"I heard that I was going to actually get the title at SummerSlam" - Ex-Total Divas cast member seemingly confirms rumors on WWE's huge plans for her

A former cast member of the reality television series Total Divas seemingly confirmed WWE's rumored plans for her back in 2016. It would have been a gutsy move by the company since it involved a polarizing WWE Superstar.

After taking a hiatus following WrestleMania 32, Eva Marie returned with an uncanny heel gimmick. She would be having unfortunate events to avoid wrestling in matches, including being stuck in traffic and having a wardrobe malfunction.

There were rumors back then that the gimmick would lead to Marie becoming the inaugural SmackDown Women's Champion. However, a failed Wellness Policy test and a subsequent 30-day suspension derailed her push. She was released by WWE a year later without making any further appearances on WWE TV.

In an interview on Ring The Belle, Eva Marie confirmed that there were rumblings backstage that she was indeed winning the then newly established SmackDown Women's Championship.

"I think that was wild because I heard that too. I had heard that I was going to actually get the title at SummerSlam. That's also why it was probably super devastating to me at that time too. So many things were going on," Marie said. [28:06 - 28-23]

Eva Marie was scheduled to wrestle at SummerSlam 2016, teaming up with Natalya and Alexa Bliss to take on Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Carmella. A Six-Pack Elimination Challenge was then held at Backlash the following month to crown the first-ever SmackDown Women's Champion.

Lynch outlasted Bliss, Carmella, Naomi, Natalya, and Bella to make history. It also catapulted her into one of the top female stars in the company.

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Eva Marie returned to WWE in 2020

After getting released by WWE in 2017, Eva Marie pursued a career in modeling and acting. She returned to the company in October 2020 but only appeared on television five months later. She officially made her comeback on June 14, with Piper Niven as Doudrop serving as her protege.

However, her second stint didn't last long and she was released in November 2021. She only had seven matches in total, all on television, including a loss to Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam.

Marie was written out of television in late September after she was attacked by Shayna Baszler.