WWE Holding Another Diva Search Next Week

Following the recent news that WWE has signed kickboxer and Hollywood stuntwoman Kendra Smith to a deal (via Diva-Dirt), another report has emerged about how the company intends to fill up their depleted Divas division.

In this week's (subscribers-only) Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer writes that WWE is holding another Diva Search contest in a bid to find new women:

"

They are doing a Diva Search in Los Angeles this week. It's not public like the ones in the past. Basically they are bringing in candidates from modeling agencies of girls who look good and want them to have an athletic background, and being a pro wrestling fan helps.

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No doubt many fans will roll their eyes at this news.

After all, the Diva Search tends to miss more than hit when it comes to churning out great women's wrestlers. Sure, these girls have the looks, but many—if not most—lack the athleticism and skill to be quality in-ring competitors.

Oh, sure. Some of the girls undoubtedly had talent.

But for every Eve Torres, there were at least two Ashley Massaros. And it was arguably the introduction of the original Diva Search contest in 2004 that killed off credible women's wrestling in WWE for good.

However, there is some hope to be found in Meltzer's claim that WWE is now aiming to hire girls who not only look great, but who also have strong athletic backgrounds and an interest in pro wrestling.

Certainly, if WWE can hire more all-around talented women like Smith, it will be a lot better off.

That they aren't doing the Diva Search on Raw is also a bonus. Frankly, as the company heads into WrestleMania, the last thing it needs to do is devote precious airtime to a glorified talent competition filled with newcomers that the audience and viewers have no reason to care about.