She may not be the priority in the three-way feud between Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool and Mickie James but this week on SmackDown, Layla proved to be the dark horse in this storyline — the glue, if you will, that has held this feud together and that was never more apparent than it was on tonight’s show. Her fantastic acting, comedy chops and hard work in the ring have made her the perfect go-to girl for much of this feud. It’s not Michelle McCool that’s getting in the ring on a weekly basis and wrestling Mickie James and Beth Phoenix — it’s Layla. And if you ask me, it’s the teaming of Michelle and Layla that has helped the Women’s Champion break out of her box and show more charisma and personality than she has in the past several years. She may be treated like a jobber in WWE but watching her work this week, it became obvious to me that without her, this feud wouldn’t have worked half as well as it has and she deserves credit for it.
A few weeks ago, I likened the ongoing SmackDown storyline as a little bit like Lost – each week, the story seems to center around a certain character with the events unfolding from their point of view. We have had Mickie James and Beth Phoenix take starring roles in previous weeks and it seems this week was Layla’s turn.
It all begins backstage…
Once again we have a backstage segment with ‘Piggie James’ jokes, this time Team Lay-Cool unveil a pig trough for Mickie. Lame. Layla cutely gets some lettuce in her mouth with Michelle flicking it away. I’m particularly liking the underlying situation with Michelle and Layla with the latter playing the Gretchen Wieners to Michelle’s Regina George; Michelle, the leader of the group, kind of deflects everything onto Layla ["I think you annoyed her"]. It could play into an interesting feud should Michelle and Layla ever split up.
Next we have Beth vs Layla:
Beth makes her entrance first followed by a somewhat hesitant Layla, who by the way looks a lot like Halle Berry in Catwoman in that attire. Somewhat new fact about Layla — she’s Moroccan and fluent in Arabic, thanks Matt Striker! I love Layla selling her being afraid from the outset, wary of Beth Phoenix as she makes her entrance and does her signature pose on the ring ropes. All too often these girls have little psychology when it comes to stuff like that, they’ll come down to the ring all smiley-faced and happy as usual even though they have a big match ahead of them. Granted, this isn’t exactly a huge Michelle-Mickie type grudge match, but it’s nice to give that vibe of Layla being afraid of Beth and it paints Beth in a great light as well.
Even as the match is about to start, Layla tries to call out to Michelle on the outside of the ring to help her and begs Beth not to go through with the match. Nice touch. Layla extends her hand for a handshake but Beth grabs it and uses it to shoulder-block Lay to the canvas. Beth then hoists Layla over her shoulder, again Layla is screaming for her life in great comedic fashion. Beth circles the spot dizzying Layla before dropping her front-first.
In shades of last week, Beth kicks a fallen in the gut ala Michelle and Layla is sent rolling out of the ring. Beth taunts the Women’s Champion to get into the ring, instead Michelle — showing her Regina-ness — sacrifices her understudy by throwing Layla back into the ring, throwing her to the wolves as it were. This was a funny spot here, sort of like a horror movie where the creature drags it’s victim into it’s lair, Beth drags Layla by the leg who’s screaming and trying to reach out to McCool.
Beth grabs Layla by the hair but the former Diva Search winner uses it to her advantage with a low dropkick to Beth’s knee followed by a kick to the side of the head and a forearm. Beth throws Lay into the corner and charges at her, Layla moves out of the way and begins laying in some lovely kicks on the Glamazon and then jumps on her back and begins clubbing her. Nice tactic given the stature of Beth, it seems like a viable way to have the underdog try to take advantage. That is about all the offense we see from Layla in this match but I think her moves looked crisp and believeable.
Beth snapmares Layla off of her back and the grabs her from behind and picks her up for the Glam Slam. We see a hilarious close-up of Layla crying and screaming ‘Noooo’ before she’s dropped by Beth. The Glamazon picks up the win.
After the match, Michelle gets into the ring and Beth tries to go at it with her but Michelle says she just wants to check on Layla. Layla grabs Beth by the feet and Michelle kicks her in the head. The two double team Beth until Mickie James comes in for the save. Michelle and Mickie begin trading blows and Michelle hits Mickie’s head into the turnbuckle, meanwhile Beth grabs Layla and throws her into Michelle and the two fall through the ropes and out of the ring. Mickie is in the corner, she and Beth have a little glance as for the second week in a row they’ve worked together. As Beth inches closer, Mickie hits a beautiful Long Kiss Goodnight taking down Beth.
Once again I think this was an exceptionally strong week for SmackDown with Layla, who isn’t necessarily a major player in this feud, getting some shine this week. I truly believe that she has been a great asset in this feud. While she’s not considered an experienced wrestler, she has more than held her own in the ring against the veterans and even shows that she has great offense. I’d venture to say she has the best kicks of any Diva in the WWE right now, they are just on-point. She plays her role so well both in the storyline and in terms of what’s asked of her by the Creative Team — whether it be matches, acting, comedy — she always delivers. She has helped inject life and personality into a feud that perhaps without her, wouldn’t be as exciting. She’s definitely brought out a new side in Michelle McCool. It’s a shame that WWE doesn’t see her as more of an asset because she is a work-horse and a reliable, consistent Diva. I’d love to see her maybe turn face and feud with Michelle McCool later in the year — I don’t know if WWE thinks highly enough of her to give her a title shot/title run but she can only get better. This was definitely her night and it opened my eyes to just how much of a hand she’s had in selling this feud.
Mickie’s receipt on Beth for last week was perhaps a little obvious but it worked nonetheless. As I said, her kick on Beth was fantastic. The chemistry between Beth and Michelle is intriguing also, though I do hope they’re kept apart for a while longer before they truly come to blows.
Solid week from SmackDown though in terms of progression, it’s sort of a holding pattern from the week before. The girls need something to work towards now i.e. a pay per view match or a featured Women’s Championship bout on SmackDown.
68 Comments
at 7:49 pm
Great night for Smackdown, once again, totally outshining Raw and giving the Knockouts a run for their money. I didn’t like this week’s backstage segment at all, wasn’t really funny aside from Layla and her little lettuce mishap. But the match was nice. Nothing fancy but it told a great story and Layla’s acting helped a lot. I too think she has some really good looking kicks and I was actually rooting for her when she started mounting a comeback. I’ve been really impressed with Layla the most out of all the girls during this whole storyline because she had the most to prove and hasn’t dissapointed once. She might be the least talented in the ring but she has more than held her own and I’m glad she is finally making a real name for herself. My only worry about her is that I highly doubt we’ll ever get to see her with a title.
at 7:51 pm
like last week the main focus happened after the match and i must say i´m happy about how things turned out altough i didn´t like seeing Beth receiving that kick….:)
but obviously Mickie had to have her payback from last week.i see Beth going each time to the face side.my guess is that next week we will have Beth/Mickie vs team Laycool,because no way Beth would be face to face with them without punching them hard.
at 7:55 pm
that was good match.. Layla is just so adorable. her reaction on her match though sound abit disingenuous as if she being coward and comedic at the same time??( does that make sense?) beth and mickies chemistry feels really diffirent and fresh as if its they never fought before.
at 8:01 pm
Layla was SO fun to watch tonight. Oh my god, I LOVED? it when Michelle threw Layla back into the ring. When Layla was lying on her stomache and yelling “NOOOOOOO, MICHELLLLLLE!!!!” as Beth dragged her, it reminded me of a horror movie. I swear to god, I was laughing my ass off. And oh my goodness… Layla’s facial expression when she knew she was about to get a Glam Slam was HILARIOUS. Surprisingly, Michelle was actually pretty fun to watch too.
I also noticed that this is probably the first time in YEARS that I’ve cheered for Mickie – the Mick Kick to Beth’s face was badass. Smackdown delivers yet again. SUPERB match + promo.
PS, Beth’s head must be all swelled up after all of those intense kicks courtesy of Layla, Michelle, and Mickie, haha
at 8:09 pm
Layla is so much more charismatic than Michelle and is completely outperforming her as a heel.
Mickie’s continued involvement in this is a must as there’s no crowd interest without her. Although, in in the case of Beth, it’s completely WWE’s fault as the easiest way to make fans not care is to confuse them into not knowing how to react. A lot of the people probably see Beth as turning from heel-to-face and back multiple times in the 4-5 weeks.
at 8:28 pm
I already knew Layla was Moroccan. Layla means wine in Arabic. It bugs me that they keep calling her Latina. haha
Layla made that whole segment. Beth did the usual, Michelle did the usual. Layla is the one that did anything different. I don’t care what anyone says. She is seriously underrated because she doesn’t go out there and “try to prove” she can wrestle like Michelle, Beth, Mickie, Melina, Jillian or Gail. Doing a bazillion moves doesn’t mean you are a good pro wrestler. It just means you know how to do moves.
Part of me just wishes Layla could come out on top every once in a while. Kelly and Melina are the only ones she has pinned in the 3 and a half years she’s been with the WWE. =( She could be over because she has more range then Maryse, but I digress.
Oh and that attire.. GOD DAMN! She’s the only Diva that can fill a leather outfit to me. haha
As far as them still using the Piggy James stuff.. Mickie’s gut is sticking out more then her implants! I think they might have a case against her weight since the WWE owns how their Divas look.
at 8:33 pm
damn beth suffered a lot of hard kicks to her head.
at 8:35 pm
I been saying that Layla was the star of this feud since day 1. I’m so sick and tired of her keep losing to the faces. I wish 2010 Layla would go to TNA.
at 8:37 pm
LOL! Layla was so funny in the segment and the match. The part that killed me was when she knew she was going to get the Glam Slam. She did outstanding in this match. She can really deliver those kicks perfectly unlike other divas in the WWE. Overall I am loving this storyline. It’s been going on for almost two months and it keeps getting better every week! I am glad the WWE writers are really actually focusing so much on a storyline. Usually it’s throw two divas and have them feud for like two weeks and then all of a sudden when it’s getting good they change the set up and the storyline gets thrown away. Not on Smackdown though, these divas are all performing outstanding and really outshining the Raw Divas and the TNA Knockouts. Overall great match and acting by all four divas and I cannot wait until next week.
Also Ebmich, it’s Mickie’s shirt that makes her look unflattering. If you noticed it has some kind of ruffled pattern that overlaps the elastic on the bottom of her shirt. It gives off this poofy look that makes her stomach hang out more. Her gut isn’t hanging out. On the opposite, I know I’m all for one calling Mickie fat but I think she’s finally losing some weight. It’s just the shirt that makes her look big.
at 8:40 pm
I don’t think it was the shirt. I was talking about the recap they showed of last week. I know after you get your heart pumping, you abs expand until your heart rate is down. But Mickie’s stomach really was sticking out past her fake chest. If that doesn’t prove she gained weight, I don’t know what else to tell ya.
at 8:42 pm
xxChristinaxx- What for? So she can get lost with all the other knockouts and appear only on xplosion matches? Hell no. I think Layla is perfectly good in WWE. Why would anyone want to go to TNA? They don’t even know what to do with all their knockouts. They have too many, they need to fire like half of them. Look at tara, she’s on xplosion for next week! WTF is that? one week shes the knockout champ, loses it the next week and now she’s stuck on a show that doesn’t air the matches, only online. Plus TNA has retarded storylines and like the knockout eve tournament thingy was a big disaster! Why have a whole tournament if you just end up giving the win to ODB again? Same thing with the Tag Team Belts, they just throw random knockouts in instead of actually creating tag teams or stables. TNA is a big joke for the knockouts and is by far WORSE in how they use them. TNA has outstanding wrestlers but they’d rather give air time to LVE who sucks. Like the whole strip poker thing they did on monday….ugh hello ECW much? WWE did that much better
/end rant
p.s. layla is better off in the wwe!
at 9:06 pm
another great week for the smackdown divas. if there’s one thing that bugs me though, the matches seem to be filler for the feud itself. it’s usually the other way around, so it still makes a fresh change of pace, i guess.
i think it would be stupid of wwe to turn beth face now. apparently michelle’s knee is not 100% (wrestling observer newsletter) so once she does drop the title, to either mickie, or a face beth, there won’t be anybody credible for either one to feud with – unless they start using natalya effectively or, of course, call up some new talent from fcw.
at 9:06 pm
..assuming that mccool takes time off for surgery/proper healing once she has lost the belt.
at 9:10 pm
But do people take “credibility” too seriously when judging the competitors, Kaledrina? There was a time when wrestlers had to look like they could and would kick ass, but that’s not the case anymore. It’s all about how they are being booked. Rey Mysterio is the LAST guy on the roster who should be facing the monsters and beating them. Yet he is booked to win and no one is going “well, he just isn’t credible enough.”
Pro wrestling is about putting asses in the seats. Anyone who tells you differently is a fan of someone isn’t/wasn’t over or that someone was a wrestler who isn’t/wasn’t over. That is why Michelle has been more damaging to the SD Divas then Maria. And guess who usually gets the pass because she “puts on good matches.”
at 9:14 pm
The backstage segment was sort of a snoozefest,but the match was quite enticing.This feud definitely needs Layla,she makes it fun and exciting to watch.
Was it me,or did Mickie look FINE tonight?Just a thought…
at 9:20 pm
@Armando: Well that your OPINION, but I don’t agree with it.
at 9:22 pm
credibility or no credibility, a face beth phoenix in a feud with either layla or natalya (as much as the latter may be a distant dream to me) won’t put asses on seats. i’m not even sure the majority of wwe’s audience know that natalya actually wrestles. it’d be like putting the diva’s strap on maryse, only for her to go off and feud with eve. we may like it, but would the majority of wwe’s audience? i don’t think so. regardless, i doubt the divas put many asses on seats as it is right now and that’s a crying shame.
at 9:22 pm
btw, michelle looks like the sidekick here.. layla imo really does outperforming michelle in terms of charisma and segments.
at 9:24 pm
she did look good, trishmelinafan. as much as the mickie james death stare annoys me (gail kim flashbacks), she pulls it off really well.
at 9:38 pm
“credibility or no credibility, a face beth phoenix in a feud with either layla or natalya (as much as the latter may be a distant dream to me) won’t put asses on seats.”
And how do you know that’s not Beth’s fault? From what I gather, a lot of people act like they haven’t done anything with Beth. This is a Diva that has faced off with Candice, Mickie, Trish, Melina, Maria, and Kelly. These are all chicks who are/were over in their own right. She was pimping Santino (one of the most over acts in the company) around for a while. It’s not like she HASN’T been given anyone to get some heat. All Beth does is prove she is stronger and she likes to think she’s a super hero or something with her stoic poses. And before everyone says “none of the heels get booed!”, Beth getting her butt kicked doesn’t make the crowd excited either.
at 9:42 pm
Nice showing by all involved. I’ve always thought Layla showed promise. So, it’s nice to see her get some shine. I can’t wait for the eventual Mickie/Beth/Michelle match.
at 9:43 pm
To be honest, what diva today is putting asses in seats? If merchandise is to judge, none of ‘em. LOL
at 9:47 pm
It’s almost…unfair to all the other divas, how much Michelle improves every single week. And she gets more and more gorgeous every week as well. She was amazing in the backstage segment. There wasn’t even a shred of the old monotone bad-acting Michelle of the past. Layla really does bring out the best in her.
Raw is getting better, especially with this new tournament, and Smackdown is my favorite thing in the world now.
It’s official, women’s wrestling is good again. All is right with the world…
at 9:48 pm
Hey, Maryse and Kelly showed that people CAN watch a Raw Diva match and not feel like they are wasting their time. haha
And I’ve always said that Michelle being a centerpiece on SD is why that Division always fail to deliver despite the great potential and writing.
at 9:49 pm
This match was the best, the segment was ok, kudos to smackdown divas for continuing for having the best and exciting womens wrestling.