WWE Twitter Trend: #GiveDivasAChance

Fans Turn to Social Media to Express Outrage on Behalf of WWE Divas

What Happened on RAW

Image Credit: WWE.com

Once again, the WWE Universe has voiced its disgruntlement – this time with how the company handles the WWE Divas Division. The hashtag #GiveDivasAChance began to catch fire after an insultingly short tag team match that put Paige and Emma versus the Bella Twins.

Paige made her way to the ring, only to be left to stand idly while a Sting promotion played out. For five or so minutes, she was left to wait around. The promo ended and viewers found Emma in the ring with her partner. Her entrance wasn't televised. The Bella Twins walked down the runway and, after about a 10 second scuffle, Brie hit Emma with a quick slam and the match was over.

My Personal Insight

Here is where I must editorialize. Within this past year, Paige and Emma produced one of the greatest, most electrifying matches of the year during the NXT Women'sChampionship tournament. The final match lasted 20 minutes – and it was amazing. The two wrestlers (yes, I use the term “wrestlers” here) went back and forth, exchanging moves and blows in acrobatic fashion. The crowd was behind it the whole time, chanting both names. Paige ultimately pulled off the victory and became the first NXT Women's Champion. The match was intense, entertaining and certainly memorable. 

Wasting On-Air Time

During a podcast, Triple H told Stone Cold Steve Austin that the hardest part about adding the third hour to the RAW program is simply filling the time. That is why we saw Curtis Axel get more TV time, shouting “Axel-Mania” than we got to see of four elite female wrestlers. It is also worth noting the scraping around for time at the end of the program. Michael Cole had to scramble together extended replay commentary because the show didn't run quite long enough. Cole even had to retract his signing off statement just to kill more time. Take a guess at who would have benefited from and appreciated those extra five minutes?

Because of the above-mentioned reasons, #GiveDivasAChance became the number one trend worldwide – something the WWE did not broadcast on television. Fans want to see the Divas Division granted more time, but they also want it to be respectable time delegation. The caddy high school games and drama can be left aside. That's what Total Divas is for. They want to see the divas actually compete, not just speak.

Fellow Diva Endorsement

While the hashtag has since moved to the middle of the Twitter trend list, it accumulated more than 34,000 mentions in a small window of time. It's also worth noting that this window of time (10:30 p.m. To 9 a.m.) is when most of the PG-rated programs audience is sleeping. The WWE Universe wasn't alone in supporting the cause either. TNA Knockout Velvet Sky tweeted out the hashtag in support of her fellow female fighters. WWE Diva Renee Young retweeted the hashtag. The official Bella Twins Twitter account started favoriting tweets about the movement. The trend caught traction thanks to a select few prolific celebrities and an enraged fan base.

In a recent panel interview, the Bella Twins discussed the differences between NXT and WWE in regard to on-air and match time. Brie stated that there's little motivation for NXT women to be brought up into the WWE, given the lack of combat time.

 

Womens Championship History and Matches

After the SuperBowl, the #LikeAGirl trend started running rampant on social media, so much so that the WWE got behind it and made its own #LikeAGirl video featuring NXT women. These women aren't “Mean Girls.” They are role models to young ladies. Looking back at famous and infamous women wrestlers, it's hard to imagine the group not cringing at what is being done to the current WWE Divas. Lita and Trish headlined RAW. They fought in a steel cage. Melina and Mickie James had a hardcore match, as did Lita and Jazz. These women created a strong, independent and respectable feel for the division. They fought in extreme rules matches with chairs, tables and Molly Holly even had her head shaved.

While some may argue that the fighters are sexualized – given certain storylines and ring attire – their Candice,Victoria and Beth Phoenix didn't suffer life-altering injuries for the division to get 30 seconds. Chyna took on X Pac and Ken Shamrock during her time. You cannot tell me that the women's division is dead – it just needs air time and decent, non-cliche stories. The Divas sell merchandise and put on a show. Let them live.

artfully-crafted, physical battles show that they mean business. Lita didn't break her neck to have the divas get 30 seconds. Paige didn't work literally her entire life toward a dream of being shoved aside publicly and given 30 seconds.

 

Damage Control

By the end of the trend's prime, it had become the number one topic discussed on Facebook, it accumulated more than 600 Instagram photos and even harbored attention from Tumblr. After the Roman Reigns fiasco, the WWE Universe responded and the WWE listened. They pay attention to what the fans say, so it will be interesting to see how the company and its creative team reacts to the outrage. There were allegations of sexism against Vince McMahon. The term “Glass Ceiling” was tossed around a few times throughout the night. These are certainly not good mark for a business that marches to a mantra of “equality.”

Will AJ Lee return and make a splash? Will we see some of the more physical NXT women come up and join Paige in the “Diva of Tomorrow/Anti-Diva” movement? The next stages – especially leading up to WrestleMania 31 – are both nerve-racking and exciting. The fans want to see more out of this league – and hopefully the WWE delivers.

 

WWE Social Media History

Since 2010, the WWE has owned social media, making great advances via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and their own World Wrestling Entertainment app. This has allowed the company to collect both qualitative and quantitative data regarding its performance – especially since the launch of the WWE Network this past year.

However, the WWE has seen its fair share of other PR nightmares. After the RoyalRumble pay-per-view, #CancelTheWWENetwork was the number one trend all the way up until midday the following Monday. This hashtag also found its way to the trends list more recently after WWE Fast Lane.