AJ Lee Vs. Paige At Summerslam: Final Preview

This feud between AJ Lee and Paige definitely has not turned out like Orton/Christian. It is still the same general story. A face loses a title and eventually snaps and turns on the face that is holding the title. But it just doesn't have the same intensity to it. Of course, that feud on Smackdown a few years back involved Smackdown's centerpiece, which would mean the feud would get featured hard. Moreover, fans were into it because many felt Christian deserved better. Paige is still not getting great reactions. I actually believe she might have done better as a face, but booked better, of course.

As for the storyline that is in this diva feud, you have Paige being a little bit crazy. You look at Mickie James and think it is that easy? There were psycho, lesbian, and fan-stalker gimmicks and storylines in the diva division prior to Mickie James, but none of those divas became as over as Mickie James. And she remained over even after they pulled the plug on the gimmick and pushed her as a generic face diva. It comes down to charisma. Mickie James had a unique charisma. Paige is allowed to show more character now that she is feuding with AJ Lee, but she does not have that charisma Mickie James had. I think she would be great if they let her play a different role. I just said I felt she might have been better off as a face, but she could also make a great heel, if she was allowed to play a character that wasn't obviously about putting over AJ Lee. She does not have the versatility to make any character work amazingly. Versatility is a quality the greatest have to possess. It is something that separates the A+ players from the A players, in terms of talent and potential. I had said before that I would grade Paige as a A-/B+ in terms of talent and potential. She is young and can get better. She can find her groove and become a versatile performer. Chris Jericho is a versatile performer. He annoyed me for years, whether he was a heel or a face. I started to like him when he became this serious character in 2008. He showed some versatility.

Who wins this match at Summerslam? It seems pretty obvious. Paige has all the momentum. Her whole character is about imitating and mocking AJ Lee. You can say this is a watered-down version of what you had with Trish Stratus and Mickie James. Mickie James was a credible jobber there and Paige is a credible jobber here. AJ Lee wins.

What do they do with AJ Lee after Summerslam? I doubt the issues between Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella will just die at Summerslam. If they are serious about developing Brie to be centerpiece, she will eventually be in the title hunt. But it might not be happening in September. That leaves AJ Lee to feud with some other diva. Continue with Paige? Or move on to someone like Alicia Fox? I don't think they will debut someone new and toss them into a title feud. I don't think they should bother continuing with Paige. That isn't to take anything away from Paige. I just think it is time to move on. She has been built up as something for AJ to overcome. Let AJ do it and move on. I don't think they can keep  a feud between AJ and Paige fresh much longer. Even though I don't think they should bother doing it, they just might.