10 Times WWE Made Us Ashamed To Be Wrestling Fans
9. The Diva Search
The recent renaissance of women’s wrestling in WWE has been a great thing. Talented wrestlers such as Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss and many others have been able to show their skills in featured matches on TV and PPV, and they are taken seriously as athletes, rather than eye candy. One of the most significant aspects of this has been the abandonment of the term “Diva” to describe the female wrestlers, in favour of them sharing the moniker “Superstars” used by the men.
One of the darkest times for women’s wrestling was in the mid-2000s, when there was an annual contest called the Diva Search. This was mostly an excuse to feature good-looking women on Raw broadcasts, and a group of 10 or so would compete to be awarded with a full-time WWE contract. The lucky contestants would prove their worth by participating in such riveting segments as Pie Eating, seducing Kamala, Bikini Boot Camp, and other such degrading events.
Shockingly, this contest ran for three years on WWE programming, with an extra being shown exclusively on WWE.com, despite widespread apathy from the audience. Wrestling audiences seem to want to watch wrestling. Shocking, isn’t it?