I Was Wrong: Eva Marie In WWE

“I have been reading your stuff on 411mania and nodq.com for the longest time now and I have never felt inclined to email in. The general consensus of you not being most popular is harsh at times but also can be well-founded too. But I still read your stuff because I do enjoy your articles and find your perspective interesting most of the time.”

“I have been reading your stuff on 411mania and nodq.com for the longest time now and I have never felt inclined to email in. The general consensus of you not being most popular is harsh at times but also can be well-founded too. But I still read your stuff because I do enjoy your articles and find your perspective interesting most of the time.”

“That said, your article about your friend Megan and trip to Wrestlemnaia was the greatest thing you have ever wrote. Forget about the predictions you brag about getting right. This is your crowning piece. Maybe it is because I can relate as going to Wrestlemania is my ultimate dream and it will be happening next year. But I genuinely loved your article.”

“Thank you for the great stuff.”

– Jay’s Ways reader

Backstory

It’s that time again to look back on one of my ‘grand’ predictions that went wrong…very wrong.

Eva Marie In WWE

Back in June 2015, I wrote a little piece on Eva Marie and her time in NXT serving as a launch pad to a successful run in WWE. Here is a snippet:

“I hope Eva Marie truly does continue her training and proves every single critic wrong. The Miz was also called a reality show wannabe when he entered WWE and was bashed relentlessly for years on end about how embarrassing he was to the industry. He responded by becoming WWE Champion and defeating John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania. I would love nothing more than to be writing a column in six months about how Eva Marie is amazing in the ring and should be Divas Champion. I hope to see it. While the same usual ‘haters’ will always pile on, I will wish her well.”

While I did not exactly predict she would be champion and rule the wrestling world, I was certainly defending her. It felt like the appropriate thing to do after a somewhat ‘decent’ outing on NXT. Plus, the live crowd chanting ‘You Can’t Wrestle’ at her was about as ironic and laughable as chants go. Either way, it is now two years later, and…she is gone from the company.

So much for that big column six months later, right? Anyways, here is a basic rundown of Eva Marie in WWE and what went wrong…

Hello – “MY name is Eva Marie, and I’m here to make a name for myself.”

She wasn’t lying.

Introduction – The truth is her very first role on WWE television was her playing the only hated girl on Total Divas. Everybody else came off likable and genuine. She slapped Jerry Lawler, told him to buzz off and then taunted the fans. Right from the get go, it was going to be a rough time for her.

Total Divas – Remember her without the red hair? Or her friendship with JoJo? Ah, the good old days on the E! Network. Shockingly enough, Eva was instantly hated by her new fellow workers because of her stunning looks. That was what Nikki Bella told the camera in the debut episode. The very next thing we learn is that Eva was just signed, had no clue what was going on…and wanted to disobey her bosses by changing her hair color. Yeah, great idea to get off on the right foot. Luckily, it worked but just the tone for her four years in WWE.

Jonathan – Before long, Eva Marie became engaged. Knew the clown for a short time. He got her name tattooed on him. Didn’t ask family for permission first. Got eloped/staged a wedding for the show. All in all a mess. Shocking as she is very close with her father, who flatly yelled “No!” at Jonathan in a memorable scene. Obviously some scripting involved but again, perception is reality to viewers. What we see is what we get.

Lying – Lied about being able to dance just to get a segment with Fandango and had a confrontation with Stephanie McMahon. Lied about training with Summer Rae and her in-ring abilities. Lied about the proposal to her family as covered above. Was a terrible in-ring announcer as she named Jinder Mahal “Jinger” and was called out about it behind the curtain. Then when she was off TV without a role she showed up unannounced and all but demanded a spot. Again, surely spiced up for the reality show but nonetheless, that was her portrayal. Not good.

Nothing – Bottom line is nothing was working. Total Divas with Eva Marie got off to an awesome start on Sundays and achieved a regular viewership well over one million. Being paired up with the Kardashians show was genius and paid off in a big way. The Bellas earned more fame, but most of the talk seemed to hover around Eva. WWE had a star on their hands. Sadly, the show was moved to Tuesdays in a fairly ridiculous decision and with the decline of viewership also came the decline of any value invested in Ms. Marie. She was (basically) off television, and all that fame/hate was not being cashed in on. The company had to do something. Hey, why not try wrestling?

Training – This is where I commended Eva Marie. THE Brain Kendrick was getting back in the good graces of WWE, so it only made sense to work with him a bit. The easy decision would have been to train alongside everybody else at the Performance Center in Orlando…but nope. That was TOO easy for Eva. She had to be on her own across the country doing her own thing, as Jonathan watched. Yet another questionable move. Still, I respected the training. She knew she was struggling and made an effort to improve. Gotta give the girl props for that. In any job or walk of life, if you want to get better, accept it first and then put your best foot forward to become better. Kudos.

NXT – I think this is where WWE put her in a ‘put up or shut up’ situation. The crop of females in NXT were amazing in mid-2015. It only made sense to put her out there with those much better. If there was any way for her to learn, it would be with them. I thought with all the fans hating on her, she would make a great character. Heck, with all the call ups on the horizon, can you imagine Eva as a Honky Tonk Man like heel carrying around the gold until Asuka came in and just kicked her head off in five seconds? After a nice start beating some local talent, nothing ever happened. The poor girl got crushed by everybody, and the run ended without much fanfare. Kinda like the disappointing Alex Riley/NXT comeback.

Back To WWE – Well, NXT wasn’t working. Why not be inserted back in the picture right before WrestleMania 32? Sure. After an awkward run to the ring and brawl with Lana, she was officially back in the fold. Just in time for a cushy WM payday. After being drafted to Smackdown LIVE (she started celebrating thinking it was Raw as only Eva Marie could), the writing was on the wall. If ALL RED EVERYTHING was not even on the show known for that color (RAW), it was clear things were winding down with her.

Last Chance – In my mind, NXT was her last hurrah. Eva already had different Hollywood projects lined up, and WWE had to know she was looking elsewhere. There was just no love of wrestling in her, and the skills inside the squared circle were not evolving. Their solution? To NOW have her wrestle…but do it in an entertaining way and actually feature it all inside the ring. Pretty creative stuff. Each week would be a new excuse as to why her match was cancelled. Honestly, I loved this gimmick and believed it would keep going for a long, long time. It was able to work around her negatives (all ring everything) but show off her positives (being hated by the audience). A license to print money. Then dropped the Wellness suspension news which came with a beautiful social media response/excuse, and it was all she wrote. No more. The relationship was over.

SUMMARY: Look, it is real easy to make fun of Eva Marie and point out her disastrous WWE run. I mean, look – I just did it. However, here is where I will defend her. She was thrown to the wolves without a clue as to what was going on. It was clear from the beginning this was all out of her element, and it was just expected of her to swim rather than sink – all the while the roster and fans were against her. Surely, Eva’s actions didn’t help things but like a 19 year old Kelly Kelly tossed onto national television without a net, what did you think was the endgame? Eva Marie has indeed made a name for herself as set out in a debut WWE promo, so it is not all lost. Her aspirations were always going to be well beyond WWE; we all knew that. Mission accomplished. I expect her to do fairly well for herself and the management team she has linked up with, and never say never – a return to professional wrestling may be in the future.

NRW: The Match

Now over 1,200 views. An updated version is coming soon with more special features added on, including commentary! Thanks to all of you who commented and/or watched. Even if YOU may not care one bit, it means a lot to us. Much appreciated.

Cheap Plugs

Story behind NRW: https://noahwatry.tv/2017/07/09/the-lessons-of-backyard-wrestling/

Next project in 2017:

My next venture for 2017 confirmed a few hours ago… #itshappening #itsreal pic.twitter.com/6t9H8V09p9

— Justin Watry (@JustinWatry) July 6, 2017

Watch Big Brother 19 on CBS.

Follow on Twitter: @JustinWatry

Email: [email protected]

Thanks.