Last week on SmackDown, we saw Team NBC get a win over Team Bella and Summer Rae‘s road to aisle took a speed bump when Rusev failed to defeat the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship Ryback. Then on Raw, Team Bella rebounded from their loss when number one contender for the Divas Championship Nikki Bella got a win over Team B.A.D.’s Naomi and Alicia Fox and Brie Bella got a win over Becky Lynch and the Divas Champion Charlotte.
Also on the show, due to “recent events” SumRu is no more (really upset that I can’t refer to them as that anymore) Summer Rae cut a hellacious promo on Rusev. I guess I can include that Paige promoted a candy bar. Yup, that did happen. What twists and turns will happen in Divaland on the blue brand this week? Let’s get to the action!
Our first Diva appearance is from Renee Young, who is backstage interviewing Summer Rae about the developments of Rusev and Lana‘s engagement and we see a video package of the TMZ footage and SumRu’s official breakup from Raw. Summer responds by saying this won’t be her first or last time putting a man in his place. Renee asks her if she will be impartial as the referee in Rusev’s match tonight and Summer shades the Rusev and Lana to filth says she’s the one who knows how to keep personal and professional lives separate.
Next up, we saying Natalya walking backstage on her (99.32% sure she was posting a selfie on Instagram) when she is interrupted by Paige:
Paige says she is not here to fight but to extend an apology. Nattie cuts her off giving her thirty seconds to make her case. She talks about her debuting and winning the Divas Title and the high expectations she has made for herself. She adds that the pressure of her expectations, Charlotte winning the title, and Nattie tagging with the other members of PCB making her feel like she’s moving backwards are the reasons for her change in behavior. Nattie sarcastically asks Paige if she wants a hug (Somewhere in Florida, Bayley is sipping tea).
Paige wants to make things right. She recalls Nattie’s post on Instagram of the two’s storied, and very emotional match on NXT two years ago and says she misses that (so do we) Nattie was a friend and a mentor. Nattie says that Paige has long way to go, a very long way, but this is a start.
It’s time for Summer Rae’s refereeing debut! And for the first time in forever, we hear “CALL TO ME, CALL TO MEEEEEEE” as Summer Rae makes her way to the ring and lets her hair down before starting this match.
For 90% of the match Summer’s officiating is on point until the finish when Dolph Ziggler rolls ups Rusev and Summer Rae counts faster than millennials get blamed for a global problem. Dolph wins and Summer grabs the mic and and wants to have a word with The Show Off.
She talks about how she felt when she found out when Rusev cheated on her. She also points out that Dolph was cheated on too. They were both done dirty. She proposes now that they are both single, they should act on their chemistry. Dolph says he knows the game Summer wants to play and he wants no part in it.
It’s time for our match when Charlotte takes on Alicia Fox! Cincinnati becomes Woo City (not followed by an expletive) as the crowd is happy to see the champ. We get a replay from last week’s tag war. “You Can Look…” plays and Team Bella is in the house! We get a match graphic for Nikki’s rematch at Hell in a Cell.
The Bell rings! This match is underway! Nikki climbs up on the ring distracting Charlotte and the champs pays for it getting hammered with forearms from the Foxy One. Foxy throws Charlotte into the ropes and hits her patented tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. She goes for a cover and only gets the two-count. She knees Charlotte in the back and applies a chin lock. The First African-American Divas Champion applies a ton of pressure with hold as we see Team B.A.D. watching backstage. Becky is trying her best to will the crowd to help Charlotte get the energy to power out. The two divas in the ring are standing level as Charlotte pushes backwards repeatedly putting Foxy in the corner and then breaking free and then Foxy counters whipping her into the corner.
Tom Phillips’s “ex-wife” adds on more momentum by delivering the Northern Lights suplex with a bridged pin, only getting a two count. The camera pans to Becky looking very concerned. Charlotte is trying to get to her feet but gets kicked in the ribs as Alicia applies another hold.
Charlotte uses her hips to escape the hold. Both divas hit big boots and knock each other out. Charlotte gets up and hits a few chops, her neckbreaker, spear and then hits the Figure 8 for the submission victory!
Post-match, Team Bella attacks Becky and Charlotte when Paige makes the save clearing house. Is this the first PCB reunion since….2015?
Following the match we see Paige running to meet Becky and Charlotte backstage, trying to make up to her former teammates. We see the medical staff running pass the Divas. Paige runs the other way and we see Charlotte and Becky running towards to scene as we see Natalya laid out to end the segment.
Thoughts: What a difference from last week! We got segments, a singles match, and a special referee spot to change things up! Well, things started off strong and kinda ended with a whimper.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Summer Rae is such a phenomenal talent! She should be awarded for her efforts with this storyline. There has not been many creative advances or twists and turns with this but she has done the best to her ability to be as entertaining as possible. I like the blurred lines this storyline has taken, in a way it is kinda like Summer Rae screwed over Rusev for screwing her storyline up. It’s going to be interesting to see where Summer goes from here.
That match between Alicia vs Charlotte was straight out of the AJ Lee playbook. Take abuse, hit a few signatures, submission. I am so confused by the story this was supposed to tell. Why was Charlotte made to look so weak? From the commentary saying she is not using to winning. First, HAVE YOU NOT WATCHED NXT THE PAST TWO YEARS? Second, HAVE YOU NOT WATCHED WWE THE PAST THREE MONTHS? PCB won at Summerslam, and if that is not bad enough Charlotte is the bloody Divas Champion! It just doesn’t make sense. It feels like such interchangeable booking and the divas are not like wristbands, one size does not fit all. Charlotte went from someone who was a dominant force on her own to basically being Ric Flair’s daughter. This match was short but it played into the bigger picture with the post-match attack.
One of two things is going on with Paige’s character. Option A is that they release she is the most popular Diva, getting some of the biggest pops by far and are nixing the heel turn. Option B is that they think this “apologizing” will make her heel turn more impactful. Or Option C is that this is a punishment for the Periscope F-bomb debacle and they are deliberately making her character look stupid. It doesn’t feel epic or engaging as the storyline continues. Same goes for the Natalya attack angle they put in. It’s kind like when you are in a class and someone thinks their Powerpoint presentation was so major and three kids fell alseep during it. It’s a big ol’ bowl of meh. While I appreciate the diversity and amount of time the Divas got this week, it only half-worked. Questions are being raised but it is more behind-the-scenes than storyline based. I have a feeling that these stories will move on past Hell in a Cell so we are in for a long ride. The only thing that can save this is the inclusion of Team B.A.D.
Next Thursday’s SmackDown is the last show before Hell in a Cell. Let’s see what chaos happens before Nikki’s title rematch? Thanks for reading!
