Ex-WWE writer says Creative direction for Divas was 'just a bunch of catty chicks, most of whom are mentally unstable'
Kevin Eck is a former editor of WCW Magazine who blogged about pro wrestling for The Baltimore Sun before getting hired onto the WWE Creative team. Eck was one of the cuts during last Summer's staff reduction in Stamford, and he's now joining the ranks of Court Bauer and Alex Greenfield as a super-fan with some inside knowledge into how Vince McMahon runs his ship.
He's doing that with his new blog, The Ecks Factor. And yesterday, he posted some thoughts on the post-AJ Lee, currently Paige-free state of women's wrestling on Raw and Smackdown. Kevin comes to same conclusions made by our own Tonya Rodgers and others, that #GiveDivasAChance isn't just about giving the ladies a few extra minutes for matches, it's about giving them characters and letting them tell stories.
The difference is, Ecks has a perspective that we as fans and opinionistas don't. Here's his take on The Bellas suddenly playing nice on Monday's show after Naomi's heel turn:
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by the questionable booking. During my time on the WWE creative team, we actually were told that there really are no babyfaces or heels in the Divas division. It was strongly implied that the Divas are all just a bunch of catty chicks, most of whom are mentally unstable.
A perfect example of that philosophy was the booking of the program between AJ and Paige last year. Instead of establishing a babyface and a heel, both characters acted heelish,
Their "frenemies" angle was more confusing than compelling. Thus, the rivalry between one of the most "over" Divas of all time and a heralded newcomer to the main roster wasn't nearly as good as it should have been.
The audience needs someone to root for. It's really not that complicated.
If the idea now is to get fans to cheer the Bellas — and I'm honestly not sure if that's the case or not — don't have them just show up on Raw one week acting nicer and wrestling a babyface style. Tell me a story. What circumstance has sparked this change in their personalities?
Speaking of the Bella twins, their reunion last year after Nikki had turned on Brie three months earlier is a textbook example of uninspired and illogical storytelling.
Nikki told Brie that she wished her twin had died in the womb and went on to demean her sister for a month due to a stipulation that made Brie her personal assistant. Yet at Survivor Series, Brie helped Nikki retain her Divas Championship.
Why did Brie do it? We were never given an explanation. That's not only lazy booking, it's also insulting to the audience. My guess is that either Vince himself or someone in creative threw out a cliche about blood being thicker than water, and that was that. Move on.
There's not really much new there, or thoughts that we here at Cagesides and other wrestling sites haven't written about a lot in the past. But I think it's even more frustrating to hear that the unlikeable characters we see on the screen aren't just the result of creative laziness or lack of focus, but are the product of an actual direction by the powers-that-be.
