This week’s WWE Main Event saw two underserved Divas get the chance to square off: Total Divas castmates Alicia Fox and Natalya. Despite their reality show affiliation, there was no sisterhood present here. In fact, the solo Alicia continued to show signs that her more sinister character traits are bubbling back to the surface. Will that give her an edge against the third generation Diva? There’s one way to find out:
Off the bell, the Divas tie up, Natalya taking Alicia to the mat with a side headlock. Alicia takes control with a headscissors, which Nattie kips out of. They tie up again, and Alicia takes control this time, but Natalya quickly locks in another side headlock. Alicia pushes Natalya off into the ropes, but Natalya returns with a shoulder block, knocking Alicia to the mat. Natalya goes for the pin, but Alicia kicks out.
Alicia backs into the ropes with a scream and fends off Natalya attack, eventually taking her down with a headscissors attack. She grabs Nattie, but is swept off her feet, and finds herself in prime position for the Sharpshooter! Natalya tries to lock it in, but Alicia crawls to the ropes, and the hold is broken.
Natalya goes after Alicia, attacking her even though she’s shielded herself with the ropes. The referee forces her off. When Natalya returns, Alicia plants her with a kick, earning a near fall. Alicia stomps on Natalya, knees her in the back and locks in a headlock. Natalya eventually gets to her feet, prompting Alicia to knock her to the mat.
Alicia lifts Nattie to her feet and hits her with a Northern Lights suplex, which she bridges into a pin. Natalya kicks out at two. Alicia stays on Nattie, locking in a chinlock. When Natalya struggles, Alicia switches it to a headlock. Slowly, Nattie gets to her feet and elbows Alicia, who shoves her away. Natalya bounces off the ropes and Alicia goes for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but Natalya uses her momentum to land on top of Alicia, hooking her legs for the pin. Alicia kicks out.
Alicia gets to her feet quickly, but is taken down repeatedly by Natalya. Natalya hits Alicia with her springboard drop, then steps on her back to run the ropes and hit a low dropkick. Natalya covers Alicia for the pin, but it’s no good.
Alicia backs into the ropes, but dodges Natalya’s attack and takes her down with a sunset flip. Natalya rolls through, though, and grabs Alicia’s legs, locking in the Sharpshooter! Alicia has no choice but to tap out and hand the victory to Natalya.
Post-match, Alicia gives Natalya a menacing glare, pitching a fit and refusing Natalya’s handshake. She storms off as Natalya mocks her obvious mental… unease.
Thoughts: This was a fun little match. I have no complaints about it – Natalya and Alicia are a good combination with plenty of chemistry – but I sure wish it was a bit longer. It’s funny how fresh this match felt, given how these Divas have about 16 years in the WWE between them. I guess it just boils down to Natalya’s underuse and Alicia’s second fiddle status as part of Team Bella.
Can I say I am sooooo happy to see “crazy Alicia” back? Alicia was no more compelling than she was pitching her fits and acting out in the summer of 2014, and I’ve been awaiting her return ever since she disappeared. Alicia plays that character so well and elevates anything she does simply by being the unpredictable wild card.
I’m sure this character change won’t affect her partnership with Brie too much; more than anything, it signals to me that Brie Bella may be following Daniel Bryan out of wrestling soon, and the WWE is simply setting Alicia up for a solo run. Hopefully Brie isn’t planning on having her at ringside at Fastlane, because that decision could easily end up blowing up in her face, Aksana-force-fed-popcorn style.
