and the Divas Division. It refuses to take women seriously as wrestling stars.

You have Natalya, whose Hart family bloodline is as rich as it gets in wrestling. When she debuted, she was—and still is—a legitimate wrestler.

However, WWE saw fit to put her in storylines where she farted like a mule and is turned on by guys who look like The Great Khali.

You have Tamina Snuka, another athlete with a solid wrestling bloodline. She once challenged for the Divas championship, but that storyline sank faster than a stone in water. Now, she has emerged as a hired gun for folks like Vickie Guerrero.

You had Beth Phoenix, a combination of brawn and beauty who tried to bring legitimate wrestling back to a group chock-full of T&A. She left when her contract expired last year.

And now, there are the reports that Torres, whose character had taken some of the more interesting story turns that broadened her appeal to the WWE Universe, is leaving.

She did announce her engagement four months ago to martial-arts expert Rener Gracie. While the engagement and pending marriage likely played a role in her decision, she cannot help but think that her departure is more of a parole than anything else.

All we can do now is say goodbye and good luck to the future Mrs. Gracie.

In the meantime, WWE, if it so chooses, has its work cut out in rebuilding the Divas Division. And that could start with the Raw anniversary show Monday night.

Maybe if Kaitlyn gets the title, as has been rumored, she and Tamina Snuka can engage in some kind of feud to open the eyes of WWE to the great potential of having a solid women’s division.

Follow Bill Atkinson on Twitter at @BAtkinson1963.