WWE Hell in a Cell 2011 Results: What We Learned from Beth Phoenix's Win

After frustratingly coming up short in her two previous matches for the WWE Divas Title, challenger Beth Phoenix finally managed to win the prestigious belt from hated enemy Kelly Kelly at WWE's Hell in the Cell pay-per-view.

Of course, the heelish Phoenix didn't win cleanly: She had a fair bit of help from Natalya, her "Divas of Doom" tag-team partner. Grabbing a mic from nearby, a spiteful Natalya taunted Kelly as she was being painfully stretched by Phoenix and then, when the ref's back was turned, viciously clobbered her over the head with the mic, allowing Phoenix to capitalize and hit the GlamSlam on her severely weakened opponent to snatch the victory. Afterwards, an elated Beth wept tears of joy and celebrated with her partner in crime as she was handed the title.

Like all the Kelly versus Phoenix bouts, this was a solid, credible match that was, refreshingly, given a decent amount of time by the booking team. Through hard work and enthusiasm, Beth and Kelly have managed to put together some fun little scraps, greatly outshining most of the other mediocre women's bouts that have taken place on WWE television in recent years.

This is a feud that has helped rejuvenate a flagging division and elevate its importance in the eyes of fans and management backstage. While the WWE Divas division may never be a huge money-drawing attraction, it is no longer the sideshow joke it once was, and both Kelly and Phoenix (and supporting players Eve and Natalya) should be commended for this.  

Of course, many onlookers wondered why Phoenix simply didn't win the title when she fought Kelly two weeks ago at Night of Champions, which took place in Beth's hometown of Buffalo, New York. Certainly, it was a puzzling decision by WWE bookers: Phoenix was hugely over in Buffalo (as most predicted she would be going in), and her loss dampened what had been till that point an extremely enthusiastic crowd. Perhaps, management just found a Phoenix victory too predictable on that night? Who knows?

However, regardless of the erratic booking up until now, the main thing is that Phoenix won, extending the wrestlers versus models feud that WWE's women's division is currently centered on. For Beth to lose a third time to Kelly would have probably killed off her credibility entirely. It would have also severely weakened the most interesting women's storyline in WWE in ages, which sees trained wrestlers Beth and Natalya angrily claim that inexperienced models like Eve and Kelly are destroying the division and have no real talent beyond their looks.

Had Kelly emerged victorious yet again, it would have ruined the main argument of the "Divas of Doom": How exactly are these two better than all the models and dancers when they can't even snag the Divas Championship after three attempts?     

Due to Phoenix's win at the event, however, this angle has been bolstered and can finally move on to the next phase, with Phoenix holding the title, aided by Natalya, and Kelly and Eve desperately trying to get it back.

This new direction was even acknowledged on commentary after the match, with WWE announcer Jim Ross asking, "Are we seeing changes now in the direction of the WWE Divas division?" Fellow commentator Michael Cole hammered the point home by insisting, "It's a new era in the women's division." 

Since these poor guys often have a (very loud) Vince McMahon in their ears, instructing them on what exactly to say, we can assume these two were echoing the current thoughts of WWE. The division has radically changed direction, with the emphasis being placed on Phoenix and Natalya violently tearing their way through the women's roster.

Summarily, Phoenix's long-awaited victory indicates that, after some initial reluctance, WWE management are finally getting fully behind the "Divas of Doom" storyline and are prepared to let Natalya and Phoenix dominate the babyfaces of the division, even golden girl Kelly (who was, despite her loss, still put over strongly on commentary during the bout).

When claiming their division has been taken over by talentless models who lacked wrestling skills, the "Divas of Doom" always had a harsh ring of truth to their argument. Now, thankfully, they have the belt to back it up. For the storyline, this is undoubtedly a huge help, and it gives the duo the credibility they will need going forward as the top heels of the division.