'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Last night on Monday Night RAW, Nikki Bella pulled off a shocking upset when she defeated Beth Phoenix for the WWE Divas title in a Lumberjill Match. As the match spilled outside, Phoenix jumped off the ring apron to continue the attack, but in the process, seemed to land awkwardly and sprain her ankle. A few moments later (after the Lumberjills brawled for a bit), Nikki’s twin sister Brie through a hobbling Phoenix back into the ring, where she was quick prey for a schoolgirl roll-up by Nikki, thus ending Phoenix’s near record-breaking reign as champion (the current record holder is Maryse at 213 days).
After the match, doctors checked on Phoenix to see if she was okay. Phoenix appeared to be in a lot of pain, crying as the trainers and doctors helped her to the back. Later that night, it was posted on WWE.com that Phoenix had suffered a sprain and there would be an MRI done in order to determine whether or not she would need surgery.
As it turns out, PWInsider.com has confirmed that this is all an angle that only a few people were in on. Beth Phoenix is okay, and the injury was totally fabricated. However, she was so good in her role that numerous WWE Superstars and personnel backstage were convinced that she legitimately hurt herself. Phoenix reportedly continued to sell the injury after leaving the arena after the show, as well as at the airport this morning.
So, why the ruse? It has been in the plans for a bit for Phoenix to drop the title to Nikki Bella in order to set up a match between her and Kharma, who is expected to return to WWE any moment. If you don’t remember, around this time last year, Kharma announced that she was pregnant and would be taking the next 9 months off. During her announcement, the Bellas came to the ring and began mocking her for crying and supposedly acting like a baby. Kharma simply smiled and said she’d hold onto that thought for when she returned, and would be taking care of the twins in the process.
Kharma should be back in the next couple weeks, if not sooner, and it is expected that she will get her long-awaited match with Nikki Bella, more or less squashing her in the process and becoming the new champion. This kills two birds with one stone. The first is, Kharma is expected to feud with Beth Phoenix immediately after the program with the Bellas. The second, it has been reported that the contracts for the Bellas are up in the next couple weeks, and there has been little to no interest in re-signing them, so having Kharma “injure” them on television will be a great way to remove them from the show, and allow her to smoothly transition into the feud with Phoenix, who should be “100% healed” at that point.
