User blog:CEDJunior/Total Divas: One Year Later

Hard to believe, but today is the one year anniversary of the premiere of the hit reality series, ''Total Divas. ''It was on July 28, 2013 that the series premiered on the E! Network, and as expected, it was a ratings bonanza. As a Divas fan, I've never missed an episode, and I'm pretty sure a lot of others have watched religiously as well.

What upsets me is the hypocrisy among fans regarding Total Divas, with peopls saying that the show is actually ruining the Divas Division. I don't believe this. It was around two years ago that word was out that WWE was planning an all-Divas reality show, and we were all excited! We wanted something that would give the Divas Division a huge boost and we would get it with Total Divas! Now that we got what we asked for, some people are actually complaining! I don't get it. The show is making the Divas Division way more relevant than ever! Where's the problem?!

Anyway, the original cast consisted of Natalya, The Bella Twins, The Funkadactyls, and newcomers Eva Marie and JoJo. Natalya was basically the de facto leader/den mother of the septet, due to her wrestling family lineage and her many years in the business. The Bellas are the only other former Divas Champions in the cast, and Naomi and Cameron were portrayed as the up-and-comers of the cast. Eva Marie was portrayed as the standout villainess on the show after she made her impression on WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler by slapping him on his face, and JoJo was the babyface newbie of the cast. The Bellas were also heels at the time, and they took Eva Marie under their wing during Brie's feud with Natalya.

Season 2 would see some casting changes to the program, with JoJo exiting the show to focus on training down at NXT. Speaking of NXT, one of their former Divas would fill JoJo's vacant spot; in the form of Summer Rae. Total Divas was part Summer Rae's big year, which began when she cemented herself as NXT's top villainess when she targeted Paige last January. Within months, she was called up to the main roster, and it was right after the promotion that Total Divas came calling. By Season 2, all of the cast were babyfaces due to AJ Lee's pipe bombshell; leaving Summer Rae as the lone heel in the cast. And boy, did she play that role on the show! As we all saw during Season 2, the evil Summer Rae wasted no time antagonizing the entire cast, mainly Natalya, Eva Marie, and Brie Bella. Among the biggest moments of this past season was what I call "The Slap Heard 'Round the World," when an episode ended with Summer Rae delivering a slap to Natalya's face! It was a terrific season overall, and marriage was apparently the theme. Eva Marie's elopement, Naomi's marriage to Jimmy Uso, and Brie's wedding and marriage to Daniel Bryan were highlighted during Season 2.

The third season of Total Divas starts on September 7; less than six weeks from now. As announced a few months ago, Season 3 will bring an addition to the cast, as Rosa Mendes will now be part of the show. It may not seem like it, but Rosa is a seasoned veteran; having been in WWE since all the way back in 2006. The cast has been largely divided regarding the face/heel ratio as of late. Cameron became a villainess three weeks ago, and Eva Marie has regained her evil persona (thank goodness!) as of late as well. Rosa is another heel in the cast as well, but Summer Rae recently turned face when she and Layla both dumped Fandango. We all know that Nikki Bella is headed for a villainous turn of her own, and when that happens, the ratio will be even, and it would bring implications that I'll explain in another blog.

Bottom line, no matter how you slice it, Total Divas has been the best thing to happen to the Divas Division in a long while. For the last few years, there has been a lack of depth in the Divas Division, but in the year that has passed since Total Divas debuted, intrigue in the division has vastly increased. Storylines have been better, as have the matches. And I think the increase of quality has spread to the Divas not involved in the show as well. The show itself is an absolute joy to watch, and I really can't wait for Season 3 to start!