User blog:CEDJunior/Divas Tag Team Action @ Payback 2015

For Divas fans such as myself, WWE's Payback event has featured the most memorable moments for the women of the promotion. As we all recall, it was at the first event that AJ Lee began her record 295-day reign as Divas Champion, and it was at last year's event that Brie Bella delivered the "Slap Heard Round the World" towards Stephanie McMahon. So it seems like a tradition that a Diva will breakout and make a name for herself at Payback, but before I continue with that, let's get started with this upcoming tag team bout at Sunday's event, which will see the Bellas face off against Naomi and Tamina Snuka.

On April 13, Naomi finally reached her breaking point after losing a #1 Contender's Battle Royal to Paige, shed her good girl image, and became an evil villainess by attacking Paige in brutal fashion. Naomi barged her way into the front of the Divas Championship line with her attack and received her shot at Extreme Rules, but still came up short against Nikki Bella. A bitter Naomi took her loss out on Brie on the following evening and soundly defeated her, but that was just the tip of the iceberg!

On May 4, Nikki was set to face off against Naomi on Raw, when all of a sudden, both Bellas were attacked from behind by not only Naomi, but Tamina as well! Tamina had returned a day before at a house show in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and was at ringside for Naomi's match against Charlotte, so I knew they were testing the alliance out, but I didn't think I'd see it on TV the next day! I thought I would have to wait a while, so this was a nice and pleasant surprise. After their attack, Naomi mentioned "family," in her promo, and it is a true fact that Naomi and Tamina are cousins, due to Naomi's marriage to Jimmy Uso. This tag team match was announced on Tuesday, one day after Tamina defeated Brie on Raw. It's obvious that Naomi and Tamina will win, most likely with Naomi pinning Nikki, which should set up Naomi winning the title at the next PPV.

Now, I mentioned that it seems to be a WWE tradition for a Diva to completely breakout at Payback. Two years ago, it was AJ. Last year, it was Brie. And apparently this year, it will be the Ravishing Russian herself, Lana. We first saw Lana all the way back in October of 2013 on NXT, and it was there that her partnership with Rusev began. It would eventually transition to the main roster, and it would see Rusev capture the United States Championship over Sheamus last fall. However, as we've witnessed, there has been friction between Lana and Rusev in recent months, starting when Lana granted John Cena another chance at the US Title, and getting worse after Cena won the title.

It has been clearly documented that Lana is heading for a huge babyface turn, and as much as I love seeing a beautiful villainess in power suits, I am heavily looking forward to this face turn! So how will Lana turn face? Well, the story is that Lana will be the one who utters "I Quit" in representation of Rusev during the titular title bout against Cena, but there's more! According to what I've read, part of Lana's babyface push will include revealing that she's actually American, which we all know is true; her real name is C(atherine) J(oy) Perry. I didn't mention this on any blogs, but I stated on social media last summer that WWE should drop Lana's Russian act, but could continue being a villainess. In my scenario, the evil Lana could be portrayed as a bit of a con woman; claiming that the whole "anti-American" act was done just so she could get attention, similar to Rob Conway's gimmick after La Resistance ended (I swear I'm the only one who remembers that). Instead, I would think that we would see Lana portray herself as a woman who is strong and confident and is happy to be emancipated from someone like Rusev. I can't help but wonder if Lana will actually start competing as part of her push, though I admit, I'm mainly wondering what type of ring gear she'll be wearing. This will be a huge weekend for Lana; she'll be seen on the big screen in Pitch Perfect 2 before we all watch her at Payback.

To be honest, I'm looking more forward to seeing Lana than the Divas match, but either way, Payback should be fantastic!