This one sank before it had a chance to swim, poor girl. Emma made a huge impression in NXT with her klutzy, awkward dancer gimmick. Maybe it was the theme music, maybe it was her delusional self confidence, but it was over like crazy. On top of that, when she actually got in the ring (tumbling and flailing through the ropes to do so) she could actually WRESTLE. Her rivalry with Paige was a big attraction for the brand, culminating in a match at NXT ArRIVAL, during which fans chanted "BETTER THAN BATISTA!". Not difficult, but still, props. When she made it up to the main roster, however, everything seemed to fall apart. The wider WWE audience just didn't seem to GET the gimmick. It felt like being the outsider to somebody else's inside joke. Even a goofy romance angle with the equally awkward Santino didn't help. This sadly meant that Emma never really had a chance to show off her in-ring ability in WWE, which is tragic. So a gimmick change could be the shakeup she needs to kick-start her career. One potential idea is to play off her real life arrest for theft and have her as a gum-chewing bad girl, straight off a saturday morning cartoon show. Anything to add a bit of flavour to the lifeless Divas division.
Stephen Maher has been a rock star, a bouncer, a banker and a busker on various streets in various countries. He's hung out with Robert Plant, he was at Nelson Mandela's birthday and he's swapped stories with prostitutes and crack addicts. He once performed at a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by accident. These days, he passes the time by writing about music, wrestling, games and other forms of nerdery. And he rarely drinks the blood of the innocent.
