Bayley and Sasha Banks go toe-to-toe in a tag match on NXT. Photo/Daily Wrestling News
[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]es, it’s two NXT-centric articles in a row! As you may be able to tell at this point, I’m an NXT fan, and rightfully so. As mentioned in the previous article, the brand is more centered on actual wrestling on the main roster, so it’s a refreshing change from the flash-and-bang that is usually Raw and Smackdown.
Takeover: Our Evolution is set to go down on December 11th, days before the last PPV of the year, TLC. Already, the card looks amazing: Neville vs. Zayn, Itami and Balor vs. The Ascension, Lucha Dragons vs. The Vaudevillians, and most importantly to those who are huge proponents of women in wrestling – Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks, for the NXT Women’s championship.
Back in September, to promote the special event, Creative and Triple H had a brilliant idea: feature some of the talent in a match on Raw to spark interest. To say it worked was an understatement. The match was extremely well received. I imagine they’re probably going to do the same thing next month.
To which, WWE, can I propose an idea? Feature your NXT Divas in a tag match on Raw, because your division desperately needs it.
Now everyone, hear me out on this, because I can already hear the doubt rumbling around in your minds. This is pertaining to the division that tends to get the short end of the stick. When there’s a tag match, it’s typically featuring talent that are involved in Total Divas, and it’s to further a storyline in the show. Most fans tend to use that as break time. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is not conducive to legitimizing the credibility of the Divas division, which, while it’s starting to gain momentum with the likes of AJ Lee and Paige, is still shaky at best.
The difference between both divisions is the ring work and story telling. Typically, NXT Divas get a longer amount of time in the match and therefore can tell a better story with their work. The move sets are more diverse and there’s more aggression. Both are things the main roster is sorely lacking, even with the recent pick-up (see: Paige and Nikki Bella’s heel turns over the summer and AJ in general).
The way the storylines in NXT are going, I can possibly see a match between Bayley and Becky Lynch being booked for the next event within the week or two. Obviously, I could be wrong and this does yet remain to be seen. Should this happen, to promote these four women, have them in a tag match during Raw: Charlotte and Bayley vs. Team BAE (Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch and really? Couldn’t they have chosen a better team name?!?). The timing of the match is crucial; usually, WWE places the women’s matches towards the middle of the show, to give the audience a breather since there tends to be a lull during hour two.
Not only will this give a great opportunity for the women to be showcased and for WWE to prove that it can take women’s wrestling seriously, it’ll give the audience a chance to get familiar with Charlotte, as it’s becoming quite clear that she’s going to get called up to the main roster before years end, if not the beginning of next year. She’s a second generation talent, the daughter of Ric Flair, she needs to get that exposure now so the WWE universe will be chomping at the bit for her main roster debut.
Also, this will give Bayley a chance to actually embrace and use the edge her character desperately needs. Bayley is an amazing talent, and her gimmick is adorable. Like with Alexa Bliss, anytime I see her on screen, I want to hug her! However, adorable gimmicks do not transition to the main roster very well – take a look at Emma. In the past few weeks, Bayley has finally been getting more aggressive in the ring, and it’s working for her. She can be taken more seriously as a legitimate opponent.
Right now, TNA stomps WWE in terms of how it handles the female talent. I hate to say it, but it’s true. WWE needs to step up its game, and a reality show is not going to cut it. Showing the WWE Universe just what it has in store for us by giving us just a taste of the future of the Divas Division will.
