I went into tonight’s episode with the mindset of wanting Nikki Bella and Paige to prove to me why I should care about their match at this point, over a month since Bella’s turn at SummerSlam. I know, of course, that plans definitely changed following Brie Bella’s shoulder injury, but I just feel like the pivot to the Nikki and Paige singles feud should have been much quicker than this, and the direction they took tonight in the women’s face-off backstage just wasn’t it.
It’s simple, and it seemed like they had the premise of it down once Nikki finally got the chance to cut her own promo a few weeks ago. She blames Paige for her sister getting injured and ruining her return, and what the Bellas wanted to be their eventual run for the Women’s Tag Team Championships. That’s what WWE is running with right now, as we saw in tonight’s backstage segment with Cathy Kelley, but it’s taken a month for the feud to really get underway.
Last week, we saw Nikki return and take out Paige from behind following her loss to Jacy Jayne. That’s why I figured we’d really get things going tonight, and sure, they tried. Nikki started off blaming Paige for Brie’s injury and ruining her comeback, but then, she pivoted into obvious references about Paige’s past, calling her a “D-grade skank” who has “more passion behind closed doors” than in the ring. Yuck.
I was surprised we also saw Paige in this segment, and she went just as low, which I found kind of odd for her as the babyface, when she referenced Nikki’s past engagement to John Cena. Paige said Nikki’s always hated her because she built her career on “hustle, loyalty, and respect.” If Nikki doesn’t bring it next week during their match in Mexico City, Paige promised to “end her career quicker than her last relationship.” Not as low of a blow as Nikki referencing Paige’s leaked explicit videos from almost ten years ago, but an overplayed line about a relationship Nikki hasn’t been in for years.
I went into this wanting a reason to care, and checked out of the segment on the first reference to the past. There are just some things WWE doesn’t need women to bring up consistently in feuds and promos, even if they agree to it. It’s tired, overplayed, and I don’t want to see this match anymore than I did before, when I already knew this feud was doomed following Brie’s injury.
Written by Daisy Ruth
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