The 24th annual Survivor Series takes place tonight as Natalya challenges both members of Lay-Cool for the Divas Championship. Will third time be the charm? We weigh in…
Cryssi: I’ve gone back and forth on this so many times this week. I really can’t decide who I want to win. The magic 8-ball I borrowed from Captain Charisma tells me that Natalya will win the championship tonight. It specifically said “all signs point to yes.” The evidence to support the magic 8-ball’s theory is pretty strong. Lay-Cool were buried on Raw and they came back and buried Natalya on SmackDown. Going into every other pay-per-view match, Natalya has gained the upper-hand which has set up a cheap Lay-Cool victory perfectly. This week it’s different. And this match has a different feel to it. This should be Natalya’s last chance to capture the title while Lay-Cool hold it and even the WWE isn’t dumb enough to keep her from it for a third straight time.
Or are they?
I’ve thrown the magic 8-ball out of the window (sorry, Christian!) and have come up with this all on my own. Beth Phoenix will make her return tonight and she will intentionally screw Natalya out of the victory. Lay-Cool will escape with their championship reign still intact but now they will have the Glamazon to contend with, the very woman they took the Women’s Championship from way back when. So yes, Lay-Cool retain tonight with Michelle picking up the pinfall while Layla gets beat down on the outside by Beth as a message.”
David: Is the third time the charm for Natalya? Will she finally topple Lay-Cool and capture the Divas Championship at Survivor Series? This has to be it, right? Her third consecutive pay-per-view title match surely has to result in Natalya walking out with the gold, leading to the long-awaited break-up between Michelle and Layla. Even the booking suggests this will happen, with Lay-Cool getting in each other’s way, Natalya getting some help to ‘even’ the odds (rumored to be Beth Phoenix…gulp), and using the sharpshooter to force a submission. If this happens I would feel very good for Natayla, but in the end I think Lay-Cool wins the match and then beats down Natalya until someone makes the save. Maybe Beth, maybe the rest of the Divas. Unfortunately I don’t think this feud has been built to finish with a title change, it feels more like “filler” until Beth returns from injury. I hope this isn’t the case. Natalya deserves better.
EriC: This has to be the most predictable match since Maryse vs. Gail Kim in the finals of the Divas Championship tournament. Natalya is outsmarted when its one on one versus Michelle. The same when its versus Layla. In WWE land this of course means that she will be able to defeat both of them at the same time. Lay-Cool will screw up and Michelle will big boot Layla. Natalya either takes out Michelle and pins Layla, or sharpshooters? sharpshoots? (can you verb this?) Michelle for the win. The real expectations for this match lie in the aftermath. Will Natalya get a nice tearful celebration? Will a certain Phoenix reappear to challenge for the belt? I am hoping for the latter.
Erin: This feud could have ended several times. That’s not to say that I wanted it to, but if the WWE was planning on having Lay-Cool get the last laugh and leave Natalya in the dust, they could have accomplished that weeks ago. The fact that it’s lasted this long tells me that they’ve been working towards something more, and now it looks like they might have finally reached the point they’ve been building towards with this 2-on-1 feud. Let’s face it, there’s no greater way to stack the odds against Natalya than to have a handicap match, so if there’s any time when Natalya will win the Divas Championship from Lay-Cool, it’s now. This match, I believe, is set up so Natalya can overcome the odds and finally put Lay-Cool in their place. Natalya wins and take the title.
Jennifer: They say the third time’s the charm, right? I’m hoping this is the case, otherwise it really makes no sense for the WWE to build up Natalya, only to have her fail yet again and be regulated to the back of the line when Beth Phoenix returns. Although this time, she’ll have her hands full with both members of Lay-Cool to fend off. Still, I’m probably wrong, but I’m going with my heart once more. I say somehow, someway, Natalya will pull out the win and score her first championship.
Melanie: After nearly three months of teasing, I feel tonight will finally be the night where Natalya realises her dream of being a champion in WWE. Generally in handicap matches where the odds are stacked against the face, we see them overcome the odds and it seems like that’s how this will go. I predict Beth Phoenix will make a surprise return, distracting one member of Lay-Cool while Natalya applies the Sharpshooter on the other and takes the belt. That could then lead to a tag team match at TLC or even Beth vs Nattie vs Lay-Cool in a three-way feud. As for tonight, I expect Natalya to get the victory.
Steven: Lay-Cool vs Natalya part three is upon us and I’m quite confident I know how this will end. In their last two PPV encounters with Natalya, Lay-Cool has managed to keep the belts around their waist using shady tactics, but at this point Natalya knows all their tricks and will be well-prepared. I expect some miscommunication between the champs, allowing Natalya to pick up the win and take home the belt. Honestly speaking, if Natalya doesn’t win the title tonight, the time spent building this feud has been wasted completely. While most are predicting the return of Beth Phoenix, I don’t see it happening at Survivor Series. I think it’s much more likely to see Beth return on Raw this week to help Nattie fend off Lay-Cool, who will be looking for revenge if they lose the titles tonight.
Leave your predictions in the comments.
