Smark Out Moment

Each week, DIVAS DEBRIEF runs down the events that transpired in women's professional wrestling from the past couple of days. From the WWE Divas to the TNA Knockouts including some other companies as well, Smark Out Moment attempts to keep you up to date on all things going on with the ladies of the ring.


On this edition, Naomi & Tamina Snuka build momentum ahead of their Payback tag team match against the Bella Twins, Sasha Banks prepares for next week’s Takeover: Unstoppable, and Taryn Terrell makes things personal with Gail Kim.


Tamina Snuka vs Brie Bella

Last week, a scheduled match between Divas Champion Nikki Bella and Naomi was derailed by a rapid assault by Naomi and a returning Tamina Snuka. This new alliance is already challenging the dominance of the Bella Twins over the Divas Division, and will battle the sisters at Payback. On RAW, Tamina made her in-ring return against Brie, and was keen to demonstrate that her close to year-long injury hell was firmly behind her.

Tamina was the aggressor for the vast majority of this contest, which was important in reintroducing her to the fans in the best possible way. She targeted the lower back of Brie, with knees and forearms working over that body part. Naomi strutted around, clearly delighted by the dominance of her cousin-in-law. Tamina was hardly even off her feet unless she wanted to be, as any offense Brie could muster was soon shut down. Even Nikki seemed despondent and almost ready to accept a loss in the face of this onslaught.

Brie battled back towards the conclusion, a missile dropkick finally able to take the daughter of Jimmy Snuka off her vertical base. This was followed up by a running knee to Tamina against the ropes, but an attempt at a second was blocked, and Brie was rocked by a wicked super kick to the face which resulted in her defeat. A dominant return for Tamina, but the match did have some sloppy exchanges that prevent it from being deemed great. Still, it is likely just ring rust, and I’m still looking forward to their upcoming tag team encounter on Sunday.



Naomi & Tamina Snuka vs Natalya & Alicia Fox

If there is a Diva that best typifies the lack of effort WWE Creative puts into the Divas Division, it is Alicia Fox. I feel so sorry for her, as she is a very capable wrestler and actress, but is unable to get any real character development due to being flipped between heel and face without any consideration whatsoever. On Main Event this week, she made a move back to the good when she teamed with Natalya against the combination of Naomi & Tamina Snuka, who would be looking to build momentum prior to their Payback match against the Bella Twins.

Naomi begins the match on the receiving end of some solid teamwork by Natayla and Fox. I do enjoy the clear chemistry between her and Natalya in the ring, but they’ve fought so often in 2015 that I’ve become slightly numb to it, so adding Fox into the mix freshened it up a bit. Naomi eventually is able to escape by ducking the Discus Clothesline, and Tamina barges in with one of her own. Tamina seems to be relishing her role alongside Naomi, as she beats down on her Canadian opponent and taunts the crowd.

Fox eventually gets back in the action, and looks really impressive with a flurry of dropkicks and a tilt-the-world backbreaker – the crowd got very excited with this aggression. However, when Natalya and Tamina interfere and get sent out to ringside, Naomi blindsides Fox with a forearm smash and chokes her on the bottom rope. With the referee’s back turned, Tamina lands a definitive superkick to the face of Fox, which secures their team the victory. A solid match, and builds hope for the potential of the tag team match at Payback.



Seven Man Lucha Match

For those that are fans of Lucha Underground, you will appreciate that the storylines and stipulations can enter the world of the bizarre and melodramatic very often. So, when boss Dario Cueto announced a seven man lucha match with the prize up for stake an ancient Aztec medallion, which could grant the holder a chance at immortality. Whether he is being literal or metaphorical is anybody’s guess on this show, but it leads to a multi-person match which is the roster’s specialty.

The focus for Divas Debrief however is the performance of Sexy Star, one of their female wrestlers that never shies away from tangling with the men. Whilst she has the heart of a lion and doesn’t quit, she struggled to make an impression in this bout due to the immense power of the likes of Cage and King Cuerno. She used her speed and savvy skills to escape their clutches, before leaping from the top rope onto Pentagon Jr, one of her most heated rivals. Pentagon would get his revenge later on in the match however, with his patented driver taking Sexy out of commission.

Pentagon proved the threat later again when his innovation led to both a Package Piledriver on Fenix and a Gory neckbreaker on Sexy simultaneously. The despicable luchadore then attempted to break the arm of Fenix like he has done to many others, but Sexy saved him, only to pay the price as Pentagon dropped her onto both his knees with a gutbuster.



Sasha Banks vs KC Cassidy

NXT Takeover: Unstoppable is less than a week away, and one the most compelling contests pits former allies against one another for the NXT Women’s Championship. Champion Sasha Banks was the one who originally brought the fire and aggression out of her challenger Becky Lynch, and that might come back to haunt her on Wednesday. The Boss though will not relinquish her belt easily, and will look to use this exhibition against newcomer KC Cassidy to show Lynch what she can expect when they clash.

Cassidy starts out though with some quick pin attempts to briefly scare the champion, but these were just a short burst. Banks quickly assumes control, with her double knees across the gut of Cassidy in the corner. She even takes the opportunity to mock Lynch by performing her signature taunt through the ropes, before finishing off Cassidy with the Bank Statement crossface. Lynch certainly will prove a tougher prospect, but Banks at least enters that contest on a high note.

Alexa Bliss vs Carmella

In the second Divas match of the night, two ladies that have been overlooked in recent weeks get an opportunity to perform, with Alexa Bliss battling Carmella. The Queen of Staten Island has had more on her plate, as she has supported Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady’s bid to become NXT Tag Team Champions. But this leads to the presence of Blake & Murphy during this contest, trying to get into the head of Carmella prior to their title defense.

In the end, the antics outside the ring overshadowed the action between the ropes. Bliss and Carmella are still developing and are a little raw in the ring. They have some really excellent features: I love Bliss’ acrobatics and desire to push boundaries, and Carmella’s showmanship is great, but they just need some refinement. Bliss eventually secures the victory with the Sparkle Splash after some distraction by Blake & Murphy. But, Carmella has the last laugh, running down the champions with her sharp tongue, and looking forward to their SAWFT partnership losing the belts at Takeover.



The Dollhouse vs Brooke & Rebel

The Dollhouse continue to keep a stranglehold on the Knockouts Division, as the trio of Taryn Terrell, Marti Belle and Jade’s crazed aggressiveness shows no signs of slowing down. This week, the Knockout’s Champion stood at ringside to watch her new cohorts team up against Brooke and Rebel. Both of the leggy brunettes will be looking to shake the foundations of the Dollhouse somewhat with a victory.

Yet, the vicious new tandem did not even allow their opponents to complete their entrances before they are on the assault. Rebel becomes the main target, and whilst she battles back initially against Jade, the numbers game catches up to her with Brooke on the floor. My first impressions of the Dollhouse is that Jade has a great deal more in-ring capability, but Marti Belle shows more personality with her character.

Brooke eventually re-enters the contest and speedily switches the momentum into her sides favor with a beating on Jade. However, when she tags Rebel back in for a split leg drop off the top rope, she misses the target and lands hard on her leg. Jade and Marti Belle then proceed to drop both the rivals with double-team slams in quick succession, the one on Rebel earning them the pinfall victory. But for the Dollhouse and Terrell in particular, the night was far from over, as they took personal rivalry to a whole new level.


Terrell returned to the ring later in the night in a robe, and talked at length about her closeness to Gail Kim’s stepdaughters, and about what she was planning for Kim’s husband Robert. She then stripped down to the lingerie she was wearing underneath, and Kim could not stand this any longer. She charged the ring, getting in the face of Terrell for this personal attack, and when the Knockout’s Champion bluntly stated that Robert knew she was more woman than his own wife, Kim’s fury cleared the ring of the Dollhouse members. This feud is heating up immensely.


So there you have it, the breakdown for the week in women's wrestling. What were some of your favorite and least favorite moments from these women? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!