It’s SmackDown time! We’re just days away from Money in the Bank, and Paige has some ground to reclaim. She vowed to “change” the division and unseat Brie and Nikki Bella from the top of it, but to do so, she’ll have to win the Divas Title. Nikki scored a win on Raw, so it’s her turn to get some PPV momentum.
She takes on Alicia Fox in hopes of repeating the events on last week’s WWE Main Event and conjure up some last minute mojo.
Before the match, though, Alicia meets up with Paige backstage, looking to correct a misconception:
She tells Paige that “no one” speaks for her. The only change that’s needed, she says, is Paige being removed from the Divas division… tonight.
And with that, let’s head to the ring!
After the entrances and bell-ringing, Paige and Alicia tie up. They struggle for control before Alicia takes it, capturing Paige in a waistlock. Paige struggles to get out, but the grip’s tight, so she settles for backing Alicia into the corner. A few elbow strikes later, she’s free.
Paige travels to the second rope and proceeds to kick Alicia repeatedly in the side of the head. When Alicia stumbles out of the corner, one last kick sends her flying across the ring. She comes back with a head full of steam, attempting a kick that Paige catches. She trips up Alicia and wraps her legs up in in a bow and arrow position, grabbing her by the chin and wrenching her backwards. Alicia crawls and quickly gets to the bottom rope, freeing herself.
Alicia rolls out onto the ring apron and Paige gives chase, but is met with a boot to the head. Alicia gets to her feet and grabs a stumbling Paige by the hair, unceremoniously slamming her head into the turnbuckle. Paige stumbles some more, prompting another kick from Alicia that finally sends her to the mat.
Alicia reenters the ring and covers Paige for the pin. Paige kicks out. Frustrated, Alicia tries for another pin, but Paige kicks out even quicker. She yanks Paige up and locks in a chinlock of her own, wrapping Paige’s left arm behind her leg and kneeing her in the side of the head a few times for good measure. When Paige gets to her feet and nearly fights free, she’s slammed to the mat. Alicia then locks in a headlock and takes it to the mat, wrapping her legs around one of Paige’s to keep her trapped.
Paige frantically elbows Alicia and gets herself free, but is again slammed to the mat. She backs into the corner, drawing Alicia towards her. She ducks out of the way of Alicia’s charging kick and rolls her into a pin. Alicia kicks out at two.
Alicia takes back control with a kick and a clothesline. She goes for the pin, but Paige kicks out at two. Alicia steps over Paige and heads for the turnbuckle, climbing to the top rope. Paige meets her there, and the two do battle. Paige eventually takes control and drops Alicia throat first against the top rope.
Alicia falls to the outside and Paige heads to the ring apron, taking her out with a somersault into her. Paige tosses her back into the ring and preps for the PTO, but Alicia kicks free and boots Paige in the midsection, running the ropes and attempting a scissors kick. Paige gets out of the way and takes her down with two kicks of her own. With Alicia now prone, Paige successfully locks in the PTO and forces her to tap out. Paige is your winner!
Thoughts: I always enjoy the different feel Paige and Alicia bring to their matches. The one quibble I have is the PTO – it rarely looks good when locked in on Alicia due to her height. I assume it’s a lot for Paige to handle, since she almost always loses her footing during it. Maybe Paige would be better off using one of her other finishers on her.
Story-wise, I kind of like that Alicia stood up against Paige’s promo last week, even if it was a stock heel “don’t stand up for me” sort of thing. If this storyline had a bit more depth to it (or any at all, really), we could examine how the rest of the Divas feel about Paige’s claims that the Bellas are holding back the division. The heels would likely side with the Bellas, and the babyfaces with Paige, but pulling them all in would make it feel like control of the division was at stake here. That way, the match at Money in the Bank would actually have repercussions. That being said, I’m not a fan of kayfabe arguments about “hogging spotlight” when all of that comes down to the non-kayfabe booking. If you want to make that argument, get The Authority involved. Show that they have a bias towards the Bellas. Otherwise, it’s an empty argument and yet another flimsy excuse for a Diva feud.
I don’t have super high hopes heading into Money in the Bank, but that’s not because I don’t think Nikki and Paige can put on a good match. Rather, the lack of effort being expended on booking this feud tells me the outcome will likely be by-the-book. The WWE seems content to drift from PPV to PPV on paper thin feuds, not taking any sort of risks or venturing outside avenues already explored. Some day that will change, I’m sure, but I’m not counting on Sunday being that day.
