WWE Armchair Booking: How to Maximize Divas Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 31

The Divas tag team match at WrestleMania 31 can be far more than the filler WWE will likely make it.

AJ Lee and Paige vs. Nikki and Brie Bella needs animosity leading up to it and big moments during it to be a dynamic contribution to the card. Play up how merciless The Bella Twins are and highlight the instability of the AJ and Paige duo. Giving the women more than a sliver of ring time will help as well.

Many fans would have rather seen WWE craft a feud centered around the Divas Championship. That hasn't been WWE's style as of late, rarely giving its women's title the spotlight in recent WrestleManias.

Still, this doesn't have to be a key to fans to take a snack break. There's potential here for both a good story and a solid match.

A robust amount of bad blood during the buildup is the first step to achieving those goals. 

Reason for Vengeance

The strange partnership between AJ and Paige began with the Bellas' pounding on Paige and AJ coming to save her. It was an engaging moment, one that made Nikki and Brie look like actual villains rather than just being catty.

WWE needs to go further in this direction. The Twin Towers have already provided the blueprint for how to do so.

In 1988, Big Boss Man and Akeem joined forces to take out Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan. In the leadup to their eventual collision, Boss Man attacked Hogan during a Brother Love segment, beating The Hulkster with a nightstick. 

That left Hogan seething, hungry for revenge; Boss Man earned plenty of heat for the attack.

Vince McMahon and company would surely look to tone things down when doing a similar scene with the women. Still, WWE can achieve the same effect. 

Have The Bella Twins isolate AJ and Paige during Raw. Nikki and Brie can lock AJ in a dressing room early in the show and then focus their attention on Paige later on. Have Paige go on Miz TV, but interrupt her interview with the two heel sisters prowling around her.

Credit: WWE.com

They double-team Paige, eventually felling the feisty former champ. Have them whip her back with a Kendo stick. 

Leave her hurting, her back red, suspicious about why AJ never came out to save her. 

Splintering Alliance

That beating not only angers Paige and has the twins looking dastardly, but it's also an opportunity to amplify the tension between AJ and Paige.

Fans should go into this match not knowing if Paige is more likely to kick a Bella in the mouth or clock AJ. Have her doubt AJ's story about being locked in the locker room. Have her not fully trust her WrestleMania partner.

Credit: WWE.com

When they go up against Natalya and Alicia Fox on SmackDown, Paige is in the ring with Natalya when Fox knocks AJ off the ring apron. When Paige reaches for a tag, AJ isn't in position. She's instead outside the ring clutching her ankle. 

Natalya and Fox use the numbers advantage to gain a win. Moments later, Paige confronts AJ at ringside. She shouts, "Where were you?"

AJ tries to explain, but Paige is fuming.

In their next two matches, AJ takes on Nikki, and Paige battles Brie. In the first clash, Paige stands in AJ's corner but gets in her face when they bump into each other outside the ring. With Nikki out cold on the floor and AJ arguing, they both get counted out.

Paige then knocks off Brie, but not before shooting a few intense glances AJ's way.

Backstage, Renee Young interviews the Bellas, who are clearly frazzled by what just happened. Young asks them, "If these girls are on the same page, can you beat them?" Nikki hesitates, clearly unsure of the answer. She and Brie then both crack sinister smiles.

"We have a secret weapon," Nikki promises.

The Equalizer 

WrestleMania is all about its moments, and WWE can provide a memorable one by introducing a new Diva.

Before that, though, AJ and Paige have a fight ahead of them. They bicker at first, but after AJ saves Paige from Nikki's Rack Attack, the Englishwoman begins to focus her rage on her actual opponents. 

AJ and Paige work seamlessly together and are in complete control of The Bella Twins. They start to celebrate a bit too early, high-fiving each other after big moves. Paige then locks Brie in the PTO, and victory appears to be imminent.

Nikki, though, runs in and nails the referee from behind with her trademark forearm.

That's when NXT women's champ Sasha Banks comes running down the entrance ramp. She first knocks AJ off the apron and hits Bankrupt on the floor. With the NXT Women's Championship in hand, she then charges at Paige.

Credit: WWE.com

She cracks Paige with the title and slips out of the ring just as the referee comes to his senses. Brie crawls atop Paige and gets the decisive pinfall.

AJ and Paige now both have a new enemy to chase down. Meanwhile, the Bellas welcome The Boss to their clique. WWE swerves fans believing that the babyfaces would implode and provide a big surprise.

It's a move that bolsters the Divas division going forward while making this WrestleMania match a catalyst and a shocker.