Summerslam Preview
Summerslam is live tonight on PPV. Here's your Diva-related preview.
Natalya vs. Brie Bella (And yes, I know this has been turned into a tag match, but WWE hasn't updated their site)
They say life imitates art, so what to make of this SummerSlam grudge match between two of WWE’s longest-tenured Divas, and the rivalry between them that has stemmed from, of all things, their dueling presence on the nation’s hottest new reality show?
It’s no secret that The Bella Twins harbor a fondness for bullying Natalya, labeling her as the Divas division’s resident “ugly duckling” and dismissing her contributions as the de facto mentor to the newbies, Eva Marie and JoJo on E!’s “Total Divas.” Ever since the show’s record-setting premiere two weeks ago, the hostility has only increased, and now Natalya (flanked by The Funkadactyls) and Brie (alongside Nikki Bella & Eva Marie) will meet in a rematch at the summer classic to settle the score.
Whereas “Total Divas” has shown Brie’s home life to be a relatively sweet, loving affair, the warm and fuzzy side of the Bella twin has not translated remotely to the ring. There, she’s been as vindictive as ever in her weeks-long attempt to psychologically destroy the “Queen of Harts” and establish herself as the division’s most viable, visible personality. She’s defeated Natalya with her sister’s help, provoked her into physicality backstage and exploited the former Divas Champion’s supposed insecurity at every turn to knock her off the pedestal she has earned for herself. What Brie may not have counted on is that Natalya, raised by and around some of the most decorated competitors in sports-entertainment history, does all her talking inside the ring.
So, instead of cheap-shot slaps, there will be closed-fist punches. Instead of kazoo quacking, there will be jaw-rattling kicks.
There will be hell to pay when these two stars of the screen and ring clash under the bright lights of the Staples Center. And, as always, the cameras will be watching.
Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs. Big E Langston & Divas Champion AJ Lee
Two of WWE’s most compelling and personal rivalries will be wrapped into one truly intriguing - albeit unorthodox - package when Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn take on Big E Langston & Divas Champion AJ Lee in a Mixed Tag Team Match at SummerSlam. With heartbreak, betrayal and deceit being just a few of the underlying themes at play in this messy composite of mentors and protégés, ex-best friends and, yes, even ex-lovers, there is no telling how these four volatile elements will combine when the bell rings on Aug. 18.
Barely two months removed from his memorable, if fleeting, World Heavyweight Championship reign, Ziggler finds himself still entangled in the web of his ex-squeeze AJ. Not only has WWE’s “Black Widow” publicly vandalized The Showoff’s property since their breakup, but the vindictive vixen has also enlisted Big E Langston to do her bidding.
Once Ziggler’s reliable “heavy,” the scary-strong Langston, a longtime associate of the Divas Champion, has shown no qualms about pouncing on The Showoff. Nor did he express any reluctance to go along with AJ’s intricate catfishing scheme perpetrated against Kaitlyn months ago.
That humiliating memory is undoubtedly fresh in the mind of “The Hybrid Diva.” Fresher yet is the memory of Kaitlyn’s recent Divas Title Match against Lee on SmackDown. Although Kaitlyn appeared one Spear away from recapturing the butterfly-emblazoned title, an unexpected intrusion by Layla turned the tides in that championship duel, which Kaitlyn ultimately lost. Could Layla’s newfound collusion with AJ again rear its head during the Mixed Tag Team Match?
At SummerSlam, the plotting, head games and sneak attacks will all fall to the periphery as four of WWE’s most dynamic athletes meet head-on in this deeply personal matchup.
Natalya vs. Brie Bella (And yes, I know this has been turned into a tag match, but WWE hasn't updated their site)
They say life imitates art, so what to make of this SummerSlam grudge match between two of WWE’s longest-tenured Divas, and the rivalry between them that has stemmed from, of all things, their dueling presence on the nation’s hottest new reality show?
It’s no secret that The Bella Twins harbor a fondness for bullying Natalya, labeling her as the Divas division’s resident “ugly duckling” and dismissing her contributions as the de facto mentor to the newbies, Eva Marie and JoJo on E!’s “Total Divas.” Ever since the show’s record-setting premiere two weeks ago, the hostility has only increased, and now Natalya (flanked by The Funkadactyls) and Brie (alongside Nikki Bella & Eva Marie) will meet in a rematch at the summer classic to settle the score.
Whereas “Total Divas” has shown Brie’s home life to be a relatively sweet, loving affair, the warm and fuzzy side of the Bella twin has not translated remotely to the ring. There, she’s been as vindictive as ever in her weeks-long attempt to psychologically destroy the “Queen of Harts” and establish herself as the division’s most viable, visible personality. She’s defeated Natalya with her sister’s help, provoked her into physicality backstage and exploited the former Divas Champion’s supposed insecurity at every turn to knock her off the pedestal she has earned for herself. What Brie may not have counted on is that Natalya, raised by and around some of the most decorated competitors in sports-entertainment history, does all her talking inside the ring.
So, instead of cheap-shot slaps, there will be closed-fist punches. Instead of kazoo quacking, there will be jaw-rattling kicks.
There will be hell to pay when these two stars of the screen and ring clash under the bright lights of the Staples Center. And, as always, the cameras will be watching.
Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs. Big E Langston & Divas Champion AJ Lee
Two of WWE’s most compelling and personal rivalries will be wrapped into one truly intriguing - albeit unorthodox - package when Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn take on Big E Langston & Divas Champion AJ Lee in a Mixed Tag Team Match at SummerSlam. With heartbreak, betrayal and deceit being just a few of the underlying themes at play in this messy composite of mentors and protégés, ex-best friends and, yes, even ex-lovers, there is no telling how these four volatile elements will combine when the bell rings on Aug. 18.
Barely two months removed from his memorable, if fleeting, World Heavyweight Championship reign, Ziggler finds himself still entangled in the web of his ex-squeeze AJ. Not only has WWE’s “Black Widow” publicly vandalized The Showoff’s property since their breakup, but the vindictive vixen has also enlisted Big E Langston to do her bidding.
Once Ziggler’s reliable “heavy,” the scary-strong Langston, a longtime associate of the Divas Champion, has shown no qualms about pouncing on The Showoff. Nor did he express any reluctance to go along with AJ’s intricate catfishing scheme perpetrated against Kaitlyn months ago.
That humiliating memory is undoubtedly fresh in the mind of “The Hybrid Diva.” Fresher yet is the memory of Kaitlyn’s recent Divas Title Match against Lee on SmackDown. Although Kaitlyn appeared one Spear away from recapturing the butterfly-emblazoned title, an unexpected intrusion by Layla turned the tides in that championship duel, which Kaitlyn ultimately lost. Could Layla’s newfound collusion with AJ again rear its head during the Mixed Tag Team Match?
At SummerSlam, the plotting, head games and sneak attacks will all fall to the periphery as four of WWE’s most dynamic athletes meet head-on in this deeply personal matchup.