Gutenhagen, and welcome to a recap of that one show where the Divas aren’t shafted on ring time (sorry NXT, you’re starting to slip), Superstars! After months of no female action, WWE has seen the light and begun offering us weekly showing from the ladies. First it was Brie and Kelly, then Beth and Brie, and now it’s Brie and her sister Nikki against Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox! I guess you could say the influx of Divas to this show can be represented fully by Brie Bella of all people, but nonetheless, after two solid outings, will this be third times the charm? Let’s check it out below:

All the girls in the club say who, as the blond beauty herself, Kelly Kelly, steps out from the back and high fives the fans on her way to the ring. She poses on the turnbuckle, as I’m sure everyone in the crowd starts to pa-pa-pa-partay at the sound of our favorite Fox’s theme. Alicia steps out in her Fancy Fox Hood, which does not fall over her face when she climbs to the second rope and saddens me as I’ve now come to expect it following this week’s NXT. She and Kelly exchange smiles and hugs like a good face team, as they are cut off by the vivacious duo of Brie and Nikki Bella. Following a Bella booty shake, they flip inside the ring as we get this “half a rematch” started.

Kelly and Brie start to circle the ring, before the latter slides outside and taunts Kelly with her sister. She slowly climbs back inside the ring, before running out the other side as they slap their booties at the duo. This sparks Kelly and Alicia to baseball slide the twins into the barricade, and then give them a little spank to simply annoy them. Alicia slides Brie back inside the ring and goes to town on her with some punches and a sick dropkick. Foxy is sent into the corner, but she fires back with a nice elbow. Nikki tries to chime in from the corner, but Alicia tells her she better mind her business, which gives me some mad “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” vibes and also provides distraction, allowing Brie to snap her neck off the ropes.

Brie slides back into the ring and slams Fox’s face on the canvas before tagging out to Nikki. Nikki B proceeds to choke her on the ropes, as Brie kicks her from the corner. Quick tag back out to Brie, and they slam Alicia’s head into the corner. Brie uses her boot to choke her for a brief count, before snapmaring Fox over and locking in a submission. Kelly tries to get the crowd behind Fox, but Brie and Nikki just continue to take control. Double Booty Shake by the two, and as Brie tries to leave, Fox kicks Nikki into her and takes her out. Nikki then BARELY stops the tag as she punches Kelly off the turnbuckle and drags Fox back to their corner.

Kelly is PISSED, but manages to calm herself down enough to cheer Alicia on as Nikki has her in a submission. Fox finally is able to break the hold as she executes a nice split arm drag and tags in Kelly Kelly! K2 ascends to the top rope and leaps off with a Thesz Press onto Nikki B. Running facebuster follows it up, continuing with her whirlybird headscissors to fire the crowd up! Nikki falls into that deadly spot in the corner where a stink face connects, but as Kelly goes for a bulldog, Nikki breaks it and tries for a clothesline. Kelly manages to duck it though, and drops her with the K2 out of nowhere! The referee counts, which sparks Alicia Fox to hilariously leap in air onto Brie as if she was a in a slow motion action scene to keep her away for the win! Kelly and Alicia celebrate, as we view a replay of the highlights from the bout.

Thoughts: This was a pretty fun match overall. I thought there were some creative spots such as the baseball slide into a spank over the barricade, and it’s a bummer these four can’t put on this type of match when the show is televised due to time constraints. If Superstars is the only way for these matches to happen, I say bring the entire division here and start some storylines because I’d rather get good action weekly than see thirty second matches all the time. Nonetheless, Kelly, Alicia, and the Bellas work well together and I really want to see what more these ladies can offer. We’ve seen Kelly face both of them in singles matches before, but It’d be fun to see what Alicia can do alone with them when there’s a solid amount of time given.

This week saw the return of the Glamazon Beth Phoenix to action — but it wasn’t on Raw. Instead, Beth took her Divas Title to Superstars to face off against Brie Bella.

How will Beth do in her first televised match of 2012? Let’s find out…

After we get past the entrances, it’s time for the bell to finally ring as Brie’s sister Nikki (Nikki B, forevs!) looks on rather deviously. Perhaps a sign that this won’t exactly be a one-on-one match?

Brie rather confidently steps up to Beth, shoving her, but the Divas Champ exerts her size and strength advantage by shoving Brie back and the former Divas Champ falls to the mat. Not a good look, B!

Brie tries to run to her sister but Beth is hot on her tail with a clothesline, back elbow and atomic drop combo, followed by a side slam and pin attempt. Brie manages to kick out but this only agitates the Glamazon more as she whips Brie into the corner and charges at her with the full force of her weight. Brie is then caught up over the middle rope as Beth tries to go for a running leg drop using the ropes but as we expected, Brie’s sister Nikki comes out to play, moving Brie and thus Beth ends up catching the hard cable ropes.

With Beth now hurt, Brie seizes the opportunity, taking her down from behind, stomping on her and then choking her out with her leg. Brie now has Beth over the middle rope and chokes her some more until the referee breaks things up. Meanwhile, Nikki plays cheerleader on the outside. Brie with a pin attempt but no, ma’am, that is not enough to put away the Divas Champ.

Brie goes for a stomp, but Beth catches her boot, pushing her back and Brie lands on her back. Beth on the offense now but Brie manages to hit a stealthy neckbreaker to take the Divas Champ back down to the canvas, much to the approval of Nikki. Another pin attempt and another kick out by Beth.

Brie now applies a chin-lock submission but Beth manages to get to her feet slowly but surely, picks up Brie and rams her into the turnbuckles. Beth with a slingshot suplex next, and now we know what it’s time for… Glam Slam! Beth positions Brie into Glam Slam position but Nikki tries to provide a distraction by jumping up on to the ring apron. Beth wisely uses Brie as a human battering ram, pushing her in Nikki’s direction resulting in the latter falling to the floor outside. Beth locks in the Glam Slam hold again and this time hits it perfectly for the win.

Thoughts: Kind of your standard match. Nothing stood out too much, but it wasn’t bad either.

I guess the question is, what’s next for Beth? As I mentioned during the Tamina/Natalya match last week, it seems like WWE has dropped the whole Divas of Doom thing and Beth and Natalya are back to being solos, so what does Beth do next? She’s pretty much faced everyone at this point from Kelly, to Eve, to Alicia, to the Bella Twins. Could they put Tamina up against her next? There aren’t many girls to choose from. I’d like to see AJ be given a “reward” for doing so well in the Big Show/Daniel Bryan angle and get a storyline with Beth, perhaps?

With Divas action on Superstars for the past few weeks, maybe they should just move the division over there? They certainly get more time than they would on Raw. I’d like to see them incorporate storylines and backstage segments into the show.

Another week and another match between Natalya and Tamina in what must be the most one-sided feud ever. Three weeks, three losses for Natalya, and little to no storyline advancement. Why do we keep seeing the same match over and over? I’m not quite sure, but at least this week we got a lengthier bout between second and third generation Divas compared to the lackluster 1-2 minute matches we’ve seen between them on SmackDown. In fact, this match — if you can look past the canned crowd noise — was pretty darn good.

Check it out below:

Natalya is first out to the ring followed by Tamina in a brand new ring attire. Hurrah! After months of seeing her in the same ring gear, it’s nice to see that she’s changed it up over the past couple of weeks, and I think this attire actually looks good on her and suits her. Kudos!

Fashion aside, the bell rings and the two intense Divas go at it almost instantly, locking up in a very physical way. Tamina gets the upper hand initially, circling behind Natalya and locking her arms around her waist. Natalya tries to bump her way out of it and is soon behind Tamina. Natalya with a blow to the back of the head which does not amuse the Samoan princess in the slightest as she gaves Natalya an “Oh, it’s on now, b*tch!” face. Natalya attempts to hightail it with Tam-Tam (hey, it’s a better nickname than “Tampon”) in hot pursuit. As the referee tries to hold Tamina back, the villainous Natalya runs at her with a big boot to the stomach, followed by a forearm and side headlock. Tamina whips Natalya off the ropes but gets charged down to the mat by the former Divas Champion. Natalya runs the ropes as Tamina first lays on the mat before leaping over the third-gen Diva to avoid collision, but she soon has the upper hand by striking Nattie down to the mat. Tamina channels her father with the pose & “woo”.

Tamina with a pin attempt but Natalya kicks out and then scurries to the corner. Tamina is once again hot on her tail but the referee keeps the pair apart. This allows Natalya to gather her bearings and she manages to take control by cutting Tamina down to size and hitting her head off of the second turnbuckle. The Hart Dynasty Diva picks Tamina up for a suplex and it seems like she’s going for a slingshot off the top rope but perhaps can’t hit it due to Tamina’s weight, so she ends up hanging Tamina over the top rope and laying in a big boot to the midsection.

Natalya begins working over Tamina now with and eventually applies an abdominal stretch trying to wear Tamina down. The second-gen Diva begins to fight back, elbowing her way out of the move and eventually is back on her feet. Tamina with a hip toss on Natalya. However, the former Divas Champ quickly recuperates and hits Tamina with a nice clothesline. Natalya then goes for not one, but two pin attempts before smashing Tamina’s head against the mat out of sheer frustration. Natalya then applies the fantastic Pin-Up Strong submission, perhaps my favorite submission that Natalya has shown us over the past four years or so, as she tires Tamina out. Natalya eventually breaks the hold and again smashes Tamina’s head against the mat with some smack talk. Natalya goes for a legdrop but Tam-Tam moves out of the way as Nattie lands on her glutes. Ouch!

Natalya tries to run at Tamina but the second-gen Diva has this scouted and hits her with a nice big boot. Tamina with some really nice hard chops to Natalya followed by a jumping headbutt which sends Natalya straight to the mat as the Samoan Diva riles up the crowd.

Tamina goes for the superkick but Natalya counters and tries to go for the Sharpshooter, however, Tamina skillfully manages to roll Natalya up into a small package, nearly having the match won, but Natalya kicks out.

Tamina with a Samoan drop. She struggles to get to her feet and after what feels like a lifetime, she finally gets to the top for the Superfly Splash, but by this time Natalya has recuperated and knocks Tamina into a precarious position. Natalya seems to be going for a superplex but Tamina is not budging. The Samoan princess headbutts Natalya off the turnbuckles and this time Tamina manages to hit the Superfly Splash for the 1, 2, 3… Tamina picks up her third consecutive win over the third-gen Diva!

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this match. Compared to their previous matches on SmackDown which have been much shorter, this go around both Divas have been able to show what they can do and tell a story. I particularly loved the final couple of minutes from the Pin-Up Strong submission hold to the final Superfly Splash to take the win. It had excitement and intensity, and I found it enjoyable. Without a doubt, their best match yet — and that’s not hard to say considering their previous matches have been given a fraction of the time that this one got.

Firstly, I want to talk about Tamina. Many assume that because Tamina has a heritage in the business that she’s at the same level of a Beth Phoenix or Natalya, but she isn’t. She was signed by WWE with little experience and brought up to the main roster quite quickly. Because of her strength and size, Tamina is able to look a little more at home in the ring compared to some of the other Divas who have slimmer statures, and I think this could be one of the contributing factors as to why she doesn’t necessarily receive the same criticism as other girls with less experience. However, while somewhat green still, Tamina has shown progression as you can see in this match and really does come across as comfortable in the ring and seems to have a natural aptitude for being a performer. That is a solid base that can be built upon. With more time in the ring and more work with opponents like Natalya or Beth, Tamina can only get better.

It’s also interesting to see Tamina get this big babyface push as we all know WWE tends to push girls like Kelly or Eve in the babyface role. What will come of Tamina’s push? Are they going to pit her against Beth? I’m not sure, but it’d be interesting to see as they usually go for the “model vs model” or “model vs wrestler” feuds. It’ll also be interesting to see just how much the fans get behind her as a babyface. Fans are always saying they want to see the “wrestlers” get storylines and feuds and not the “models”, well, here’s a test. How much will the crowds who attend these shows cheer Tamina as compared to a Kelly or Eve?

Now onto Natalya. Over the past month or so, I’m sure I’m not the only who has noticed that there seems to be something fishy going on with Natalya and Beth Phoenix. While one has disappeared from TV entirely, the other has been losing matches left, right and center. Also, until this week when Alicia Fox appeared on Raw, the talent exchange between Raw and SmackDown was seemingly over. Natalya had been a fixture of Raw and SmackDown for months and now she’s not on Raw and losing every week on SmackDown, while Beth is nowhere to be seen? I think that’s a little odd. And there has also been no mention of the Divas of Doom or the pin-up strong movement on commentary in the past month during Natalya’s matches. It almost feels like the Beth/Natalya partnership has abruptly been dropped. I don’t want to speculate on what the issue could be, but something has been off in the past month or so — and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed.

Sadly, it almost feels like Natalya is being pigeonholed into the role that Victoria (now Tara in TNA) held prior to her departure, putting over the other girls and that’s a damn shame. Natalya is without a doubt the best wrestler on the Divas roster and with her family lineage and naturally positive attitude, I think she could be so over as a babyface. She has a lot to offer the division.

I think the Natalya vs Tamina feud is a great idea, on paper, but in execution it has been far too one sided and not had enough storyline investment. Really, it’s just a series of matches. How about some backstage segments or promos? This could be a great feud, but I’d like it to be more than just Natalya losing every week.

Following a very pink match graphic and perky theme music, we head to the arena where Kelly Kelly makes her way out to the ring in her finest blue gear. She poses on her way down the ramp, slaps a few hands, and climbs into the squared circle as we are taken to a brief commercial break. Upon returning, out comes the devilish duo, Brie and Nikki of the Bella Twins. Luckily for Kelly, this is only a singles match, but with two Bellas dressed in the same thing, is she really going to be facing only one of them? The Bellas flip into the ring, as their music stops and the bell sounds.

They immediately take the fight to one another, as Kelly flings Brie across the ring and slams her head into the mat. She shoos Nikki away from the ring apron and sends Kelly into the corner, but K2 boots the Bella in the stomach and locks in a necklock modified hangman’s neckbreaker. She then flips outside the ring and trips Brie up, before sliding back in and running off the ropes with a clothesline. Brie takes cover with Nikki, but Kelly basically spears Nikki off the ropes…which provides enough distraction for Brie to take advantage.

She begins to work over the arm, as Scott Stanford informs us that the Bella Twins have informed him of a possible break in friendship between Kelly and Eve. Nikki continues to make her presence known throughout the contest, as Brie hooks the leg for a two count. From there, she locks in an arm lock, as we continue to find out that it’s possible Eve ditched Kelly for Zack Ryder considering he now has a title and Kelly does not. The crowd tries to will Kelly on, but Brie slams her back down by the hair and continues to add pressure to the arm. Nikki cheers Brie on, as Kelly rolls her up out of nowhere for a one count.

Brie with a brutal knee to the arm, as she just taunts K2 in the ring and has some fun at Kelly’s expense. She rubs Kelly’s head in the ring and hooks the leg for a near fall, as Kelly continues to show her resilience. Brie then tries to go for a pin with the arms, while Kelly fights out. Brie with a nice bridge cover, but the two Divas continue to lock arms. Kelly then hits a nice monkey flip to send the Bella Twin flying through the air, as she begins to mount a comeback with a thesz press off the second rope! Mounted punches follow up, continued with the whirlybird headscissors.

A bulldog to the corner of the ring, as Kelly executes her signature stink face to a rousing cheer of applause. K2 then backs up and charges forward with a handspring elbow, while she then follows up with an assortment of kicks to the face. The referee must physically restrain her from causing permanent damage to Brie’s face, which gives double trouble enough time to peform twin magic, as Nikki rolls Brie outside the ring and assumes her position. Kelly stomps forward, but Nikki slams her face right into the turnbuckle and rolls her up using the ropes for added leverage! One…two…three! The Bella Twins steal the victory from a feisty Kelly, as they celebrate on the ramp to end tonight’s show!

Thoughts: A fun showing from the Divas, and definitely much better on the time length. I felt like this was pretty much what you would expect from these two ladies, but I did love the monkey flip spot and thought it was a nice touch. Hopefully the feud between these three continues on with more Superstars outings, being I would love to see Kelly and Nikki go at it with a lengthier time given to them. Overall, I enjoyed the contest for what it was, and I very much like seeing the Bella Twins picking up wins to help build them back up (hopefully in time for a possible Kharma program leading to Mania!~)

Watch as Kelly Kelly faces off against Brie Bella.

You can watch the episode at this link.

Discuss the show in the comments!

RELATED: WWE Superstars Spoilers: January 12th, 2012

Both Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly have recently fallen short of besting Beth Phoenix, but perhaps they’ll find more luck together when they team up against Brie and Nikki Bella:

Eve and Nikki start things off, but Nikki chickens out at the last second, running and hiding with Brie. Nikki then decides to just start mocking Eve, sticking her butt out and telling Eve to kiss it. Eve charges and baseball slides under Nikki, taking out Brie on the apron. She then turns around and rolls up Nikki for a pin. Nikki kicks out quickly and finds herself on the receiving end of a few kicks and a clothesline. Eve situates herself beside Nikki, doing her little booty pop that gets quite a cheer (if only that could reaction could comes from witnessing wrestling moves too!) before hitting her standing moonsault, which announcer Scott Stanford dubs a “Bootysault”, which sounds too much like “Bootysalt”, which sounds like a spice I would never, ever want to use. Also, that name.. But I think that goes without saying.

Eve goes for the pin again, and Nikki kicks out. When both are on their feet, Eve maintains control, Irish-whipping Nikki to the ropes. Nikki holds on to the ropes, though, and launches Eve over the ropes and onto the apron. She grabs a fistful of Eve’s hair and chokes her over the top rope, distracting the ref when he admonishes her and allowing Brie to get a lick in. But Eve expects the attack, and the two are at a standstill until Nikki sweeps Eve’s legs out from under her. Nikki hotshots Eve’s left arm with the middle rope, then uses the bottom rope to hyperextend her left shoulder, all while Brie provides her own brand of commentary, which consists of a lot of cat-calls and “L”s on her forehead.

Nikki drops her weight on Eve’s shoulder once more before tagging in Brie, who takes over where her twin left off, performing the same move on the shoulder. She tries to do it once more, but takes a crucial few seconds to shake her butt in Eve’s face, which provides Eve with a nice target on which to push her into the turnbuckle. Eve takes the moment to crawl to her corner, but Brie stops her mid-way, sucker-punching Kelly for emphasis. She drags Eve back to the Bella corner and tags in Nikki. Both take one of Eve’s arms, wrench them, and slam her head-first to the mat. Nikki goes for the pin, but Eve kicks out.

Nikki hoists Eve up and drops her unceremoniously to the mat. She rolls Eve onto her stomach, pulling her left arm back to hyperextend the left shoulder once more. Eve soon fights her way free, running the ropes and hitting a sunset flip. Nikki stays on her feet, though, and instead drops a knee on Eve’s shoulder. She pins Eve, who kicks out before the 2-count. Nikki drags her by her prone shoulder and tags in Brie. Brie climbs to to the second ropes and hits a double-axe handle on the shoulder in question. She deals out more punishment on the shoulder while Kelly looks on, itching for the hot tag. Eve tries to stand and get out of the arm wrenching, but a blow to the back sends her back to the mat. She once more twists Eve’s arm backwards. This time, Eve manages to get all the way to her feet and lifts Brie onto her shoulders, dropping her back-first onto the mat. She then finally makes it to her corner and tags in Kelly.

Kelly enters the ring via the top rope, leaping off of it and hitting Brie with a flying Lou Thesz press, nailing a few punches to Brie’s head before leaping up and knocking Nikki off the ring apron. She then rushes back to Brie and.. slaps her butt? It provokes her well enough, and Kelly ducks a blow, bouncing off the ropes, hitting her tilt-a-whirl headscissors and sending Brie flying. She hits Brie with a bulldog and sets her up for Diva Dirt’s Favorite Move of All Time™, the stinkface. The best part of the move was the reference to Rikishi, the only competitor whose stinkface was actually an effective offensive maneuver. Nikki rushes over to attack Kelly via the apron and hot-shots her over the top rope. Eve busts into the ring and takes out Nikki with a baseball slide. In the ring, Brie goes for an attack but Kelly blocks it, immediately setting her up for the K2. Kelly hits it, getting the 3-count and the win for her team.

Thoughts: This match was, in my opinion, a showcase for the Bella Twins. They played the perfect catty heels, constantly taunting Eve as they punished her left shoulder. Sure, it’s a common heel game plan to focus on a particular body part, but it really served to tell a story in the match: that Brie and Nikki are quite good at isolating their opponent and keeping on a relentless attack. Eve sold all of the punishment well, but as that was her main function–to stay isolated and sell her shoulder–she didn’t particularly stand out. Kelly, getting the hot tag and hitting all her signature moves, pulled off the typical babyface barrage of offense, which was effective in getting the fans into the match but wasn’t anything too exciting, especially since we’ve seen it all before and probably in the same order. And, though it probably goes without saying, I’d sell my kingdom for a replacement for the stinkface. Might I suggest a nice handspring elbow? Anywho, like I said, the Bellas were the real stand out, but the match served its purpose for the babyfaces: getting them a win following their recent defeats. In that way, the result was rather predictable, but it was nice to see Brie and Nikki perfect their heel act in the process.

On today’s show: Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly vs. Brie & Nikki Bella.

You can watch the episode at this link.

Discuss the show in the comments!

RELATED: WWE Superstars Spoilers: October 27th, 2011

So, WWE Superstars is back on WWE.com. Given that last week’s show was posted on YouTube fairly quickly, I don’t think many of us noticed a big difference. Stil, it’s nice to see that the WWE recognizes the popularity of the show and has given it back its place on the website.

This week’s show has AJ facing Tamina. Watch the match below:

The match starts with a tie-up, which Tamina immediately takes control of, shoving AJ face-first to the mat. She hits her with a knee and then attempts an elbow drop, which AJ rolls away from. AJ runs the ropes, slides under an attack from Tamina and leaps onto her for an attack of her own, but Tamina reverses momentum and drops AJ on the top rope. Tamina pulls AJ to her feet and socks her in the chin, pacing leisurely around her foe before hitting her with a neckbreaker. Tamina drags AJ like a rag doll and locks her into a modified camel clutch.

AJ fights fiercely to get loose, but Tamina is strong enough to maintain the hold, even as AJ struggles to her feet and hits her with a few punches to the midsection. Tamina responds to this by simply shoving her to the mat. Tamina toys with AJ a bit before locking her back in the same hold, showing some nice attitude as AJ struggles. As AJ manages to fight herself loose a bit, Tamina stops her progress, knocking her in the head and regaining full control. AJ fights to her feet again and is almost free when Tamina knocks her loopy with a headbutt.

AJ is seeing stars, wobbling on her knees, and Tamina takes the opportunity to land a few knees on her before going for the pin. AJ kicks out, and a frustrated Tamina locks her into a chinlock. AJ eventually finds the strength to battle back and, once on her feet, stomps on Tamina’s left foot. Tamina releases the hold, but slams her to the mat by the back of her head. She pulls AJ to her feet and lifts her for a body slam, but AJ slips out behind Tamina, kicking her in the back of the knees and running for the ropes. Tamina, however, stops her momentum in its tracks by latching onto her hair, yanking her back to the mat.

Tamina lands a legdrop, dragging AJ to the middle of the ring, climbing the turnbuckle and going for a splash, but there’s no water in the pool. AJ rolls out of the way, and Tamina eats mat. AJ immediately seizes her opportunity, hitting Tamina with an Asai DDT, earning the pin and the win.

Thoughts: AJ pretty much played the rag doll in this match, being locked into submission after submission. She plays that role pretty well, battling back like only an underdog can. Tamina played her role well too, being very casual in her dominance, moving slowly and deliberately, halting the pace of the match to suit her needs and rob AJ of one of her greatest weapons: her speed. This served to show Tamina’s strength, while the ending demonstrated AJ’s perseverance, fighting back from the countless attacks to hit her impressive finisher. I liked the dynamic between AJ and Tamina, and I’d love to see them expand on it a bit more in further matches, with AJ learning ways to outsmart or overpower Tamina. I like it when an underdog can come from behind and win a match with a legitimate, decisive victory. Not to speak ill of recent underdog wins via roll-up pins, but it’s a lot more satisfying to see a babyface overcome the odds and solidly defeat her opponent rather than just narrowly manage to pin their shoulders to the mat for a few seconds.

On today’s show: AJ vs Tamina.

You can watch the episode at this link (US only).

Discuss the show in the comments!

RELATED: WWE Superstars Spoilers: October 6th, 2011

Less than two weeks after pulling the show from their website, the WWE has decided to resume posting episodes of the showing, starting with tomorrow’s show at 4pm ET.

What do you think? Is having fans in international markets upload the matches to YouTube good enough? Does having the show available on WWE.com make any difference?

Read below:

Spoiler

Tamina dominates early on, battering AJ and trying to stretch her out with a couple of unique variations of the camel clutch. Sadly, the crowd isn’t very into it but AJ does attempt to fight back. Eventually she gets to her feet but Tamina takes her back down, kicks her around and goes for a cover. Two count.

Tamina maintains her control and finally the crowd gets behinds AJ. She starts fighting back but it’s short lived. Tamina goes to the top for a splash but AJ moves out of the way and finally gets her chance. She lays Tamina out with a nifty little move and gets a huge win.

WWE Superstars may no longer be airing on WWE.com, but it is airing in international markets, so we’ll continue to review the show’s matches when and if they’re uploaded to YouTube.

This week on the show, we’ve got the team of AJ and Kaitlyn taking on Brie and Nikki Bella. Let’s watch:

Both teams are coordinated in their attire, AJ and Kaitlyn looking positively golden while the Bellas are wearing the attire that got quite a reaction on Twitter earlier this week, being that said attire are matching catsuits that show quite a bit of skin. Personally, the first thing I think when I look at them is how uncomfortable it must be to wrestle with the constant threat of butt crack exposure looming over your head.

Anywho, fashion statements aside, we begin the match. Kaitlyn and Nikki start things off, Nikki getting the first blow in with a kick to the stomach. Kaitlyn retailiates by driving Nikki into the corner, bodyslamming her before tagging in AJ. AJ gets a lift from Kaitlyn, slamming herself down on Nikki and going for the pin. Nikki kicks out rather quickly and goes right on the attack, but AJ ducks a blow and dropkicks her in return. AJ tags in Kaitlyn, who propels her into Nikki in the corner via an Irish whip.

Nikki walks right into a backbreaker from Kaitlyn, who goes for another pin. Nikki kicks out again, but it seems like Brie didn’t have much faith in her twin’s resilience, as she was halfway to breaking up the pin when she kicked out. Backbreakers must be Nikki’s secret weak spot. Kaitlyn chases her out of the ring, and Nikki takes advantage of the distraction, attacking her from behind. She tosses Kaitlyn out of the ring, where Brie uses the moment of referee distraction to drive her back-first into the apron. Nikki then takes over, tossing Kaitlyn back into the ring.

She props Kaitlyn up against the middle rope, choking her with her knee. The referee calls for a break and she relents, only to resume the attack a few moments later. This time the ref forces her away, and Brie takes the moment to land a kick at the back of Kaitlyn’s head. Nikki tags in Brie, and the both of them shove Kaitlyn roughly into the corner. They keep tagging each other in and out for an excuse to repeat the double-team. On the third switch Nikki Irish whips Kaitlyn right into Brie’s elevated knees. This time Brie stays in and proceeds to mock Kaitlyn’s anguish as she tries to crawl over to AJ and tag out. She then locks her legs around Kaitlyn’s midsection and catches her in a choke hold.

Kaitlyn manages to get to her feet, but not without the Bella clinging to her back. She backs into a corner a few times to knock her loose and then frees herself completely with a sidewalk slam. This gives Kaitlyn the chance to finally tag in AJ, who immediately springs to the top of the turnbuckle and hits Brie with a crossbody. On fire, AJ hits Brie with a clothesline, Nikki with a dropkick and Brie with a spinning heel kick. AJ tries for a pin, but Nikki breaks it with a kick. Kaitlyn enters the ring and removes Nikki bodily, heaving her over the top rope. Gotta love a girl who gets right to the point. She follows Nikki and starts pummeling her on the outside.

Meanwhile, inside the ring, AJ charges for an attack, but Brie dodges it, allowing her to land throat-first in the ropes instead. She hits AJ with a Bella Buster and pins her, getting the 3-count while Nikki stops any hero acts from Kaitlyn. The Bellas celebrate their victory with plenty of mockery and L symbols on their foreheads.

Thoughts: Pretty standard tag team match–nothing bad about it, but nothing really special either. This match was short compared to other WWE Superstars bouts, so maybe that’s why I feel a little underwhelmed. Nothing stood out much. I’m kind of glad they decided to forgoe a Bella switcheroo this time, allowing them to get a victory from Brie’s ability to act quick and beat AJ to the punch. There was no real trickery this time, and I think that’s needed from time to time to show that the Bellas aren’t so weak individually that they need to fool their opponents and switch places to get a win. The Bellas have the twin magic up their non-existant sleeves, but they don’t always need to put it to use. The threat of it is enough, as proven by Kaitlyn’s tendency to get distracted by the Bella behind her back. That’s what the Bellas should do: threaten the trickery, but don’t always enact it. That way, you can really fool them.

The show will now only be available in international markets (like TNA Xplosion).

The show may return to TV when WWE launches its WWE Network next year.

Thoughts: Really disappointed by this move as it means it will become harder for fans to catch the Divas matches online. The show gives an opportunity for us to see lesser used girls and also longer Divas matches. Now US viewers (the bulk of the WWE audience) won’t have that option (through official channels, anyway).

It’s been almost a month since the last time we’ve been treated to a Divas match on WWE Superstars, but we’re back. On deck is a rematch of the last Divas bout to air on Superstars: Alicia Fox vs. Tamina. Alicia’s been racking up quite the winning streak, taking out babyfaces and heels alike on this web show. Will she add yet another victory to her column? Let’s see:

The match begins with a bit of rough handling by Tamina, shoving Alicia by the back of the head and punching and kicking her in the corner. She backs off to charge into her, but Alicia gets her elbow in the way and pulls herself into a split above Tamina, rolling her from the top turnbuckle to the mat into a pin attempt. Tamina kicks out rather quickly and is immediately back on the attack, running into two consecutive armdrags by Alicia. Alicia turns the last into a submission, wrenching Tamina’s arm backwards. Tamina eventually battles out, but Alicia maintains control, setting her up for a neckbreaker. However, before she can hit it, Tamina grabs two handfuls of hair to keep her on her feet, then pulls her over her head by said hair. Ouch. Her scalp likely screaming, Alicia gets back to her feet, only to receive Tamina’s boot full in the face. Hey, at least it distracts her from her scalp pains.

Tamina goes for a pin, but Alicia kicks out at 2. Frustrated, Tamina keeps the punishment going. She pummels Alicia her in the corner, irish whipping her away and back into said corner, and continuing to pummel. Tamina eventually drags Alicia to the center of the ring (but not without a desperate grab at the ropes by Alicia) and goes for another pin. Alicia kicks out again at the 2-count.

Tamina immediately hoists Alicia onto her shoulder, holding her there like a doll and punishing her back. She stomps on the mat a few times for emphasis before letting Alicia down, delivering a suckerpunch to the chin as a punctuation mark to the attack. However, Alicia battles back, hitting Tamina with a quick kick to the stomach to stop her in her tracks. Her next attack is just as quick, wrenching Tamina arm as fast as lightning before regaining a decent distance between them. She seems to decide on a strategy, using her speed advantage to duck away from an attack from Tamina and quickly hitting her with a succession of dropkicks and kicks. She tries to whip Tamina into the corner but it’s reversed. Before she hits the corner, though, Alicia leaps onto the ropes, ceasing her momentum before sending it in the other direction, leaping backwards just in time to land an elbow in Tamina’s face.

Alicia goes for a hasty pin, but Tamina kicks out. She pulls Tamina to her feet but her hesitation costs her, as Tamina gains control and knocks her loopy with a headbutt. Tamina keeps the leisurely pace, hitting a legdrop before setting her up for a splash. This slowness costs her, though, because be the time she gets in the air Alicia is rolling out of the way, leaving her with nothing but mat. She stumbles to her feet, setting herself up perfectly for Alicia’s scissors kick. Alicia hits it, and it’s good enough to earn her the pin and the win.

Yet another win for Alicia! This was a rather short and simple match, but it played off the two Divas’ strengths quite well: Tamina’s brute force and Alicia’s quickness. When Alicia was in control, the match’s pace was quick, with fast attacks that allowed her to hit a move and keep a safe distance from Tamina. When Tamina was in control, the pace screeched to a halt, allowing her to methodically punish Alicia. In the end, the quickness won out and Alicia notched another mark in her ‘W’ column. I wonder if this streak will amount to anything–I’d love to see her eventually confront the champion and demand a title match, citing her numerous wins on Superstars and providing YouTube links to corroborate her claims. All jokes aside, it is an impressive streak she’s built up, and even if this show isn’t televised, all of these wins should amount to something.

On today’s show: Alicia Fox vs Tamina.

You can watch the episode at this link.

Discuss the show in the comments!

SmackDown’s Foxy Queen has certainly had a reign that makes all of the other Divas look like mince meat. Sadly, it means nothing because she’s not in a storyline. Still, the challengers keep coming and Alicia Fox keeps hitting them out of the ballpark.

Having taken out the likes of AJ, Kaitlyn and Natalya in various singles and tag matches, this week Foxy gets quite the workout in the much larger and more powerful Tamina.

Watch below:

Out first is the cocky, arrogant Ms Fox followed by the Superfly’s spawn, who has a very determined look on her face. Tamina is not playing.

A staredown ensues in the ring as the bell rings. The Divas go for a lock-up but Tamina shoves Fox. The sly Fox tries to shake it off, stroking her hair, working her swagger etc. Tamina talks some trash which does not make Alicia happy. This time they actually lock up and Fox hits a takedown on Tamina. Before Tamina can get to her feet, the quick, stealthy Fox channels her inner-Catwoman kicking Tamina in the face. Pin attempt by Fox but Tamina quickly kicks out.

The Divas get to their feet as Tamina shoves Fox into the corner and charges at her, but all she walks into is a back elbow. As Tamina attends to her face, Alicia blindsides her with a quick roll up attempt but again, no three count.

Tamina gets back up and quickly lays in a boot to Alicia’s midsection. The Samoan Princess attempts to intimidate Fox with fighting words before tossing her across the ring by her hair. Tamina begins overpowering Fox with boots wearing her down. She then chokes Fox over the middle rope. Tamina continues her control over Alicia by slamming her against the mat and applying a headlock. Alicia tries to break free, getting to her feet and hitting Tamina with elbows, but is once again slammed back down to the mat by her hair.

Tamina hits a running headbutt on Alicia, connecting with her midsection, and then lets out a smirk, admiring her handiwork. Tamina with a pin attempt now but Fox kicks out.

Another headlock submission by Tamina and again Alicia tries to break free. This time, Tamina strikes Alicia across the stomach with a knee and whips her against the ropes, however Alicia fires back with a clothesline. Seemingly finding a second wind, the momentum quickens as Alicia comes back with not one but two dropkicks — something we rarely see from Fox. The first dropkick was particularly superb. Another pin attempt but this time Tamina just flings her off of her with ease. Alicia with forearms. Irish whip attempt but Tamina reverses. Tamina goes for a back body drop but Alicia halts in her tracks and kicks Tamina in the face.

Alicia bounces off the ropes but Tamina manages to catch her and sets up a Samoan Drop but Alicia elbows her way out of it. Fox kicks Tamina across the back of her leg, cutting her down and setting her up for the scissors kick. Fox connects and it’s all over!

Thoughts: I didn’t enjoy this match as much I have previous matches on Superstars. I think it started off interestingly with Alicia showing off her swagger and not letting Tamina’s words get to her. Then it got kind of slow and plodding with the headlocks. Things then finally picked up in the end with Alicia’s comeback and win. I would say the match was so-so in terms of entertainment, but technically it was fine.

It’s rare to see Alicia as the underdog in a match and her be the one mounting a big comeback at the end. Usually it’s her opponent who makes the comeback. An interesting position for Alicia that saw her use moves we wouldn’t usually see from her i.e. dropkicks.

Foxy notches up another win. Who could she face next? I’m still waiting to see a singles match with AJ.

On today’s show: Alicia Fox vs Tamina.

You can watch the episode at this link.

Discuss the show in the comments!

It may be Shark Week, but clearly there is nothing more deadly than an Alicia Fox scissors kick.

Just when you thought it was safe to get back into the water, Alicia strikes again! Her victim this time? Kaitlyn.

Let’s watch and take notes:

Kaitlyn, now sporting generic entrance music, is no longer making the rain fall. Boo! (That song was my guilty pleasure.)

As the bell rings, Alicia slyly scouts a lock-up attempt by Kaitlyn, instead opting to move around her and shove her from behind in heel fashion. Kaitlyn makes a smiley-angry gurny face, not dissimilar to those that Tiffany used to make, and talks a little trash to her opponent. Fox applies a side headlock before taking Kaitlyn down to the mat with and grounding her. Kaitlyn tries to wriggle free and eventually manages to position her legs near Alicia’s head and applies a leg-scissors on the former Divas Champion. Kaitlyn pretty smartly raises herself off the mat, applying pressure to Fox, before Alicia kicks out of the maneuver.

Both Divas quickly rise to their feet but it’s Kaitlyn who is the first to strike with a shoulder tackle and pin attempt, however no three count. Kaitlyn, perhaps arrogantly, shoves Alicia to the mat and says, “That’s one.” Alicia is not happy. Uh oh.

Alicia applies a waist lock on Kaitlyn but the NXT winner soon wriggles free, and in a great display of athleticism and strength, hoists Alicia off the mat and into the air. All that power-lifting pre-WWE has paid off! Kaitlyn props Fox up on the top turnbuckle and mocks her, again rather arrogantly, which just pisses off Alicia even more. Alicia launches off of the turnbuckles with a fiery Thesz Press and begins smashing Kaitlyn’s head against the mat.

Alicia wrenches Kaitlyn’s arm and whips her into the corner but it’s reversed. Alicia with an elbow to Kaitlyn followed by slamming her against the mat head-first. Fox with a pin attempt followed by knees to the back.

Kaitlyn aggressively slams Kaitlyn’s head against the mat a couple of times before applying a headlock as Kaitlyn tries to fight free. Kaitlyn breaks free and slaps Alicia, she runs the ropes and flips Fox into a sunset flip pin attempt but Fox kicks out.

Alicia with a clothesline and yet another headlock, grounding Kaitlyn on the mat and wearing her down. Kaitlyn again tries to fight out of the move, with elbows to Fox’s stomach but the Foxy One is having none of it as she slams Kaitlyn against the canvas face first.

Fox applies another side headlock but this time Kaitlyn manages to hit a side-suplex out of desperation and win herself some time to recover. Kaitlyn with a flapjack now followed by a dropkick and pin attempt but Fox kicks out.

Kaitlyn tosses Alicia into the corner and hits her with forearms. She whips Fox into the opposing corner but Fox reverses. Kaitlyn manages to use her feet to stop herself and jumps atop the middle turnbuckle and hits a nice back elbow on Alicia. Pin attempt but again, Alicia kicks out.

Kaitlyn picks up Fox for a side-slam but Alicia manages to cartwheel out of it. She kicks Kaitlyn in the stomach and you know what time it is! Kaitlyn is in perfect position for a scissors kick! BAM! Fox hits her with the scissors kick across the neck and it’s all over.

Thoughts: The Foxy streak continues! Alicia Fox is without a doubt the best booked Diva in WWE right now, with wins left, right and center, and she’s not even in the title picture. She’s been built up so strongly and solidly with all of these wins, but where does it all lead? As of now, no where, due to Beth Phoenix getting the top heel role after her turn on Raw this past week. I do feel that WWE ought to do something more substantial with Alicia now that she’s notched up so many victories. Surely she’s earned herself a title shot or some sort of storyline?

I was very impressed by Kaitlyn in this match. I must admit, she’s growing on me. She’s come a long way since annoying me with her presence on her days on NXT. I was not a Kaitlyn fan on that show (Naomi losing still hurts) but you have to give the girl props. She’s only been wrestling for one year and has put on two decent matches with Alicia on TV. She looked good in this match and is clearly using her power and strength from her pre-WWE career to her advantage, which I think really helps her stand out in the ring. I thought her hoisting Alicia into the air was a great spot that showed her strength. Of course, this will now lead to comparisons with Beth Phoenix, but I think Kaitlyn could be more of a mix of strength a la Beth, and ‘sexy’ a la Kelly Kelly. She really reminds me of former WWE Diva, Tiffany, who also used her power-lifting background and did things in the ring that we didn’t expect to see from a Diva. I always pictured Tiffany eventually going the distance and being a top Diva and Divas Champion. She had the potential. I really saw something in her. Perhaps Kaitlyn can pick up where she left off and accomplish the things that Tiffany didn’t — after a little more seasoning, of course.

On today’s show: Alicia Fox vs Kaitlyn.

You can watch the episode at this link.

Discuss the show in the comments!

There’s been a bit of a large feud going on between the Divas of Smackdown, providing for a wide variety of matches. It seems that, in the past few weeks, the heels have been getting the best of it, thanks in large part to Alicia Fox and her ability to pull out a quick win. The feud continues this week with a rematch of a bout from two weeks ago, pitting the aforementioned Ms. Fox against Natalya:

There’s some trashing talking pre-match, and Alicia gets the first hit in with a shove to Natalya. She then wags her finger in her face, prompting Natalya to shove her back. This shove has a bit more oomph to it, and sends Alicia flying across the ring. Alicia charges at her, but Natalya flattens herself to the mat. Alicia leaps over her and runs the ropes, but on the return Natalya grabs her ankle and trips her. She twists over Alicia’s back, quick as a cat, and latches on a front face lock. Alicia gets to her feet quickly and powers her way out of the hold, twisting Natalya’s arm behind her back.

A few well-placed elbows to the face allow Natalya to reverse the hold and get a grip around Alicia’s waist. Alicia flails, trying to free herself, but Natalya’s got a vise grip. Alicia manages to get to the ropes and holds on to them for dear life, but Natalya comes away with a souvenir: Alicia’s belt. She taunts Alicia with it, causing her to run in for an attack. Natalya ducks it and hooks her into another front face lock, this time hitting her with a delayed suplex, leaving her hanging upside down for several seconds. Natalya goes for the pin, but Alicia kicks out after the 2-count.

Natalya grabs Alicia by her feet, standing on the back of her legs, wrenching back her arms, and pulling her into a Mexican Surfboard submission. Alicia hangs high in the air, but Natalya’s own hold leaves her shoulders flat on the mat, and the referee counts for a pin. She quickly sends Alicia back to the mat, keeping the hold intact but placing her shoulder to the mat instead. The referee begins to count, but Natalya’s shoulders are still on the mat, so the pin is broken. Natalya relinquishes the hold.

Alicia reverses an irish whip into the corner, but when she charges Natalya uses leverage from the turnbuckle to leap over her, hooking her into a schoolboy pin. She gets a 2-count before Alicia kicks out. The two jockey for control, trading vicious slaps that Natalya seems to get the best of when Alicia seeks refuge in the corner. This draws Natalya over, and when she’s close enough Alicia hits her with an elbow to the face. She tosses Natalya into the corner and kicks her in the stomach, going for a scissors kick. Natalya stops the move mid-way, though, catching Alicia’s leg behind her head and dropping her to the mat, fighting for control as she tries to lock in the Sharpshooter. Alicia, taking advantage of Natalya’s distraction as she tries to hook her legs, grabs her by the hair and rolls her into a pin attempt, which earns a 3-count and the win for Alicia.

Thoughts: Surprise pins are nothing new, and they’ve seemed to be used a lot recently, even in the last match between these two. In that one too, Alicia thwarted a Sharpshooter attempt for a roll-up pin. Hey, you can’t blame a girl for using the same strategy twice if it’s working! This was a pretty short match by WWE Superstars standards, especially when compared to the 10 minutes they got two weeks ago, but Alicia and Natalya really made the most of it, packing those precious minutes with a lot of exciting action. Neither seemed to get a moment to catch her breath, and a few spots were quite unique for Divas matches, especially the Mexican Surfboard and the scissors kick block. It’s a common complaint that Divas matches are too short, but this match it proof that you can milk some great action out of a few short minutes. It just takes two capable Divas and a decent short story to tell.

On today’s show: Alicia Fox vs Natalya.

You can watch the episode at this link. (Skip to 10:40 to watch Alicia vs Natalya.)

Discuss the show in the comments!

On this site WWE Superstars has gained a reputation as the show that gives us the opportunity to see Divas matches that we probably wouldn’t see otherwise, were we limited to Raw and Smackdown. This week we’ve got another unique bout, with Beth Phoenix going one-on-one with Maryse for the first time:

Maryse gets the match off to a sudden (and startling) start when she tosses her coat at Beth. Beth responds to this with a spinebuster and a series of offense ending in a clothesline and a pin attempt, which Maryse kicks out of. She whips Maryse into the ropes and looks to lift and slam her to the mat on the return, but Maryse slips out, taking Beth out by the back of her knee. She hits her with another kick for good measure and attempts a pin. Beth kicks out easily.

Maryse follows Beth as she crawls to the corner, toying with her, pulling her hair and slamming her face-first into the turnbuckle twice. She pulls Beth back to the middle of the ring and rebuffs her attempt at offense with a swift knee to the head. She goes for another pin attempt, and when Beth kicks out she starts pounding her head into the mat, hair flying everywhere. Looking to add a bit of humiliation to the attack, Maryse slips off Beth’s headband and tries it on, mocking Beth’s signature pose. She sticks with the look as she climbs on Beth’s back and latches on a chinlock. Beth gradually gains strength, standing up and lifting Maryse into the air perched on her shoulders. Maryse chips away at this, though, punching her in the top of the head and bringing her back to her knees.

Maryse removes the headband, slaps Beth and, deciding to renew the humiliation, makes a show of putting back on the headband. This preoccupation costs her, though, and Beth spears her in the corner, hitting her with a relentless series of body punches. She hits a springboard suplex and goes for the pin, getting a 2-count. Beth pulls Maryse to her feet, picking the lost headband off the mat and punches her in the head with it. She then tosses it aside, which makes sense because unless that headband’s loaded with a pair of brass knuckles it isn’t going to get the job done. She whips Maryse into the ropes, but Maryse ducks her attack, spinning around and kicking Beth in the back. She attempts a pin, but Beth kicks out.

Maryse lifts Beth up in a front facelock, relishing her control until out of nowhere, Beth whips out of the hold and grabs Maryse by the arm. Apparently dreading what Beth has up her sleeve, Maryse seeks refuge in the ropes, rushing over and hooking an arm around it. She takes advantage of the split-second pause to elbow Beth in the face. Maryse spins around, seeking to get back on the offense, but Beth is quicker, hooking both of her arms and hitting her with the Glam Slam. Beth gets the pin and the win, celebrating in a rather satisfying way: placing the headband back on her head and triumphantly posing over Maryse’s prone body.

Beth and Maryse are two very different wrestlers: Maryse is very loose and relaxed, while Beth is a controlled powerhouse. It was interesting to see Maryse using her arrogance and lack of respect to insult Beth, showing a lot of confidence in finding time to put on her headband and mock her instead of staying on the attack. It was a pretty unique dynamic, and they played it well, taking full advantage of their first encounter to show off Maryse’s flippant attitude and Beth’s resilient nature. I really enjoyed the match: they took it slow and managed to make Maryse look pretty strong against the strongest Diva while proving that Beth can, at any moment, whip out that super strength to earn a quick victory.

On today’s show: Beth Phoenix vs Maryse

You can watch the episode at this link. (Skip to 29:00 to watch Alicia vs Natalya.)

Discuss the show in the comments!

Locked out from their home on Friday nights, the SmackDown Divas have taken solace on Superstars in the past couple of weeks and delivered some great matches to boot! In fact, the MVP of the bunch, it seems, has been one Alicia Fox who picked up a victory over Kaitlyn last week (all the while, bringing Kaitlyn to her best match in WWE thus far).

This week, she gets some stronger competition in fellow former Divas Champ, Natalya, in what has to be the longest Divas match in recent memory.

With the pressure of performing on the ‘big shows’ i.e. Raw and SmackDown off, it seems like the pair decided to have some fun, making the match about the only thing that garners as much discussion as the Divas matches themselves: Alicia’s weave.

Watch this unbe-weave-able match below:

The stealthy Fox wastes little time, charging at her opponent with a slap to the face. She tries to take Nattie down by her leg but Natalya manages to hobble on one foot maintaining her balance, and reverses the takedown by rolling through and slamming Alicia against the canvas face-first. Nattie applies a leg submission on Fox but the heel Diva manages to apply a headlock on Natalya.

As the pair get back on their feet, Natalya whips Alicia into the ropes, jumps over her and then applies a monkey-flip with her legs which sends Fox into a tailspin.

Natalya charges at Fox, grabbing a good chunk of her hair. Uh oh! You don’t mess with the weave, girlfriend. Natalya shimmies through Alicia’s legs trying to get out of dodge as Alicia comes after her. Fox walks into a shoulder tackle, followed by a pin attempt but manages to kick out.

As Alicia gets back on her feet, a chunk of her hair — which Natalya was tugging at earlier — has fallen out! Oh, hell no. I think you just made Fox angry, Natalya. The pink and black Diva picks up the fallen weave and taunts Foxy with it. Alicia counters an Irish whip into the corner, Natalya uses the turnbuckles to float over the top of Alicia’s head and rolls up Alicia with a nice bridge but no three count.

Natalya wraps her arms around Alicia’s waist from behind as Fox tries to shake her off by clinging to the ropes. Alicia shakes free as Natalya hits the canvas but shows off her athleticism by immediately kipping up. Armdrag into an arm-bar by Natalya as Foxy writhes on the mat. “Where’s my hair?” cries Alicia as she tries to kick Natalya in the face and break free. Natalya continues to control Fox’s arm before picking her up for a running powerslam. Fox breaks free and lands on her feet. Natalya turns around and walks into a hefty slap from the former Divas Champion.

Fox follows up by slamming Nattie against the mat by her hair and then guillotines her under the bottom rope.

As we return from a break, Alicia has Nattie in a headlock as she ‘noogies’ her on the head. Nattie tries to break free with elbows to the midsection but Alicia slams her down to the mat. Fox stands over her fallen opponent, talking smack, and slaps her hard in the face before stomping on her.

Alicia applies an arm lock on Natalya, and out of the referee’s line of vision, bites off one of Natalya’s finger nails! Is that hygienic? Alicia spits the nail out in Nattie’s face as payback for the weave incident earlier. Kick to the stomach before stretching Nattie’s arm over the middle rope. Chinlock by Alicia now. Nattie eventually breaks free and picks Fox up for a scoop slam but Alicia levies her weight and falls on top of Natalya in a pin predicament but only gets a two count.

Alicia with a hard kick to the back before screaming, “You owe me new hair!” Alicia chokes Nattie in the corner with her leg over the throat before breaking it up at the referee’s behest. Pin attempt by Fox but Natalya kicks out. Then it’s Natalya’s turn, catching Fox by surprising, and rolling her up in a small package. No three.

Alicia is quick on her feet and jumps back up after the small package, kicking Natalya in the stomach. Headlock by Alicia wearing down her opponent before applying a snapmare and a leg-scissors. While the leg-scissors is locked in, Alicia plays with her opponent, slapping her on the stomach.

Natalya eventually gets to her feet, with Alicia still with her legs wrapped around her. Natalya backs Alicia into the turnbuckles, hanging her in the tree of woe before hitting her with a low dropkick.

The two Divas, both worn out, struggle to their feet. Alicia is fist up, running at Nattie with a knee strike to the corner but Natalya moves out of the way as Fox eats the turnbuckles.

Natalya with a big slap of her own to Fox. She mounts a comeback with clothesline and then kicks Alicia in the face as she comes off the ropes. Now time for a patented discus clothesline which connects perfectly. Nattie picks up Fox for a suplex and keeps her in the air for a short while, showing off her strength, before slamming her against the mat. Fox kicks out of a pin attempt.

Alicia tries to scurry out of the ring but not so fast! Natalya grabs her ring gear and pulls her back into the ring. Natalya has Alicia in fireman’s carry position, but Alicia counters into a sunset flip pin attempt but Natalya rolls through and is in perfect position for the Sharpshooter! Alicia kicks Natalya in the face and rolls her up for the one, two, three.

Fox picks up a big victory after a near-10 minute match. Finding the weave ripped from her head earlier, she picks it up and leaves the ring, showing it off as a badge of honor almost.

Thoughts: As Divas matches go, this is easily ranks up there with some of the best matches we’ve seen thus far in 2011. WWE Superstars has been on fire lately delivering great matches, especially in the last two weeks between Beth/Gail and now Alicia/Natalya.

These two Divas always have great chemistry and it showed in this match. Perhaps the best part of this match is that the Divas actually got afforded way more time than usual. It’s sad that these days we’d settle for a five minute match, but here we got over 10 minutes of action which is unthinkable these days. You could put three weeks of Raw Divas matches into this one segment.

It’s amazing to see the Divas get more time this week on Superstars, and Alicia & Natalya used it well. Very enjoyable match.

I truly hope Superstars will keep up this hot streak and deliver another great match next week. As they say, good things come in threes…

On today’s show: Alicia Fox vs Natalya.

You can watch the episode at this link. (Skip to 20:00 to watch Alicia vs Natalya.)

Discuss the show in the comments!

We start off the show with Beth Phoenix vs. Gail Kim, a match many have been waiting to see. They start with a tie-up, Beth’s strength advantage allowing her to power Gail into the ropes. Gail battles back and attempts a Frankensteiner, but Beth stops her momentum, hoisting her up and tossing Gail off her shoulders. Gail goes on a burst of offense, nailing Beth in the corner and scaling the turnbuckle. She’s too slow, though, and Beth grabs her from the top turnbuckle, lifting her into a Gorilla Press slam, Gail landing flat onto the mat. Beth goes for an early pin, but Gail kicks out.

Beth lifts Gail onto her shoulder, seeking to ram her into the corner, but Gail slips out and pushes Beth into it instead. When she tries to attack again, though, Beth sends an elbow into her face. Beth climbs up the turnbuckle and Gail knocks her down to a seating position, attempting to hit a Frankensteiner off the top rope, but Beth holds on, leaving Gail to flip backwards and land on the mat on her knees. Beth tries again to hit a top-rope move, nearly leaping, but Gail is quick, dropkicking the top rope and sending Beth tumbling to the mat.

Gail hits another dropkick, low this time, and goes for the pin. Beth kicks out, and when Gail tries to stay on offense, she blocks an Irish whip, using pure strength to prevent it and sends Gail into the ropes instead. On the return Gail goes for a hurricanrana, which is blocked, but after a bit of twisting and turning she hangs on, latching on an armbar submission. Beth flails around like a tiger being tormented by a a horsefly, unable to shoo Gail away or detach her. Eventually Beth sinks to a knee, Gail willing her to submit. After a few moments, though she seems to regather strength, getting back on both feet and prying Gail loose, hitting her with a sidewalk slam. Both Divas are down.

They get to their feet at almost the same moment, but Beth gets the upper hand, hitting Gail with a serious a hard-hitting moves that almost feel like a babyface burst of offense (and is taking place at the usual spot for it). This wouldn’t be strange if Beth wasn’t playing a slightly heelish role in this match. Anyways, Beth lifts Gail up, bouncing her off the top rope for a springboard suplex. This merits a pin attempt, which Gail kicks out of at 2. She goes for another suplex, but Gail rolls it into a pin attempt. Beth kicks out. Gail stays on offense, going for another roll-up pin, but Beth blocks it into a pin of her own. Gail kicks out as well. Gail ventures to Beth’s shoulders, but is swatted off. Beth takes the moment to latch onto both of Gail’s arms and hit her with the Glam Slam. She pins Gail and gets the 3-count. Post-match Beth looks almost remorseful about hurting Gail and helps her to her feet, lifting her arm in the air in a sign of respect.

This match was very entertaining, and seemed to go by very quickly. That’s not in the sense that the match was rushed or too short, but moreso in the sense that it was very fast-paced; it was move after move in quick succession. Beth seemed to be intent on grounding and slowing down Gail, keeping up with her and not wasting much time. It tuned out to be a tactic that earned her the win. For a match that was so anticipated by fans, given that this is their first one-on-one meeting, I think they delivered a match that played to their strengths: Beth was a powerhouse, battling back from her position on one knee to force Gail to break her submission hold. Gail, meanwhile, was her usual cat-like self, flying around Beth and taking every opportunity to take down the much larger, stronger Diva.

I find it interesting that Beth played a slightly heelish role in this match, looking a bit cocky in the beginning, though she was clearly a babyface once the match was over, making sure Gail was alright. It makes sense, since the WWE doesn’t like to do straight babyface vs. babyface Diva matches. I don’t really mind it, since it helped build the dynamic, with Gail playing the resilient underdog. Alignments aside, their styles, though so very different, worked together quite well in this match, and I hope it isn’t too long before they face off again one-on-one.

Next up is another one-on-one match, this time on the SmackDown side of things. Alicia Fox is facing off against Kaitlyn. Alicia makes her entrance first, accompanied by Rosa Mendes. Kaitlyn is next, with Natalya by her side, entering to Natalya’s music. It’s kind of awkward, but I suppose they wanted to use the better known Diva’s entrance to get a bigger face reaction.

Alicia gets control from the start, kicking Kaitlyn and sending her into the ropes. Kaitlyn manages to stop in her tracks on the rebound, knocking Alicia over with a shoulder block. She goes for a quick pin attempt, but Alicia kicks out. Kaitlyn grabs on to Alicia’s left arm, keeping a constant hold on it while continuing her attack. She wrenches the arm around, continuing the punishment for some time before lifting her off her feet. Alicia takes this opportunity to gain control, knocking Kaitlyn to the mat and dishing some of her own punishment on her left arm. She leans Kaitlyn throat-first against the ropes, bending her arm back and kneeing it against the ropes to increase the pressure. Predictably the referee doesn’t approve of this, and she soon lets Kaitlyn crawl away.

She continues the assault on the left arm, twisting it and slamming Kaitlyn to the mat before locking in an armbar submission. Kaitlyn eventually gets to her feet, fighting Alicia off and sweeping her leg, sending her to the mat. She hits Alicia with a flapjack before going for another pin. Alicia kicks out. The two takes turns thwarting attempts at offense, Alicia slipping out of a bodyslam to drag Kaitlyn head-first into the corner. Dazed, Kaitlyn stumbles toward the middle of the ring, where Alicia hits her with a scissors kick. Alicia covers her for the pin and wins the match.

I enjoyed this match too, but for different reasons that the Beth/Gail bout. This match wasn’t very long either, but was pretty different in pace from that. This one focused on arm punishment, each Diva using different tactics to take out the either’s left arm. It’s a nice technical touch, and highlighted the differences between them: Kaitlyn held onto the arm tenaciously while delivering power moves, and Alicia slapped on a submission, stomped on the arm, and used the ropes illegally. It wasn’t a technical masterpiece, but I liked it for what it was. I think if they were given a bit more time, they could have told a better story with the battling arm attacks. Their styles, like Beth and Gail’s, definitely clash, but it’s in the way the match is constructed that they can together seamlessly. While they didn’t pull off the seamlessness of Beth and Gail, this match showed that there’s potential for that. This match served to whet my appetite for matches between these two, and though it didn’t completely deliver, it’s made me look forward to their next match, even if it’s in another tag team combination.

Another week, another WWE Superstars with two solid Divas matches! This is one trend I wouldn’t mind seeing continue, though next week’s spoilers seem to tell us that it might be another week before we’re seeing double again.

On today’s show:
* Beth Phoenix vs. Gail Kim.
* Alicia Fox vs. Kaitlyn.

You can watch the episode at this link. (Skip to 1:00 to watch Beth vs. Gail. Skip to 18:00 to watch Alicia vs. Kaitlyn.)

Discuss the show in the comments!

We start off with a 6-Diva tag team match, the team of AJ, Kaitlyn and Natalya making their way to the ring first. Next is the team of Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes and Tamina. It’s interesting to see the different dynamics of these teams: the babyfaces enter practically arm-in-arm, while the heels are several feet apart. I like it: little touches like that sell their characters.

Natalya and Alicia, arguably the alpha females of their groups (unscientifically known as the one whose music plays during the entrance), are starting off the match. Natalya immediately takes control after the initial tie-up, slamming Alicia to the mat and locking in a side headlock. Quick as lightning, though, Alicia reverses control with a headscissors hold. Natalya leaps out of it easily, and the two have a quick exchange that ends with Natalya lifting Alicia off the ground, slamming her to the mat and attempting to lock in the Sharpshooter. Alicia immediately starts squirming, dragging Natalya along with her to her corner. She manages to tag in Tamina amidst all the thrashing, and Natalya, as she must, lets go of the hold.

The action slows down a great deal as Tamina enters the ring, and the two circle each other. Tamina shoves Natalya, who on the rebound latches on a side headlock. Tamina shoves her off again into the ropes, but this time she manages to take her down with a shoulder block. Tamina goes for the first pin attempt of the match, but Natalya kicks out at 2. Natalya takes another trip to the ropes, but is quick to leap onto Tamina on the return, twisting into a pin attempt. Tamina kicks out, and rebuffs Natalya’s renewed attempt at offense with a knee to the stomach. She takes Natalya into the enemy corner and tags in Rosa.

Rosa takes over and attempts a suplex on Natalya, only for it to be reversed into a delayed vertical suplex. She holds Rosa in the upside down position for a good long while before finally slamming her to the mat. A little slap to the face precedes a pin attempt, which Rosa kicks out of at 2. Natalya full-on carries Rosa to her corner, slamming her into the turnbuckle and tagging in Kaitlyn. Natalya whips Kaitlyn into Rosa, hitting her back-to-front. Kaitlyn picks up Rosa and hits her with a sidewalk slam, going for a pin that ends at the 2-count.

Jeering from the hell corner lures Kaitlyn over there, and Rosa takes the chance to attack her with her back turned. She drags her toward the center of the ring and full-on slams her face into the mat repeatedly, stomping on her stomach for good measure. She then tags in Tamina, who strong-arms Kaitlyn into a clothesline. She then shoves her into the corner and chokes her against the 2nd turnbuckle, her foot on the back of Kaitlyn’s head. The referee objects, and with his back turned while he scolds Tamina, Rosa and Alicia get to work choking Kaitlyn. When Tamina returns to the corner, she tags in Alicia.

Alicia man-handles Kaitlyn a bit before tagging Rosa in. These quick tag-outs are, I assume, aimed at keeping Kaitlyn stranded and weakened, and it’s a nice strategy. She can hardly catch her breath before there’s a new set of hands grabbing her hair. Rosa kicks Kaitlyn in the back and goes for the pin, which Kaitlyn kicks out of. Meanwhile, in the babyface corner, Natalya and AJ are trying to will Kaitlyn to battle back. Rosa holds Kaitlyn in a sitting position, straddling her shoulder and wrenching her neck. Kaitlyn seems to gather strength from her teammates, shoving Rosa off and blasting her with a shoulder tackle worthy of an NFL game. Dazed, both Divas crawl to their corners and tag out: Kaitlyn to AJ, Rosa to Alicia.

AJ is too quick for Alicia, going on a flurry of offense punctuated by a reverse of a tilt-a-whirl slam that ends with her landing on Alicia. She continues to pepper in offense before going for a pin. Apparently, Alicia’s teammates don’t have much faith in her ability to kick out, because they both bust in and break the pin. This brings in only Natalya, since Kaitlyn’s still recuperating, and she manages to take out both Rosa and Tamina single-handely, planting both with a double clothesline. As the mat clears of the extraneous Divas, AJ and Alicia battle for control, performing a series of twisting Irish whip reversals that resemble a strange dance routine. Alicia wins the “dance”, kicking AJ in the chest and attempting a scissors kick that AJ ducks away from, slipping Alicia into a surprise schoolboy pin. The momentum and quickness of this pin earns AJ the 3-count and the win for her team. The babyfaces exit, celebrating while the heels look furious.

I really enjoyed that match: it gave each Diva sufficient ring time. The in-ring work was great and told a story, each Diva’s style showing through: Kaitlyn and Tamina were hard-hitting, Natalya was quick and technical, Alicia showed her long-limbed athleticism and AJ was just plain fast on her feet. These 6 Divas work really well together, and though it’s a pretty standard good-girls-versus-bad-girls story, I like how it gives a decent showcase to each of them. WWE Superstars is a great place for this to play out, since (as we’ve seen recently) massive Diva Tag Team matches on the bigger shows results in few Divas actually getting in the ring, hasty ring work and a jumbled story. This match is proof that a show like this is perfect for Divas matches: the matches (and the Divas themselves) get to breathe. More, I say, more!

And we do get more! This time, it’s Divas singles action. Melina makes her entrance first, followed by her opponent and horrible friend Gail Kim. Before the match can start, the two stand in the middle of the ring arguing. This isn’t your standard trash talking, and you can tell it’s personal because it’s well after the bell rings that they even start the match. Melina rebuffs a handshake, and they circle each other before finally starting with a collar-and-elbow tie-up. The match starts very similar to the way the 6-Diva tag match started, with Gail taking Melina to the mat with a side headlock and Melina taking control with a headscissors hold. Gail, like Natalya, breaks the hold quickly and goes for a clothesline, which Melina ducks Matrix-style. she whips around and slams Gail with a snapmare, going for a pin. Gail kicks out after the 1-count.

Melina whips Gail into the corner and charges. Gail dodges the attack by slipping through the ropes, performing a sunset flip over the ropes to roll Melina into a pin attempt. Melina kicks out, and the two begin to trade blows, Melina being whipped into the corner. She stops herself, using the corner as leverage to leap bakcwards over a charging Gail. She lands on her feet but appears to hurt her left knee in the process. The ref tends to her and Gail, being a true babyface, waits for her to recover. Melina limps into a tie-up attempt, but her knee gives out, and Gail doesn’t attack, holding her up. She gestures to the referee, and this distraction allows Melina to slam Gail face-first into the mat, her knee miraculously healed. What a perfectly executed opossum play!

Melina takes control, battering Gail and hitting her with a dropkick in the corner. She props her up against the bottom turnbuckle, yelling repeatedly, “You were my best friend!” and then “How am I ever going to believe you now?!” She punctuates this with a slap and eventually relents to the referee’s objections, backing off. She hoists Gail up for a body slam, but Gail uses her weight to force the momentum in her favor, landing on Melina for a pin attempt, which Melina kicks out of. Gail immediately goes for another pin, this time with a backslide maneuver. Melina kicks out again. Both get to their feet quickly, and Melina manages to attack first, hitting Gail with a spinning facebuster. This prompts a pin attempt, but Gail kicks out at the 2-count.

Melina quickly latches on a sleeper hold, but with a few well-placed elbows Gail frees herself. Melina regains control though, punching Gail against the ropes and into the corner. Gail eventually battles back, hitting Melina with a dropkick and a flying clothesline, delivering a shoulder to the stomach when Melina retreats to the corner. She jumps and lands on the back of Melina’s neck sticking through the ropes and then scales the turnbuckle, hitting her with a missile dropkick. Both are moving slow after the attack, but Gail tries to get Melina in position for a pin. Melina senses this and hooks her arms around the bottom rope, trying to save herself. She kicks Gail away and goes for another well-placed kick, but Gail ducks out of the way, allowing Melina to land in a split on the mat. In this prone position Gail rolls her over in a cradle, pinning her for the 3-count and the win.

Instead of celebrating, Gail seems more concerned with the look on Melina’s face. Melina looks cold and angry, and Gail tells her that she’s crazy and that she was her friend. It doesn’t look like this match settled anything. Gail doesn’t even seem happy to get one-up on Melina, probably because it’ll result in more conflict between them.

I really enjoyed that match because, like the 6-Diva tag match, it really allowed the Divas to show their true colors and flesh out their styles. Melina was intense and pulled an excellent trick on Gail, while Gail was sympathetic (perhaps unwisely) and quick with her attacks, but not malicious. The story told in this match was great, though we still have no idea why they aren’t friends anymore. Gail seems reluctant to fully hate her, while Melina is clearly wanting retribution for some personal slight. Melina’s evilness was on full display with her playing opossum, and I wonder if she’ll try it again, trying to take advantage of Gail’s sympathy. I can’t wait for the next chapter in this feud, and I hope that they’ll get the chance (whether on the internet or on television) to flesh out the story a bit more and shed some light on why Melina feels so wronged and why Gail thinks Melina needs a straight jacket.

Both matches this week were great, in my opinion. They were similar in a few ways (starting off with similar moves and ending with a surprise roll-up) but both offered different things: the tag match gave much needed in-ring exposure to a good number of SmackDown girls, while Gail and Melina’s match further solidified the rift between those two. I wouldn’t complain if these two storylines continued on WWE Superstars, since it’s clear that the Divas matches on this show will, more often than not, be better and longer than those on the bigger TV shows. It’s kind of fitting that the internet seems to be a haven for Divas, with Gail and Melina fleshing out their storyline on Twitter and YouTube and the internet-only WWE Superstars giving them a place for matches that don’t end in the blink of an eye. I say, use it to your advantage, Divas! The internet is a big place, and Raw and SmackDown are only 2-hour shows. The limits surrounding the Divas somehow seem to be lessened in this light, and I love it.

On today’s show:
* AJ, Kaitlyn & Natalya vs. Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes & Tamina.
* Gail Kim vs. Melina.

You can watch the episode at this link. (Skip to 1:20 to watch the 6-Diva Tag Team match. Skip to 23:03 to watch Gail vs. Melina.)

Discuss the show in the comments!

Last week on WWE Superstars, we saw Gail Kim get the best of Melina. The two Divas are battling again this week, this time with partners. Melina’s teaming with Maryse, while Gail pairs up with Eve Torres. Watch the match below:

The team of Maryse and Melina make their entrance to Maryse’s theme music, which suits Melina in a way. Eve and Gail approach the ring to Eve’s tune. Maryse and Eve start off the match, exchanging a few hasty shoves before Eve ducks an attack and takes control. Maryse reverses an Irish whip and attempts a back body drop that Eve telegraphs, sending a kick to Maryse that straightens her up. Eve reserves another attack and sends Maryse face-first onto the mat, going for an early pin. Maryse kicks out before the 2-count.

Trash talk from Melina draws Eve to her corner. She blocks a slap from Melina and delivers one of her own, sending Melina to the mat outside. When she turns back around, though, she pays for her distraction in the form of a kick to the head from Maryse. This prompts a pin attempt that Eve kicks out of at 2. Maryse drags Eve back to her corner and proceeds to bash her face repeatedly against the bottom turnbuckle cover. She tags in Melina, who pulls Eve to the middle of the ring, going for a pin while holding her hands to the mat. Eve kicks out.

Melina locks Eve in a choke, crossing her own arms against her throat. She soon decides to forgo style points and just grabs fistfuls of Eve’s hair, poising her leg behind her head before kicking it face-first to the mat. She repeats the move before going for another pin, which Eve kicks out of pretty quickly. Frustrated, she attempts yet another pin, but Eve again kicks out. Eve attempts in vain to get to Gail, but Melina toys with her, trash talking Gail at the same time. She locks in the crossed-arm choke again, jerking Eve around roughly. Eve eventually gets to her feet, twisting out of the hold and spinning around to hit Melina with a clothesline. This buys her enough time to tag in Gail.

Gail comes bursting into the ring at full speed, hitting Melina with a flurry of offense. Gail attempts an attack in the corner that Melina blocks and tries to turn into a throat-first drop onto the turnbuckle. Gail’s catlike reflexes show themselves, though, as Gail lands in the corner, no damage done. She climbs to the top and effortlessly leaps backwards, twisting in the air to hit Melina with a flying crossbody. She attempts a pin, but Maryse quickly breaks it, prompting Eve to bust into the ring and take her out of the equation. The two battle to the outside as Gail pulls Melina to her feet. Melina manages to take control of the situation, dropping to her knees and busting Gail’s chin.

Melina goes for the Sunset Split, but Gail twists out of it and preps for the Eat Defeat, which Melina blocks as well. She tosses Gail into the corner and pulls her back, shaken, into the Sunset Split. Before she hits it, though, she yells, “You were always a horrible friend!” She hits the move and pins her for the 3-count and the win. She and Maryse celebrate, but not after Maryse gives Gail a little “in your face” action. The two slink out of the ring, looking like they stole a win when, in reality, they won it fair and square. I suppose that’s the mark of a true evildoer: even when they don’t cheat, they look like they did.

This was a solid little tag team match, and I really enjoyed the Gail and Melina action. The little storyline they’ve built up, hinting at a dissolved friendship, adds to what would otherwise be a standard babyfaces vs. heels tag team match. Melina shouting about Gail’s crappy friend status was a cool touch, as she was determined to add insult to injury just as the whole arena was watching. I’d love to see this develop into something, even if it’s told off of Raw on WWE Superstars every week. These two work pretty well together and deserve a little bit of the spotlight.

On today’s show: Maryse & Melina vs. Eve Torres & Gail Kim.

You can watch the episode at this link. (Skip to 11:28 to watch the match.)

Discuss the show in the comments!

This week on WWE Superstars featured battle between two rarely seen Divas. ‘The Paparazzi Princess’ Melina faced off against Gail Kim in singles action, a match that had Divas fans shaking with anticipation. Did the match live up to the hype? Check it out below:

Thoughts:

I came into this match with really high expectations. Sadly, the match did not live up to them, in my opinion.

Don’t get me wrong. By no means would I call this a “bad” match. On the contrary, it was better than most of the Diva matches that make it to the main shows. We all know that Melina and Gail can be quite impressive in the ring and they had some good moments at the start of the match. That said, things seemed to break down and get a bit clunky mid-match. I thought the ending was pretty good, but it just wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be.

In past matches, these two Divas have shown great chemistry each other, so I’ll chalk this one up to an off night, Hopefully, they’ll get to face off again soon and deliver the match we all know they can.

On today’s show: Gail Kim vs. Melina

You can watch the episode at this link. (Skip to 22:00 to watch the match.)

Discuss the show in the comments!