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Eve Torres: Sara del Rey's Worst Case Scenario
By: TH | Posted: 07/14/12


Wasted talent?
If you're a true fan of Sara del Rey, you've been dreaming about the ceiling of her best-case scenarios in WWE. Those wishes have run the gamut from seemingly unrealistic (WrestleMania headliner) to plausible if not still unattainable in the current landscape (anchor of a fully-realized women's division as well as a trainer for those whom WWE picks up from whatever walk of life). Of course, because of said landscape, it can be hard for said fans not to let their minds wander into the negative. I know that my first reaction was skepticism as to whether she'd be artistically fulfilled, but even with the uncertainty surrounding the other highly hyped independent women's wrestler who came aboard in Kharma and her employment status, the fact that WWE is looking at places like SHIMMER to stock the ranks of their Divas rather than Hawaiian Tropic shows or the local casting couches.

Still, lingering doubt about how WWE will employ del Rey is there, and many people think that the worst case scenario would be her never reaching the main roster. That might seem like it's the worst, but if she never makes it out of Florida, then what will the damage be to her artistically? It almost seems fact that the women get treated better down there on camera, and at least she'll get more of a hero's welcome from the indie crowds she'll return to, mainly because if you've never made it in your quest to hit the big time, I feel like it gives the fans more of a reason to buttress their case for their what-if counterarguments. Don't ask me why I think this way; it's more a matter of perception than anything scientific.

There is someone who stands as a stark reminder as to how badly del Rey can turn out in WWE. Her name is Eve Torres. The current official LensCrafters Superstar has settled into a niche as the bitchy assistant to... wait, whom is she assisting right now? Anyway, her career arc has been mainly to appear in skits with Cryme Tyme, pop her booty before doing a moonsault, pull a hoeski on Zack Ryder and then wear glasses and chide John Laurinaitis about looking at her breasts.

So, with that in mind, why is Torres the cautionary tale here, and not, say, Kelly Kelly? Well, unlike Ms. Hawaiian Tropic, Torres actually has some talent. She has a legit fighting background in judo Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I'm not sure how good she is at it, but who cares? She's got a blue belt, which is second from the lowest belt, but then again, my lazy ass knows no martial arts, so there's that. CM Punk does one fucking Muay Thai kick, and he's "trained" in that art, but Torres has judo BJJ training and her offense's base is a standing booty pop moonsault? Really?

Similarly, on the microphone, I've seen her deliver cogent speeches before. Granted, at least one of those times was when she was appearing on a commercial, but anything counts, right? It's the sexy cattle mentality from the people who direct the Divas. They don't care what they're good at or what kind of tools they have. There are archetypes, and it doesn't matter if the performer doesn't fit into the archetype. All girls are icky and they all have the same skillset.

Now, there's another example to counterbalance Torres here, and it's AJ, but AJ has been a recent development. For everything that she's doing to create a female character that isn't bound to a "traditional WWE" archetype, it's still bucking against the company's modus operandi. We don't know if this is just an experiment or whether it's the sign of a sea change. Hopefully, it's the latter, but until WWE gives us more than one bone, how can we be sure?

No matter what happens though, this much is true; del Rey deserves a fate better than being the next Eve Torres. Hell, I know I am going to catch shit for this, but Torres herself deserves better. Everyone with female anatomy in WWE deserves a bit better, and that's where all the skepticism comes from.

Believe me, no one wants del Rey to make it to the big time only to be shunted into a role where she has to act "like a girl" or more accurately, "like how a bunch of out-of-touch men and the boss' daughter who has spent her whole life believing that her own gender should be treated a certain, not-so-flattering way perceive a girl to act". It'd be one thing if she never made it to the roster. It'd be another if she showed only half a dimension and had Ryder call her a hoeski because she did one thing that was morally objectionable.

Wait, nevermind, I just remembered they gave Nattie Neidhart a farting gimmick. Forget all that, THAT'S the worst case scenario. Still, no matter what the treatment is, there's always the hope that AJ is the first of a new breed of woman in WWE, and that Sara del Rey can actually redefine what it means to be an active woman competing in the biggest wrestling company in the world.

ETA: Thanks to TWB Superfan Jamey "FATSEXY" Litton for the heads up on Torres' martial arts cred.




Check out new blogs on WWE, TNA, Chikara and more every day over at the home of TH, The Wrestling Blog @ http://wallsofjerichoholic.blogspot.com/


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- TH
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