Thanks Emma: Her 3 Best WWE Moments
By Warren Hayes
Emma vs. Santana Garrett: NXT, March 2, 2016
Gentle reader, if you just did a double-take and wonder why this nondescript NXT match is on the list, do not worry. I have a perfectly good reason, but I will preface it with this disclaimer: This match isn’t must-see Emma watching because of the wrestling. I’d be a stone cold liar if I were to tell you the opposite. I mean, it’s not a bad. It’s a decent, fine match. It’s basically a squash match, a showcase for Emma. So, no, don’t watch this match for the wrestling. Watch this match if you have ever doubted Emma’s in-ring character work.
There have been doubters about Emma’s personality, you know. The kind of people who felt that the “Emmalina” character was actually going to do wonders for her. It’s very much a mystery to me why WWE creative believed she needed to be saddled with a gimmick. Why did they feel the need to dress her up and make her play model? Why did she have to dance with Santino Marella? Emma has so many natural qualities and mannerisms that she only needs to be this extension of herself to make her in-ring personality work.
Look at how great her heel work is here as she works Garrett over. She’s so confident and smarmy, working wonderfully as the classic self-imbued heel. There are no artifices or whistles, she’s just using her natural charisma. You know, that charisma she oozes and uses to connect effortlessly with the audience? Just let her develop that part instead of being obsessed with Twitter hashtags.