Divas of Doom

The Divas of Doom
Phoenix (left) and Natalya (right)
Statistics
MembersNatalya
Beth Phoenix
Name(s)Beth Phoenix and Natalya
The Divas of Doom
Billed heightsBeth Phoenix: 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Natalya: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Combined
billed weight		285 lb (129 kg)
Natalya (135 lb)
Beth Phoenix (150 lb)
DebutAugust 12, 2011[1]
Years active2010–2012
2019

Natalya and Beth Phoenix, also known as The Divas of Doom,[1] is a professional wrestling tag team in WWE on the Raw brand. Phoenix and Natalya first began teaming together when the latter was Divas Champion and was feuding with LayCool in late September 2010.[2][3] In August 2011, both women turned villainous, or heel, and developed the character of anti-Divas, who were violently opposed to the acceptance of "cute", "perky", "Barbie doll" women in the company. Their slogan of "Pin-Up Strong" was also the name of their submission maneuver. Phoenix retired from wrestling in 2012, but came out of retirement in 2019 to reform her tag team with Natalya and challenge for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 35.

History

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Original run (2010–2012)

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In late 2010, following the split of Natalya's stable The Hart Dynasty, Natalya set her sights on LayCool (Michelle McCool and Layla) and the Divas Championship.[4] After coming up short twice due to LayCool's machinations,[5][6] Natalya finally defeated the duo in a handicap match for the Divas Championship at Survivor Series.[7] She was attacked after the match by LayCool, but Beth Phoenix, returning from an injury she'd suffered in May which was credited to LayCool, made the save and then congratulated Natalya.[7] From there, the two formed an alliance against LayCool, and at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December, Phoenix and Natalya defeated Lay-Cool in the first Divas tag team tables match in WWE history.[2][3] The alliance quietly ended a month later when Natayla lost the Divas Championship to Eve Torres at Royal Rumble, and went back to competing exclusively on the Raw brand.[8]

On the August 1, 2011, episode of Raw, both women competed in a battle royal to determinate who would receive a Divas Championship match against Kelly Kelly at SummerSlam. Phoenix won the match, then turned villainous by attacking Kelly, and stated "[her] days as the perky, cute, blonde little bimbo are officially over."[9] Four days later on SmackDown, Natalya defeated her protégé AJ Lee, and afterwards attacked AJ before pledging an alliance Phoenix, telling her that she agreed with her in that "the days of the cute perky little princesses are over". Phoenix and Natalya officially debuted together as "The Divas of Doom" on the August 12 episode of SmackDown, defeating AJ Lee and Kaitlyn, who they continued to assault after the match.[1]

Natalya then accompanied Phoenix to her Divas Championship match at SummerSlam against Kelly Kelly, who was accompanied by Eve Torres, but she failed to win the match.[10] On the September 5 episode of Raw, Phoenix defeated Eve Torres to earn another title shot at Night of Champions, where she again lost.[11] On the September 19 episode of Raw, the Divas of Doom lost a tag team match to Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres after Eve pinned Natalya for the win. On the September 26 episode of Raw, Phoenix pinned Kelly Kelly in a tag team match to earn another title shot at Hell in a Cell. On the September 30 edition of SmackDown, Natalya lost a match to Kelly. Following the match, Phoenix jumped into the ring and delivered a Glam Slam to Kelly, then Natalya applied their new submission, Pin-Up Strong, making Kelly Kelly scream and cry in pain. At Hell in a Cell, Phoenix defeated Kelly Kelly with help from Natalya, winning her first Divas Championship.[12] At Vengeance, Phoenix defeated Eve to retain the Divas Championship.[13] At Survivor Series, Natalya accompanied Phoenix to a successful lumberjill Divas Championship match against Eve Torres.[14]

On January 29, 2012 at Royal Rumble, the Divas of Doom competed in an eight-woman tag team match alongside The Bella Twins, and defeated the team of Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, and Tamina.[15] The next night on the January 30 episode of Raw, Phoenix successfully defended her Divas Championship against Eve. At Elimination Chamber, Phoenix successfully defended her championship against Tamina.[16] On the March 22 episode of Superstars, Phoenix and Natalya appeared on opposite sides of a tag team match in which Phoenix teamed with Eve Torres against Natalya and Tamina, with Phoenix's team winning the match.[17] Afterwards, Phoenix and Natalya would not team up again until the July 12 episode of Superstars, where there were defeated by Alicia Fox and Kaitlyn.[18] At Money in the Bank, they teamed up with Torres, being defeated by Layla, Kaitlyn and Tamina.[19] On the September 28 episode of SmackDown, Phoenix and Natalya faced each other in a match, in which Phoenix came out victorious. After the match they both shook hands, but Torres, who in-storyline was by then was in a position of authority, appeared to suspend Phoenix accusing her of being the mysterious attacker of Kaitlyn, since the attacker was blonde. Phoenix in turn accused Natalya, saying that she was also blonde, and Phoenix and Natalya ended up arguing in the ring.[20] Soon afterwards, Phoenix left WWE.[21][22]

Reunion (2019–2020)

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The Divas of Doom in May 2019

The team had a brief reunion when Natalya inducted Phoenix into the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame, and again at the 2018 Royal Rumble, where Natalya eliminated Phoenix in the first ever 30-woman Royal Rumble match. On March 10, 2019 at Fastlane, Phoenix was attacked by Tamina and Nia Jax, after which Natalya came to defend her, but also ended up being attacked by the duo.[23] On the March 18, 2019 episode of Raw, Phoenix announced that she was coming out of retirement; she and Natalya reformed their team and challenged The Boss 'n' Hug Connection (Bayley and Sasha Banks) for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 35; however, later that night Tamina and Jax once again ambushed Phoenix after a distraction from Jax during a one-on-one match between Natalya and Banks.[24][25][26] On the March 25, 2019, episode of Raw, it was announced that Phoenix and Natalya would compete in a fatal four-way match at WrestleMania 35 against The Boss 'n' Hug Connection, Jax and Tamina, and The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce), but they did not manage to win at the event, being the latter team the winners.[27] Natalya and Phoenix did the 2019 Raw European Tour together as their tag, The Divas of Doom. The pair went against The Riott's Squad, Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan. They won all of their matches and usually ended them with matching sharpshooters. The pair reunited once again at the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble, which saw Phoenix enter at #19 while Natalya entered at #23. Both women reached the final four, after which Phoenix eliminated Natalya before she was eliminated herself by Shayna Baszler.

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Aider, Jim. "WWE Smackdown Spoilers For This Friday (8/12/11)". Wrestle Heat. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Sokol, Bryan (2010-12-20). "TLC delivers highs, lows and a new champ". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ a b Medalis, Kara A. (2010-12-19). "Lay(-Cool)ing it all on the table". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2010-12-20. first-ever Divas Tag Team Tables Match
  4. ^ Plummer, Dale (September 28, 2010). "RAW: Orton breaks the Walls down". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Hillhouse, Dave (October 4, 2010). "Hell in a Cell: Betrayal, fan interference, and flying shoes". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Sokol, Bryan (October 25, 2010). "Cena central to Bragging Rights; Smackdown wins again". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ a b Plummer, Dale; Tylwalk, Nick (2010-11-22). "The fate of Cena is finally decided at so-so Survivor Series". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved 2010-11-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ Plummer, Dale; Tylwalk, Nick (2011-01-30). "Super-size Royal Rumble saves biggest surprise for last". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved 2011-02-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ Tedesco, Mike (August 1, 2011). "Raw results – 8/1/11". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  10. ^ Caldwell, James (August 14, 2011). "CALDWELL'S WWE SUMMERSLAM PPV RESULTS 8/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Cena vs. Punk title unification". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  11. ^ Caldwell, James (September 18, 2011). "CALDWELL'S WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS PPV RESULTS 9/18: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Triple H vs. CM Punk". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  12. ^ Caldwell, James (October 2, 2011). "CALDWELL'S WWE HELL IN A CELL PPV RESULTS 10/2: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  13. ^ Caldwell, James (October 23, 2011). "CALDWELL'S WWE VENGEANCE PPV RESULTS 10/23: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Triple H & Punk, Cena vs. Del Rio, Henry vs. Show". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  14. ^ Caldwell, James (November 20, 2011). "CALDWELL'S WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV RESULTS 11/20: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - The Rock returns, Punk vs. Del Rio, Henry vs. Show". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  15. ^ Caldwell, James (January 29, 2012). "CALDWELL'S WWE ROYAL RUMBLE REPORT 1/29: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Rumble match, Punk-Ziggler, Cena-Kane, steel cage". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on February 2, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  16. ^ Caldwell, James (February 19, 2012). "CALDWELL'S WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER PPV REPORT 2/19: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Cena-Kane, two Chamber matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  17. ^ Namako, Jason (March 22, 2012). "Superstars Results – 3/22/12". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  18. ^ Martin, Adam (July 12, 2012). "Superstars Results – 7/12/12". WrestleView. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  19. ^ Caldwell, James (July 15, 2012). "CALDWELL'S WWE MITB PPV REPORT 7/15: Complete 'virtual time' coverage of live PPV – Punk vs. Bryan, Sheamus vs. Del Rio, two MITB matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  20. ^ Tedesco, Mike (September 28, 2012). "SmackDown Results – 9/28/12". WrestleView. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  21. ^ Martin, Adam (September 21, 2012). "Report: Beth Phoenix gives her notice to WWE". WrestleView. Archived from the original on July 16, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  22. ^ Boutwell, Josh (November 2, 2012). "Beth Phoenix comments on her WWE departure". WrestleView. Archived from the original on July 16, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  23. ^ Powell, Jason (10 March 2019). "Powell's WWE Fastlane 2019 live review: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair, Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE Championship, The Shield vs. Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Baron Corbin, The Usos vs. Shane McMahon and The Miz for the Smackdown Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  24. ^ Hoffer, Christian (March 19, 2019). "WE Raw: Beth Phoenix & Natalya Wants Boss & Hug Connection at Wrestlemania". comicbook.net. Archived from the original on March 19, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  25. ^ Lake, Jefferson (March 19, 2019). "WWE Raw: Drew McIntyre challenges Roman Reigns to WrestleMania match". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  26. ^ Davis, Paul (March 19, 2019). "WWE Raw: Beth Phoenix is coming out of retirement at WrestleMania". WrestlingNews.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  27. ^ Powell, Jason (April 7, 2019). "WrestleMania 35 results: Powell's live review of Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw and Smackdown Women's Titles, Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship, Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship, Batista vs. Triple H, AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  28. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) Female 50 for 2012". The Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  29. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) Female 50 for 2011". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
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