WWE managed to give us a holiday-themed ‘shoot again this year, albeit with a bit of noire twist: yes, there is the usual holiday décor and cute outfits, but this year, the Riott Squad is giving us their best Grinch-impersonation and attempting to make the celebration a bit more …well, riotous :).
Things begin sweetly enough, with Alexa looking appropriately wintery in a layered look comprised of a white tank, black vest, white and black checked button-down and leggings. I love the way she’s styled this: the open cardi lets the textural and graphic play of all the layers shine, while the belt keeps everything tidy and adds needed definition at her waist. She takes this look from “any ol’ weekend” to holidays status with her gorgeous shimmery eye make-up. The glittering silver-blue looks incredible on her! We’ve seen her reach for it a number of times and its always on point. She warms it up with a wash of blush at the outer corners that ties in perfectly with the pink tones in her hair and her rosy lip shade. I’m so here for this, head to toe!
Mickie slayed in an ivory off-the-shoulder sweater, paired with burgundy velvet shorts. I adore this combo – its on-trend, luxe and sexy all at once! I’m firmly on the fence, though, about her leg warmers.  There are definite waves being made about a comeback for them and I kind of think they’re best left in the 80’s. However, here, the Fair Isle pattern adds a nice touch of contrast and they serve to carry the ivory color through the outfit, echoing Mickie’s sweater nicely before she rounds out the look with another touch of burgundy via her suede ankle boots. Let’s say that I might have preferred ivory over-the-knee socks, but I can live with this, especially since they don’t negate the incredible fashion statement of the top two pieces in the least. Nicely done, Mickie!

In yet another wrestling-themed photoshoot, several Lady Superstars dressed up as their favorite ECW wrestlers. This kind of theme has been a favorite of WWE, going all the way back to 2013 when Natalya won our Silver Snaps Award with her portrayal of Sean Michaels.  I loved this idea much better back then when it was rarer, but I’ll take it.
Track pants and an ECW tee: Tommy Dreamer’s trademark ring gear  was made for Becky! She looks very much at home in this type of styling, and stays true to Dreamer’s choices, all the way up to his taped hands. She replicates his gritty stare perfectly and the background lighting helps to add interest to these snaps, which makes them particularly appealing.
Lana replicated The Sandman’s signature look of a personalized tank and denim (sometimes track pants). Her choice to go with all-black plays well against the barbed wire and chain link background, as well as the red and blue lighting that somehow creates a grimy atmosphere.  She utilizes his trademark prop – a kendo stick – in her poses to good effect. Her work here is stellar, as usual…though I admit to being quite distracted by her gorgeous messy braid!

Wrestlemania 34 featured the first - and hopefully inaugural – Battle Royal for the Lady Superstars and there was a LOT of ring gear flying around the squared circle…and out of it! Consequently, we decided to dedicate an entire post to  :) breaking it down, analyzing it and raving over it. Are you stoked yet?  We are! First, a clarification: although Nia is part of our collage here, she was not part of the Battle Royal; she won the Raw Women’s Championship later in the evening, defeating Alexa Bliss. So why is she here? Basically, we had this awesome snap of her gear to show off, so show it off we did! :)

So, about forty years after the Rumble, WWE managed to release photoshoot-style snaps of the ladies in their ring gear, under the guise of celebrating International Women’s Day. Ok, Big Dub, whatever. It’s a gear ‘shoot and I’m good with that. No need to try to convince me its anything else. So, now about forty years after they released it, I’m reviewing it…under the guise of rounding up the Royal Rumble :). I like that these snaps give you a close and clear look at each of the ladies’ in-ring looks and it allows me to comment on a few of the gals I couldn’t acquire good pics of the first time around.
Aaaaand Becky isn’t in her gear, but this actually looks like it could have been. Its  a taste of her chill-gal-meets-medieval-punk stylings that we saw early in 2017. The hints of metal give this look a nice touch of flash and the rust and black tones work beautifully with her hair. While I would have found this a little lowkey for a major event like the Rumble, I could get behind her wearing this for a tv event.

WWE has recently had two new heel squads debut…and the two crews have some interesting similarities. They are each comprised of a perky blonde and two brunettes.  They are each led by a punky chick with an attitude. They each go around decimating whatever face happens to be in their way at the moment. Only one recently received their own photoshoot, however. Of, course, that doesn’t matter because we’re going to break down the looks of both teams anyway :). You’re likely to be most familiar with two thirds of the squad manhandling superstar divas on Raw, Absolution: the recently returned Paige and the Golden Goddess, Mandy Rose. The other brunette in the trio is former MMA artist Sonya Deville. I’m excited to see her translate her martial arts skills to the ring. I’m also excited to see her change up her gear. The red marble print I can handle; I even like it’s smooth, hard connotation. The silver edging is livable, as well, But the styling of her skirt – as appropriately warrior-like as it is – unfortunately brings to mind a loin cloth. And I’m not saying one couldn’t make a loin cloth look totally modern and fierce, but this iteration is not there quite yet. Skirt-type gear is always challenging and it takes a really well-conceived and special design to work.  A few ladies have sold me on it – Alicia Fox comes to mind – but my suggestion here would be to re-vamp this look with shorts or pants, either of which I think could work really well. Paige’s look is classic Paige – plenty of leather, plenty of studs, fishnets, and a little camo thrown in for good measure. She’s fully embracing her reputation with this persona and her gear, as we know it, fits right in. I like that her comeback looks have been so familiar. It’s a great way to bring us back to who she is. It feels comfortable, like welcoming an old friend. Paige’s challenge is going to be to keep things interesting as the character and storyline evolve. Leather and studs have always been her trademark. Previously, she branched out with over-sized snake prints and deep colors. She’ll need to have a new twist to showcase fairly soon to prevent ennui from setting in. Interestingly,  fashion has embraced punk and grunge during her time away, making her look feel more on trend, but less fresh and somewhat exotic. Hopefully, she’s got some ideas up her sleeve that will continue to set her apart. We’re equally familiar with Mandy’s well-received golden metallic gears. We’ve also seen her explore lace-embellishments and Celtic-knot-like designs. I was blown away with her lingerie-like metallic and lace outfit. And I like this version, with the black piping and crystal accents. I’m 100% on board for her addition of the choker, as well. On the other hand, all gold all the time is going to get old in a hurry, even with variations in silhouette, unless she’s super creative about how she handles her look. I’ll be interested to see what directions Mandy goes in, especially since she’s already proven herself to be a superstar who is aware of fashion and has an interest in it.

The surprises aren't just on Raw this week! Last night on Smackdown Live, we saw the debut of Sarah Logan, Ruby Riot, and Liv Morgan. The trio first attacked Naomi and Becky Lynch backstage, before they interfered in the title match between Charlotte Flair and Natalya. Liv has been signed to NXT since 2014, going through a gimmick and name change before she really got her start in 2015/2016. Ruby has worked for numerous independent promotions before she was offered an NXT contract in January of this year.  Sarah has made various appearances for WWE since 2014, signed her performance center contract in 2016, and most notably was a participant in the Mae Young Classic. That makes 5 main rosters debuts this week! WWE is really shaking things up in the women's division, let's see where they go from here. Welcome to SD Live, ladies!