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SmackDown Redux (December 10th, 2010): Lay-Cool Humbled. For Now.

So this week on WWE television we were treated to a double dose of Lay-Cool (Layla and Michelle McCool for those of you who are new to WWE wrestling…) as the former co-Diva Champions appear on Raw and their home show, SmackDown. On Raw, we were privy to their innermost thoughts as they joined the team of Jerry “The King” Lawler, Josh Matthews, and CM (God) Punk for commentary. Post Natalya/Melina match, Lay-Cool treated the champ to a beatdown. Typical Lay-Cool, eh? Well on SmackDown, Natalya made sure the same fate didn’t await her as she took on Layla in a singles match. The hot Canadian Diva brought a partner down to the ring with her.

Beth Phoenix, the Glamazon. Lets take a look at what went down.

Lay-Cool head to the ring first and can I just break kayfabe here for one second and say, my damn Michelle looks fierce tonight?! At times, she truly does put other women to shame. But anyway, Lay-Cool are walking to the ring and up on the Titan Tron a video package highlighting what went down between Lay-Cool and Natalya at the conclusion of Monday’s match against Melina started to play. Lay-Cool were quite proud of their actions and Layla even started to stroke her imaginary beard as the girls got settled inside the ring. Natalya’s music hits and the WWE Diva’s Champion makes her way onto the stage. She pauses and smiles (while she wears my favorite outfit of hers) and she looks down at the ring. That smile gets even brighter when Natalya’s music fades and the Glamazon’s music hits. Beth walks out and joins Natalya, much to the chagrin of Lay-Cool, and both blonde beauties walk down to the ring.

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Raw Redux (December 6, 2010): Melina Taps, Lay-Cool Are Back, Twin Magic on Maryse

On this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw, Diva fans were treated to a double-shot of action in the form of a mixed tag match featuring Maryse and Ted DiBiase vs the team of Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan, as well as Natalya vs Melina in a non-title bout. First up, the mixed tag team match:

First out are the power couple of Maryse and Teddy, who have had a bit of tension between them in the past couple of weeks. While the million dollar couple prepare inside the ring, we cut backstage to smiling Nikki Bella, who goes to knock on Daniel Bryan’s dressing room door. However, before she can knock, the door opens and Bryan walks out with Brie Bella on his arm. Nikki asks Brie what she’s doing there and is informed that Brie volunteered to be Daniel’s partner tonight. Nikki smiles as her sister walks off with the U.S champ, but her expression quickly turns sour once they’re out of sight.

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Raw Redux (November 29th, 2010): Santino Strikes Again

Last week, Natalya asserted her dominance over the Divas division in a unbeweavable singles match against the feisty Alicia Fox. This week she leads the team of Gail Kim and Melina against Alicia, Maryse and Tamina. Will she be able to be victorious once again? Check out the match below:\

Out first is the heel team and we are treated to a replay of the odd, yet entertaining exchange between Tamina and Santino. I should have known this was a precursor to what was to come later in this match, but I ignored it. Silly me.

Out next is the babyface team, who get a pretty good reaction from the crowd. After the obligatory posing to the crowd, the referee takes the belt from Nattie and starts the match with Melina and Maryse kicking things off for their respective teams. As we all know there’s no love lost between these two, so it was no surprise to see these two go toe to toe in the middle of the ring. In her usual cocky fashion, Maryse piefaced Melina, but gets a stiff forearm for her troubles. Melina mounts the French-Canadian beauty and they roll around for a bit, before Maryse manages to escape under the bottom rope.

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SmackDown Redux (November 26th, 2010): Black Friday is Dark Indeed for Michelle McCool

The moment we had all been waiting for finally happened at Survivor Series last Sunday. Natalya defeated Lay-Cool (Layla and Michelle McCool) to become the new Diva’s Champion and Beth Phoenix made her highly anticipated return. The possibilities of a Natalya title reign are endless, and there are some mouth watering match-ups in there to boot. But first, we have to concentrate on SmackDown and after Nattie basically sent Lay-Cool packing on Raw, the egotistical devious duo were not in great moods. Michelle took on Kelly Kelly in a singles match. Lets go see how it worked out.

Lay-Cool’s music is playing as SmackDown comes back from a break or something. Both Layla and Michelle have microphones, and Michelle is dressed to wrestle. She says that Lay-Cool’s music needs to be cut and mentions that neither she nor her BFF are in the mood for shenanigans tonight. Layla believes that she’s currently having the worst week ever and Michelle claims that Natalya has stolen the Diva’s Championship which is apparently property of Lay-Cool. They insult Natalya and complain about what happened on Monday night. Neither are amused that Natalya had them kicked out of Raw. Lay-Cool say that they hate Raw and then begin to talk about how beautiful the people of Jacksonville, Florida are.

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Raw Redux (November 22nd, 2010): Lay-Cool Denied and the Weave Flies!

Last night’s edition of Monday Night Raw was a solid show overall, but was very good to the Divas in particular. Not only did we get a solid match, we had several entertaining segments, as well. First we got a segment featuring the new Divas Champion, Natalyaand the former champions Lay-Cool. Check out the segment below:

Pretty good stuff here in this segment. I found Lay-Cool’s diva act pretty funny and seeing them get shut down by security was also pretty funny. Hopefully, this is a sign that Lay-Cool won’t be such a strong presence in the Divas division for the time being. I like Lay-Cool as characters and competitors, but they have pretty much been running the division. It will be a nice change of pace to see some of the other Divas get into the title picture.

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Survivor Series in Review: A Dream Becomes Reality for Nattie, Plus the Glamazon Strikes Back

Last night’s Survivor Series 2010 marked the third meeting between Co-Divas Champions, Lay-Cool and the third generation Diva, Natalya. Natalya has faced off against both members of Lay-Cool individually and came up short, but last night the odds were stacked even more against. This time she’d have to face both members in a 2-on-1 handicap match. Can the first lady of The Hart Dynasty take out the BFF champions to become the first ever third generation Divas Champion? Check out the match below:

Out first are the Co-Divas Champions and Michelle McCool is looking stunning in a copper variation of her usual ring gear. Layla… not so much. I don’t know what it is about Divas and mixing neon colors and weird prints, but it never looks good and this was no exception. I’m usually a big fan of Layla’s choices in ring gear, but this was a definite miss for her.

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Trish Stratus Weighs in on Natalya and Beth at Survivor Series

From a current Hall of Famer to a future one, Trish Stratus has also commented on last night’s Divas action at Survivor Series via her Twitter page. She wrote: Big PPV last nite! Congrats to my girl @natbynature on becoming new Divas Champ–so proud! And welcome back @thebethphoenix…I see some good wrestling on the horizon … Read more

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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