New WWE.com Photo Gallery: Maria -TBT's Freed From The Vault

With Maria's advent on Smackdown, the WWE took some time to traipse down memory lane by excavating some of her past photoshoots from the vault. Scrolling through the gallery, several things struck me. First, what completely amazing bikinis Maria picks out!  The star-spangled mint one was a piece I fell for at first sight! It really doesn't get much more glam than that! At the opposite end of the spectrum is this denim-esque one, with it's girl-next-door quality. Maria, of course, spiked it by adding lemon yellow platform sandals to the mix, but the swimsuit is seriously fab in and of itself. Next, one thing the gallery really highlights is the innate sense of drama in Maria's style. Even when she does a basically classic outfit (like her black tee and jeans look), she still manages to inject attitude and flamboyance somewhere, somehow. With that outfit, it's a crystal belt and a pair of black and crystal bracelets. With her gold-edged red gown, which she wore while picking up her 2009 Slammy for Diva Of The Year, she added a golden hair band, embellished with a huge, but delicate filigree butterfly in front of her poofed half updo. There's always a splash of the unexpected, a shot of panache, something attention-grabbing. While she's perfectly happy to explore over-the-top scenarios - and manages to slay them far more often than not - the funky true-to-self passion in her style keeps it perpetually surprising and engaging. It's something I can't help but love and respect! Lastly, it's noteworthy how many current trends she managed to touch on, six, seven, eight years before their resurgence. Ruffles? Check. Off the shoulder tops? Check. High-waisted, wide-leg pants? Check. One-piece swimsuits? Check. The girl is a fashion tsunami. Translation: style maven worth paying attention to! I'm so glad she's staying on our screens :)