Booking Mistakes WWE Must Avoid in Tamina Snuka's Run as Naomi's Muscle

Tamina Snuka stormed back into WWE after a year of recovering from injury, dressed in black, her hair braided on the side, once again playing the part of a bodyguard.

This time it's as Naomi's heavy. This time, WWE has to swerve around the pitfalls that hurt the potential of the partnership she once had with AJ Lee.

On Monday's Raw, on a night full of surprises and a fervent Montreal crowd, Nikki Bella was set to take on Naomi. It was to be the latest collision between contender and champion in recent weeks. The match never happened.

Naomi ambushed both Bella Twins. At her side stood the imposing Snuka. Her ACL apparently working fine these days, Snuka superkicked Nikki in the mouth.

And so begins a new story in which Snuka plays the part of the muscle for another Diva. It's a role that suits her thanks to her size and intimidating aura. The last time around, though, WWE misfired several times.

It never let this narrative reach its full potential. Snuka felt like a car stuck in low gear while fans waited down the road for her to speed by. 

Should WWE avoid trio of potential booking mistakes, it can make this reprise better than the original.

Not Developing Her Character

Snuka's reasoning for tearing down the Bellas, and presumably more Divas to come, has to be about more than family. Naomi shouted, "This is what family is about" after she and Snuka took out the Bella sisters.

WWE is apparently rolling with the loose family connection between the two. The announcers billed them as "cousins-in-law."

That's fine as an entry point, even if it feels forced. WWE has to go beyond that, though. What is driving Snuka? Why does she believe in Naomi enough to be willing to fight by her side?

Those are the questions that eventually need answering.

When Snuka was with AJ, there was too little explanation of their relationship. We didn't get to see inside Snuka's head frequently enough.

WWE will have to let the powerhouse speak more in order to change that this time around. After the attack on Monday's Raw, Renee Young interviewed the heels, and Snuka only snarled:

She said nothing.

There's no need to ask her to be Paul Heyman on the mic, but through vignettes, through Naomi or through the announcers, the audience needs to understand Snuka more for her to connect. Whether she just thinks its fun to hurt people or has taken issue with the Bellas and others for whatever reason, WWE needs to explore and showcase her motivations.

Not Making Her Dangerous Enough 

WWE has a tendency to make its heel henchmen bumbling fools. It makes little sense to go that direction with Snuka, as this gig should elevate her as much as it does Naomi.

She has to be more Diesel than J&J Security.

When she was with AJ Lee, she tasted defeat too often. From December 2013 until the last SmackDown in March of 2014, Snuka went 4-17. That stretch included just one singles victory. That's not how you portray dominance.

Why not have her pound a few lower-rung Divas into the mat? Why not keep reminding us just how powerful she is?

Credit: WWE.com

The more she whips the competition, the more significant her presence at ringside will be. And when Naomi and Snuka team up, WWE can't make Snuka take the pinfall all the time. That seemed to be the strategy for her pairing with AJ, which only served to make AJ look silly for relying on her.

Whether it's in official matches or in altercations outside the ring, Snuka should come off like a beast. It's a waste of her stature and character to have her be anything else.

Not Making Use of the Inevitable Feud Ahead

At some point, the Naomi-Snuka alliance will end. This is wrestling, and friendships of all kinds inevitably disintegrate. When this one does, WWE can swing and miss as it did with the blip of a feud between AJ and Snuka.

WWE teased tension between AJ and her bodyguard for months. The former blamed the latter for her losses. Snuka eventually pushed back against her boss, figuratively and literally. 

Too little came of that.

At WrestleMania XXX, WWE went with the mess that was Vickie Guerrero's Divas Championship Invitational instead of a singles bout between the two former partners. In fact, AJ and Snuka never faced off one-on-one.

That was a wasted opportunity that can't be missed again. 

In the tradition of Virgil vs. Ted DiBiase and Sid Vicious vs. Shawn Michaels, WWE should make this alliance crumble and lead to a rivalry. Friend-turned-foe narratives often compel. It's Pro Wrestling Booking 101.

The company failed to implement the lessons from that class with AJ and Snuka.

As Naomi and Snuka forge ahead with a new partnership, it would be a mistake to drop the ball again. Luckily, WWE has created a second chance for itself. Snuka is walking down a familiar path, one that has to lead to somewhere more exciting this time.

All match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.