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.

Why WWE's Paige is Best for Business

 Diva is destined to continue creating history for World Wrestling Entertainment

By Stephan Reed

The Anti-Diva, the Scream Queen, the Raven-Haired, Ivory-Skinned Scrapper – however you know her, Saraya-Jade Bevis is set to climb the ranks and reclaim fame as the WWE Diva's champion. Best known by her in-ring alias Paige, the Norwich, England native has the skills and marketability to thrive as a part of World Wrestling Entertainment for a good time to come. If history tells us anything, her peacock-like personality and addicting on-screen presence will be one fans and producers will long to keep around.

Her Background

Paige started fighting at the age of 13 and was born into a family experienced in wrestling. Her mother, Julia, and father, Ricky, saw the future for their daughter and believed condoning her entering the ring would amount to something great. While most 13-year old girls worry about which boy they want to take to the school dance, she was busy training to beat up girls twice her age.

Her in-ring experience, which will be highlighted in-depth later, speaks volumes to her accomplishments. One thing she has done is capture the interest of the entire wrestling community. She has developed a reputation of being an actual fighter. During her time in NXT, she could be seen grappling, kicking and elbowing. She's scrappy. She's exciting. When watching her compete, it's not like you're watching a separate entity that is the Diva's Division – you're just watching a talented superstar.

While some signature move sets can get boring and cliché (see John Cena's Five Moves of Doom),

others can capture the adrenal glands of a nation. For example, The Rock's People's Elbow build up, the Spinaroonie and the Undertaker's finger across the throat/eyes rolled back number. With the exception of Trish Stratus' finger point, AJ Lee's skip and Lita's Hardy Boyz salute, no diva has created something traditional and beloved like this, but Paige is on that track. Her entrance scream, “This is my house,” the out-of-the-ring knees to the chest, shocking boots to the face and that seductive crawl that leads to multiple headbutts (symbolizing her aesthetic appeal and competitive tenacity) are all moves that are distinctly "Paige."

Fans can call out the Ram-Paige, or the PTO or the Paige Turner. She has three finishers with flair, one of them is an intricate submission hold that displays a tremendous amount of strength and balance. She's not just another pretty face. She's a pretty face on one Hell of a fighter. While she hasn't fallen into the right gimmick yet, her in-ring skill has not diminished – it's only getting better. My hope is that the WWE gives her full reign to tear through the Diva's Division – like she did in NXT.

Investment and Commitment

Paige's career on the main WWE roster kicked off in the best possible way – she defeated the seemingly unstoppable force that is AJ Lee after a 295-day title run. While fans were growing bored with Lee's stale tenure as champ, Paige arrived with a pop and a bang as she hit her slightly unrefined finisher and made history as the youngest WWE Diva champion at the age of 21. She lost the title, gained it back and lost it again since, as she continues her pursuit to don the pink-winged belt once again.

But before this, she spent a great deal of time in WWE development leagues. Superstars don't get to up and enter the ring. No. They work their way up, climbing from the bottom up. Failing at her first tryout, Paige fought forward and landed a FCW contract in 2011. Wading through some mis-hitting gimmicks and sticking it out, she eventually built herself up, as the FCW became the now-popular NXT.

Quickly becoming a fan favourite, the Anti-Diva continued to kick the crap out of this Diva's Division. When her signature raven cry played over the stadium speakers, crowds erupted. This was their Diva's champion. Only one problem – there was no NXT Diva's championship. That is until after a hard fought tournament which eventually pit Paige and real-life friend Emma against each other. Paige defeated her opposition, becoming the first ever NXT Diva's champion – kind of a big deal, especially since Triple H was on hand to congratulate the winner.

Paige successfully held the title against any and all competition for more than 300 days until the higher ups at the WWE forced her to vacate the title because she couldn't carry two titles at once. It wasn't fair. She was too good. She had both titles. That's saying a little bit of something.

The WWE gave Paige a chance and she excelled. But it was more than a chance – a shot at temporary fame. They gave her an opportunity to make her mark on wrestling history. And she did just that. She has built herself up – and the WWE has done their part – so much that seeing her fall, now, seems completely impossible.

She's Different

If there's one thing World Wrestling Entertainment likes more than a talented fighter, it's a superstar with super marketability. If they can create buzz, their success can easily follow. Paige is not only a great grappler, but also a character that sells itself. She's not like the rest. She yells. She screams. She's brutal. People Love that she has shaken up the Diva's Division – they just get tired when they see talented athletes get sent through some bad story lines and their skill gets shadowed. When Paige won the Diva's Championship for the first time … that moment still gives me chills. The crowd was so into it. The WWE struck gold.

One great thing they, the company, have done is let Paige be her 22-year old self on social media. Her

personality spills over from TV into the Internet. It's social media marketing genius. If your favourite celebrity is retweeting pics of you wearing their branded clothing and accessories, you're much more inclined to buy something. It's an invaluable added value. If Paige were to “like” my Instagram post, I would likely cry and fanboy all over the place. That's marketing. She can do things that are free – from her phone – that make people spend money. Her Twitter and Instagram (and sometimes Snapchat) presence is done flawlessly.

Another historically proven characteristic that works in the WWE Diva's Division is “craziness.” Look no further than AJ Lee, Mickie James and Victoria (among others) for proof. Paige has this natural menacing charm that fans – and myself – cannot get enough of. It's like the manic pixie dream girl, but unhinged. It's a perfect combination for a crowd of people liking a flashy and violent sport. The young diva has also improved tenfold on the mic. Whereas she used to only prove herself in the ring, she can now perform with her voice. Her accent is lovely and, once again, sets her apart from any other. It's a signature of hers. And the tone in her content – witty, annoyed, boastful remarks – adds to her likeliness. She plays with announcers and interviewers. She's fun and fierce. What more could the WWE ask for?

And finally, it comes down to how much Paige wants this stardom. She took the gamble, at an early age, and sacrificed teen years to get where she is now. However, she's enjoying it. She's embracing it. Her social posts boasts her having a great time with the other divas. And that's just it – she Loves it and she's willing to do whatever it takes, including joining the cast of Total Divas to ensure more face time with the world.

Paige displays raw emotion in and out of the ring. When she won the championship, those were real

tears. When she lost it, that was true rage. When she won the first ever NXT Diva's Championship, she celebrated with same girls she just beat the crap out of. When she defended the title against Natalya and knew she was headed to the WWE, she thanked the veteran diva for the opportunity. She hugged her and showed deep appreciation for someone who has already been through it all.

That's heart. It's more than just prestige – it's passion. It's Love for the business, the lights, the fans, the dream, the crowds' pop when her theme hits, the stage, the sport – the everything.

Paige wants it, so she will get it.

New Myspace Pt. 1: Colorful, Creative ... Confusing

If you know me personally, you would know that I am a sucker for nostalgia. And what better archive of old memories and melodies than MySpace?

Oh, the days of organizing your Top 8 friends and hammering the "Add Friend" button for hours just to boost your band page's friend count. I could go on for days about how wonderful the old MySpace was and how much it taught me in regard to HTML and social media, but that's not what this is about.

It's not great. It's not bad ... just not great.

This is about the NEW MySpace and what it has to offer.

Mr. Justin Timberlake took over the site, sent out a beta version and recently released it to everyone for use. Within the first month of being open to the public, the old place for friends gained one million new users and it continues to grow - just not as fast as it should.

The new layout is unheard of. Instead of scrolling up and down, you scroll horizontally, which makes it disorienting for a new user at first. However, after a few gos at it, it starts to feel right.

MySpace was smart and kept their signature features: customizable profiles, Top 8s and profile songs. One complaint is that you cannot fully customize the HTML for your profile. Back in the day, web design was something we all had to learn to do. Some layouts were absolutely amazing, whether they were minimalistic or complex as Hell.

Simply beautiful.

My biggest complaint of all, the one thing that absolutely breaks my heart,  is the fact that they disposed of all of our old messages, blogs and comments. Some of that stuff was absolute gold for friendships and relationships to come. The memories seem to be forever buried in the meta-world of the Internet - unless MySpace finds a way to let users download the archive of their old stuff. At least they allow us to recover all of our old photos. I would have probably sued if I couldn't have gotten those back.

Anyways, after a few minutes of staring at the site, it's easy to see it is directed at bands, musicians and music Lovers alike. Everything has a song attached. Your photos. Your page. Your posts. There's even a Pandora-esque radio station module at the bottom of the page.

This is both cool and kind of a drag. It's a drag because it tells everyone what you've been listening to, which isn't as much embarrassing as it is annoying to see. I don't care that someone listened to Secret Well Kept by Bright Light Parade on repeat for three hours! (Guilty...: https://myspace.com/brightlightparade/music/songs)

It's cool because you can listen to a band's entire list of songs without paying attention to it. The ad disruption is very minimal and the actual player is pretty well-calibrated. You can discover new bands that you will grow to Love and listen to them all day.

In the good ole days, MySpace was a haven for new music and new bands. The MySpace-band era has since passed, but the archive is still out there, thank God. I Love all the female-front pop/punk bands and gritty deathcore bands that no one cares about. Some of that stuff is absolutely ingenious.

My hopes are high that this new layout and reinvention of MySpace will result in the re-occurrence of the "dream." I want to see some bands who are hungry. Bands who want to play, promote and get signed to a label just so they can play and dance in front of new people. That's what it's about and that's what MySpace allocated in the mid-2000s.

I did want to hit on the mobile app for a second. If it were up to me, I would likely just use the app instead of logging onto a computer if I was trying to be conversational with people. It runs smoother and is a lot faster than the desktop version. MySpace started going downhill once everything started getting bogged down and slow. They tried to make it too flashy and it pissed off a lot of peoples' CPUs.

I truly hope they cut back on the "connecting" aspect of the site. Just because I think someone's picture looks cool doesn't mean I need to "connect" to it and broadcast it to my 1,000 friends. Maybe taking this off would speed everything up just a tad bit.

Admit it. You got excited to see this once again.

Maybe I'm just a fool who is stuck in the past ... the amazing past ... full of custom-made HTML codes, scene hair and garage bands. A past enriched in musical dreams, young Love and angst...

Look at me go. Daydreaming again.

If you haven't already, log into your old MySpace. If you forget your log in stuff, it's easy to recover. Even if you don't keep up with it, you owe it to your past self to check it out and visit who you once were.

Who knows, maybe you'll Love it again!

Anything beats Facebook.

Oh, and don't forget to add me on MySpace: www.myspace.com/st3washere

Album Review: The Millionaires "Tonight"

"Tonight" is the first album released by scene queens The Millionaires. These gals are no strangers to the music scene, seeing as they have been around since 2007. However, this is their first official release and, I believe, they waited just long enough. I wouldn't say that their has "matured," but it has been structured. The Millionaires have created an image and that picture shines through wonderfully with their rookie album.

Pros:
When you first turn on the record, you initially see what these girls are all about. They're shallow, outrageous, covered in glitter and ready to party. Honestly, that's not an insult. This album had me closing my eyes and reliving some of my favorite memories at house parties and had me planning for crazy nights to come. The melodies are so catchy and their voices are like cotton candy to the ears (meaning it's probably bad for you, but damn it's so fantastic).

The Millionaires are equal parts Cascada, Ke$ha and Katy Perry. They have Cascada's melodic chorus, Ke$ha's raunchiness and Katy Perry's lyrical content and feel-good attitude. The chorus of "Get Away" demonstrates this and will be reigning in my head all day tomorrow. "One in a Million" is rather cliche, but still fantastic, especially with the use of their band name in the name. This song screamed "summer" to me. It just felt so wonderful. "I remember the day you left me..." sounds like it was said in a sincere fashion.

My favorite song out of them all is, without a doubt, "Kitty Go Hello." With it's beautifully catchy hook, subtle hints, innuendos and provocative cuteness, I cannot turn it off. I want to hear this in a club full of college kids just having a great time. When I first heard it, I just wanted to jump around smile. The verses are sort of rapped, but done in a way that is still melodic. This song is lusty and Loveable. A hit for sure.



Lines I Liked:
"I'm kinda sweet and fake, like Splenda ... Raw, raw, raw, like sushi." -Boss Bitch
"What we got is raw. Babe, you know I like it rare." -Kitty Go Hello
"Give me that Andrea. 4 Loko everyday. Give me that UV. Cheap alcohol, please. Straight A student, honor roll. Sneaking vodka in detention." -Drinks On Me
"I see you have the same friends. Same job where you just blend in." -One In A Million
"You're meant for me, we belong together. Just wait and see, it's you and me forever." -Jack



Cons:
If the Millionaires want to rap, they should do it on mixtapes, not their actual albums. I get a wanna-be-white-Nicki-Minaj feel when they start rhyming. The delivery is too spoken and not done with enough flow. They sound a bit too cocky for my taste. They rapped too much about money. They sound wonderful when singing...why challenge that?

I would have also liked to see at least one more theme on the album. I dig that they're about partying, but that's all there really was. One more breakup song would have been fun. Possibly one about getting revenge by torching an ex's house. Something the girls can get behind and blast when they're pissed. I also found that, while it was one of my favorite songs on the album, "K Thx Bye" sounded just like "Endless Summer" by Cascada. Doesn't mean it was bad, which it wasn't, but it seemed very similar.

My least favorite song had to be "Boss Bitch." It was a bit too trashy and the hook was too repetitive. I don't like white girls saying "yo" for some reason. It just seems unauthentic. This song was superficial in a bad way. However, I will say their one liners were rather clever, but not even this or the backup vocals on the hook could redeem it. I'm sorry girls, but you could have done better with this one!


Lines I Hated:
"We counted these stacks like 1,2,3. My paper be overflowing." -Drinks On Me
"So I realized I need it super-sized. Honey, you have a small dick, FYI." -K Thx Bye
"If he got a table, every girl knows what that means. Booze, money, drugs and of course he got that big D." -Put It In the Air
 "Hey dirty boy, you're looking hot, hot, hot. Show me your money." "Fuck Me" Eyes

Production: 
Khris Lorenz deserves a medal. The effects and 404s made me feel like I was raving. The bass wasn't too obnoxious, but it got the feet moving. The sound was so full and the girls' voices were so clear. It's like they were talking right in your ear, and as a heterosexual male, that made my knees go weak just a bit.

The production on "21" was exceptional. They took a song that could have been rather basic, cut it up, added to it and made it a "forever young" anthem. The mix was phenomenal. My only harsh critique is that I would have liked to see more real instruments thrown in. "Jack" was the only song I noticed that had a prominent guitar part. However, the "fake" sound matches the girls' style, and if that's what the producers were going for, they did a damn good job.


The Future:
These girls are truly the horrible role models girl need nowadays. This is a weekend album, meaning you won't listen to this expecting to have an existential revelation. You turn it on to have a good time! Because of this, I feel it will succeed. I hope to hear these songs on the mainstream radio. It has the mainstream sound, but the Millionaires have a "bad girl" aesthetic. They're carefree, happy and drunk. They're that girl getting down on the floor at the party; she's not gonna talk your ear off, but she'll give you something else to remember. If they stick to pop music, they will own the music scene. If they choose the path, the outcome may not be so wonderful. However, their hooks and club beats give them a great chance to make it big this time around.


On a scale of 1-10, 1 being don't listen, 5 being just YouTube it and 10 being buy this right now, I would give this album an 8.8.