WWE Divas vs. TNA Knockouts: Which Product is Better?

Recently, Pro Wrestling Illustrated released their list of the top 50 female wrestlers. I have been discussing for a while the differences between TNA and WWE products, so I thought this would be an opportune time to discuss the differences between WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts.

First of all, let's take a peek at the top 50 list:

Top 50 Female Wrestlers as Rated by Pro Wrestling Illustrated 2009

01. Mickie James (WWE)

02. Angelina Love (TNA)

03. Melina (WWE)

04. MsChif

05. Tara (TNA)

06. Awesome Kong (TNA)

07. Beth Phoenix (WWE)

08. Michelle McCool (WWE)

09. Maryse (WWE)

10. Taylor Wilde (TNA)

11. Sara Del Rey

12. Alissa Flash, aka Raisha Saeed, Cheerleader Melissa (TNA)

13. Gail Kim (WWE)

14. Mercedes Martinez

15. ODB (TNA)

16. Daizee Haze

17. Sarita (TNA)

18. Daffney (TNA)

19. Madison Rayne (TNA)

20. Katie Lea Burchill (WWE)

21. Nikki Roxx

22. Angel Orsina

23. Velvet Sky (TNA)

24. Sojo Bolt (TNA)

25. Natalya (WWE)

26. Rain

27. Amber O'Neal

28. Jillian Hall (WWE)

29. Jetta

30. Lufisto

31. Madison Eagles

32. Nevaeh

33. Wesna Busic

34. Kelly Kelly (WWE)

35. Portia Perez

36. Danyah

37. Ariel

38. Jennifer Blake

39. Nichole Matthews

40. Serena Deeb (WWE)

41. Allison Danger

42. Melia Hosaka

43. Lexie Fyfe

44. Jamie D

45. Amy Lee

46. Annie Social

47. April Hunter

48. Cherry Bomb

49. Jessie McKay

50. Rosa Mendes (WWE)

Of the top 50 female wrestlers rated by PWI, WWE Divas claim twelve positions and TNA Knockouts score eleven. Female wrestlers of various independent wrestling organizations hold the remaining 27 places. Here is the WWE vs. TNA breakdown.

WWE Divas in Top 50

01. Mickie James (1)

02. Melina (3)

03. Beth Phoenix (7)

04. Michelle McCool (8)

05. Maryse (9)

06. Gail Kim (13)

07. Katie Kea Burchill (20)

08. Natalya (25)

09. Jillian Hall (28)

10. Kelly Kelly (34)

11. Serena Deeb (40)

12. Rosa Mendes (50)

TNA Knockouts in Top 50

01. Angelina Love (2)

02. Tara (5)

03. Awesome Kong (6)

04. Taylor Wilde (10)

05. Cheerleader Melissa (a.k.a. Alissa Flash, Raisha Saeed) (12)

06. ODB (15)

07. Sarita (17)

08. Daffney (18)

09. Madison Rayne (19)

10. Velvet Sky (23)

11. Sojo Bolt (24)

You can see the difference between the two wrestling products. Perhaps, if you watch either show, you noticed that WWE has Divas who were not ranked in the top 50 (Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Eve Torres, Layla, Maria, Nikki Bella, Tiffany). TNA also has Knockouts who didn't make the cut (Rhaka Khan, Traci Brooks). 7 WWE Divas were not good enough to beat out independent wrestlers and make the top 50. Only 2 TNA Knockouts failed to make the list. It is important to note that the majority of the pro wrestling product is male wrestling. That means there are fewer women who wrestle and therefore fewer women to compete for a "top 50 list". That being said, to not make the list anywhere and be ranked below independent wrestlers who get little or no television airtime is pretty sad.

Now, if you're a fan of wrestling, you know that there have always been ladies involved somehow, either in the ring or outside. It's no surprise why some of these women were hired. They are beautiful people. Some argue that the more beautiful a woman is, the less wrestling talent she must have. I would argue that is not always the case, as in the case of some of the women in the above lists. There are some truly stunning women who can "layeth the smacketh down" with the best of them, and there are some less than gorgeous women who couldn't punch their way out of a wet paper bag.

The best measure has to be fan following. Why because a fan following means money for the wrestler and the wrestling promotion. If a female wrestler is followed because she has a smoking hot behind, so be it if it puts paying behinds in the seats and sells merchandise. If a woman is followed because she can flat out wrestle, that sells tickets too, so count that to her credit. Frankly speaking, the above two examples are why the Indy wrestlers make this list. They draw attention to not only themselves but to their brand, and they often end up being hired by the larger promotions. Take special note of #4 on the list. MsChif has been making the rounds and has great talent in the ring. She's also easy on the eyes, in this writer's opinion. So why doesn't she get a big name contract? Why does Traci Brooks get a deal? She hardly wrestles and she gets in Playboy? It's because she has an attractive physique and large breasts. You know I'm not lying. It is obvious to everybody why many of the Divas and Knockouts get hired or fired (remember Candice Michelle?).

Now, to make a social commentary, we have to admit that sex sells. Is that a good thing? Yes, if you're an investor. No, if you're a wrestling purist, or at least understand that these are human beings and not objects. Sometimes that line between objectifying, exploiting, and working in the best interest of the athlete gets blurred. It is an unfortunate reality that many of the female wrestlers are only there for their looks. It stereotypes the whole lot of women wrestlers and that is not fair. I enjoy watching good wrestling, be it guys or gals, but I want the action to be good, not just eye-candy. In order to catch good matches that means I have to look all over and at all organizations within my reach, either on television, live, or online.

What is my soapbox? Should we boycott the T&A on TNA? Should we tell Velvet Sky to stop shaking her ass or wearing cutoff shirts. Heavens no! But should we change the channel when somebody else comes out to wrestle? I say, no. Let's evaluate wrestling for what it is. Velvet Sky, by the way, is one hell of a good wrestler and she is very attractive as well. Good for her. I've also watched Dusty Rhodes wrestle for as long as I can remember, and nobody is giving him a beauty award. I'll leave the debate for "hottest female wrestler" to the fanboys. In the meantime, I've got some wrestling to watch.