High Road/Low Road 08.18.06: Diva Search
Posted by Sat on 08.18.2006
The Diva Search has been going on for a month and it ended on Wednesday. Was the Diva Search valuable or worthless to the WWE? You decide in this week's High Road/Low Road.
Welcome to another loaded edition of the column for Gods—the High Road/Low Road! A brief explanation of the column for you High Road/Low Road virgins: Rajah takes the Low Road (negative view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related "stuff" while Sat takes the High Road (positive view).
The Results for the Using RAW/SmackDown Stars on ECW:
High Road: 39%
Low Road: 61%
E-Mails:
Below are some of the e-mails that we received this week. We read every e-mail that we get, but we are unable to respond to all of them. That being said, keep the e-mails coming. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Tanner Pruitt Writes:
Yeah, it was obvious from the get-go that I would vote Low road. I don't think that WWE has listened to what the true fans of ECW want, and what they want is what's good for the long-term existence for ECW. I think that after Dupree comes in (WHY GOD, WHY!?) we won't have to see many more WWE guys (with the exception of the Hardy Boyz, who I really wouldn't mind having in ECW). Once again, ECW fans are the hardest in the world to please and if you can listen to them, this ECW would be running smoothly.
Sat: I have to agree with you completely. We have seen that the appearances of the WWE guys has gone down and I would be shocked to see any more WWE guys coming to ECW after Dupree.
Rajah: LOW ROAD! I don't get some of the decisions Vince has made with ECW either. Dupree? How the hell is this going to work? All I can think of is that he's going to be like Nacho Libre but full term.
RC Writes:
Hi!
Here' something I think this week's high road should have touched on:
RVD (first) and Big Show (after RVD went out) faced "known" (to the WWE audience) stars because that would not only garner interest from the casual fan for ECW but also gave ECW good ratings.
Now that they had gotten a lot of people watching ECW (albeit for the wrong reason: seeing the ECW champ face a WWE wrestler) they can perhaps hook some of those fans to continue watching ECW.
Had they not used WWE stars then these fans might not have cared to watch about ECW.
Sat: That's another High Road that I missed. It makes sense for the WWE to use their known stars to draw their fans to ECW. Thanks for pointing that out.
Rajah: I don't think that's true. Aren't Rob Van Dam, Big Show, and Angle already known to most fans? And just the fact that this ECW has the WWE imprint with it means that most WWE fans will give it a try. The WWE doesn't need to bring guest RAW and SmackDown wrestlers to the show every week.
Mike LaFave Writes:
Hey guys, I don't know if you've noticed but I have a column on 411, Getting Over, you should check it out, it's a good read...anyway...
Sat man, you forgot the biggest argument for it. The WWE is trying to get the strongest ratings for ECW as possible so the contract gets extended to a year or more and that a second hour gets added. Then they can add a TV title, tag team division, and then can give the others on the roster the true build they need. Using Big Names to match up against the Big Show was smart because it kept rating high. Plus, it's gonna make either RVD or Sabu look like a hero and a giant killer when one of them finally beats Big Show for the belt. Plus it all plays in to this New Breed vs. ECW originals storyline that is slowly developing.
I think the timing on this subject may have been a little off because I don't think we'll see too many more Raw and SmackDown superstars on ECW. They did what they needed to do and now there is enough going on elsewhere that it can stand on it's own two legs.
And Rajah, you kept saying that they should have just used a random extremist against Show, but you never say who. Al Snow? Justin Credible? Steven Richards? Come on give me a break.
OK, liked the article, and just so you guys know, I've voted in all your editions. Being that I'm a positive guy I've voted high road in all but one. Keep up the great work guys!
Sat: Yeah that's the second high road that I missed for the Using RAW/SmackDown stars on ECW. Hopefully, it isn't a recurring thing. I have checked out your previous two columns and they are pretty good. Rajah had the same idea for Shelton Benjamin, but his idea was going all out. Maybe, he'll elaborate on it below.
Rajah: Fuck positivity. God damn positive people on crack writing all over 411 like its some sort of crack whore. Why not Al Snow? Stevie Richards? Wasn't JBL basically a big jobber until he got his main event push? The WWE just won't let these guys "get over." Trust me, hand Richards a mike and you would get a damn interesting feud with Big Show. Again, I don't think the WWE needed to bring in other guys to boost ratings when they already have the WWE imprint on ECW. And by the way, though I think you're wrong, you still have a column worthy of a high road. So people go read it.
About Shelton Benjamin, see I think the guy's careers pretty much dead and when someone's career is pretty much dead you turn them into a comedy act. They should have Shelton come out one day and give the Rock's heel-turning promo and do it the same except when the Rock says it's not a race thing its a respect thing. Shelton should say the opposite (it's not a respect thing it's a race thing) and then reform the Nation of Domination and then he can start calling himself the Shell. The Shell says... If you smell what the Shell is cooking? The blowoff can be a match with the Rock at WrestleMania 23! I think this could work.
Uncle Trunx Writes:
Hi guys,
Great column as ever.
With regard to the issue of wrestlers from other WWE brands being used to face the ECW champion, I can understand it to an extent. If top notch wrestlers are used, in the short term, it can help to establish the belt as a notable prize; if Undertaker, Kane and Ric Flair come up short trying to win it, anyone who does finally take it off the Big Show becomes a legit main eventer in any brand, not just ECW.
However, my view is that this needs to be a strictly short-term policy, as if it continues for too long it will seriously damage the credibility of the rest of the roster. Having Big Show face Sabu is a good start but a few other reasonable contenders will need to be found in the near future if
ECW isn't going to look like the place WWE stars go for a quick payday and title match. Also, as Rajah noted, Big Show has to win cleanly against visiting wrestlers the majority of the time, or he risks looking like a weak champion thus devaluing the brand. What might strengthen the brand is if he pins visiting stars cleanly but gets tainted victories to retain against ECW wrestlers.
What would really help establish the belt as a top prize with a true "Fighting champ" is if they could get guys from Japan, Europe, RoH or even TNA in once in a while for a match. That's a pipe dream but it would serve the purpose far more effectively.
Now RVD is back, I wait with anticipation to see what they do with ECW. My hope is that it can become a strong brand with a clear identity of its own, and the policy of using visiting wrestlers can be phased out
Sat: Using the RAW/SmackDown stars should be a short term policy and we are seeing that because the Big Show has not faced a RAW/SmackDown guy in the past two weeks. I would be shocked if ECW brings in guys from other places.
Rajah: It would be interesting to see wrestlers from Japan, Europe etc. To come and fight the ECW champion but it probably wouldn't help in building long-term feuds and what not.
This week's High Road/Low Road featuring...
The Diva Search
High Road:
The Diva Search is valuable to the WWE because it allows for the WWE to find new divas. Sure, all of the contestants of the Diva Search are not going to want to be WWE divas. For the Diva Search to be successful, I believe that they only need two of the contestants to stay with the WWE and have some success. So far that has happened. In the first Diva Search, the WWE got Candice Michelle, Maria, & Michelle McCool and in the second Diva Search, the WWE got Kristal Marshall & Ashley Massaro. All of these divas have helped the WWE. Sure, the impact has been minimal, but it will continue to increase with the departure of Trish and Lita.
Low Road:
I really don't want to write about the Diva Search so my works might seem sloppier and in general worse than it usually is. Back to business—isn't it easier just to hire new Divas, instead of wasting precious television time on Divas who aren't going to be in WWE anymore? The WWE could have found Divas like Candice Michelle, Maria, etc. without the Diva Search. It's unnecessary and a waste of time. Instead of giving time to the Diva Search shouldn't the women wrestlers they have get time? How about we get another feud for Mickie James going? Instead she just loses the tile to Lita out of nowhere. Mickie looks better than all the Diva Search contestants do. Use the Divas you have Vince, you idiot.
High Road:
Everybody wants his or her opinion to be heard. Well, the Diva Search allows for that to happen because we are going to pick who wins the competition. Whoever wins this competition was chosen by the fans and not the WWE. And that is a positive in my eyes. So, whomever wins this competition did something right and by doing so, they managed to become a WWE diva.
Low Road:
That's why Christy Hemme is still with the WWE because a majority of the fans voted for her. That's why Taboo Tuesday's been such a buyrate whore too. I can't believe one of your high roads is that the fans get to vote. Obviously you don't have much to work with.
High Road:
The Diva Search is not dominating the show; it is just a small part of the show. Rajah, you are always saying that you want some variety in the shows and the Diva Search gives you that. You get some wrestling, some comedy, etc. The diva search takes one segment at the most and that I am fine with. If the Diva Search was dominating the show, then I would have had problems with it, but that is not the case.
Low Road:
I don't want crappy variety. I want interesting angles and feuds not musical fucking chairs. And the Diva Search is NOT entertaining. Maybe if it was, I wouldn't hate it as much, but Goddamn.
High Road:
PUPPIES!!!!!!!!!
Low Road:
At least they're your age. But I don't want you to think I'm anti-puppies, I'm saying there are better ways to bring "puppies" in the show. Let's take the Truth B Told as an example for the WWE to follow. Domingo always includes the Random Asian Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week. But does it make his column unreadable? No, it does not. Does it add to the column experience? Yes, indeed it does. For the Diva Search the effects are quite the opposite. I want to throw a brick through my television and it makes the WWE programming experience worse. I think the WWE can learn quite a bit from Domingo on how to integrate tits and ass in their shows.
High Road:
The Diva Search has been about the divas, but it has also helped the Miz. How you ask? The Miz has finally begun to do something that he is good (not great) at. Before the Diva Search, the WWE had made him the host of SmackDown and an interviewer backstage and to me it didn't seem like a good idea for the Miz. Now, the Miz has been able to do something that he is good at and something that he is used to. The Miz is a reality "star", so it does make sense for him to be a part of the Diva Search. Finally, do you want the Miz hosting the Diva Search or Jonathan Coachman hosting the Diva Search?
Low Road:
I don't want anybody hosting the Diva Search. I don't want a Diva Search. The Miz could be much better in an another role than as the host of the Diva Search, for example he could be off my TV
High Road:
Let's remember that when Trish started out as a WWE diva, she was not that great. The same will be true for these Divas. They will not be so good at first and eventually they will improve. The problem is that people are expecting them to be good right away, but that is nearly impossible. An example of this from the Diva Search is Candice Michelle. When she started she was awful, but since that time she has gotten better. Still, she isn't like Trish, but she is much better than when she started.
Low Road:
First, Trish is an exception. So, wouldn't it be better to find someone who can actually wrestle instead of just hiring someone for T and A? It's seems a bit counterproductive to sign someone to wrestle and then start training them. Shouldn't being able to wrestle be a perquisite? But I must be crazy. Some in a wrestling company being able to wrestle? HA! Where do I these crazy ideas?
High Road:
Everybody has been saying that there is no point to the Diva Search because they can't wrestle and there is no use for them. Eventually, they will all learn how to wrestle a little bit. Most of the old Diva Search contestants have learned out to wrestle. And they don't have to be these great wrestling technicians because the women wrestlers rarely wrestle long matches. So, these Diva Search contestants will learn how to wrestle and they will also be okay.
Low Road:
They rarely wrestle long matches because they aren't given time to build feuds because of shit like the Diva Search. I found the Mickie/Trish storyline to be interesting. But Mickie has been stagnant since because she hasn't had time to develop feuds, time she might have gotten if the Diva Search was dropped. That's the same for almost all the women's wrestlers. How about Victoria?
Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?
Plugs
We are taking the high road on these articles so you should read them...
Michael Weyer has a look at the women's division, how it will be impacted by the departure of Lita & Trish AND he looks at two diva DVDs in last week's Shining the Spotlight.
