WWE: Has Beth Phoenix and Natalya's Push Been Effectively Ruined?

A funny thing happened on the way to Beth Phoenix and Natalya revitalizing women’s wrestling in WWE.  

The first shot was fired back on August 1st, when Beth won a Divas battle royal to determine the number one contender for the Divas Championship.  After the match, the champ, Kelly Kelly, entered the ring to congratulate Beth, who suddenly turned on her, viciously attacking Kelly, and proclaiming that the days of the princess in WWE had come to an end.

Beth’s heel turn was shocking, unexpected, and her words?  Invigorating.  

The reason why is simple.  For several years, the quality of the women’s division in WWE has been slipping.  Short matches, sloppy ring work, weak storylines, everything has pointed to an increasing lack of relevance in a division which used to be a highlight of the program for many fans.

Beth’s actions were very timely, and long overdue.  She was obviously as frustrated and disgusted with the state of Divas wrestling as the fans were.  And, she was not the only one.

On the Aug. 5 edition of SmackDown, Natalya won a match against AJ, and after the bout, attacked the Diva who she had taken under her wing.  In a spot that mirrored Beth’s, Nattie also left her opponent laid out, and agreed that she too was tired of the typical WWE Diva.

What had seemed like an isolated incident on RAW had now been repeated on SmackDown, and before fans knew it, they had a brand new partnership that had to be reckoned with.

The Divas of Doom began terrorizing every woman put in front of them, and focused their efforts on Kelly Kelly’s championship.

Here’s where the funny thing happened.

Instead of a new day dawning for the Divas in WWE, where the spotlight is once again placed on talent and attitude, the end result of Beth and Nattie’s formation have been pretty much the affirmation of the status quo.

In other words, Kelly Kelly has stopped them at every turn.

Kelly won at SummerSlam.  She again won at Night of Champions.  Every time it appears as though she is on the verge of falling down a notch, losing her spot as the top female in the company, she manages to pull out a win.

The revolution in women’s wrestling that fans felt was finally beginning, has just not materialized.  And the way that WWE has gone about handling this angle is suspect, to say the least.

Beth and Natalya’s issue with what they feel is the cheerleader image of the modern WWE Diva is valid on its face, but how has the company presented them since this storyline began?
Styled hair, beautifully done make up, tight dresses, and high heels.  

OK, what?

I get the fact that the statement that real lady wrestlers can be sexy as well is perhaps being made here, but weren’t these two supposed to be different, a pair whose image was not the focus?  Why the effort to present them in this fashion, there was no need to do this before their partnership began, why start now?

Aside from their physical appearance is the fact that thus far, they cannot touch Kelly Kelly. She has prevailed in every way that matters, and she is evidently no closer to being dethroned now than she was before.

Perhaps it is too soon to throw in the towel on this angle, and the fact is that no one said Kelly’s character had to roll over and play dead at this new challenge.  

But, then again, why was Kelly not run over in the beginning of this rivalry?  Doesn’t the real drama lie in the return of a face who has to fight to overcome the odds and regain her title?  Kelly would have been reestablished as the company’s top female face, and have a re-energized career because of it.

Rising up from defeat would have made her look strong, and more than capable of fending off any future threats to her championship.

For me, the momentum that Beth and Nattie had is virtually dead.  It is still possible, perhaps probable, that Beth will eventually beat Kelly for the Divas title, but the damage that has been done thus far, and the lack of interest on the part of fans, may render that victory irrelevant.

I expected more than this, and still do.  I cannot say that I have fully given up yet, but the time for WWE creative to impress is now.  The women deserve an even playing field, with storylines that make sense, are action packed, and dramatic.  Give them the opportunity, and let them shine.

Make it happen.