What’s the story?
ESPN has announced that Turner Sports and WME | IMG’s ELeague are to host a celebrity Street Fighter V tournament in Atlanta (Georgia, USA) tomorrow (April 28).
The tournament will consist of four participants, namely basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, former NFL running back Reggie Bush, Grammy-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco, and star of ‘Total Divas’ Natalie Eva Marie, better known to WWE fans as SmackDown Live star Eva Marie. Each participant will donate money to the charity of their choice.
In case you didn’t know...
Eva Marie was all set for a big push on SmackDown Live following the 2016 Draft, but a wellness policy violation in August of that same year put the brakes on her momentum. Eva Marie has not been seen on SmackDown Live since, and speculation has mounted that she may well be on her way out of the company altogether.
Despite her lack of in-ring appearances, Eva Marie continues to be a useful mainstream media tool for WWE. Her appearance in this tournament will come as no surprise to long-time viewers.
The heart of the matter
The tournament will be a swift one, with two semi-finals preceding a final. Each of the celebrities has named their charity of choice – Shaq going for the Odessa Chambliss Quality of Life Fund, Fiasco plumping for his own M.U.R.A.L (Magnifying Urban Realities and Affecting Lives) and Bush supporting 619 Charitable Fund. Eva Marie is going to be supporting the American Cancer Society.
Also read: 5 Things you didn’t know about Eva Marie
While a WWE performer taking part in a celebrity tournament is nothing new, what is most of interest here is that Eva Marie is billed as being a ‘Total Divas’ star as opposed to a ‘WWE Superstar’. Such a designation will add further fuel to the fire for those claiming that her days as an in-ring competitor are over. Marie also received the most quotes in ESPN’s coverage of the event, warning the other competitors that they ’should be nervous to see what I have been working on’.
Marie claims that she is an avid gamer in her downtime, a common theme running through the current WWE roster.
What’s next?
The tournament will be broadcast live on TBS, and commentary and analysis will be provided by Richard Lewis, Steve ‘Tasty Steve’ Scott, Stephen ‘Sajam’ Lyon and more. Will Eva Marie prevail and make it a good day for Total Divas and the American Cancer Society? We won’t have to wait long to find out.
Author’s take
It seems less and less likely that Eva Marie will return to in-ring competition in WWE, and while some may be disappointed by this, this writer is not included in that ‘some’. Eva Marie was given all of the opportunities yet failed to make any real progress, and while she most certainly attracted heat, this was because of what she couldn’t do. While most certainly useful as a WWE personality, few fans will shed tears at the thought of All Red Everything not wrestling again.
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