Last time on SmackDown: Melina and Layla went toe-to-toe with Michelle again standing at ringside, this time with crutches and a knee brace. Another rough shove by Melina leaves Michelle writhing in agony.
This week: Is there retribution in the cards for Michelle? Or will she let her “understudy” do the talking/walking? What about Maria–will she continue to play the damsel in distress?
Once again we start this week’s action with a backstage segment pilfered from the daytime soaps. And what else could it be about but Maria‘s woes? I personally can’t wait to see what epic twist the story takes this week! Fake pregnancy? Evil twin? Elaborately orchestrated death? Well, at the very least, I hope someone wears an eye patch..
We see Maria and Eve in the locker room, discussing tonight’s match. Maria tells Eve that all they need to do is go in there with a lot of confidence and passion, because when you don’t have talent, a whole mess o’ confidence will solve all your problems. (Though maybe having a scheme of selling broke-ass calendars with self-indulgent and hokey slogans for $25 wouldn’t hurt either..) Michelle takes the layup that Maria tosses her way, and shows up to remark, “..and you’ll still be losers.” Michelle tears down Maria’s makeup and passion for rhinestones, saying that no matter what she does, Dolph won’t keep his eyes off of other women, like her. (OMG, is that a hint of a twist? Probably not.) She says that Maria is nothing but his “flavor of the week”. (Damn, this has been the longest week of my life..) Maria counters, calling Michelle the most egotistical Diva on the roster.
Melina appears out of nowhere (Seriously, was there a door over there?), but Maria tells her that she’s got in under control. But one insult later, Melina gets in Michelle’s face, and Michelle threatens legal action if she even lays a finger on her. Obviously not interested in filing legal papers just yet, Michelle leaves before things can unravel. Melina apologizes on her behalf, but Maria tells her to stay out of her business. I couldn’t agree more with that sentiment–let’s all stay out of her business! No? Okay..
On the wrestling side of things, Maria and Eve are joined in the ring by Natalya and Layla for that match they mentioned earlier. They reference back to last night’s episode of WWE Superstars, where Nattie clotheslined Eve to hell. Apparently, Eve wants a quick turnover on revenge. Though, we always have to build up to that, so Maria starts out the match. Nattie gets her into an arm wrench and irish whips her in to the ropes. Maria ducks a clothesline and looks to take her down with a body splash, but Nattie catches her, slamming her to the mat. One missed elbow drop later, and Maria takes the advantage, nailing her with a low dropkick.
Natalya backs herself into the corner, and tells the ref to keep Maria back. Apparently one sloppy dropkick is more than she can take. Maria charges into the corner, smashing her with her butt in a Rikishi-like move. Girl, I think you need a little more back there to make that move work. God, that looked awkward.. Maria sets up for what looks like the bronco buster (Oh Lord..), but modifies it into a standing double foot choke. Layla complains to the referee for the blatant choke, but this is wrestling! The babyfaces can get away with anything. This brings Maria over, and Layla sweeps her legs, pulling her out of the ring. Maria takes a swing at her, but Layla decides to split, running away with Maria giving chase. Maria turns a corner, and is met with Nattie’s clothesline. Needless to say, she’s been stopped in her tracks.
Natalya plays with Maria a bit more outside the ring, and Eve seems ready to attack her. Natalya brings the action back into the ring, literally walking all over Maria. She attempts a pin, but only gets 2. She locks her into a back-bending headlock, eventually slamming her back onto the mat. She rams Maria into the corner and tags in Layla, who hops up onto the second rope, locking her legs around Maria’s neck and bending back over the ropes, choking her. Gee, I wonder where I’ve seen that move before.. I know Candice didn’t invent the move, but she’s the first person I though of when I saw Layla bust it out.
She eventually relents, but climbs to the top rope this time, pounding Maria with a flying double-axe handle to the back. She attempts a pin, but no dice, and she tags in Natalya. The two collaborate on a double-team head slam, driving the back of Maria’s head onto the mat. Another failed pin attempt, and Natalya plants Maria with a snap suplex, trying once again for a 3-count. Nope. Opting to isolate Maria from her corner, she tags in Layla, and the Brit goes to work, kicking Maria in the stomach and flipping her to the mat. She focuses on Maria’s back, putting her boots to it and tweaking it with a stretching hold. She keeps the hold locked, switching it to a seated hold. I must say, in this move, Maria’s bondage-y outfit looks more appropriate than ever.
Maria breaks free and tries to get to Eve, but Layla stops her. Maria manages to get away, tagging in Eve. Eve, still on the apron, delivers a shoulder to Layla’s stomach, hoisting herself over the ropes and kicking her in the face at the same time. She goes on a offensive rampage, taking Layla down and even going after Natalya on the apron. She turns her attentions back to Layla, dropkicking her and attempted an irish whip, which Layla reverses and Eve reverses into a sunset flip which Laya reverses (I’m getting dizzy..) into a low dropkick to the face. Layla gets a 2-count on Eve and gets visibly frustrated, yelling all crazy-like.
She forearms Eve and misses a wild kick. Eve scoops Layla up, slamming her and performing that funky front flip we saw last night on WWE Superstars. She attempts a pin, but Natalya breaks it up. Maria comes out of nowhere with a Lou Thesz press, taking her to the outside. JR makes a funny remark suggesting that Maria doesn’t even know who Lous Thesz is (Ouch.. Surely she does.), and Eve takes advantage of Layla’s still-prone body, performing her handspring bodysplash maneuver (She really needs to find a name for that..) and getting the pin and win for her team.
The pre-match vignette was enough to continue the Michelle/Melina feud for another week, with Michelle threatening legal action. With this looming over her head, how is Melina going to handle her frustration? Perhaps go a little Stone Cold Steve Austin on her? You know, hurt her in other ways and just be an all-around badass babyface. We’ll see if it goes in that direction, but having the feud revolve around Maria’s troubles kind of puts a damper on it. Let’s hope it distances itself in the coming weeks.
As for the match, it was pretty entertaining for your standard tag team match. It certainly helped that it featured a different combination of girls than we usually see. Eve barely got any interaction with Natalya, which will only serve to build tension between the two. I can’t wait to see where they go with it–hopefully not another mixed tag match, though. Eve’s performance was a lot like hers on Superstars–lots of flash. I’m still worrying that she’s focusing too much on the flashy stuff, but this match was taped on the same night as that match, so it’s unreasonable to see much of a change between them. Layla is developing into a great heel, working prone body parts pretty well. Her yelling will probably get old quick, though.. Natalya was her usual dependable self. Maria was as awkward as ever. I just don’t see her growing beyond her shoddy presence and dainty maneuvers–she’s stuck in this form, and I have a feeling this is the best we’re gonna get out of her. Just because this is her best doesn’t mean I’m going to sit back and be satisfied with it–she has had so many opportunities to progress and grow in the ring, and she’s just not doing it. Maybe she shares her character’s philosophy–confidence and passion are the key to success! I’m sure you can find plenty of flowery language about them for a few ~inspiring~ tweets, but last time I checked, confidence and passion aren’t miracle cures.
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37 Comments
I liked the match, Eve & Layla are showing a lot of progress, Layla more so. I agree that Eve is flashy but not on a Kelly level. She has shown that when it counts she can do the basics and stuff, I guess tag matches are less focused on mat skills rather than just getting your signature moves in and tagging out. She showed in her singles match with Nattie that she is capable of having a good match with spots as well as basic moves, unlike Kelly.
Layla on the other hand, is the more progressive of the two, she has come along so well and shown so much improvement in such a small amount of time. From that first match with Eve back in May to now, she’s become a fluid worker, just look at that Candice rope move she did; it was almost gymnast-like the way she went in and out of it as if she was doing a routine. It was beautiful and shows how hard she’s worked on getting better. Seeing her go to the top [for the first time?] was also exciting. It’s time to really give her some shine, she’s earned it.
Nattie as always is great. Maria, she was her usual self, I guess.
Michelles voice is alot better like this!!
Layla keeps impressing me and so does Eve.
i dont want to offend anyone but i find natalya&maria boring.
i loved it when michelle, just shoved one of her crutches at eve, she really put them in there place, but i feel really sorry for melina, when she got thrown to the curb by her bestie, she looked really sad, and i dont blame the poor cow, cause it has happend to me not long ago, it is the worst feeling in the world!!!!!
Michelle did really good in the segment. Acting-wise she’s improving a lot and it’s great to see. Melina’s really starting to bore me as a character, at least she’s good in the ring. They need to do something to spice her up again though imo.
As for the match, it was okay. I love all the new offence Layla showed in this match, she’s improving so damn much and it’s great to see. Eve’s flashy, but she’s not a spot monkey. Maria should stick to selling and only doing very basic offence, it’s what she’s best at.. that isn’t saying much though. They both bore me too, Tunccy.
Eve and Natalya were the most impressive in the match-up, in my opinion, but I loved Layla’s ring attire, and Maria wasn’t THAT bad in the ring this week. An overall solid tag team match, but I loved the ending, when Eve went for that handspring bodysplash. It was incredible, and Michelle’s definitely improving in her acting skills.
Lol! I am so tired of the stupid drama. Like Melanie said in Her Mail Bag It will be a waste of Melina talent to put her in a feud with Maria. I like Dumb Maria better than “Big Girl” Maria. PG Era ! High School Storyline…..This is like a show you will see in Disney channel! Layla has improve alot……Eve was good too. But Natlay shine……..Maria ummm nothing to say….I will not say it was Candice’s move……Umm Candice does and Hanging figure four necklock..Layla did a headscissors lock…It might look the same but It wasnt.
@ Melanie if you could give a name to the “story” what would it be?
I got the cast
Maria= A “big girl” that Cant wrestle, who is girlfriend of a “Bad boy” Named Dolph.
Dolph= Bad Boy…Boyfriend of Maria and apperently cheats on her…..And Like Ego, self cente women champs
Melina= A good friend of Maria who likes to give adivise to her friends even when they listen.
McCool= An evil self center egotistical cripple/”injured” champ….Most Likely queen bee.
Eve= Maria’s friend who does not care about maria’s problems at all(Like Many people) does not like Natalya.
Layla= Michelle McCool friend and Messanger
Natalya= Luckiest diva in the SD roster for not being involve in the storyline!
I liked when michelle shoved the cruch into eves hand lmao Priceless…
anyway The Heading for this Redux is right Maria has 99 problems and we care about none…
I mean seriously where is this whole Dolph Thing getting ?.
Oh so Maria snaps on Melina turns heel and fueds for the next month or so…until Melina gets bak in the title picture then what happens to maria after that ?. Eh….A useless Heel.
Im not being Mean Im just saying it like its gonna b played or mite
But other than that the match was good Natalya was amazing I wish she was in the title picture
Wow, I really see so much potential in Eve. She has flashy moves, but she seems a lot more technically apt then Kelly ever was. Layla was great too, when she got on the top rope, I held my breathe for a little bit, when was the last time you saw a diva stand up on that? And natalya was great as usual. I think she could really get the crowd behind her if she was a face, she’s one of the wrestlers that are so good that people cheer them because of just their skill.
Maria was just annoying, that butt bump and the lou thez press were so awkward. Did anyone hear some boos when she was getting ready for the ‘bronco buster’? And it was so good to see her clotheslined by natalya. But hey, she might turn heel the way she love dolph so much, and that might make her less annoying.
Wow, Maria just doesnt belong in the ring, she simply cant wrestle. I wud prefer WWE released her instead of Candice. Out of all DivaSearch rejects Maria is the worst! No improvement watsoever. I feel bad for Natalya who is a veteran getting in the ring with all diva search rejects. Eve is getting better & better each week tho. But I still cant stand Maria!! As for Layla, no comment.
First off i just want to say that who is Michelle to comment on how she thinks Maria’s outfit is ugly when she is wear some hidious snake skin dress thing that looks sooooo HORRIBLE (im just saying) Gawd, talk about ‘worst dressed list’
This was a very nice match and Layla and Eve are no doubt impressing and showing me what they can do and who knows maybe soon a new diva could be in the title picture, speak of the title picture when is wwe going to realise that Natalya could easly be champion she could no doubt still manag DH and Tyson but with the title around her waiste also ;) As for Maria well she didn’t look to great in the ring this week at all….please Maria, do some more training lovely. Layla looked sooo good in her red attire this week, im loving her new wrestling gear set!
Geez… that crowd was D-E-A-D for the tag match. Seriously, you could hear a pin drop in that arena.
This was an interesting tag match because we have a different combination of divas. The match was pretty solid, Layla showed some great psychology and acting chops. I want to see more of Natalya tho :D
Maria CAN wrestle…and well!!!
Michelle was actually good at the backstage segment. Could she have listened to her critics? Could be.
The match was definitely awesome too, lots of great moments and both Eve and Layla have shown a LOT of improvement. I’m impressed by them every week. Maria, on the other hand, is just—*sigh*— as bad in her ring work as ever. Eve missed a few cues (I believe she should’ve blocked Layla’s punch after Maria tagged her) but all in all, she’s definitely gotten even better! Props to Layla as well, she’s been working on some moves! Natalya was the star though. I mean, she DID almost broke Maria’s body in two during the match, didn’t she?
man,why do people hate maria,she hasn’t done anything to you guys,I’m not maria’s biggest fan but i don’t bash her on every little thing she does
and why does it look like Layla stole Alissa Flash’s outfit
i liked the match,Eve and Layla have improved so much(especially Layla) in there wrestling skills,natayla is an amazing wrestler but she hasn’t impressed be at all with her recent matches
the backstage interview was funny,I don’t like michelle at all because I think she plays her character a little to close to home so it was nice to Maria owning michelle by saying she’s the most egotistical diva on the roster,lol
The match was pretty good, and it was nice to see the 3 Divas matchees on Raw and Smackdown this week get over 4 minutes each after several recent Diva matches were under 3 minutes.
The backstage segment was okay, but I wouldn’t object to Layla or someone else doing McCool’s talking for her. Michelle tries, but I think it would be best to give her a manager or spokesperson of some sort.
RKOyou – Yep, you’re right. You know, just yesterday I caught myself bashing Maria for breathing. Damn bitch..
Just accept that some people like her, and some don’t.
I seriously can’t wait for Michelle to wrestle again. This tag match was so random. It was completely irrelevent to any of the “drama” from backstage. And why do they always make Layla lose? She’s clearly good in the ring, but they never let her beat anyone. And Natalya I think just doesn’t fit in at all with the Smackdown divas. She seems so out of place. And I liked her old song without the Hart Dynasty much better. This one has no personality.
@RKOyou
I will give you a small tip. Just don’t bother reading anything mean about Maria or what they say. Just skipped that part, even if it’s little. Plus! It’s their site they can say anything they want on Maria. I know it may seem unfair but you can’t changed their opinions.
I though this match was boring. They did okay. Although Eve kinda messed up when she was tagged in and awkwardly hit little moves. I wish Natalya could of been in a lot more. eh 4/10.
The backstage segment was good. I though it was funny Melina came out of nowhere lol. I feel like I’m watching The Hills or something haha.
as much as i want to agree with u guys about Maria’s lack of wrstling ability (AND I REALLY DO)..im gonna have to honestly say that she is NOT a wrestler! I say that because if u look back at her RAW matches with Beth and Melina, Maria showed a hell of a lot of improvement because she was in the ring with very established female wrestlers and she had to prove that even tho she may not be able to beat them, she could put up a decent fight. Its not the same over on Smackdown, a lot of the divas there are working their way up (Eve and Nattie).. And remember this is WWE not TNA, they tell the wrestlers how much offense to get in in the ring, so they probably want Maria to come off as kinda weak, perhaps use it in the storyline by saying that her relationship with Dolph is affecting her in-ring skills. Cuz she sure impressed me in her matches with Beth b/c she would try so hard but we all knew Beth would win lol. So i say cut Maria some slack b/c we know she was some sort of ability, but shes probably suppressing some of it. At least shes not botching or rusty in the ring. Yea shes not sharp in the ring, but shes not rusty or green. and i am by no means a Maria fan
the only reason this match turned out good is because of layla & maybe nattie, maria didnt do anything then her usual well what exactly is it that she does? i wouldnt call it wrestling…. and eve, seriously she should get a new move-set i can’t believe people say she is improving while she does the same thing over&over, she’s like maryse 2.0,
the backstage segment was hillarious, i think all the ladies did pretty well on the ‘mic’ part.
Maria probably thinks Lou Thesz is a handbag designer…
An alright match.
Could it be that Michelle is the one Dolph was spotted backstage by Melina? *Gasp
Lol.
Maria’s meh as usual.
I enjoyed this weeks Smackdown, the Melina & Michelle feud continues with that backstage segment.
So as who impressed me the most is Layla cause she seems to be working a lot on her moves and her
Heel characte is developing really nicely. I hope that one day she can be one of WWE’s Top Divas.
Nattie was awsome as usual, Eve was really flashy in this match, & i agree with Melanie that she kind of
Resembles Kelly Kelly but due to her Superstars Match she shows she can do a lot of the basic moves.
Maria was her usual self in the match so there basically isnt much to say about her.
So i thought it was a fairly good match for this week.
And on a side note, I am loving that Layla has been on a Match 4 weeks in a row, She usually doesn’t
Wrestle on TV so its really cool to see her improvement every week. I just hope when Michelle
Is cleared to wrestle, Layla doesnt get pushed to the side, But i guess Michelle needs a partner in crime
So maybe she will be managing Michelle or teaming with her in Tag Team Matches.
Eve and Layla get better every week. Dammit give them another year and then push them. Like Michelle McCool, these two can be real WWE homegrown talent who turn out to be worthwhile women wrestlers. Props to them!
And as for this storyline, I know it isn’t the best…but AT LEAST they’re getting a storyline. When was the last time the RAW Divas got one? Every week they basically have a match with no backstory, just the faces and heels doing the same thing. Plus SmackDown has been delivering the quality over RAW in the past 4-5 months.
Eve & Layla are improving weekly. Natayla is simply the best.
Maria is a hott ass mess. I love how JR was commenting on how much Eve and Layla are improving, but yet to say anything about Maria.
He used to comment on Maria’s improvement, now he’s just given up.
I find it funny how layla is now improving after she has benn in the wwe what 2 or 3 years now. I dont think so unlike alot of you I wont suck up to the head cheerleader and say that layla is the most improved because she isnt. Eve will be the most improved for the 2009 year because she hasnt been wrestling that long and she can out wrestle a handfull of divas who have been their longer than her.
Lovinnnnn Layla’s attire. When they get continually similar attires it means they’re heading for a push maybe?
Those boot cover things are getting popular arent they.
Oh dear, the attires in this match are just dreadful. Almost nearly as bad as those gratuitous “poses” on the entrance stage.
I wasn’t feeling Michelle’s look in the backstage segment. I thought the hair and top made her look a lot older than she actually is.
i agree wirh the_glamazon..maria used to be better on raw
she did good with the likes of beth and victoria…even that night at NYR she did good in the bra&panties match with torrie and candice
dont understand what happend to her actually!!
DaWayne999 – I don’t know what insult/point you’re trying to make but if you have something to say, have your own opinion and don’t be concerned about others. Your comment rubs me the wrong way, it looks like a veiled insult towards us/our readers and I won’t stand for it. There are ways to have your own opinion without being insulting.
But to respond to your actual comment rather than your tone, I don’t think it’s unlike Layla’s improvement is a new thing. It’s just that she’s wrestling on TV more now and her improvements are far more visible. Layla’s improvement has always been there in the lengthier singles matches she’s had; she had one particularly eye-opening match with McCool in January 2008 on SmackDown followed by another couple of good matches with Michelle later that year too.
“And as for this storyline, I know it isn’t the best…but AT LEAST they’re getting a storyline. When was the last time the RAW Divas got one?”
Maryse vs. Mickie and Beth vs. Melina eariler this year were storylines. The two shows are definitely going in different directions right now, as Michelle vs. Melina has been the focus for months now on Smackdown, while on Raw since July, Mickie has been in title matches with three different opponents(Maryse, Gail, Beth).
Personally, I like that both shows are operating in two different ways at the moment. Smackdown has a long feud, while Mickie is doing the fighting champion thing on Raw.
I really disliked this match, I HATED this match…
Eve is improving, I think she wasn’t bad, but I think that Layla improved the most. Layla is really becoming impressive in the ring, she’s the ONLY diva that came from the Diva Search that I don’t associate with DS, she’s different from all the girls that came from the same background as hers, she shows a lot of passion and love for the industry.
Natalya is impressive, but I feel bad watching her trying to sell Maria’s awful wrestling.
Maria is just….Maria, she needs to leave, her wrestling sucks, her attires are god awful, her charisma ain’t there, her acting is terrible…she’s just there and she’s there doing nothing good at all besides looking acceptably pretty.
The acting…OMFG, this girls are bad at acting, Maria, Eve and Melina made me cringe for everytime they talked, Michelle was the only one that didn’t bore me to death…
The match was alright, however they had to follow a absolutely CRAZY Intercontinental title match, so I could see how people may have needed a couple of matched to “recover” from the excitement from the previous match. Eve was great, Layla was awesome (I loved when she screamed “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” during the match. That was f-ing hilarious.), Natalya was her usual self (which is awesome), and Maria was…well, Maria. ‘Nuff said.
The backstage segment…it was clear that Eve didn’t give a damn about Maria’s love problems. Nether do we, sweetheart. Nether do we. Michelle is becoming less and less monotone, and that’s a good thing. Melina…Melina…Melina. You looked awesome in your outfit this week, but seriously…take Maria’s advice and stay out of her business. I mean, Eve doesn’t care…we don’t care…you shouldn’t care either.