10 Wrestling Matches We Didn’t Know Changed EVERYTHING

9. Paige & Emma Vs. The Bella Twins - WWE Monday Night RAW, February 23, 2015

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WWE.com

The duration of this match was an insult. It lasted 30 seconds on a three hour episode of Monday Night RAW.

It wasn't just the duration; the way the finish was laid out framed the losers as something worse than that. Paige looked distressed on the apron, like she just couldn't wait to get at the Bella Twins. Emma tried to cool her down. It isn't worth it, she seemed to gesture. Keep your cool, and we'll get 'em in the context of a competitive match. We'll win the right way.

Emma and Paige swiftly lost after Brie Bella knocked Paige off the apron, and like a total numbskull, she checked on her opponent and walked, very slowly, into a Bella Buster. And that was that: a non-match that rendered ironic Paige's 'anti-Diva' nickname. Livid at her peers being booked to look like airhead afterthoughts, AJ Lee spearheaded a resistance on social media. #GiveDivasAChance trended in the wake of this abject match, marking the genesis point of the Divas/Women's Revolution.

Infuriatingly, WWE subsequently framed this as a concept of its own making, as marketed by Stephanie McMahon. Obnoxious, patronising and wildly out of touch, it is a testament to the talent that this all ultimately materialised as classic Last Man Standing matches and the earned main event of WrestleMania.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!