Enzo and Nia Sittin' In A Tree...

[Jack-Hammer]

As we saw on Raw last night, After Enzo had finished giving his little pep talk to his flunkies, Nia Jax appeared and was giving Enzo the ol' Buffalo Eye, asked how he was doin', the live crowd popped and Nia exited off screen leaving Enzo looking a little winded.

According to the WON, the romance angle is being done to give Nia Jax something to do that doesn't involve Absolution with the thinking being that it'll be difficult to get Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose over if paired against Nia so quickly. So Nia Jax is being kept away from Absolution until the company feels that Deville and Rose have built up credibility. The report also states that there's a possibility of Nia appearing on 205 Live and that it might draw more attention to the show.

As for the explanation of keeping Nia away from Absolution, I think it's a good call; it's probably partially why Absolution hasn't attacked Asuka because the group as a whole needs credibility. Nia Jax has been dominant over the most accomplished women on Raw while Asuka, taking her time in NXT into account, is even more dominant and half Nia's size, so it's a definite positive that WWE realizes that Sonya Deville or Mandy Rose would lose what momentum they currently have.

As for Nia helping draw more fans to 205 Live, it's possible but I think it's short sighted. For the last two episodes of Raw, fans have been into the Cruiserweight matches instead of mostly sitting on their hands. Why? Because there's been an actual story that's simple, easy to believe & invest in and, therefore, has been a reason to have the matches in the first place. The winner of the two fatal fourway matches meet up and the winner of their singles match is the #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Championship; it's a simple story but one that's logical, easily understood and has a valid purpose for the Cruiserweights. Instead of relying on some comedy romance gimmick, go the simple route of giving actual storylines and character development.

As for the angle as a whole, I already have major misgivings about it. On the surface, this whole romance bit between little Enzo and big Nia looks like classic Vince McMahon comedic tastes; there's a very good chance fans will be subjected to nauseating skits designed to poke fun at the oddball couple with "comedy" that does little more than make some people uncomfortable due to Vince's often classless and tasteless humor.

With that being said, however, there's a chance that this could be a positive evolution in Nia's character. Nia doesn't exactly seem to be overflowing with personality and charisma, so MAYBE this will help fans to invest in her more as a character. The problem is that history is against Vince, we've seen these sort of weirdo comedic romance pairings in the past and they've made for some pretty lousy television.

 

[#hamler]

I mentioned this in an earlier thread...

I love the idea of Nia being above the female division and actually being the foil to Enzo's Cruiserweight championship reign.

Since the beginning of the Women's revolution, WWE female stars are treated equally or even sometimes better than the male superstars. A couple weeks on Smackdown, Becky Lynch took on James Ellsworth in what was the first intergender match in wwe in quite a while. With the Raw women's title picture being so crowded by Alexa, Asuka, Paige and her new friends Nia could put an interesting twist on the 205 Live division. It was reported a few weeks back Nia wasn't exactly happy with the way her character was progressing. I can't imagine her being ok with a silly love angle with Enzo without there being a pretty decent payoff. Nia as champ fits here. I'm interested where this goes.

Also let's not discuss Nia's weight being above 205.

...and now it makes even more sense now that the WON report has came out. Absolution is a breath of fresh air in the Women's division. With the Women's division being so crowded, Nia can definitely move onto something bigger in the cruiserweight division. Having her eventually feud with some of the top stars of the division and 205 Live perhaps doing live events in the future, Jax can definitely garner a little more interest.

 

[Khalifa]

This is exactly what Nia needed. Maybe not a whole romance angle, but a manager to get her over a bit until she more experienced in the ring. Who better than one of the best talkers in the WWE? Another good move is keeping her away from Absolution, Asuka, Bliss and probably the rest of the Raw roster (SD could use her). One day Nia could be the person to set a serious challenge to the biggest threat on the roster so don’t feed her to the wolves now.

As JH said but, we are probably in for some really hectic ‘comedy’ sketches between the two because what’s funnier than a small guy and a lady who’s bigger than the man do some whacky things. Enzo works perfectly for Nia but I don’t see the benefit for Enzo here by getting Nia (not that there needs to be one).

I’m interested to see where this goes, this could either be a good version of Lana and Tamina or a Raw version of that.

 

[itbewilly]

I personally thought it had Total Divas storyline all over it but that wouldn't be the case really. Stuff airing on it tends to be months away from what is happening on wwe tv today.

Be interesting to see where they go with this pairing.Nia doing the whole bodyguard role kind of like China did for HHH could be awesome. It also helps keep Enzo front and center until whoever comes along to dethrone him whether it be Itami or a rumored returning Neville.

 

[d_henderson1810]

As we saw on Raw last night, After Enzo had finished giving his little pep talk to his flunkies, Nia Jax appeared and was giving Enzo the ol' Buffalo Eye, asked how he was doin', the live crowd popped and Nia exited off screen leaving Enzo looking a little winded.

According to the WON, the romance angle is being done to give Nia Jax something to do that doesn't involve Absolution with the thinking being that it'll be difficult to get Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose over if paired against Nia so quickly. So Nia Jax is being kept away from Absolution until the company feels that Deville and Rose have built up credibility. The report also states that there's a possibility of Nia appearing on 205 Live and that it might draw more attention to the show.

As for the explanation of keeping Nia away from Absolution, I think it's a good call; it's probably partially why Absolution hasn't attacked Asuka because the group as a whole needs credibility. Nia Jax has been dominant over the most accomplished women on Raw while Asuka, taking her time in NXT into account, is even more dominant and half Nia's size, so it's a definite positive that WWE realizes that Sonya Deville or Mandy Rose would lose what momentum they currently have.

As for Nia helping draw more fans to 205 Live, it's possible but I think it's short sighted. For the last two episodes of Raw, fans have been into the Cruiserweight matches instead of mostly sitting on their hands. Why? Because there's been an actual story that's simple, easy to believe & invest in and, therefore, has been a reason to have the matches in the first place. The winner of the two fatal fourway matches meet up and the winner of their singles match is the #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Championship; it's a simple story but one that's logical, easily understood and has a valid purpose for the Cruiserweights. Instead of relying on some comedy romance gimmick, go the simple route of giving actual storylines and character development.

As for the angle as a whole, I already have major misgivings about it. On the surface, this whole romance bit between little Enzo and big Nia looks like classic Vince McMahon comedic tastes; there's a very good chance fans will be subjected to nauseating skits designed to poke fun at the oddball couple with "comedy" that does little more than make some people uncomfortable due to Vince's often classless and tasteless humor.

With that being said, however, there's a chance that this could be a positive evolution in Nia's character. Nia doesn't exactly seem to be overflowing with personality and charisma, so MAYBE this will help fans to invest in her more as a character. The problem is that history is against Vince, we've seen these sort of weirdo comedic romance pairings in the past and they've made for some pretty lousy television.

I don't see why WWE want to keep Rose and Deville away from Nia or Asuka, because it would "hurt their credibility".

Wouldn't taking out Nia or Asuka actually ADD to their credibility and dominance, if no Diva can stand up to them?

Didn't Paige fight A.J. Lee, the top Diva in the company, and beat her for the belt on her first night on RAW? She wasn't "protected".

I don't remember Charlotte, Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks being "protected" when they were bought in the same night during the last "Divas Revolution", and exposing them to the main talent too soon hasn't hurt them at all.

Maybe Rose and Deville need to be "protected" because Vince doesn't believe that they will reach great heights.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I think it's the right move and will benifit both Nia and Enzo. I think it will help Enzo look more credible and a believable threat if he has Nia in his corner similar to what Chyna was to Triple H way back when. As others have mentioned it will be a good way to help develop Nia's character and personality. People will definitely tune in to watch Nia beat up some random Cruiserweights on 205 Live.
The odd couple pairings have worked in the past for WWE and have made for some funny and entertaining television. Eddie Guerrero and Chyna, Santino Morelia and Beth Phoenix and more recently Carmella and James Ellsworth was fun while it lasted. I'm all for it and looking foreword to what they come up with.

 

[John Cena's Sweatbands]

Feeling a little Nicole Bass/Val Venis vibe coming from this.

Time will tell...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't see why WWE want to keep Rose and Deville away from Nia or Asuka, because it would "hurt their credibility".

Wouldn't taking out Nia or Asuka actually ADD to their credibility and dominance, if no Diva can stand up to them?

They're too green to be viewed as a viable threat to either of them. I can literally count the number of times I've seen either of them wrestle in NXT on one hand and have fingers left over. Besides, you also have to consider the possible backlash from fans these days if you bring someone up from NXT and immediately push them super hard; if either of these two went over Asuka, for instance, anytime in the near future, then you're gonna have an abundance of fans who're gonna crap all over them from now on no matter what because there'll be the perception that they didn't deserve it or hadn't earned it.

Didn't Paige fight A.J. Lee, the top Diva in the company, and beat her for the belt on her first night on RAW? She wasn't "protected".

Paige was still in the midst of her run as NXT Women's Champion when she defeated AJ. Paige had already established herself in NXT, she'd been generating a ton of buzz and had already made a name for herself. Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose haven't, they're currently nobodies who happen to be part of Paige's team with the hope that being associated with Paige will aid them in getting over with fans.

I don't remember Charlotte, Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks being "protected" when they were bought in the same night during the last "Divas Revolution", and exposing them to the main talent too soon hasn't hurt them at all.

Maybe Rose and Deville need to be "protected" because Vince doesn't believe that they will reach great heights.

You're somehow trying to equate that all of these women are equally talented, seasoned and proven but they aren't. As with Paige, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks made their bones in NXT and along with Paige and Bailey are generally thought of as the women who ultimately brought positive and necessary change to women's wrestling on the main roster. They didn't need to be protected until they were over and established when they got the main roster because they were already over and established. The night they debuted on Raw, they received a massive pop from the fans, a number of "this is awesome" chants and just an overall positive reception. Fans knew who they were, knew what they were about and knew for a fact that they had the goods whereas fans don't know that about Sonya and Mandy.

 

[Барбоса]

Nia ending up on 205 Live could be an absolute disaster.

Sure, the back and forth between her and Enzo could be amusing, but if she becomes his Chyna-like bodyguard, throwing cruiserweights around like lawn darts. It would also be difficult for guys like Cedric or Rich to get any sort of revenge on Nia physically.

One of the initial worries about the cruiserweights being on RAW was the thought that someone like Braun Strowman would end up making mince meat out of the entire cruiserweight roster, destroying any modicum of credibility it ever had.

That worry has proven a little unfounded.

Nia Jax is going to do it instead.

 

[d_henderson1810]

They're too green to be viewed as a viable threat to either of them. I can literally count the number of times I've seen either of them wrestle in NXT on one hand and have fingers left over. Besides, you also have to consider the possible backlash from fans these days if you bring someone up from NXT and immediately push them super hard; if either of these two went over Asuka, for instance, anytime in the near future, then you're gonna have an abundance of fans who're gonna crap all over them from now on no matter what because there'll be the perception that they didn't deserve it or hadn't earned it.



Paige was still in the midst of her run as NXT Women's Champion when she defeated AJ. Paige had already established herself in NXT, she'd been generating a ton of buzz and had already made a name for herself. Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose haven't, they're currently nobodies who happen to be part of Paige's team with the hope that being associated with Paige will aid them in getting over with fans.



You're somehow trying to equate that all of these women are equally talented, seasoned and proven but they aren't. As with Paige, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks made their bones in NXT and along with Paige and Bailey are generally thought of as the women who ultimately brought positive and necessary change to women's wrestling on the main roster. They didn't need to be protected until they were over and established when they got the main roster because they were already over and established. The night they debuted on Raw, they received a massive pop from the fans, a number of "this is awesome" chants and just an overall positive reception. Fans knew who they were, knew what they were about and knew for a fact that they had the goods whereas fans don't know that about Sonya and Mandy.

If Sonya and Mandy aren't established enough, I am surprised that it was them who were brought up to the main roster?

What about Ember Moon, Billie Kay or Nikki Cross? Why not bring them up instead in the place of these women? Why not have brought up those Divas who are currently over in NXT, and not ones who have wrestled the number of times that you can count on one hand?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If Sonya and Mandy aren't established enough, I am surprised that it was them who were brought up to the main roster?

They aren't the first ones to be called up who're extremely green. Sometimes, Vince sees people that he wants on the main roster whether they're ready or not and they have to learn while they're there. Braun Strowman, for instance, was in NXT for less than a year before being brought up; he wrestled his first match in December 2014 and was on the main roster by August 2015. It worked out in Strowman's case, he was given opportunities and made the most of them but it's a crapshoot.

What about Ember Moon, Billie Kay or Nikki Cross? Why not bring them up instead in the place of these women? Why not have brought up those Divas who are currently over in NXT, and not ones who have wrestled the number of times that you can count on one hand?

One reason why they haven't been called up yet is because they're important to NXT. NXT is its own brand as well as WWE's developmental territory, that may not have been the original plan but it's ultimately what happened and they also need to have certain levels of talent there. As to why Ember Moon or Nikki Cross aren't on the main roster yet, that's pretty obvious considering their star power in NXT and have been two of the top female stars once NXT rebuilt its roster after the talent was raided. I don't know why Billie Kay hasn't been called up yet, she has more to offer than either Sonya or Mandy at this point in terms of experience.

A HUGE reason why Mandy Rose was called up is because of her look, she's a hot blonde and Vince is known to have a penchant for hot blondes. As for Sonya Deville, maybe Vince likes the novelty of her as the first openly gay female wrestler who has a legit background in combat sports. I'm not saying that they don't bring anything to the table and maybe they have a lot more to offer that they'll be able to show once things progress further. However, they haven't earned their stripes, so to speak, when it comes to taking on Nia or Asuka, at least that's how most fans are probably gonna look at it. How often have we heard over the years that Roman Reigns was shoved down our throats before he was ready for the spot he was being pushed for? It'd be similar with Sonya and Mandy going after Nia Jax or Asuka at this point and it'd be even worse if WWE had them besting one or the other.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Has potential for some good comedy but I think they should have Enzo use Nia to try and get in good connections with her cousin The Rock so he can try and help him break into Hollywood. Makes Enzo look dastardly and even more of a selfish egotistical prick for taking advantage of Nia and once Nia finds out what he's doing, Rock can come back to tear Enzo a new one in what could be a good battle of trash talkers and Nia gets her revenge by taking out Enzo in the same segment with help from Rock.