STEP UP: Nikki Bella
I didn’t do a Stars in Progress column last week, so this praise is a bit late coming in.
Anyone who caught Main Event last week probably joined in my surprise at how competently Nikki Bella matched up with Paige in their non-title match. There were no Twin Magic shenanigans. Nikki the heel didn’t even try to cheat. Not only did they have one of the better Divas matches in recent memory, but the champion was booked strong, and perhaps for the first time looked like she had a total command of herself and her opponent inside the ring.
I still haven’t forgiven WWE for how poorly they’ve written the twins since their program left the spotlight, but this was a version of the champ I want to see more of. To be fair, the “strong-champion-who-decisively-wins-matches” gimmick works a whole lot better on a babyface you can cheer for, but let’s be realistic – any positive momentum on a Diva is more than I could ask for at this point.
