WWE Night of Champions 2011 Results: What We Learned from Kelly Kelly's Win

“I think Beth Phoenix choked!” a shocked Michael Cole proclaimed after WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly upset challenger Beth Phoenix to retain her title. The quick thinking and nimble Kelly won courtesy of a cheeky roll after Beth went for a slam, stunning everyone in attendance who expected a new champion. Phoenix, who was accompanied to the match by new best friend, Natalya, looked devastated after the match, and no wonder: this was her second shot at the title and the match took place in her home town of Buffalo, New York.

The fans in attendance weren't pleased either and booed the result vociferously. Hey, you'd think fans would know by now that embarrassing wrestlers in their home towns is a staple of WWE booking.

On the bright side, this gripping, well laid-out bout was even better than the two women's lively scrap at the Summerslam PPV. An eager Kelly bumped like crazy and Phoenix's top rope superplex towards the end was one of the most impressive moves of the night. Kelly's friend Eve also had a fun run in and took out the interfering Natalya, once again emphasizing that this program encompasses most of the other divas, rather than just being about Kelly and Phoenix. Better still, fans in the arena were far more invested in this match than most of the other bouts on the card.

So, what does this mean for WWE's women's division? Is this the end of Phoenix's title aspirations? For several reasons, I don't think so. However, it may be a sign that WWE isn't ready to strap the rocket to back of Phoenix...just yet.

The fact is, WWE obviously has big plans for the "Divas of Doom," as evidenced by Phoenix's victory at the PPV and the major pushes she and Natalya have been getting on WWE television lately. These two dangerous divas look set to take over the women's division, running over all the models they resent in the process.

Interestingly, both women may be serving as a substitute for Kharma, who was in a similar monster role—brutally destroying all the divas—and was getting over massively with the crowds, before having to take time off from WWE due to her pregnancy. She's not due back till next year, but it appears the equally tough "Divas of Doom" will be forcefully keeping the women's division in check till she returns.

Despite Kelly's win here, there is simply no way WWE would be placing such heavy focus on Natalya and Phoenix if this were just another disposable divas feud to be forgotten about after a few weeks. It seems obvious that Phoenix will get the title at some point. 

Why did she fall short a second time here? Perhaps the angle will be that constantly losing to Kelly will drive Phoenix crazy, and lead to her becoming more vicious, enraged and dangerous. Hey, maybe Natalya, frustrated that her friend can't win the title, will insist she has the shot, leading to dissension between the two? 

There's also the fact that Kelly only ever looks good when she's working with Phoenix. And, in general needs to be carried by established women's wrestlers like Phoenix and Natalya.

Despite improving considerably as a performer in recent years, Kelly was nonetheless struggling greatly as champion and her title reign hasn't exactly set the world on fire before she was booked in angle with Phoenix. The former bikini model has the looks, of course, but has lacked the verbal skills, charisma and in-ring skills to truly carry the division successfully. Indeed, it seems the only times Kelly has looked competent are when she was being carried in the ring by Phoenix.

In fact, when she didn't have the talented Phoenix to carry her, she often looked lost and hopeless; most notably during an atrocious match with Brie Bella at the Money in the Bank PPV and a mercifully short match with non-wrestler Vickie Guerrero on last week's Raw that included an absolutely dreadful bulldog that was so badly botched the crowd booed vociferously, and it left the commentators embarrassed.

At a time when WWE management are seemingly getting more serious about their women's wrestling after letting it be a joke for so long, having a champion who is barely over, incredibly bland on interviews and promos, and is prone to cringe-worthy botches and sub-par matches will almost certainly undo any progress they can make. While Phoenix cannot compensate for all of Kelly's flaws, she is far better at covering her weaknesses than anyone else Kelly has faced thus far.

So, there is simply a whole lot more potential in Phoenix and Natalya challenging Kelly for her title. The idea that the two trained wrestlers are out to get the models and wannabe wrestlers they feel have ruined the division is an intriguing one, particularly since there is a lot of truth to it: highly skilled girls like Natalya and Beth have been shamefully cast aside in recent years so management can push their latest glamorous cover girl from Hollywood. Indeed, the duo's gripes are so wholly justified, it's a wonder they haven't turned face yet and women like Kelly and Eve aren't deemed the heels in the feud.

A juicy angle like this, which is firmly rooted in reality, will surely be something wrestling fans can sink their teeth into, especially when considering the success of the work/shoot CM Punk angle. Indeed, all things considered, The "Divas of Doom" takeover on Raw and Smackdown is now shaping up to be the most promising women's angle in quite some time. Management must know this, and this is partly why I expect the programme to continue, rather than have Kelly simply moving on to her next opponent.

This result was also a sign of WWE's faith in Kelly Kelly. They clearly think she can carry the division a little longer, even if Beth will probably get the title at some point. Perhaps they see her as someone similar to Trish Stratus, who was also a model when she got her contract and worked hard to improve, eventually becoming one of the best women's wrestlers in WWE history. Whether or not Kelly can ever be a worker on the level of Stratus is highly debatable, but it seems the WWE booking team is more than willing to give her the chance to prove herself.

What have we learned? Well, the "Divas of Doom" storyline is almost certainly not over, judging by Beth's tantrum after the match and the direction of the current storyline. Kelly has also seemingly won fans in management with her gusty performances in recent times and has firmly established herself as WWE's premier babyface diva.