Grading a wrestler based on the type of career he or she is getting is the easiest part of this. Paige is obviously not getting the periphery treatment right now. Is she the centerpiece? The WWE has not been developing credible jobbers properly to put her over and she is being pushed very dryly. She is not the centerpiece. All that leaves is being pushed as a credible jobber. She is a C+ player. She is not as lowly as Jillian or Tamina. She is in the kind of position Mickie James and Beth Phoenix were in.
Let me grade her as a critic. She is obviously very beautiful. And she also has a unique look. Having a unique look helps you stand out. The WWE isn't pushing her with an anti-diva gimmick, but they could. And she is very good in the ring. Even though her match with Brie Bella a few weeks ago was overshadowed by the feud between Kane and Daniel Bryan, it was a pretty good match. I also like the emotion Paige was showing. Her mic skills? She hasn't gotten much of a chance to talk since coming to the main roster. And for those people who want to criticize her debut promo too much, keep in mind that the WWE isn't exactly letting her show a better character. If they gave her the kind of freedom they have given to AJ Lee, Paige would be amazing. And keep in mind she is still very young. Cross your fingers and hope the WWE gives her that better career. She can be great for many years to come. Until then, I would give her a A-/B+.
Now for the real issue at hand. How productive has Paige been? How over has she become? It has only been a month since she debuted. I honestly don't think it is fair to judge her results with the fans just yet, especially when the WWE has been pushing her so mediocrely. And yet, dirtsheets are circulating reports that she isn't doing a great job. A woman being pushed in a manner in which almost no one has ever brought A-level results is not bringing A-level results and deserves to be criticized for it? Really? No diva pushed as a credible jobber has ever become very over off of it and moved on to a better career. I am not going to pretend she is bringing A+ results. The fans aren't as crazy for her as they are for Daniel Bryan. If she were to be released next week, I doubt fans would want to riot and there would be a huge backlash. But it is wrong to say she is earning a D or F. I have seen fan support for her. I hear it. And I do see her trying to connect with the fans. Reports say she isn't engaging the crowd. I have seen some divas try to do a little extra to connect with the fans and just seem lost or not natural doing it. Remember when Michelle McCool was doing pushups? She wasn't over before that and that didn't help her get over. Paige is showing emotion better than Michelle McCool. It would help if she got featured as well as McCool did. Right now, in terms of results, I would say Paige is a B player. But I believe she has the ability to really connect with those fans even with this C+ career. Unless the WWE really does something to mess her up, she can one day be getting B+ or A- results even with this mediocre career.
These reports talk about Paige and Emma bringing underwhelming results. I wasn't much of a believer in Emma, but the WWE did her no favors by tossing her next to Santino and not developing much after that. It seems like they were just looking to bust out a new fad. But these reports are just stupid. The WWE is concerned the fans are not accepting Paige as the top WWE women's star? Yeah? Well, wouldn't it help if they actually pushed her like the top WWE women's star? And you know what the funniest thing about all this is? A few weeks ago, dirtsheets were talking like this mediocre treatment that never leads to success and better careers for female wrestlers was some kind of recipe for success. I said it wasn't. Now that Paige is not getting amazingly over off of it and might be getting treated even worse now, she gets the blame? That's a bunch of crap. Thing is, if she had gotten over and the WWE still treated her mediocrely or even worse to bury her back down, dirtsheets would have been saying even worse to explain it.
And dirtsheets want to talk about the great potential in NXT and possible future call ups? Weren't Paige and Emma in that category a while ago? When those other NXT women eventually debut, they will be at the mercy of the status quo of the WWE diva division. Right now, the main roster already has a ton of dead weight. I am not insulting those women. They just need to be treated better.
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