After the fire returned to the Michelle/Melina feud last week, one would think that the WWE would want to capitalize on this and keep the momentum rolling. But of course, this is the WWE we’re talking about, so it only makes sense for them to leave those two off next show COMPLETELY. I’m not going to get into why this was a dumb move (you all can do that in the comments), so let’s just move past this logic fail and take a look at who did make it onto the show.
Layla, wearing a Miami Heat jersey (she was a dancer for them the year they won the NBA Championship, in case you didn’t hear JR say that every.single.time. she’s wrestled). JR says she’s part of the reason Shaquille O’Neal watches Smackdown. (Actually, I saw him in person at a RAW in Miami back in 2005, so maybe he’s a bigger fan of the red brand.) Layla takes the mic, saluting Miami. She displays some decent mic skills, though nothing to write home about. Though, when you’re going for a cheap pop in your home town, how much skill do you really need? She puts down the mic and cues a seizure-inducing music and lights combo and then starts to dance.
Her dancing is of the “basketball half-time dancer” variety, which makes sense with her background. Still, it’s a little strange with one woman doing it – it’s one of those things that look better synchronized with several other girls. Alone, she looks a little bit like she’s having a fit. This goes on a little bit longer than necessary before Carlito’s music hits (scratch that.. it’s Ricky Ortiz). Ricky mocks Layla dancing a bit and goes on a spiel about motivation and inspiration before going for the cheap heat, dissing the Heat. He attempts to “RALLY UP!” the crowd, while Layla looks unamused. He gives her a towel to spin around, and she plays ball a bit, but then drops it, giving him a disgusted look and exiting stage left. I’m not familiar with Ricky Ortiz’s schtick, but I assume dropping his towel is like dropping a cheerleader’s Spirit Stick? No? Okay, I won’t try to rationalize it.
Layla showed a bit more personality than she usually gets to in the various tag team matches she’s inserted into, but I always find it a bit lame when heels become temporary faces in their home towns, just in the name of getting some cheap pops or putting over a heel. Do it like Chris Jericho does – diss your home town! It makes you an even better heel, I promise!
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Natalya is making her wrestling debut on her new home of SmackDown (yes, I know she’s wrestled plenty of times on SmackDown, but not since the recent trade brought her back to the brand). She’s teaming with David Hart-Smith & Tyson Kidd, forming the team of the Hart Dynasty. They’re taking on the team of Eve Torres & Cryme Tyme. All of this is because of what happened last night on WWE Superstars, when Eve stopped Natalya’s interference in the Hart Dynasty/Cryme Tyme match. Instant followup? I can dig it:
Eve seems to fit with Cryme Tyme pretty decently. Hey, at least it’s better than when Candice Michelle teamed with them. Good lord, she looked ridiculous. Anywho, Eve and Natalya start out the match for their teams. Natalya (or as Michael Cole calls her, Nuh-tall-yuh) manhandles Eve a bit before Eve gives her a funky-looking forearm to put her in her place. Eve tries to get at Natalya, who hides behind the referee and the ropes. Three seconds in the ring must have been enough for her, because she tags in Tyson Kidd. This being a mixed tag match, Eve must tag out (LAAAAMEEEE), so Chad comes in. Natalya can be heard saying “You’ve got a lot of nerve!” repeatedly while on the outside. JR says “someone’s got a lot of nerve”. Not gonna lie, I laughed.
The men wrestle for a while (*snore*) before the action breaks down and Eve tags in, bringing in Natalya. Eve makes a run at her but it met with a scoop slam. She misses an elbow, and Eve takes momentum, hitting a few drop kicks and a forearm. She attempts to irish-whip Natalya into the corner, but it’s reversed. Eve hits the corner but moves, and Natayla gets a shoulder-full of steel. Eve delivers a kick to the head that looks a little unsteady, but Natalya sells it so well it doesn’t even matter. Eve then backs up, performing a cartwheel into a standing moonsault onto Nattie, hitting it beautifully. The men take this opportunity to get involved, and of course the referee robot cannot manage to detect the pin, and Eve gets grabbed by David, who gets levelled by JTG. Natalya gains her bearings, lifting Eve into a hotshot on the ropes and following it with a sick clothesline. This knocks Eve right out, and Natalya gets the pin for her team.
I absolutely love this finisher – you never see Divas do really effective clotheslines, and with the power Natalya packs, it looks devastating. It’s not a fancy-pantsy move, but it’s certainly not something you see every day in Divas matches. The little spin beforehand creates the illusion of even momentum, and gives the move that extra “oomph” and flash. Eve sold it to perfection, too. Here’s hoping Natalya actually gets to use it again in the near future – I want to see her wrestle on a regular basis, WWE. Don’t let me down.
The match itself, as with most mixed tag matches, saw limited Diva action, but I liked the little we got. Eve is steadily improving, and it’s always a pleasure to see Natalya wrestle. The match made her look powerful and intimidating (at least near the end), so hopefully this new gig with the Hart Dynasty gives her the the character makeover she needs after jobbing out for so long following her initial push. I really want to see where this feud goes. It gives Eve and Natalya something to do, and I’d love to see them both do more than just play around in the scenery.
Looking back, it wasn’t all that annoying that Michelle and Melina took the week off. The show was entertaining and fresh, and their absence probably had a little bit to do with that. I’d like for them to keep their feud red-hot from week-to-week, but I really appreciate seeing the WWE give some exposure to other Divas and develop non-title feuds. If a little less Michelle/Melina is the price for that, I’m willing to pay it. Well, this week, at least.. Night of Champions is coming up a week from Sunday, and you need *some* momentum going into the show if Michelle is going to defend her title, as she should be doing.
[poll id="384"]
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20 Comments
It wasn’t up to it’s usual standards but it wasn’t terrible either [Layla! Natalya!] I would say this week it’s ‘Melting’.
I’m not a fan of the ‘Clothesline from Hell’ finisher, it doesn’t look as impactful as Eve’s running moonsault [which is a fantastic finisher and I can't believe Eve thought of it, get it gurl!] but Natalya delivered it well & Eve sold it incredibly well.
IDK about Layla’s Dance segment ” I prefer her to wrestle honestly”, I agree with Erin she should have stayed true to her character and could have took a cheap shot at the Miami Heat. But what do I know!!!
I am so proud of Eve she is showing so much improvement; she is getting better and better in the ring every time we see her. I see women’s championship Gold at her reach real soon.
P.S she makes Cryme Tyme look more entertaining and Tolerable!!! LOL
[Layla! Natalya!] I would say this week it’s ‘Melting’.
Melanie are you YAY or NAY?
keyanna22 – I’m in the middle =P
It was okay for the most part. Not great, but okay.
Natalya did great in the ring, but what else is new? LOL. My girl E-V-E is going her thang, which is very good. ;) And the Layla segment was enjoyable for what it was.
I do kinda wish that Michelle and Melina were somewhere in the show. I mean Michelle’s the Women’s Champion, and Melina is more than likely the number one contender, and NOC is next Sunday. But then again, this IS the WWE we’re talking about. When have they done anything that made sense from week to week? “eyeroll”
I voted “Ice Cool”
Good to see Natalya Wrestling again, I think she might interfer with the storyline with Melina & Michelle. She deserves that gold!
I liked Layla here, she is a good face and heel which shows that the company need her more! Most wrestlers are only good at one and not the other for example Michelle McCool, Bad at Face, Good at Heel.
SD! For me Is The Place To Be!
haha it rymes woo :P
Layla looked amazing and her mic skills were pretty good too
Eve and Natalya delivered.
i laughed to at J.R.’s comment lol
the clothesline looked awesome espesially the way Eve sold it
im glad these Divas are getting time on Tv
but i mean come on a week away from NOC and they havent even announce if Michelle is having a match…kinda sad
I’m sooo loving Eve!!! She is already in my top 3 favourites. I love her finisher, she is gorgeous, she sells really well, and she is entertaining to watch!
Got to love Eve, she will go far!
Good to see Layla in her element, dancing in Miami. Oh, and I like her hair like that. It’s not straight, but it’s not all crazy and frizzy either. I really like Eve’s finisher.
Eve is going to be champion in know time!!!
I am just not a fan of Eve. I can’t really explain why. I don’t want to sound like I’m “bashing” her or anything, I’m just simply not a big fan.
But, I am a huge fan of Natalya and was really excited to see her in the ring again. It was nice to see the Divas get as much time in the match as they did with it being a mixed tag match. I also love Natalya’s clothesline finisher. Not many Divas use anything like that. Most usually some form of DDT or facebuster. That’s one reason I really like Natalya, she thinks outside of the box, so to speak.
I think its ridiculous that one minute Layla is a heel the other she is a face, doesnt make a lot of sense.
i agree layla should be a full on heel they should either turn her face or make her a tweener……
and eve is really becoming a favorite every match she shows progress and natalya’s clothsline was nice wish she would get more ring time now on smackdown…..and i still think the show flopped without melina and michelle hope next week they do a promo or something to make the macth at night of champions
“I think its ridiculous that one minute Layla is a heel the other she is a face, doesnt make a lot of sense.”
Welcome to the WWE. MVP and Morrison became overnight faces without reason too.
oh too add on my comment i think its was nice to see all the other divas get a good showing in….i wanna see eve do a powerbomb on natalya…lol…eve is really sarting to be my favorite diva next to melina and maryse
I agree, Eve is improving nicely its good to see a diva search girl who actually cares about the sport and is athletic (yes i know Michelle is too), shes probably the most improved diva search girl ever imo.
I thought the match was good, I still don’t get how people think Natalya is that great but then again she hasn’t been giving a chance to show her skill. Eve was very good tonight and I loved seeing her Handspring Moonsault one of the best diva finishers in the WWE in some time.
What I don;t get is they used all that time for that stupid Layla/Ortiz moment when they could have used this time to use Melina & Michelle to get a Night of Champions Match Up set up.
I am hoping for a Natalya/Eve feud as they have good chemistry.
I thought this week was okay, the Layla/Ortiz segment was pretty sucky, they could’ve done a Melina/Michelle backstage/in-ring segment to keep the momentum going if they weren’t going to do a match, however in the circumstances, I think Layla did a good job.
I love the Natalya/Eve rivalry, I’m really beginning to like Eve in-ring, she improving so much. Hopefully we’ll get to see a one-on-one match at some point.
also, I really like Eve’s moonsault finisher. It’s different to the usual diva DDTs or Bulldogs.
I thought Smackdown was a little lacklustre this week. Probably me being biased but i really felt a gap without Michelle or Melina on the show. The segment with Layla was a little pointless, whereas they couldve used the time to build the Melina/Michelle match thats happening in a WEEKS time. Eve and Natalya did well, i just really hope we get to see Natalya in the ring more often because Smackdown is very low on credible wrestlers at the moment.