I personally don't think that Lei D' Tapa is THAT bad. I definitely feel that there is alot of room for improvement, but she isn't exactly terrible to me. Why are you guys complaining so much about her? Atleast she is there. She is one of the many additions (hopefully) I see coming to that division.
My question to you guys is, what exactly was the appeal of Ivelisse Velez?, besides he in-ring ability. She doesn't provide a vibe for me, she doesn't exactly get me exited for a match or feud involving her. She didn't do or say anything that REALLY impressed me in her Gutcheck match or promo, other than the Quillotine Choke, and I don't think that she would live up to all this hype she gets. I have gone on record to say that, yes, TNA should have SIGNED THEM BOTH and this is because:
A.) We haven't seen a "monster" like Tapa since Awesome Kong and seeing that Kong wants to move on into WWE, this is probably the closest we will get.
B.) Ivelisse WAS more impressive than Tapa in the ring, and she would have provided a fresh face and style for the other Knockouts.
C.) The Knockout's Division just simply needs more bodies.
But, apparently TNA wants to pass on Velez and now we have to just wait and see what will come out of the insertion of Lei D' Tapa into the division.
Back to my statement before, I don't think Tapa isn't as terrible as people say. TNA is actually doing the right thing with pairing her with one of the best heel Knockouts to be in the company, instead of just throwing her into the match at BFG and having her win the title. She may not be as physically impressive as Kong was, but she will do. My ONLY gripe about Tapa is that she isn't nearly as aggressive as Kong was, and this (to me) is an essential part of being a "monster". Maybe she is "too girly" or maybe she just isn't familiar with the toughness of the Knockouts and she doesn't want to injury anybody, but bottom line is she NEEDS to throw her weigh around to be impressive.