Friday, December 5, 2025
Submit News

Survivor Series 2010: Natalya Wins Divas Championship, Beth Phoenix Returns

WWE has crowned its first ever third generation female champion in Natalya. The Hart Dynasty Diva finally overcome Lay-Cool in a two-on-one handicap match at Survivor Series when she made Michelle McCool tap to the Sharpshooter. A flood of tears followed as Natalya finally realised her dream — to be champion. The celebration however, was … Read more

PPV Predictions: WWE Survivor Series 2010

The 24th annual Survivor Series takes place tonight as Natalya challenges both members of Lay-Cool for the Divas Championship. Will third time be the charm? We weigh in…

Cryssi: I’ve gone back and forth on this so many times this week. I really can’t decide who I want to win. The magic 8-ball I borrowed from Captain Charisma tells me that Natalya will win the championship tonight. It specifically said “all signs point to yes.” The evidence to support the magic 8-ball’s theory is pretty strong. Lay-Cool were buried on Raw and they came back and buried Natalya on SmackDown. Going into every other pay-per-view match, Natalya has gained the upper-hand which has set up a cheap Lay-Cool victory perfectly. This week it’s different. And this match has a different feel to it. This should be Natalya’s last chance to capture the title while Lay-Cool hold it and even the WWE isn’t dumb enough to keep her from it for a third straight time.

Or are they?

I’ve thrown the magic 8-ball out of the window (sorry, Christian!) and have come up with this all on my own. Beth Phoenix will make her return tonight and she will intentionally screw Natalya out of the victory. Lay-Cool will escape with their championship reign still intact but now they will have the Glamazon to contend with, the very woman they took the Women’s Championship from way back when. So yes, Lay-Cool retain tonight with Michelle picking up the pinfall while Layla gets beat down on the outside by Beth as a message.”

David: Is the third time the charm for Natalya? Will she finally topple Lay-Cool and capture the Divas Championship at Survivor Series? This has to be it, right? Her third consecutive pay-per-view title match surely has to result in Natalya walking out with the gold, leading to the long-awaited break-up between Michelle and Layla. Even the booking suggests this will happen, with Lay-Cool getting in each other’s way, Natalya getting some help to ‘even’ the odds (rumored to be Beth Phoenix…gulp), and using the sharpshooter to force a submission. If this happens I would feel very good for Natayla, but in the end I think Lay-Cool wins the match and then beats down Natalya until someone makes the save. Maybe Beth, maybe the rest of the Divas. Unfortunately I don’t think this feud has been built to finish with a title change, it feels more like “filler” until Beth returns from injury. I hope this isn’t the case. Natalya deserves better.

EriC: This has to be the most predictable match since Maryse vs. Gail Kim in the finals of the Divas Championship tournament. Natalya is outsmarted when its one on one versus Michelle. The same when its versus Layla. In WWE land this of course means that she will be able to defeat both of them at the same time. Lay-Cool will screw up and Michelle will big boot Layla. Natalya either takes out Michelle and pins Layla, or sharpshooters? sharpshoots? (can you verb this?) Michelle for the win. The real expectations for this match lie in the aftermath. Will Natalya get a nice tearful celebration? Will a certain Phoenix reappear to challenge for the belt? I am hoping for the latter.

Read more

Southern Belle Smack (Issue #2) – Why One Diva SHOULDN’T Be Divas Champion

Interesting title, right?

Welcome everyone to another fabulous edition of the Southern Belle Smack proudly sponsored by… err hang on. This isn’t audio, is it? This is a column, blog, whatever you want to call it and it just so happens that this is the second edition of Diva Dirt‘s Southern Belle Smack. It’s been so long since I’ve written one of these that I don’t even remember what the first one was about. NXT perhaps? If that’s true then the last (and only) SBS appeared about ten weeks ago. Yikes. So much for weekly/bi-weekly feature, eh?

Notice how I threw in a little Canadian lingo there?

A Canadian is the subject of this blog today and that woman just happens to be competing in Miami tonight at the WWE Fall classic known as Survivor Series. Natalya, our Canadian subject in case you’ve already tuned out, will have a third crack at the Divas Championship when she steps inside the ring to face Lay-Cool in a 2-on-1 handicap match. There’s an old saying that seems fitting for tonight: the third time’s the charm. All signs would certainly indicate that Natalya is poised to walk out of the American Airlines Arena as the newly crowned queen of the WWE.

If anyone deserves this accolade, it’s the third generation Diva. She’s arguably the most skilled girl they have on the roster and she’s one of the best in the world. That alone should make her a shoo-in to become champ and I believe in my heart that she will finally get her first taste of WWE purple gold tonight. But my head… well that’s another story. My head sees Natalya losing tonight. Once again she’ll find herself robbed of championship glory and this time she will be out of chances.

And you know what? I’m fine with that. In my humble opinion, Natalya shouldn’t be Divas Champion.

Read more

SmackDown Redux (November 19th, 2010): Well That Was Special And A Super Way To Build Up A Match

Tonight on SmackDown…

Still smarting from their humiliation this past Monday on Raw, Michelle McCool and Layla looked for redemption in the form of tag team action against their number one rival, Natalya, and her partner (again), Kelly Kelly. With Lay-Cool haters and Mae Young not around, Lay-Cool look to regain the upperhand on their way to this Sunday’s pay-per-view extravaganza. But if history remains true, then Natalya should come out victorious and on top, right?

Lets see…

Layla and Michelle McCool are in the ring as SmackDown returns from break. They are posing with their championships and checking their reflections. Eventually their music fades and is replaced by Natalya’s theme. She makes her way to the ring with her tag team partner for this evening, Kelly Kelly, and they’re being their face best with happy smiles. They’re even holding hands.

Layla and Kelly are set to begin the match of course, Layla and Michelle just have to throw in a few Smelly Kelly references. The bell rings and the girls lock up. They jostle for position with Kelly backing Layla into the ropes. Layla forces her foe back and looks to land a decisive kick, but Kelly puts a stop to that and fires back with a nice looking forearm shot. Layla is whipped across the ring and taken down with a Thesz Press from Kelly. Kelly slams her opponent’s head into the ground a few times and then picks up Layla. She locks her arm around Layla’s neck and backs her into the corner. Natalya gets the tag.

Read more

Raw Redux (November 15th, 2010): Mae Young Serves Up Attitude Era on ‘Old School’ Raw

While most Diva fans were expecting the likes of Lita, Trish and Sable to be in attendance for WWE’s ‘Old School’ Raw, WWE truly lived up to the old school aspect of the show and treated us to an impromptu match between the legendary Mae Young and Co-Divas Champions, Lay-Cool. Check out the match and the delightfully un-PG promo that came beforehand:

We start off with “Mean” Gene Okerlund introducing Mae Young. Young comes through the curtain, being propped up accompanied by The Bella Twins to a lukewarm reception from the Hershey, PA crowd. Okerlund goes on to call Mae Young the “Original Diva” (Somewhere, Sunny just leapt off of a bridge) and a picture of Mae Young in her heyday comes up on the TitanTron. Say what you will about me, but Mae Young was freaking hot! Anyhoo, Okerlund give the mic over to Mae, and she says she has been wrestling since she was 17 and plans on wrestling until she’s 100 before Mean Gene takes the mic back.

Read more

SmackDown Redux (November 12th, 2010): Layla Versus Natalya; Round Two!

Tonight On SmackDown…

With Survivor Series just on the horizon, and a 2-on-1 Handicap Match for the Diva’s Championship looming, the Lay-Cool/Natalya saga once again continues on Smackdown. Layla rides solo this week as she takes on Natalya in a rematch of sorts from Bragging Rights. Can the two Divas recapture the magic they created at last month’s pay-per-view? Lets take a look…

A smiling Natalya makes her way to the ring first and she gets quite the warm reception. She looks gorgeous, like usual, and once she climbs into the ring and gets set, Lay-Cool’s theme song begins to play. Layla is riding solo tonight and she walks out in her all black attire. Despite the fact she’s British, her welcome is less than friendly. She doesn’t seem to mind, to be honest. Michael Cole explains Michelle’s absence by letting us know that Michelle is basically disgusted by all things British, among some other comments.

Read more

Raw Redux (November 8th, 2010): From the Geniuses Behind ‘Diva Bowl’, it’s the Divas Cup (with No Actual Cup)

Instead of following up on the feud going on between Natalya and Lay-Cool at the moment, WWE opted to go with a six Diva gimmick tag match. Go figure. This week, the team of Eve and The Bella Twins face off against Alicia Fox, Maryse and Tamina. But this is no ordinary battle, oh no! From the geniuses that brought us ‘Diva Bowl’ last year, comes the ‘Divas Cup’… except, there’s no cup in sight? Cheapskates! Check out the match below:

The babyface team makes their entrance first, sporting Manchester United uniforms, to a chorus of jeers from the crowd. I’m told this is because of rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool (which is being represented by the heels). I’m not really a soccer fan, so this was completely wasted on me and the majority of Americans watching at home.

Out next are the heels, and apparently Tamina missed the memo for this match. Doesn’t she know that they’re supposed to be ‘sexy’ soccer players? She looks like she’s an actual soccer player! *shock horror* All jokes aside, I kinda like the fact that Tamina doesn’t try to be as overtly sexy as her counterparts. I think it makes her come across as a more serious competitor. That said, she really stuck out like a sore thumb coming down the ramp with Maryse and Alicia. The Divas take their places in their respective corners, Mike Chioda signals for the bell and the Diva Cup is underway with Eve and Tamina kicking things off.

Read more

Lay-Cool vs Natalya Confirmed For Survivor Series

Just announced tonight on Raw: The third generation Diva, Natalya will be facing off against not one, but both members of Lay-Cool at Survivor Series. Natalya has come up short on two occasions due to Lay-Cool’s antics in the past. How will she fare when both of the flawless ones are legal participants in the … Read more

Live Report & Pictures from SmackDown in Belfast, Ireland (Layla vs Natalya)

Diva Dirt reader, Hayley sent in the following results and pictures from last night’s SmackDown house show in Belfast, Ireland that saw Layla take on Natalya. Read her report below:

Before the intermission, Kelly Kelly was announced as the guest hostess and she came out to a rather big pop from the Belfast crowd. Tony Chimel then proceeded to bring out Hornswoggle and then gave them t-shirts that were on sale at the merchandise stores around the arena and had them hold them up and model them. Kelly and Hornswoggle then proceeded to throw some t-shirts and wristbands into the crowd before they left the ring.

After the intermission there was then a Divas match and I was like FINALLY!! I have heard reports on how usually during the Diva matches people get up to go to the restroom or concession stand but I honestly didn’t see many people leaving which put me in a great mood. I was right beside the entrance where they come out so I was listening really carefully, and then I heard, “You’re not enough for me!” and everyone started booing, I didn’t really want to boo so I smiled and sang along, while Layla came out. She was wearing her usual ring attire and she had brought out a big white exercise ball which she kicked down the ramp and shouted at people saying not to touch it, she then threw it into the ring and proceeded to pose on the turnbuckles while some type of chant went up.

More after the cut:

Read more

Raw Redux (November 1st, 2010): Natalya’s Last Chance + Lita Returns to Raw

In an effort to get this Divas Championship feud rolling again after last week’s lull, WWE gave us another Michelle McCool vs Natalya match, but this time with a twist: If Natalya could beat Michelle McCool in singles action, she’d receive one last shot at the Divas Championship at Survivor Series. Can Natalya overcome the odds and get another crack at the title? Will Lay-Cool cheat their way to another victory? Find out… after this pointless Divas segment. Damas y Caballeros, I present to you: Diva Twister!!! (With a very special cameo):

I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t expect the majority of the Raw Divas to be lumped into a segment with Pee-wee, so I wasn’t really surprised. The jokes were cheesy and the acting bad, no surprise there either. Another typical Guest Host segment, all in all. If I feel bad for anyone, it’s everyone in the audience under 21, who had no idea who Pee-wee Herman was and The Bella Twins for having to share their “Guest Host Arm Candy” spot with Eve and Melina and any other Divas that don’t happen to have a match on Raw or Superstars that week.

Believe it or not, there was a silver lining in this black cloud of a segment. Four-time Women’s Champion made a rare appearance, accompanying her self-professed idol, Pee-wee Herman in this segment. As a huge fan of Lita, I almost blacked out when I saw her pop up on my screen. She could have eaten a live puppy on the air and I’d probably say it was the best moment of Raw this week. That said, even Lita’s appearance couldn’t save this bomb of a segment. Thumbs down for Diva Twister and two thumbs way up (I wish I had more thumbs) for Lita’s cameo.

Read more

Trick or Treat! Going Halloween Costume Shopping: Divas Edition

For the past two years around Halloween, (view 2008 and part 1, part 2, and part 3 of 2009) we’ve suggested some tongue-in-cheek costumes for Divas and Knockouts. This year, we continue the tradition. We started with the NXT rookies, and followed with the Knockouts. Now, finally, it’s time for the Divas to get costumed. Enjoy, and be sure to vote for your favorite below!

Alicia Fox
Costume: Foxy Cleopatra to Santino’s Austin Powers.
Why?: Diva Dirt’s not one to pass up some wordplay, and Miss Foxy Alicia certainly lends herself to be called Foxy Cleopatra. She definitely rivals Beyonce for her fantastic figure, and her self-assuredness lends itself to playing the secret agent who’s constantly introducing herself as “a whole lotta woman!”. Seeing her dolled up 60s-style with a bright jumpsuit, prop gun, and afro while Santino goes appropriately over-the-top as Austin Powers would be a funny sight. Hey, if anyone’s got to be paired with Santino, it might as well be a Diva who can keep him in line.
Get the look: Get the outfit and the hairdo.

Beth Phoenix
Costume: A zombie.
Why?: She’s back from the dead injury! Beth is unstoppable, evidenced by her return, and is ready to take out anyone who stands in her way. Like an undead zombie, she rises from apparent defeat, hungry (in Beth’s case, for victory). What better way to scare the life out of her fellow Divas than to make her return as if from the grave, skin rotting, eyes lifeless, bloodthirsty attitude? It’s hard to think of a Diva more intimidating, but zombie Beth just might surpass the living one.
Get the look: Go in-depth with these tutorial videos.

Eve Torres, Gail Kim, & Kelly Kelly
Costume: Modern-day Charlie’s Angels
Why?: Taking a cue from the modern “Charlie’s Angels” movies, these babyface Divas would be matched up to their counterparts easily. Eve would be the spunky Dylan (as played by Drew Barrymore), Gail would be the serious Alex (as played by Lucy Liu), and Kelly would be the free-spirited Natalie (as played by Cameron Diaz). Striking the signature pose, these Divas would make for a convincing double of that trio, and the WWE could fill their Hornswoggle quota by pairing him with the angels as Bosley. Your standard 6-Diva tag team match would never be the same!
Get the look: Find two friends, assume the specific personalities, and prepare to kick ass, wire-fighting style. Be sure to wear clothes that best fit your angel (tomboyish for Dylan, dark and sleek for Alex, sexy and girly for Natalie).

Read on to see more costume suggestions.

Read more

WWE Bragging Rights in Review: Divas Seize the Moment, Remain More Flawless Than Brett Favre Cell Phone Pics

It’s fair to say that WWE pay-per-views are either hits or misses. The events are either successful surprises or true epic fails all around. Bragging Rights was no exception. For once, it fell into the positive category as the WWE put together a strong show on all accounts, and for us Diva fans, we were treated to something truly special. The decision to put Layla in the ring against Natalya was met with some skepticism and a few eye-rolls, but judging from their SmackDown interaction it had all the ingredients to make a yummy recipe. To say Natalya versus Layla delivered would be an understatement. They put together a gorgeous, pure wrestling match that told a story and left everyone wanting just a little more. Michelle McCool once again put on a flawless performance on the microphone and on the outside of the ring. And to add the icing to this already delicious cake, Aksana and Maryse got involved in the Bragging Rights action by fighting for their men during the Goldust/Ted DiBiase grudge match.

What a night.

The match us Diva fans waited patiently for all night kicked off in grand style. Lay-Cool made their way to the ring and they had microphones in their hands. Layla and Michelle walked out on stage where Layla promptly demanded that the sound techs in the back cut their music. Once it was quiet, Layla turned to Michelle and with a cheeky little grin, she told her BFF that Natalya was no doubt excited to have a title match in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Michelle looked confused and wanted to know why Natalya could be excited over such a thing and Layla simply pointed out that Nattie would be at home amongst all the stupid accents. Massive heat for that comment. Michelle chuckled and began to imitate the accent in question. She said the men in Minnesota like their women larger because it’s so cold. Layla agreed and said that by the looks of things, it got extremely cold in Minnesota. Cue the collective “brrrrrrrrrrrrr”. Lay-Cool got inside the ring and Michelle continued speaking. She said that the comfortable surroundings won’t help Natalya out tonight. She’s going to need more help than that because tonight, they (Lay-Cool) will beat Natalya faster than they can delete all those text messages they keep getting from Brett Favre.

Real Talk. Ewwwwwww. Stop. According to Lay-Cool, Favre is doing nothing but embarrassing himself. Both members of Lay-Cool agree that Brett can’t help himself when it comes to them because they are flawless. They started to check their reflections in their championships when Natalya’s music hit. The third generation Diva walked to the ring with a smile etched across her lovely face. The commentators went over the fact that this match was for the WWE Diva’s Championship (apparently they’ve dropped the ‘unified’ part) and Natalya played to the crowd. Both girls got ready for the match and when the bell rang, Natalya and Layla started to circle one another. They went for a lock-up but Natalya effortlessly scooped up Layla and grounded her. She tried to work over Layla’s arm, but the British-born Diva was able to reverse it into a headscissors. Natalya was able to spring out of it and land on her feet, but Layla responded with a swift kick to the back of Nattie’s thigh. Layla took hold of Natalya’s wrist and started to twist it, but Natalya flipped through it, reversed it, and got Layla up in the air. While holding Layla upside, Natalya showed off her strength by doing a few squats, an homage to her late uncle, the British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith. She planted Layla in the mat and went for a cover. Layla kicked out right before the two.

Read more

WWE Bragging Rights: Lay-Cool Take It Again, This Time with Help from a Boot…

Earlier this month, Layla‘s shoe-throwing helped Michelle McCool retain the Divas Championship for the duo, but this time they retained with help from a boot. Well, Michelle’s big boot, rather. In the closing moments of a hotly-contested Divas Championship match between Layla and Natalya, Michelle McCool hit a devastating big boot to Natalya’s head while … Read more

PPV Predictions: WWE Bragging Rights 2010

Tonight at Bragging Rights, the Divas Championship is on the line between Layla and Natalya, but who’ll come out on top? We weigh in…

Cryssi: With Layla being placed in this match instead of Michelle, I definitely see Natalya having the advantage. I think Michelle ends up getting kicked from ringside which will leave Layla at Natalya’s mercy. The two will put on a brilliant match with Natalya ultimately getting the victory. As she’s celebrating her long awaited Divas Championship win, Michelle comes running down to ringside with Teddy Long screaming at him that she is the rightful Divas Champion, and the contract Lay-Cool had was only good when they were co-Women’s Champs. She will make the argument that the title can only change hands if she were to lose, because she is the OFFICIAL champ seeing as how she unified the titles at Night of Champions. Long will have no choice but to declare Natalya’s championship reign over before it even starts, and once again Lay-Cool will escape with that title firmly in their clutches.

David: At Bragging Rights, Natalya gets her second straight championship match on PPV, this time against the other member of Lay-Cool. After a few slow months I think Lay-Cool is hot again and I’ve enjoyed their program with Nattie (Michelle’s Bret impression was hilarious). Sunday night, I expect Michelle’s interference to give Natalya a DQ victory so Layla will once again retain the title. However, if Kelly Kelly comes down to help her buddy, maybe this time Lay-Cool won’t throw shoes in the ring, maybe this time they’ll throw in the towel.

Eric: Whereas last month’s Hell in a Cell was a predictable Lay-Cool victory, this match up could really go either way. Unfortunately, the booking team has painted the Divas division into a corner. Either Lay-Cool wins and we have a continuous, pointless Divas division, or Natalya wins and has nobody to feud with but… Lay-Cool. So who wins? I see Natalya picking this one up. Unfortunately, I don’t see her keeping the belt long. Who will Natalya feud with next? I will give free hugs and a (false) promise to vote for Linda McMahon to the creative team if its not Lay-Cool.

Erin: Part of me is always reluctant to believe that the WWE would do anything to hold back a Lay-Cool push. However, I feel like this feud can be sustained even if Layla doesn’t pick up the win, which means the inter-brand Lay-Cool shenanigans would continue. With that loophole available, I think Natalya’s chances of winning are high. She’s been chasing them for a while (okay, not long, but in Diva land a few weeks is a long time, all things considered) and winning the title could be a turning point in the feud. So, I say Natalya wins the title tonight. How long she keeps it, however, is anyone’s guess.

Read more

SmackDown Redux (October 22nd, 2010): A Prelude To Bragging Rights?

The road to Bragging Rights heats up for the Diva’s tonight as Michelle McCool and Layla take on their opponent for Sunday, Natalya, with her partner, Kelly Kelly, in a tag team match. Since the anti-climatic conclusion of Hell In A Cell earlier this month, the rivalry between Nattie and delicious co-Unified Divas Champions has been picking up steam. For the past few weeks, we’ve watched Nattie come ever so close to locking Layla in the Sharpshooter, only to have Michelle jump in at the last moment and save her BFF. Will the same thing happen tonight? Dun dun duuuuuuuun!

When SmackDown returns from commercial break, Lay-Cool are already in the ring. Despite the fact Halloween is only a week away, Lay-Cool have decided to wrestle in costume tonight. Michelle has donned some nice yet ill-fitting jeans, a Hart T-shirt, and leather jacket. She’s dressed as Bret Hart complete with dark hair and baseball cap. Layla has morphed into a pink and blond haired Natalya. She’s wearing the third-generation Diva’s ring gear and to cap it all off, Layla has added a Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart goatee to the mix.

Random Thoughts: At this point, all I can say is wow. These costumes are pretty hilarious and Lay-Cool are probably the only Divas who would pull off something so evil. I would love to see someone dress up and imitate them one week. Now that would be amazing.

Read more

Raw Redux (October 18th, 2010): Natalya Gets The Last Laugh + Nice Aim Gail

Last week, WWE treated us with a very good promo from Co-Divas Champions, Lay-Cool and the #1 contender, Natalya, creating more hype for their match at Bragging Rights. This week, Natalya faces off with former Divas Champion Alicia Fox in singles action before her title match against one of the members of Lay-Cool at Bragging Rights. Check out the match below:

We start off with Natalya already in the ring, receiving cheers from the fans in her hometown of Calgary. Alicia makes her way out to the ring next, looking cocky as ever. The two Divas circle each other for a bit and the referee calls for the bell to kick things off. The Divas start off with a rough tie-up, with Alicia getting the upperhand and muscling Natalya into the ropes. Natalya reverses the hold, forcing Alicia to the ropes and the referee gets between the two to break things up. Nattie breaks clean, but Alicia seizes this opportunity and takes Natalya down with three hard slaps followed by a kick to the head.

Read more

Diva Dirt’s Shanti Meets Natalya, Report from Last Night’s Raw House Show

Diva Dirt‘s Shanti met Raw Diva Natalya yesterday in Kennewick, Washington and later saw her in action at the Raw brand house show that evening. Check out her report below:

Me and my brother went to the gym like around 10:30 in the morning to play some basketball to pass time before the house show yesterday. After playing for a while, we ate some lunch and went back to the gym. About 30 minutes after that I glanced out the window and saw a short blonde woman with pink streaks standing next to a really tall, built guy. I told my bro to look at outside. He did and said, “That’s The Hart Dynasty.”

My brother was starting to get excited and called his friend, but I just stayed calm and kept on playing basketball. My brother went outside to meet his friend while I kept playing. I saw DH Smith looking through the window a couple of times along with one of the Usos. After a about an hour, my arm was starting to hurt pretty bad so I went outside where my brother was. After about 15 minutes of chilling with my brother and his friend’s two kids we met The Hart Dynasty. I waited until the kids went up to them first to get autographs before walking up. I handed Nattie my paper and she asked if I was going to the show tonight. I told her that I was and mentioned I was a writer for Diva Dirt. She said “Awesome!” and then said “Aren’t you Shanti? The one with the sign?” I said yes and she said that she’s very excited to see it and how nice it was that I made a sign for her. She also remembered me from two events before where I made a sign for her. After few minutes of chatting, she said she’ll see me later and that she wanted to take a picture with the sign or at least sign it.

More after the cut:

Read more

WWE Superstars Redux (October 14th, 2010): Divas Own the Night

The show may be called ‘WWE Superstars’ but it was all about the Divas last night, as we saw not one, but two good, solid matches from the Divas of Raw and SmackDown. Furthermore, it’s worth pointing out that both matches are rematches from pay per views that have occurred in recent months and in both cases, I felt the matches were much better than those PPV outings.

First up, we had Kelly Kelly vs Layla in a rematch from July’s Money in the Bank pay per view. Watch below:

We kick off the show with K2 with #1 Contender, Natalya in her corner. Can this be considered the new Blondetourage? (Come back, Skirt Tiffany!) Next out is Lay-Cool and they are referred to as ‘the strongest Diva alliance in WWE history’. That is quite possibly true.

As the bell rings, Layla begins working out in the ring, before screaming “Boo!” in Kelly’s face. If I didn’t find Layla totally adorable & hilarious, that would have been really lame. It’s a good thing you’re cute, Layla. Kelly finally has enough and slaps Layla straight across the face and it’s on! The two Divas tussle, grabbing each other’s hair and back into the ropes as the referee tries to break things up. Layla runs at Kelly going for a kick but Kelly counters into an atomic drop on the co-Unified Divas Champ. K2 then kicks Layla in the back of the knee, taking her down, and goes for a pin but no dice.

Kelly hits another kick, this time to the front and once again, goes for a cover but Layla kicks out. Layla scatters to the side of the ring seeking comfort from Michelle but Kelly is not far behind and begins stomping into Layla’s lower back. Kelly hits a forearm and attempts to whip Layla into the corner, Lay reverses and runs at K2 but gets a boot in the face. Kelly attempts a crossbody from the middle rope but Layla moves out of the way and K2 instead meets the canvas. Ouch! Layla goes for an opportunistic cover but Kelly kicks out.

Layla hits a snapmare followed by a low kick before applying a nice body-scissors. Layla cinches the submission in tightly and even rakes Kelly’s face. K2 fights back however, pulling Layla’s hair. Layla then expertly rolls over into a pin but they roll back over before a 3 count can be made. She goes for the pin again but at two, Kelly manages to break free and goes for a roll up over her own but Layla kicks her off. Layla then hits a low dropkick on Kelly. Lay then begins pulling at Kelly’s hair but gets an overhead kick from Kelly who then begins smashing her head face-first into the canvas.

A fired up Kelly is on her feet now and riles up the crowd to get behind her as she gains momentum with some offense. Kelly whips Layla into the ropes, but Layla manages to hit that impressive cradle pin on Kelly and nearly has the match won but K2 kicks out.

Read more

Raw Redux (October 11th, 2010): Lay-Cool and The Bearded Lady

After the frustrating mess that was the Divas action on Raw last, WWE decided to forgo a match altogether this week and have Natalya and Lay-Cool cut a promo in the ring. Will they be able to deliver on the mic or will we be just as upset as last week? Check out the segment … Read more

Divas Championship Rematch Added to Bragging Rights

Third-generation Diva, Natalya will receive another championship opportunity against Lay-Cool at Bragging Rights in two weeks time, it has been announced. The bout will be a rematch from from Natalya’s initial title shot against Michelle McCool at Hell in a Cell. However, that match ended in controversy after Layla threw her shoe in the ring, … Read more

SmackDown Redux (October 8th, 2010): So Natalya Versus Lay-Cool Isn’t Over?

Previously on WWE television…

Natalya faced off against Michelle McCool, one-half of the self proclaimed co-Diva’s Unified Champions, in a riveting match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. The third generation Diva defeated the champion by disqualification when Michelle’s partner-in-crime, the vivacious Layla interfered by throwing her shoe. Natalya was left in the ring with a hollow victory and no title to show for it. The next night on Raw, Natalya got a chance to take three seconds of her frustration out on Alicia Fox, and picked up a win, while Lay-Cool fell to defeat thanks to a dastardly twin switch orchestrated by those darn Bella twins! Those events led the majority of us to think that perhaps Lay-Cool versus Natalya was officially over. But maybe it’s not! Tonight, Layla steps inside in the ring against long-time rival, Kelly Kelly. Michelle will be at ringside but guess who will be joining her…

The team of Lay-Cool are the first to enter the ring on this glorious Friday night. Layla is wearing her SmackDown best and Michelle is wearing a T-shirt that has been constructed to say “Flawless Dynasty.” Lay-Cool play to the crowd who thank their lucky stars that the two girls aren’t wearing microphones tonight. Their ring entrance is short lived because pretty soon Kelly and Natalya make their way to the ring. Kelly is supporting her American heritage with a red, white, and blue flag attire and Nattie is dressed in her usual pink and black. Layla and Michelle aren’t so excited to see Kelly and they immediately begin to hold their noses and act like her smell is the worse than the a men’s locker-room after football practice. From the outside of the ring, Michelle gives Layla some last minute instructions and when the bell rings Layla scoots into the ring and locks up with Kelly.

Layla wraps Kelly in a headlock and flips her down to the mat on her back. She goes for a quick cover but Kelly is out after the one count. Both girls scamper to their feet and Kelly goes for Layla and throws her down on the mat. Layla rolls out of the way and gets up, clearly pissed off. She shoves Kelly who takes it like a woman, and then shoves Layla back just a little harder. Kelly attempts to follow it up but Layla kicks her right in the stomach, wrenches the arm, and then follows it up with another kick, this time to the ribs. Kelly tries to hook her arms around Layla’s waist but Layla backs her up to the ropes and nails her with an elbow to the side of the skull. Layla kicks Kelly in the stomach once again and this time the happy-go-lucky blond awkwardly falls through the ropes. Layla distracts the referee and Michelle sneaks up behind Kelly and kicks her again just for the hell of it. That prompts Natalya to come around the ring from the other side. The referee stops her before she can do anything and Layla slides out of the ring to get her opponent. Kelly is tossed back into the ring.

Read more

Raw Redux (October 4, 2010): Blink and You Missed It… Twice

After a decent showing and a controversial finish at Hell in a Cell, Diva fans were looking for some storyline progression in this Natalya/Lay-Cool rivalry. Well that simply wasn’t the case. Instead we were treated to a couple of lightning fast matches and a heaped helping of confusion on the side. First up, Natalya faces off against Alicia Fox in a match that flew past so fast, it broke the sound barrier:

We start off with both Divas already in the ring and neither one get so much as an introduction. The referee signals for the bell and Alicia goes on the attack with a flurry strikes. Natalya reverses an Irish whip to the turnbuckle, but gets a kick to the face for her trouble.

Read more