No one expected this match to be anywhere near as entertaining as it was, and a large portion of that credit needs to go to Stephanie. Shes been on fire for the last 6 months, serving as arguably one of the two most effective heels in the entire business (the other being Paul Heyman). Now granted, when you two best villains arent even wrestlers thats a problem that needs to be remedied, but its hard not to enjoy her character in all its megalomaniacal, power-mad glory. This was the third highest billed match on the card, and WWE promoted it as such, ending consecutive Raws with angles revolving around the feud. There was much trepidation on the part of the audience due to the fact that, despite improving greatly over the course of the last year or so, Brie Bella isnt a very good worker to begin with and Stephanie hasnt had an actual match in over a decade. But the two ladies went out and did their best to entertain the crowd, and for the most part they absolutely did. Theres just something about those McMahons. Performing is in their genes, because despite having very little formal training, anytime Steph, Vince and especially Shane have stepped in the ring its usually a wildly entertaining affair. The decision to turn Nikki heel on her sister is one that was heavily rumored and telegraphed, but there wasnt anywhere else left to go with them so it was a nice change. Stephanie used her considerable size and strength advantage to toss Brie around like a rag doll and looked far better in the ring than most of the active Divas. Give her credit: She knows her role and plays it to perfection, and last night was no exception. But the most impressive thing was the actual quality of the match, keeping people engaged and not the usual bathroom break stigma that most Divas matches are plagued with.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
