6 Ups And 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (August 31st)
6. Record-Breaking Awfulness
Weve now reached the point where Nikki Bella is putting up a countdown to her record-setting Divas Championship reign on the Bellatron, showing that shes two weeks away from breaking AJ Lees record 295-day reign. The bad news is that she hasnt defended her title in 58 days. The good news is that she will defend her title against Charlotte at Night of Champions. But the bad news is that this will take place a week after Nikki breaks AJs record and just after she eclipses 300 days. So she is setting a record by not defending the title for 75-plus days, or one-quarter of her entire reign. On one hand, this and the deliciously awful Bellatron helps finally establish Nikki and Team Bella as villainesses. Bragging about a title reign when you never defend the title is a surefire way to get heat. But heres where the real frustration sets in: No one is calling Nikki on it. Shouldnt Paige or Charlotte call her out for not defending her title since July 4th? Wouldnt that add some meaning to things? There is one thing that could really turn things around if WWE wanted to be bold: Have Charlotte cash in her title shot for the Divas Championship in two weeks on Raw. It would be just a day short of 295 days, which would add a huge layer of intrigue to the record rather than just letting it pass unchallenged for two-and-a-half months.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.