Greetings everybody, and welcome to the official one stop shop for WWE Over the Limit… Diva wise, that is. This year’s show brought forth what I believe to be the third female match to take place at said pay per view, and it was a doozy as Beth Phoenix challenged Divas Champion, Layla, with her coveted butterfly emblazoned title on the line. I’ve seen many remarks on Twitter regarding the match, but I’m sorry to say that the match was not the biggest of my concerns when the festivities got underway because… because… FINALLY the Glamasuit has come back to the WWE! It’s been a long time coming, but Miss Phoenix finally pulled the trigger and returned to the gear that has stuck true to her throughout most of her career. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get started!
The Divas Title logo flashes on our screen as out walks our Glamasuit wearing Glamazon. She looks ready for business as she gracefully walks down the entrance ramp and flips into the ring. We are taken to a brief recap of the actions leading to this match regarding Layla’s return at last month’s Extreme Rules where she filled Beth’s spot in the Divas Title match. Following this comes Layla, who looks happy to be here and receives a SHUCKY DUCKY QUACK QUAAACCCKKKK from Booker T. Layla poses on the ropes as the bell sounds and we get things underway between the two ladies.
They lock up, as Layla takes the early advantage. Beth hoists her into the air, but this does not affect the hold. Phoenix sends Layla into the ropes and scores a fist to the face, before dragging the Divas Champ to the corner and blasting her face across the turnbuckle. From there, the challenger once again tosses Layla towards the ropes, but Layla comes back with an arm drag. She follows it up with a facebuster and refuses to let up on her competition. The champion is sent into the corner, where she flips off with a crossbody for a near fall. Baseball slide dropkick continues the pain, but only for another close call.
Beth sends Layla into the corner, but Layla fights back with an elbow and a few shots. Layla gets a leg up on Beth’s shoulder, but Phoenix hits an awesome move in which she drops Layla down in pain. From there, the challenger continues to target the injured leg with a few unique holds near the steel pole. We get a replay of what happened, as Beth slides Layla into the ring and takes her down by the injury yet again. Layla lets out a unique shriek, while the dominance of Beth Phoenix continues on.
She locks a half Boston Crab, sparking Layla to debate whether submitting is a possibility or not. Layla fights through the pain and kicks Beth towards the ropes. Phoenix bounces off them, as Layla then kicks her in the knee and scores a roll up to no avail. This comeback is short lived though, as Beth takes Layla into the ropes and continues to work over the knee. Phoenix hoists her competition up, but Layla scores with a dropkick to send Beth outside and buy some time.
Layla continues the fight and goes for a spin kick, but Beth ducks and lifts her up military press style. Layla then manages to just barely counter into a DDT. She slowly goes for the cover, but Beth kicks out at two. The champion with a bridge pin, but only two again. Beth lifts Layla up and backs her into the corner, where she proceeds to hoist her onto the top rope. Layla sets up for her awesome flipping stunner move, but she ends up landing on her feet and Beth goes for the Glam Slam! Layla rolls through, but Beth rolls back for a two count! Phoenix kicks Layla down at her knee, but Layla then hits the Lay-Out out of nowhere to retain the title!
Thoughts: I’m going to be honest and say that I’m probably the only person who was not really feeling the match. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good match and it got a lot of time, but I just felt… I don’t know, indifferent. Maybe it’s because I saw a lot of people saying how great it was that I was expecting more, but I thought there was some problems with their timing in a few parts. That’s to be expected though given that Layla has not had a match go this long since her return, so I’m not faulting anyone for it. I will say that I felt from Layla’s comeback to the end was great and I really did enjoy that part a lot. It was definitely one of the better Diva matches we’ve seen, but I feel like Layla and Beth could surpass it if given another shot together at the next pay per view.
Match Rating: 3.5/5
73 Comments
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It was a decent match. Could’ve been better if it was longer, but bth women looked grreat! ;)
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A solid match. There were few a bit iffy spots (Layla still working off the ring rust), but overall I was impressed. It was very well set-out, the psychology from Beth was a nice change of pace for a Diva’s match and it felt like a battle rather than a procession of spots (which many diva’s matches are guilty of). That puts it ahead of Beth’s matches with Kelly and Eve last year for me personally. I would have liked a different ending, one that could have left things a little more open, but Beth has become one of those competitors who can be made into a threat at a moments notice. I always scoff whenever people say she’s lost credibility; she can get that back in a snap of her fingers.
It’s gotta be said; Beth’s outfit was tremendous, and Layla looked amazing in that colour.
I wasn’t as impressed with this as I was with Brooke/Gail, but I think that’s more a testiment to Brooke’s increasing talent than anything else. I’d love to see a re-match at No Way Out with more story attached to give fans something to sink their teeth into. They won the crowd over by the end, but they had an uphill battle to get there. Heck, throw Natalya in the mix for a triple threat; that could be superb.
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I give layla her props. although im hurt beth isn’t champion. only way beth not having the title is ok for me is if i see beth vs nattie…. THAT MATCH STILL HASN’T HAPPENED AND ALOT PEOPLE HAVE WANTED TO SEE IT! but i would say last nights diva match was the best divas match on ppv since before wrestlemania 28. still though give me Beth vs Nattie
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” but I feel like Layla and Beth could surpass it if given another shot together at the next pay per view.”
sorry,but no thanks.Beth doesn´t need another loss,Layla won´t win anything with another victory over Beth and it´s time to give a chance to other diva.
to me this match would never happened,at least with Beth as the challenger(the rematch thing could perfectly be used down the road) but thank god Layla didn´t win by rollup.
Beth´s time as a credible heel has long gone,let´s see her as a face Diva again and really pushed right this time.
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Didnt come close to expectations. Very botchtastic,
kristalmelinafan Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
Where was the botch? Because i seen none, yes it was slow on some spots and a little weird but it was not botchie at all. Do you even know what a botch is? People use that word to often to sound intelligent in the world of wrestling.
nitesaver Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
Most of the match
redsandman99 Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
The timing was off at the beginning but no actual botches really.
kristalmelinafan Reply:
May 22nd, 2012 at
Yeah like i said you really don’t know what a botch is.
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Book Beth phoenix vs Natalya nedihart please. and when you do, have Beth needs to be heel and nattie has to be the face. doesn’t even have to be for the title as long as i see it on ppv. its a dream match that has yet to happen.
Bethinho Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
Beth can be a tweener with face tendencies and Natalya a face with heelish tendencies.
it would be a good feud while giving Beth something to do without being connected to the title picture,but Beth as a full heel,no.
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It was a good match. Not much else to really though.
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Pretty forgetful match, sad to say.
StephMC Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
I agree
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I think I’m the only one here but I loved the match. I don’t know why I just did, Layla was a bit sloppy but a year off and 3 minute matches? C’mon. The crowd pissed me off so much, full of smarks… Yeah we know Beth’s a good wrestler ladidiaaaa but Layla deserved a much better reaction -.-
Simply Flawless Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
Kinda awkward that the little girl Layla kissed on her way down the ramp held a boo sign for Layla but a Yay sign for Beth
Poison_Ivory Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
Smarks were cool at first but now they’re just basically ruining the idea of crowd reactions.
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I thought it was a solid match. The beginning was a bit iffy but there was good psychology with Beth working the knee and it definitly picked up as it went on.
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Alright matched. LOVED Beth’s new Glamsuit…it looks like her old Black/White one but with pants. Looks great. And No Kharma ugh did WWE not heat the HUGE Kharma chant?
number1AngelinaLovefan Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
*Match, *Hear Damn phone
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Also loved Beth’s meanness in the ring i think she is back to the awesome GLAMAZON!
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they had just over 7 minutes…alittle awkward at the start but it was alot better then i expected…..
number1AngelinaLovefan Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
Really i didn’t see any iffy spots where were they?
EVEROCKS Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
like one example is when Layla ran up to the corner for the cross-body and Beth was literally right behind her. It was a little messy at that point.
art Reply:
May 22nd, 2012 at
Also when beth went for that tilt a whirl that layla countered into an arm drag was sloppy….
but that was it really….
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I love this match because Layla finally got to show what she can do. I heard nothing but positive from iwc fans who are not diva fans. They all love this match and hoping that this will be the match to rebuild the divas division. Layla showed that she can do it without Michelle (even though she has done it without her, and also she always had done it without her before they teamed up). Anyways Layla and Beth put on a strong showing, i’m hoping that tonight Layla will get to show more of her abilities in the ring. Love this match!!! 5/5
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Match was decent! Nothing to say really! Beth n Layla’s chemistry was good, I just didn’t really enjoy it. The beginning was a bit meh but they picked up on it later and it went fine after that. I think the best Divas match in 2011 was Eve vs Beth Phoenix at Vengeance. IMO Layla vs Michelle was also a great match. Its kinda funny how the crowd was dead most of the time and honestly, the Kharma chants was amazing! I really want Kharma to return! Miss her already :P
fragile Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
let’s go kharma/cena sucks. ;)
StephMC Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
HAHA good one :’P
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Sorry for all my comments.
But TBH I think Beth would of got a WAY better reaction if she would of won. The crowd was so behind her it was awesome. And if Layla is injured can you really get you leg hit hard? wouldn’t that reinjure it???
number1AngelinaLovefan Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
O my god my typing today ugh.
And if Layla is still wearing the knee brace can Beth really hit Layla’s leg that hard? wouldn’t that re-injure it???
StephMC Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
^ I agree! (: Beth is really over with the fans ever since her heel turn! She gets a good reaction than the baby faces!
number1AngelinaLovefan Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
Yeah and i love that. I hope they keep her Heel…and she keeps getting the Face reaction. Because IMO she is much better Heel than Face
StephMC Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
i couldn’t agree more! Beth is amazing as a heel, plus she has more credibility and mic time!
TheGamergirl22 Reply:
May 22nd, 2012 at
Yeah like D-Bri but without a catchy catchphrase I think wish Layla do a leg lock or Michelle’s Heel hold on Beth to hurt her ankle so they story is they both have leg problems and they are both down and Layla is the first to get up and Lay out and win
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Layla is definitively better than when she left.
The match was good (better than what we use to have on PPV … since she left).
I wish Layla would have more hard hitting move, because the finish was a little out of nowhere and Beth didn’t take much damage except the DDT.
StephMC Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
Speaking on that neck breaker, you were absolutely right – it was a little out of nowhere! Beth did sell the move really well! I think her turnbuckle move “the face lift” would’ve been a better finish!
kristalmelinafan Reply:
May 22nd, 2012 at
Layla’s Neck Breaker is suppose to be the female equivalent of a stone cold stunner, rko, and the sweet chin music. All those moves are the” hit out of nowhere type moves”. And everyone keep knocking the finishing move, yes it’s a neck breaker but the height difference from Layla and her opponents is what make her neck breaker more effective than others, along with a slight jump and a hard sit down. Being a former indie wrestler “not a well known one”, i can tell you that, that neck breaker is effective. Oh and i forgot most finishing moves these stars uses are only basic moves with panache it’s nothing but the right person selling the move. Ala Tiffany selling LayOut’s.
T@KESH1 Reply:
May 22nd, 2012 at
I agree that her finish is hard hitting and looks great for the reason you stated but the moves you noted commonly don’t have irrational setups like Layla’s did. After just taking a hard teep to her match-long, worked leg, Layla had an abrupt & instant recovery and used that SAME leg to attack with no sign of wear?!
T@KESH1 Reply:
May 22nd, 2012 at
Layla was definitively off.
T@KESH1 Reply:
May 22nd, 2012 at
… I don’t remember Layla hitting her finish from non-sensical positions. Also , that counter arm-drag tkdwn was sloppy.
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I love this match
TeamGlamazon is back
Yeah bby
flawless
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So the only people that beat Beth cleanly were… Nikki Bella, Layla, Melina, Mickie James, and Alicia Fox. Wow…
No Holds Barred Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
woah really? and 3 didn’t happen until this year.
Trish also beat Beth during the 6 person tag.
Flawless Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
But didn’t MVP interfere? Or maybe it was a different match. Forgive me if I’m wrong, Haha. Anyways Both looked beautiful and glad to see Beth is back to the glamasuits, almost made up for her loss xD. Hope Beth is turning face and back to her dominant self. Layla deserved a reaction, but it was nice the crowd was behind Beth.
Jhonmarco Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
Nikki Bella? You sure about that?
Kessuki Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
has candice michelle not beat her cleanly?: :/
redsandman99 Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at
I think cleanly here means without the use of a roll-up…
TheGamergirl22 Reply:
May 22nd, 2012 at
At least she never submitted hopefully Kharma or Natalya is the first to do the honor
After Alicia beat her I have no problems with her getting beat cleaning ar long as she can rise like a Phoenix I’m good.
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Now that i’ve seen the match i would give it a 3/5. From here onwards we know kharma has to debut and beth cant continue to be unsuccessful in pursuit of the title as it makes her look weak when she finally faces kharma. so on a earlier beth vs layla article i mentioned that i would like to see beth and natalya take the step to finally pull apart and feud for a few good months. meanwhile layla can have a few successful title defences or until kharma challenges her and have kharma destroy the divas one by one until beth and nattie’s feud is over. then you have beth and nattie one as a heel and one as a face both looking strong and ready to challenge kharma at summerslam.
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yes that was awesome layla and beth did great .. my fave match in a while
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Wow, lol @ the fans booing Layla and chanting for her to tap.
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what i liked about the match was that it came with a storyline n played with it
plus im loving beth outfit
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I don’t think anyone will really agree the rating of this match but I’ll give my two cents after all the world is bankrupt, Lol. Bad joke. moving on…. >.>
So I feel like Beth really showed ring saviness with her use of psychology and tactics here, working on that bad knee and then the good one. This showed a knew ruthlessness to her character. I think it’s funny because it’s almost the style of combat Layla would use as a heel which I think works for her better. Layla is agile and strategic but as a face it just comes off as athletic and an underdog mentality. Once Layla figures out what it is exactly she’s doing ( not in a ring rust or she’s new perception) in the ring rather than scrambling for attacks all though inovative, she’ll seem more well rounded.
I enjoyed the match but I will say it missed something and I think it’s just Layla needing to come into her own as a champion standing alone and as a face and brining that character with a clear moveset into the ring. Once she’s less scrappy it’ll be better. Beth just needs the WWE to care for her again. People kinda seem tired for a lack of better term . Loved the fans finally cheering at random spots.
To close I think we can all agree, Beth’s Glamasuit ROCKED!!
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i personally think it will be a good heel turn for Kelly Kelly. Have her say that Layla is trying to be her, by appearing in Maxim, winning the divas title, beating beth, etc. Than she can tell the fans that they had help her get the title but also helped her lose it as well. Than go on and say that she is tire of being this perky barbie doll, always have to carry a plastic smile all the time.