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April Hunter - What May Lie Ahead In The WWE

With recent news that April is expected to be at the latest WWE tapings of RAW and a couple of house shows, it seems increasingly likely that April may now finally get the WWE break that she has deserved for so long. Things are certainly in her favour with the recent signings of independent wrestlers Jillian Hall and Mickie James by the WWE. Jillian is set to become a feature on SmackDown! and Mickie made her debut on a recent Sunday Night Heat. A good friend of April's, Talia, has also made an appearance on Heat squaring off against Victoria. Although she has not made an appearance since this match, there are hopes that she will be put on a development deal and sent to OVW, with a view to bring her up to WWE TV again further down the line. The purpose of this article however, is to evaluate what may lie ahead for April in the WWE. Being signed to RAW would be the logical choice for instance as this is the home of real women's wrestling in the WWE, rather than the T&A and gimmick matches as favoured by SmackDown!. The RAW Diva Search may be an exception to this rule, but theoretically it should only spawn one additional Diva on the roster, who may be quickly moved to SmackDown! anyway or retained as a valet in a similar capacity to Stacy Keibler. Being on RAW, does also represent the deep end of women's wrestling. Currently it may not be the best quality of all that there is out there on offer, but it provides the biggest stage upon which to show off your talent. The pressure and expectations would be monumental, but there is no reason to think that April would not be up to the challenge.

Thus in anticipation of her signing to RAW, this article will examine the various likely opponents she may have, as well as potential storylines. Read none of the below information as fact, but rather a hopeful look into the future. Who knows, some of what I write here may eventually become reality. Here's hoping.

Introduction:

If April were to find herself on RAW, she would represent the arrival of one of the most physically intimidating women seen on the wrestling circuit since Chyna. Unlike Chyna however, there is a far greater likelihood that April will quickly gain fans in both the T&A department as well as the wrestling one. Her appearance may be unconventional, but despite this she has retained an overwhelming degree of natural beauty. Other female wrestlers in the WWE have been an imposing force in the ring, but April stands in a league of her own.

Molly Holly for instance, could be described as almost dumpy. There is no denying her technical prowess or strength, but there was always the over-riding feeling (encouraged by the likes of Jerry Lawler) that she was a little bit on the chubby side. Thus her intimidation value fell rapidly when compared to someone like Jazz for instance. Jazz always seemed a lot more dangerous in the ring, mainly because of her physical appearance but also because of her perceived unparalled strength. Jazz was very muscular and thus always struck a more intimidating figure than many of her contemporaries. She was also not afraid to demonstrate her sheer strength, something often shied away from in favour of looking more feminine and nippy. Victoria has come the closest so far to combining unquestionable beauty, with wrestling skill and strength. Although possibly not as strong as Jazz, Victoria is still more than capable of holding her own in the ring, whilst at the same time not looking like another freakish example of female bodybuilding. Interestingly, Victoria shed a lot of muscle from her OVW days after she got the call to WWE. Obviously she felt better with less of it, not wanting to be branded another Chyna. April however, has no such qualms and should she be called up is likely to retain the same impressive figure that so many of us know. This therefore would make her arguably the largest and strongest female in the WWE. Weighing in at 150lbs, Victoria is the only opponent who could conceivably attempt to match April’s power and weight in a wrestling match. With this in mind, it is now time to discuss April's likely opponents and potential storylines.

Christy Hemme:
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 116 lbs

For some deranged reason, Christy is considered to be a viable wrestler on WWE TV at the moment. She's previously competed in pillow fights, arm wrestling matches and novelty boxing matches, and is now treated like a bone fide female wrestler. It is obvious that she is making efforts to better herself through actively trying to learn wrestling moves, but she is still way too green to be trying to wrestle properly in the ring. Her match against Trish at Wrestlemania 21 was almost cringe-worthy and Trish highlighted the degree of jobbing necessary to make Christy look half-way competent. Trish is not alone in this jobbing however, as Victoria has found herself doing exactly the same thing at numerous house shows. Realistically Christy should never be booked to fight against April. Physically April is a whole 5 inches taller than her, as well as 35lbs heavier, and the match would really be a comic version of David and Goliath. Christy can't hold a candle to April's wrestling ability, and the only conceivable storyline that may pit the two against each other could be a strange battle of the red heads. April could use Christy's hair colour as a thinly veiled excuse to attack her, cuing the opportunity for another female wrestler to step in and start a feud. Hopefully Christy would be used as a stepping stone to kick-starting April's career in a similar manner to the way described, rather than made into an integral part of a storyline involving April.

Lita:
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 135 lbs

Lita represents perhaps one of the more logical initial opponents for April in light of recent WWE storylines. The battle of the red heads suggested above, would almost certainly be seen as a credible storyline to get April and Lita feuding. The biggest difference between this potential storyline and the one involving Christy, is the fact that despite what her critics may say, Lita is a very competent wrestler and has helped produce some of the most exciting female wrestling matches in recent years. What would make a contest between these two women all the more interesting are the radically different styles employed by both wrestlers. Lita is proud of her high-flying abilities, and April is quick to flaunt her strength. But recently, Lita has shown a move toward a more powerful side with the inclusion of a powerbomb into her repertoire, and equally April is no stranger to utilising the top-rope. Realistically a fight between the two would see Lita trying to gain momentum through a succession of quick and technical attacks. Having knocked April down, it would then make sense for Lita to either try for a submission move or attempt to end the fight quickly through pulling off a top-rope move. Although the weight difference between the two ladies may not be that large (15lbs), Lita is hardly known for her muscular physique, thus a series of hit-and-run style attacks would be preferable to attempting an all-out slugfest. April on the other hand could quickly take Lita down with a combination of powerful attacks followed by a punishing submission move to keep the high-flying Diva grounded to secure the win.

Stacy Keibler:
Height: 5'11"
Weight: -

Stacy is another female on the roster that I sincerely hope the WWE never book against April in a proper wrestling match. Even gimmick matches between the two would definitely feel weighted in April's favour. There's no denying that Stacy is a pretty girl, but realistically she's not cut out for wrestling. Stacy seems to have found her niche in acting as a valet and manager to Rosey and The Hurricane at the moment. This role allows her to do what she does best; look good and stay out of the ring. In a one-on-one match, April would destroy Stacy and it would be farcical to try and portray any other outcome. The only real way that April and Stacy could plausibly be pitted against each other, would be for April to join RAW and then destroy Stacy so as to start a feud with whoever comes to her aid. Or alternatively to set April up as a rival valet/manager to Stacy, as she sides herself with a rival tag team. Other than that, there's no real way in which these two ladies could possibly hope to have a respectable wrestling match.

Trish Stratus:
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 125 lbs

Many see Trish as being a logical choice for April's first major opponent and feud. Trish is currently the Women's Champion, and holds the belt that all the women in the division desire. Therefore there is no reason to believe that April would have any less of a desire to wear championship gold. A feud with Trish could be long-term with a long and bitter struggle culminating in a title change at a PPV. Alternatively April could hit the division like a bat out of hell and win the title in record time, establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with. This angle has been employed before by the WWE with Gail Kim winning the Women's Title in her debut match. The biggest difference with April however, would be the difficulty that her likely opponent's will have in taking the belt away from her. It's been a while since someone as physically dominating as April has been in the division, and thus it would require some learning time to work out how best to defeat her.

Trish is known and respected for being one of the most exciting and flexible Divas on RAW, and any feud between her and April would definitely be entertaining. Both are skilled wrestlers, but have radically differing wrestling techniques, making for a truly unique and exciting potential showdown. Trish has speed and incredible flexibility on her side, whilst April has more experience and power. I would dearly love to see these two Divas go head-to-head in the ring sometime soon.

Victoria:
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 150 lbs

Victoria represents to me perhaps the best female currently in the WWE for April to feud with. Victoria is perhaps the most physical and most powerful of all the ladies currently on RAW, and would therefore be best suited to going one-on-one with the likes of April. Physically, Victoria is very similar to April both in terms of their weight and height, meaning advantages could only be gained through sheer wrestling skill. However, it has to be recognised that April is far more muscular in appearance and may currently have the upper hand in terms of strength. But there is no denying that a match between these two would almost be a battle of the titans. Both wrestlers have the foundation of their moves set in powerful but technical moves, and both are more than capable of taking to the air. A feud with April would revitalise Victoria's career, and provide her a decent opponent after months of being forced to job to Christy at house shows. Victoria's current heel turn, would however mean that April would have to be introduced as a face character, unless Victoria makes a return to being a less convincing face. This current character orientation provides a dilemma however, as April naturally lends herself to being introduced as a heel, whilst Victoria is an average face character at best. This is problematic as a feud between the two would undoubtedly be one for the ages. There would be no danger of the bouts being over in a matter of seconds as they would quickly turn into wars of attrition, each trying to wear down the other in an effort to gain the upper hand. Matches of this length and inevitable quality would rekindle recently waning interest in the women's division, and hopefully spur the Divas onto performing even more breath-taking matches.

Victoria and April also share some common moves such as the Widow's Peak Finisher. It's hard to pinpoint who used it first, although I imagine it was April, but this could help promote the use of a wider variety of moves by both ladies to create an even more impressive wrestling match. April has already proven her technical prowess with such moves as the Ayaquita, Hunter's Hangman and Center Fold all present in her repertoire, and thus the potential exists for incredible future performances. This fact is further complimented by Victoria's own impressive sidewalk slam, and her modification of the Widow's Peak into the devastating and complex Black Widow finisher.

Conclusion:

Undoubtedly there is a multitude of possible storylines that April could be involved in, if and when she gets the call up to the WWE. Thankfully there are at least three Divas (Trish, Lita and Victoria) that she could have meaningful feuds with, and help revitalise interest in the division. However, with the WWE's increasing desire to move toward more T & A gimmicks such as the hiring of three of the latest Diva Search contestants, it seems unlikely that realistically April could be called up soon. Sadly April doesn't quite have the right 'look' that the company is after. Regardless, the potential exists for her to make an incredible impact upon the company, and to help make some classic matches. Here's hoping that the WWE has the vision to employ her and then put her to good use.