With a dramatic victory over Charlotte, Nikki Bella ‘Bellabrates” good times tonight as she overtook A.J. Lee’s previous record of longest Divas title reign of 295 days.
For the past 295 days, Nikki Bella, by hook or crook, has managed to keep the Divas championship around her waist. With Jack Tunney’s 30 day title defense rule seemingly defunct, she has managed to avoid losing what has been a previously slippery title to hold on to for very long, with the exception of A.J. Lee. After a Divas Beat the Clock challenge, Charlotte Flair earned the chance to face the reigning champion at Night of Champions.
However, to build a bit of drama and to allow the Divas Revolution to truly take root, the match was moved to Monday Night Raw, putting Nikki’s title reign in doubt, as well as her opportunity to eclipse A.J. Lee’s record. How could the WWE continue to tout the Divas Revolution and allow Nikki to erase CM Punk’s wife from the record books? WWE is about revisionist history. Very few “records” will ever hold up, especially once a superstar or diva cuts ties with the company. Monday would be no different.
A classic “Dusty” finish is a match with an ending that appears to have the face win, only to have the decision reversed. In the contest on RAW both women worked a classic while their respective entourages looked on. As the match was drawing to a close after Charlotte’s spear, Alicia Fox jumped on the apron. In the ensuing confusion, Brie and Nikki went to the well again and worked their twin magic. Charlotte rolled up Brie and celebrated with her friends and her father, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, but it was all for naught. Fittingly, as Charlotte worked so closely with Dusty Rhodes in NXT, her dreams came true for the briefest of moments: Stephanie’s music hit and she reversed the title change. Brie’s interference, which was initially missed by the referee, caused a disqualification win for Charlotte, but not the title. The champion’s advantage allowed Nikki to walk away with her title yet again. She may have been under-appreciated for much of her reign, but Nikki Bella has cemented herself as the longest reigning WWE Divas champion of all-time.
Charlotte’s only solace is that she will get another opportunity at Night of Champions on Sunday Night to prove she has a flair for the gold and if Nikki gets disqualified or counted out this time around, she will lose her grip on the title and on her chance to lengthen her record-breaking reign.
Main Photo:
