What’s up Diva fans? Welcome to this week’s SmackDown Redux. Steven is busy making up the numbers as part of Aces & Eights over on Impact so I’m here this week to round up the blue brand’s proceedings. This week’s notable segments were a backstage segment featuring new Divas Champion Kaitlyn being congratulated by Alicia Fox and Layla and then our new bottle spinning champ faced off in a non-title match against Aksana. So without further ado, I bring you the blue!
We first go backstage and see our new Divas Champ talking to Little Muffin Layla and the fierce Floridian Alicia. Layla has a feel of the belt and has forgotten how heavy it was. If Layla has forgotten after just a few months, I dread to think of Alicia’s memory! Alicia tells Kaitlyn that she could “totally kick out two pairs of shoes” with the belt and frankly, I have no idea what that even means so I’ll skip past that! Kaitlyn says she’s not really a shoes girl. Maybe she’s into handbags? Girls are into either one or the other, right? Alicia looks shocked at a fact she clearly would have known by now, but hey, maybe she couldn’t remember as she’s been too busy flopping from face to heel! Layla then stares and smiles at the Divas Title that is still in her grasp and then says a few goofy lines before giving it back.
SmackDown GM Booker T and his shadow Deputy Supervisor Teddy Long come along next and congratulatd Kaitlyn on her big win on Raw. Teddy mentions how he was especially happy as Kaitlyn’s win forced Eve Torres to quit WWE. Hey, maybe he’ll make a tag match to celebrate. After that, Kaitlyn slow-mo struts her way to the ring. She looks pretty stunning to me!
We’re in the ring now and adult movie music is blasting through the arena. Has Chyna returned? Oh no, it’s just Aksana, who is seductively warming up against the ring ropes after making her non-entrance. I wonder who’ll win this match? *Scratches head* DU DU DU DU DU DU ricochets in my ears and Kaitlyn makes her way to the ring. I remember when these two had a match way back on NXT and it’s amazing to see that Kaitlyn has evolved and has grasped that butterfly belt. Aksana, well, she’s still in the cocoon stage for me but I’m sure she’ll make a terrific moth someday! (Moths are heels, by the way.) We see a recap of the brilliant finish to the match on Raw and then the bell sounds.
The action begins with Aksana prodding Kaitlyn before the girls lock-up. The grappling continues to ensue until Kaitlyn applies a waistlock on Aksana and slams her down to the mat. The Hybrid Diva gives the Lithuanian Lovely a spank on the bum for good measure and Aksana lets out a little squeal. The NXT Season 3 winner then hits a suplex and goes for a victory but Aksana kicks out. Kaitlyn then tries to grab her foe by the hair but Aksana delivers a kick to our new Divas Champion’s head. Kaitlyn rolls to the apron and manages to punch Aksana but just as she’s trying to climb high, the infamous backstage attacker rams Kaitlyn right onto the floor face first – ouch!
The momentum has shifted and the Divo-Dropping Diva throws Kaitlyn back in the ring. Aksana gets a one-count before elbowing Kaitlyn in the shoulders and neck area. Aksana then applies a headlock (get your stopwatches running to see how long this will be) as Kaitlyn grimaces in either pain or the fact she could be locked in a four minute headlock! The crowd are thankfully showing genuine interest as the champ tries to make a comeback but that attempt is thwarted as Aksana wallops Kaitlyn back down. Aksana then applies a really awkward looking submission which doesn’t look in anyway painful but Kaitlyn is selling it like a trooper. Aksana then switches things up and does a wristlock before deciding to stop using pointless submission and just fight dirty.
Somewhere Joey Styles’ hyperbolic self is shouting “CATFIGHT” as the girls start scrapping. Referee Mike Chioda is wise enough to sidestep the action and avoid the clichéd ‘divas knock ref down and roll over him’ whilst Aksana shrugs off Kaitlyn. The ex-wife of Goldust then smacks Kaitlyn with a clothesline. Aksana then hits Kait with knees and blows in the corner and she is getting irate with WWE’s senior official. It seems as Aksana was arguing for a little too long as out of nowhere, Kaitlyn crashes into Aksana with a devastating spear and picks up a win, in the same way that she won the belt.
Thoughts: This match was very forgettable for me. Sadly, absolutely nothing stood out to me but there are some positives to take from it. Firstly, Kaitlyn was established as a dominant champion as she fought through all of the hurting to win the match. Secondly, the match solidified Kaitlyn’s use of the Spear and I am really glad that she has transitioned from the Gutbuster, which I wasn’t really a fan of. Kaitlyn bills herself as the Hybrid Diva and this move represents her brawn brutality perfectly.
In terms of Aksana, she is really not doing it for me. She was so good back in FCW but her offense here (perhaps due to the way the match was booked) was sloppy and unimaginative. Aksana needs to watch more tapes and take more lessons from Sara Del Rey, if you ask me.
Overall, not a bad episode of SmackDown. The girls got a backstage segment which is always good and other Divas such as AJ Lee, Natalya and Rosa Mendes all got some form of screen time, even if it wasn’t really worth noting. Kaitlyn is the new Divas Champion and she is looking sick with the belt. I, for one, am interested in seeing how she fares with the title. And with that, stay tuned, Jack will be back!
112 Comments
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Layla will turn on Kaitlyn and will have an unsuccessful ttle shot. Then Aksana will earn an opportunity and I hope she will win the title, and finally it’s gonna be Naomi’s time !!!
WWFoverWWE Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I doubt Aksana will ever become divas champion. She seems to be the new jobber of the division.
VelvetLoveFan Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
But think about it.. Eve, Layla for example all started out as jobbers and look where they are now.. So I think after a while it could deff be her time for the title.
TibarnEl Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
Eve was pushed against Layla very early in her wrestling career, a few months I think. They had the most one sided feud in diva history after Natalya vs Tamina.
VelvetLoveFan Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
I as talking mostly when she first started like against Michelle mccool in 09 or 08 whenever tht was
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Nice write up Jack. I loved Layla in the backstage segment staring at the title and not really wanting to give it back. I think Kaitlyn’s next challenger will be either Layla or Tamina.
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I agree, it will be either Layla or Tamina, Layla has this backsatge segment that hints for it, but Tamina has been facing Kailtyn on house showa, so I´m happy with any of this girls!
jen07201 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
Maybe we will find out Monday?
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I hope so, can´t wait for Royal Rumble to see Kaitlyn defending her title for the first time!
Jack Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
Thanks Jen – much appreciated!
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i love kaitlyn sooooo much ! but she needs to change up her entrance just a bit .
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so is the spear kaitlyns new finisher?
Lita-Sault-666 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I hope so, both times shes used it its looked so devestating! The gutbuster, although unique, should be kept as a signature move.
TheGamergirl22 Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
Also the Lotus Lold as her submission
EverybodyScream Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
It is for this month.
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Beginning of Layla Heel Turn.
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WWE already has starting a diva search Vince dont like none of nxt divas he still has kelly kelly and EVE syndrome. Hope Kaitlyn does something to change his mind.
GailKim95 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
maybe they’ll put some of the NXT girls in there as a way to introduce them to the main roster
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I don´t think so, they are recruting girls between 18-29 years old, that are beautiful, athletic, and that look good on a bikini!
Nothing is asked wrestling wise :/
Kim099 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
He BETTER LIKE SUMMER RAE OR I’M A FUCK HIM UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spike7000 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
And someone is trying to make up a ridiculous rumor. Stop. Not true
JD Sensations Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
don’t listen to that guy. Most of his comments are bs
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
Are you talking about me? Because I did not ivent it, I saw that on a report, if that is true or not, I don´t know, but I think it is!
And if you´re talking about me, why are you saying that most of my comments are bs???
JD Sensations Reply:
January 21st, 2013 at
oh no, not you. I was talking about DARKANGELS, he talks a lot of crap, like recently he posted about Kong being on every indy card for the past 4 months and how she was becoming stale as a wrestler
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 21st, 2013 at
Oh ok, so forget what I said xD
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I thought the Rosa Mendes section could have had a paragraph of writing, at least, as she was in a backstage segment and had a main role in that segment, but good write-up with the rest of it.
Jack Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
Just saw that Rosa did more than just manage this week. I didn’t notice as I literally had to cover the Redux at the last minute after a busy day, sorry about that!
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Hope Aksana get her FCW character on WWE and becomes top heel and later become divas champ!
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I love the spear haha Kaitlyn is awesome :)
Love how se told Fox hey chick I’m not one of those chick chicks ” I keep it casual”
Glad not all divas are fashion loving air heads
Kate is all about butt kicking… But wow Alicia looks mega fine!
Layla lol I love her her she’s so sarcastic and obvious she wants that title back lololol
And the match was good sure wasn’t anything special but hey I enjoyed it! Aksana and Kate always deliver! Kate sells like a champ! Love how she takes hot Trish Stratus style! And Aksana dude she looks so sexy in her bodysuit! Looking hot like Sable! I think WWE commentators are NOT allowed to talk about the women’s beauty and sexiness or something?
Pfffft! What a load of BS banning women’s sexiness haha nuff said…
And whoever is the writer great job on owning Teddy Long aka Shadow. And totally digged the Cacoon Moth comparison very good
puppies Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
That might be a good thing. I’d tater hear them calling the actual match and giving backstory then focusing more on how sexy or attractive the divas are. We know they’re beautiful, but call the match, thank you very much.
puppies Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
rather* not tater
Spike7000 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
Who cares stop focusing on how much how beautiful they look which that’s the common problem now.
Getdownwithachola Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
Amen my man.
Getdownwithachola Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
People like him are the reason why WWE/TNA are only interested in beauty since that’s where they see the $ signs.
Please stop…. people like you have done so much damage to women wrestling. Like the obvious example is TNA went from strong women division to now mostly Tits N Ass. >____<
Ryan Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
Whuuut!???? TNA has always been about T&A and ass kicking wen right now the small division they have is still strong!!
I am actually glad WWE now focuses on the match. If u don’t remember just last year Cole would bury the divas OR would talk about Cena seriously that pussy Cole pisses me off. Matthews and JBL are good!
Reason I mentioned it was because when Aksana got slapped in the butt both went silent haha like if they are NOT allowed to mention stuff like that
Is what it is
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Looks like the spear is Kaitlyn’s new finisher- I think it’s the best of the ones she’s used and does show her power (though the Reverse DDT works too).
Layla holding that title just a little too long screams a start of a heel turn- if they can’t go with AJ/Kaitlyn right away this is probably the best way to go. Maybe Kaitlyn gives Layla the first title shot, Kaitlyn retains clean, then as the ref starts to give Kaitlyn the belt Layla in a sign “of sportsmanship” wants to do the honors- but then clocks her with it.
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As for the Layla holding the belt for too long.. If heel Layla comes back.. I’ll be happy just some ppl dont work as faces or heels for some reason.. In this case Lay is a better heel
Ryan Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
You really think Lay makes a good heel? I mean she can wrestle regardless haha but idk I love watching her fight her heart off as the good guy instead. Lay was heel in ECW and early Smakdown I wasn’t really into her although her matches vs McCool were really great :)
But then with LayCool it was a ridiculous silly heel which I loved as well haha but meh Good Guy Lay rocks :P
AJFan95 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I actually REALLY prefer the Laycool Layla to this Layla. She was entertaining, hilarious, and the star of Laycool. Now she just comes across as bland and “just there”. She definitely plays a heel much better and more naturally.
Slapavel Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
I disagree, heel layla wasn’t boring, but not the best. When wwe make their divas heel, they always retreat and back off rather than fight and stay strong.
And layla was hell for like 3-4 years I think, correct me if I’m wrong.. face layla has spunk , a good moveset and great hair lol!
AJFan95 Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
I couldn’t care less if she didn’t look totally strong as a heel; she really entertained me and was a ball of laughs. Face Layla just annoys me and the dancing and ass slapping needs to go. Lol I actually think her hair has gotten worse these days; not a flattering look on her whatsoever.
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YAY! Layla is gonna turn heel & will probably get the LayCool theme. Boo! Layla is gonna get the Melina treatment
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I was thinking about that today, Layla turning heel and then getting the LayCool theme back, and starting doing that LayCool pose on the top of the ramp and using LayCool catch phrase “Flawless!”, that would be freaking FLAWLESS!
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Good write up @Jack, I really dont want to sit through another Layla title reign, Alicia deserves one though, but that doesn’t seem to be the direction they are going in sadly. And they desperately need to get rid of Aksan’s sex kitten character. Have her become face and bring in her character she had in FCW and bring in the Aksana show. She will get over easier that way.
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Kaitlyn never knows what to do in her entrance xD And she didnt know what to do with the belt xD
Aksana should not be allowed to be in the ring, she is mega boring, and doesnt have very good in ring skills! (even though I liked her a bit on FCW!)
And I would like to see Layla winning a battle royal this monday, and then at Royal Rumble Kailtyn beats her and after that Layla turns on her, starting a feud where Layla says Kaitlyn doesnt deserve the title because she is just a rookie!
And I hope that Kaitlyn beats Maryse record and becomes the longest reigning Divas Champion, and I would like to see her introducing a new belt!
And lol at Alicia Fox, she was threatening Kailtyn on Twitter, and then was congragulating her on Smackdown, she really needs to go to the doctor!
AJFan95 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
“And I hope that Kaitlyn beats Maryse record and becomes the longest reigning Divas Champion, and I would like to see her introducing a new belt!”
I’d rather AJ or Paige have that honor. I could also totally see Paige introducing a new title to boot.
k2evecrew Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
What did she tweet her??
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
“Congratulations @KaitlynWWE…. Enjoy your 15 mins of Fame!! Xoxox #TheCLOCKisTICKING #FoxyingisaFULLTIMEJob!!”
Divaland1000xoxo Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
i totally agree about alicia and i really want kaitlyn to beat maryse ‘s record but i think aj might be getting the title at mania mostly cuz of the kaitlyn aj brawl bfore kates title match against eve sometime ago
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I hope she doesnt, after so much time chasing the tile, it would look stupid to make Kailtyn lose the title so soon, I would like to a long feud between AJ and Kaitlyn, but I dont know if I would like to see AJ winning the title, at least this year, she already got enough spotlight last year, this year is time for another Diva to shine!
Spike7000 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
It’s already in outlook that Kaitlyn and AJ are going to feud until they face off at WM.
Whether they use Natalya, Tamina, Layla, Alicia right now they are just buying time
gl83 Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
But, this is WWE we’re talking about here. They had CM Punk chase the the IC title for 3 months only to lose it in less than 1. They had Jeff Hardy chase the World Title for 3-4 months, only to lose it in 1 as well. They had Natalya chase the divas title for 3 months or so only to drop it in 2. Quite frankly, I’d rather Kaitlyn drop it too soon, than keeping it longer than necessary to the point where her title reign gets stale and drawn out(i.e. Layla’s last title reign).
She’s a Face and Faces generally shouldn’t have long reigns. Fans get more invested and more behind the Faces for the chase rather than the title run itself.
As to why people want AJ to run the division, she’s over and she’s capable in the ring. AJ’s going to overshadow the Divas division regardless; however if she’s champion, WWE will make the Diva division more relevant and can get the Divas division and the title main event slots as opposed to the filler segments it gets now.
Acrant Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
AJ WAS overshadowing the division.
But recently she’s just a younger Vickie who gets embarrassed by Cena every week.
TheGamergirl22 Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
^^ GL83 maybe Kaitlyn get screwed over in a title match and people feel bad for her (maybe Tamina or Layla work with Vickie still a heat magnet), but who ever gets the title would be a transitional champ cuz I’m pretty sure the result in WM is AJ winning since it’s in New Jersey.
Or AJ wins before WM (but the reaction won be the same)
gl83 Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
But even now, she gets more character development and mic time than the other Divas. She’s the only Diva that WWE seems to be consistent with. So, why not go with her. With AJ in the title picture you at least have the chance of getting the other Divas to mingle with other Main Eventers by combining two feuds into one mixed tag match.
Acrant Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
She’s been anything but consistent, and her character development is all over the place.They would her up as sympathetic one week, crazy the next, then they turn her heel, when people here were saying she was obviously going to be built as the next big face of the division.
She’s obviously someone you should put in the title picture, I just think you’re underselling Kaitlyn a bit, and the gap AJ had over everyone else in the Summer has dwindled a bit. Especially since Kaitlyn’s been getting over, on TV and according to recent house show reports.
gl83 Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
As far as Diva pushes go, AJ’s has been consistent since she’s been getting mic time and whatnot to get her character across. I felt that Kaitlyn’s feud with Eve could’ve been better particularly the last month or so if they gave them mic time, as opposed to the same match week after week.
Well of course the gap has dwindled. During the Summer, AJ was even outshining some of their Main eventers. I’m still not sold on how whether Kaitlyn is over or not. The past week or so, she’s been wrestling in TV and on house shows in her home state, which helps. She still isn’t getting consistent pops like AJ got before her turn. So, I’m going to wait and see if she can build on it or if it fizzles out like Eve’s did.
DIVASKO Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
Yes,Kaitlyn need help with her entrance since 2011 XD.
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
I know right, she always seems lost when she enters xD
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I wanna see kaitlyn vs Layla
Lita-Sault-666 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
Same! Layla for her first challenge, then Tamina. Wouldn’t mind Paige debuting after that and taking it her off of her, Say Summerslam time. Plenty of time for Kaitlyn to have her time in the sunshine. Also, With Paige being this sort of agressive face, tweener if you will, she can have stories with both faces and heels without people raising an eyebrow.
Perfection. Paige Vs. Alicia feud would be awesome, they work so well together. Actually, those two work pretty well with most people tbf to them
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We saw a suplex \o/
Aksana could have sold the spear better … :/
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
Aksnana sold that spear pretty badly!
Raekon Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
You can’t be serious.
Actually the spear was sold greatly cause this time it was Aksana that run into the spear unlike Eve that was standing on spot taking it.
Different execution, different selling.
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Looks like Layla it gonna be the filler feud before AJ.
I like Layla’s Nasty Girl theme a lot better hope she switches back to that,
Also wished they have something better for Nattie even being Booker’s new assistant would be an improvement like booking matching that the heel divas wouldn’t like.
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ALICIA NEXT DIVAS CHAMP
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The match was great. Aksana has definitely shown some improvement in her in-ring ability. I swear, she and Kaitlyn have some wonderful chemistry together.
But that backstage segment really stayed with me. It’s very clear that Layla will turn into an evil villain and (probably) attack Kaitlyn on Raw in the ring or backstage. The way she stared at that title was a huge sign. I can’t wait!
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The match served its purpose in making Kaitlyn look like a dominant champ, and it was the easiest squash match to do considering their history.
Also, the SMS match between Nattie and Alicia was really good! Their styles compliment each other a lot.
KaitlynLover<3 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
I liked their match aswell, it was really good!
FOREVER FLAWLESS! Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
This match was to make Kaitlyn look dominant and it was a squash match? Were we watching the same thing? Cause I saw Kaitlyn getting her ass kicked 95% of the time and then pulling out a last second spear only because the referee kept tearing Aksana off from beating her ass, giving her an opportunistic win. Far from looking dominant and far from a squash match, imo.
puppies Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
They both got in some offense, and Kaitlyn picked up the win with her finisher, making her look dominant as opposed to a surprise roll-up victory. It was a squash match in the sense that it was easy to tell who was gonna win and it didn’t really show Aksana as much of a threat. It wasn’t a match with any meaning behind it, it was just placed to keep the new champion fresh in people’s minds.
I don’t see how anything I said was incorrect.
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the match was forgettable… askana does this crap wrestling that is just boring…i wish she would have hit her divo drop (spinebuster) and had Kaitlyn kick out, the crowd would really love that!
But Layla holding the title is defineatly a sign of a heel change, i really want her and Kaitlyn to feud with a wrestlemania divas championship match!
Lesbehonest here its kinda weird to keep showing the eve quitting video… storyline probbaly not …it just seems odd
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The match was ok, looks like Kaitlyn finally found her niche in terms of finishers. She should keep the gutbuster and the reverse DDT as her signature moves.
Aksana wasn’t that good down in FCW/NXT, her character covered up most of her time in the ring
Spike7000 Reply:
January 19th, 2013 at
And it looks like the seeds have been planted in on Layla being the next challenger and a heel turn
JamieKym Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at
She was a way better wrestler in FCW than Now. Please watch Aksana vs Maxine or Aksana vs Audrey Marie
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I saw a couple Kaitlyn signs, too! Hopefully she’ll continue getting more and more popular.
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I’m not going say the Layla thing is a set heel turn just yet. She did something similar to Kaitlyn when she beat her for the number 1 contendership before Survivor Series. Tamina wrestling Kaitlyn at house shows is probably a better indicator of who’s next.
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Given Aksana’s limitations, I thought it was an alright, basic match. Certainly better than that one a few weeks back where Aksana had Kaitlyn in a resthold for about five minutes, lol.
I hope Kaitlyn uses both the spear and gutbuster as alternating finishers.