Welcome to another edition of FCW Watch! This week, NXT 3 Rookie Divas AJ Lee and Jamie Keyes face off in singles action. Which one of these rookies will come out on top? Check out the match below:
Out first is the Queen of FCW, AJ Lee and she quite different from the AJ that we’ve come to know and love (or hate) on NXT. While I’m a big fan of the perky and bubbly AJ of NXT, I must say I prefer heel AJ much more. Her haughty and conceited character in FCW is much more interested than her over the top NXT counterpart. Out next is Jamie Keyes, who poses to the crowd while AJ mocks her from the other side of the ring. The referee signals for the bell and the match is underway.
The ladies start things off with a collar and elbow tie-up and Jamie gets the upper hand, pulling AJ into a headlock and taking her down to the mat, but AJ counters into a headscissors. Jamie manages to escape and takes AJ over with an armdrag, followed by an armbar. AJ gets back to her feet and tries to break the hold by grabbing a handful of hair, but Jamie torques AJ’s arm even more, sending her scrambling to the ropes to force the break.
Now on even footing, Jamie looks ready to lock up again, but AJ hits a kick to the midsection, followed by a forearm, sending Jamie reeling towards the corner. Not wasting any time, AJ locks in an armwringer on Jamie and starts slapping her around to add insult to injury. Jamie counters with an impressive acrobatic display and flips AJ to the mat for a near fall. Staying on top of her opponent, Jamie hauls AJ to her feet for a scoopslam and another two count.
Jamie picks the Queen up once again, whips her into the corner and hits a solid shoulder block. She tries to repeat the process, but AJ evades, sending Jamie Keyes flying into the turnbuckle. Sensing opportunity, AJ goes on the attack and slams Jamie down by the hair before slapping on an armbar. AJ goes on to work over Jamie’s arm, slamming it against the mat and laying in some stiff kicks. AJ even takes the time out to pose to the crowd, while standing on poor Jamie’s hand.
After a few more submissions by AJ, Jamie fights back to her feet and muscles AJ into a modified backbreaker for a near fall. Jamie keeps the heat on AJ, hitting multiple clotheslines for yet another two count. Jamie tries to follow up, but AJ gets the jump on her, divorce courting Jamie’s already injured arm. Before Jamie can recover, AJ comes charging with a sick Shining Wizard for the win.
Upon initially hearing about this match, I didn’t expect too much. Let’s face it, neither one of these girls’ ringwork on NXT has been mind blowing, especially in the case of Jamie. That said, I was pleasantly surprised with this match. I still think Jamie needs to work on her character, as she comes off as bland, but she did much better here than in her WWE debut. Even though Jamie doesn’t have the most in-ring experience, AJ managed to mask it pretty well, making Jamie look better than what she really is.
Speaking of AJ, she was on point in this match up. As I said earlier, I’m really enjoying heel AJ a lot. It comes off a lot more natural than the AJ we see on NXT. I don’t why WWE opted to make her a face, but hopefully she’ll be able to show some of this attitude on NXT soon. Also, AJ’s Shining Wizard was the highlight of the match for me. It’s great to see her utilize moves that we normally don’t see from the Divas.
Overall, it was a decent showing our NXT Rookie Divas. In fact, it was better than most of the matches we’ve seen on NXT so far. With any luck, these can put on a match like this on WWE television in the near future.
