Nikki Bella vs Natalya:
Grade: 7.5/10
This was a much better bout than expected, and the two women were given a substantial amount of time to work with.
The stipulation that the winner would be Captain for the Smackdown Women’s team at Survivor Series did increase the significance of the bout, but wouldn’t it have been more fitting for the Smackdown Women’s Champion or the number one contender to be given a chance to captain the team?
Nonetheless, Nikki Bella earned a solid victory using a modified version of the STF, which was a nice nod to her boyfriend John Cena after his prominence in her promo last week.
Natalya is one of the most underutilised women on the roster, and hopefully, WWE notice that sooner rather than later and give her a significant program to work with, as she can wrestle some stellar matches. Carmella’s attack made sense after last week’s heated exchange on the mic, and it continues the bad blood between Bella and Carmella.
Overall, a splendid women’s match that also led to the Bella-Carmella rivalry continuing for the time being.
