All Red Everything is back, but she isn’t wrestling.
On Monday’s Raw, Eva Marie made her (long awaited isn’t really accurate, so let’s say scheduled) return to WWE. After weeks of promos about the Eva-lution of Raw, Marie made her return for the first time since 2017. In her first scheduled match, she won but didn’t participate.
That’s because a debuting Piper Niven from NXT UK took her place and beat Naomi. After the match, Marie announced herself as the winner. Niven wasn’t even properly introduced, instead just acting as the muscle for Marie.
Many were upset with this angle because Niven wasn’t even named by commentary, instead just being Eva Marie’s associate. That may have been for the best: Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful tweeted that the name WWE was considering for Niven’s main roster debut was Doudrop.
The pitched name for Piper Niven has been "Doudrop."
No idea if they'll use it
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) June 15, 2021
That is some of the worst, Shorty-G-ish naming WWE has ever come up with. It isn’t Shorty G bad, but it is up there.
Hope is not lost for this angle. In fact, I think it can be really good if it does one key thing: get Piper Niven over. It won’t take long for fans to get tired of Marie’s antics where she takes credit for Niven’s success. Fans still hold residual heat towards Marie for her last stint in the company where she also found excuses to not wrestle.
It won’t take long for fans to be chomping at the bit for Piper to turn on Marie. In order for it to be successful, WWE must acknowledge Piper’s success on the indies and in NXT UK. She has been a formidable part of the NXT UK Women’s Division and can hold her own in the ring. Give her lots of time to showcase her skills, but have Marie continue to take credit for the work.
It’s a tried and true method for a team break-up: one member does the work, the other takes credit. Niven will get a great reaction for turning on Eva and making her fight her own battles. In terms of long-term booking this makes sense too. Niven is six years Eva’s junior, and can be a key cog in the women’s division for a long time. Marie’s return to the company is going to be successful if she uses her heat and star power to make new stars. If Niven gets the rub from this partnership, it could work out in the long run.
