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#EvaLution: Eva Marie Returns to WWE

After a five year hiatus, Eva Marie made her return to WWE on the latest edition of Monday Night Raw

By Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 4 min read
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Eva Marie last appeared for WWE in 2016

On the latest edition of Monday Night Raw, fans saw the surprise return of Eva Marie to WWE, as she was featured in a promo posing near a flashy car and stating that the "Eva-Lution" had begun, while asking if she had our attention. It had been heavily speculated and rumored for several months that Eva Marie would return to WWE for the first time since 2016, and after months of anticipation and rumors, she is finally back!

Eva Marie's original WWE tenure was, interesting, to say the least. She actually started in 2013 as one of two new additions to the original cast of E!'s reality series, Total Divas, with Eva Marie and fellow newbie JoJo being part of a cast that included the Bella Twins, Natalya, Naomi, and Cameron. Eva Marie and JoJo's WWE TV debuts took place on July of 2013, where the entire cast appeared as guests on The Miz's "MizTV" segment, which was co-hosted that evening by WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler. Lawler introduced himself to both newcomers, but while JoJo was polite in response, Eva Marie suddenly turned heel and slapped Lawler, while announcing that she was planning to make a name for herself.

Eva Marie continued as a heel character aligned with the Bellas, but the three villainous Total Divas ended up turning face and joining the rest of the cast in solidarity against then-Divas Champion AJ Lee's scathing comments about the entire cast. Eva Marie's face turn resulted in her actually competing in matches, and that's where the "interesting" part comes in. Her in-ring skills, at the time, were very limited, and that gained a lot of heat with fans and viewers. Nevertheless, Eva Marie continued appearing and competing on both Raw and SmackDown throughout 2014 and 2015.

It was later in 2015 that Eva Marie started appearing on NXT, which--at the time--was seen as a developmental brand compared to the two main shows. She had been training with Brian Kendrick prior to her appearance on NXT, which saw her approach General Manager William Regal about her ambitions of competing in NXT's Women's Division, while still receiving jeers from the crowed. In her NXT run, Eva Marie's heel persona returned in full form, but it included a modified entrance theme, a stylish robe, and vast improvement in her in-ring skills. She also formed an alliance with then-newcomer Nia Jax on NXT, but just months into her NXT tenure, Eva Marie was placed back on the main shows and was part of Brie Bella's feud with Lana--leading to a multi-woman tag team bout that took place at WrestleMania 32 on April 2, 2016.

Eva Marie remained on the main roster afterwards, and in the returning brand split, the Red Queen (as she was called) was sent to the SmackDown brand. It was during this point that Eva Marie's entrance included a voice-over intro (to this day, I still loved that intro; it was such a heel heat magnet), and she also portrayed a cowardly heel--often making excuses to get out of matches. Unfortunately, that gimmick ended abruptly due to a Wellness Policy violation, which also resulted in Eva Marie leaving WWE altogether.

I really enjoyed watching Eva Marie on WWE TV, I still look back at her tenure very fondly. I do wish fans had given her more of a chance, though; yes, her in-ring skills needed improvement, but she did improve, she worked very hard to get better in the ring, and it showed. But that's not the big problem I have. I've always felt that Eva Marie's time in NXT should have been longer than it was. When I found out about Eva Marie being in NXT, I thought it was perfect, because it could be the start of a comeback story. In my vision, Eva Marie spends about a year and a half in NXT, gets over as a heel, and probably gets pushed to the NXT Women's Championship. After that run ends, then she could return to the main roster and be a strong force in the Women's Division. That was my hope.

In the time that passed, Eva Marie delved into acting, beginning with appearing in the 2017 film, Inconceivable, alongside Nicolas Cage and Gina Gershon. In 2019, she was part of that year's season of the U.S. version of Celebrity Big Brother, finishing in seventh place, and in the following year, Eva Marie co-starred in the action film, Hard Kill, alongside Bruce Willis and Jesse Metcalfe. Earlier this year, Eva Marie appeared as Jade on the TV series, Paradise City.

Eva Marie is back in WWE, and I, for one, cannot be happier! The "Eva-Lution" could be the boost that WWE's Women's Division needs right now, it should be interesting to see her back in action!

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About the Creator

Clyde E. Dawkins

I am an avid fan of sports and wrestling, and I've been a fan of female villains since the age of eight. Also into film and TV, especially Simpsons and Family Guy.

Feel free to follow my social media:

Twitter - Facebook - Tiktok - Instagram

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