WWE Divas: Will the Division Ever Be Taken Completely Seriously?

One thing is for sure: It is not easy being a WWE diva these days.

Laughably short in-ring time, boring storylines, an indifferent booking team and an equally apathetic fanbase all combine to create a stagnant women's roster that is going nowhere anytime soon. It's almost like the women have become the new cruiserweight's division or something (with the main difference being that the IWC aren't actually that bothered about the booking team not caring about the women).

And it's not that the girls themselves are not talented. Oh sure, you have botch-prone women like Rosa Mendes, who should not be a allowed near a wrestling ring for the rest of the her natural life. But generally, WWE has managed to cultivate a roster full of talented, charismatic women, many of whom, like Diva Serach winner Eve Torres, have athletic backgrounds and could turn into decent wrestlers with the right training and guidance.

Indeed, former diva Maria Kanellis famously complained on AfterBuzz TV about the lack of respect people gave the divas when one of her co-hosts insinuated many of the women in WWE just wanted to be on television and had no real passion for the industry. A furious Maria railed:

"

You want to know my honest opinion on it? I mean, do you have any idea how much we would love to stay, we would love to be there, how we would love to do everything we dream about? The only reason a lot of us have left is because we didn't get the opportunities there we wanted or thought we'd earned, or the opportunities we fought for, that's the only reason! All that 'you're just a diva'; it sounds so trashy. If you are on the road 250...350...days a year there is no way (it's just for fame)...you obviously want to be there.

"

But while the women may strive to improve, management doesn't seem terribly bothered about helping them improve. Indeed, there have been plenty of hints that WWE is content for their women to remain interchangeable eye-candy, put out to pasture when they turn 30 and their looks go, like some sort of wresting version of Logan's Run.

The whole situation makes indie sensation Sara Del Rey's declaration this week that her ultimate career goal is to get a WWE contract deeply perplexing. In the (unlikely) event that she managed to snag a WWE deal,  Del Rey, one of the best women's wrestlers on the planet, would almost certainly be wasted in short, six-women tag matches on Raw and dull, low-level feuds no one cares about.

And this is assuming she even managed to get called up from developmental at all. While Del Rey is an attractive girl by any standard, she lacks the deeply glamorous, silicone-enhanced look WWE tend to prefer in their divas. 

Out of the current roster, only former WSU star AJ Lee manages to break the mold—although her flat chest and girl-next-door looks are constantly called attention to on WWE programming by the other wrestlers and AJ herself, as if we're supposed to believe the ridiculous notion that she's homely and far less appealing than the rest of the women.

As it is, WWE are still recruiting models rather than wrestlers, including former Lingerie Football League player Danielle Moinet. While Moinet has an athletic background, she was clearly hired for her stunning good looks more than anything else, and this illustrates perfectly where WWE's priorities are these days. 

Heck, even if Moinet does work hard, train and eventually evolve into a talented wrestler, she's going to face the same two-minute television matches and shoddy creative treatment that frustrates all the other women.

Honestly, the only real reason for any women to want to be a part of WWE is the paycheck or to be on television, because the chances of WWE ever taking the women's division seriously or these women becoming artistically fulfilled are pretty darn slim.

There emerged some hope earlier this year with the push of Kharma (formerly Awesome Kong in TNA), although that was derailed by her pregnancy. She will apparently be back next year, with a renewed push, but knowing WWE's muddled and apathetic treatment of their women's division, that is far from confirmed.  

Later, people hoped that the "Divas of Doom" storyline with Natalya and Beth Phoenix would help rejuvenate the division, but that was a flop, too. It doesn't help that they keep changing their tag team name (the two are apparently called "Pin Up Strong" now, although I suspect by next week WWE will have changed it again).

Additionally, for two girls that claim to resent models and acting feminine, they sure do seem to dress up like models and act feminine a whole lot. What a total mess this storyline has become.

It was also very indicative that in recent weeks, WWE have seemed more interested in pushing Kelly Kelly's Maxim cover rather than the Beth Phoenix vs. Eve match at Survivor Series. That should tell people were their priorities are.

Can women's wrestling ever be taken seriously in WWE? Probably not. For all of Brooke Tessmacher's claims this week that TNA pushes athleticism over looks with its KO division, it's not taken seriously in TNA, either (Brooke made this puzzling statement the same week she was washing a car, wearing nothing but a bikini, on iMPACT).

The issue seems to be that no one in charge or in power in American wrestling (Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff) seems to take women's grappling remotely seriously or see it as anything but T&A to attract young male viewers. That could change one day, but don't hold your breath.