Brie Bella has been Diva's Champion before, but she was clearly not being pushed as the centerpiece back then. She had not gotten any proper development for that title win, her reign was mediocre for months, and both Bellas were lost in the shuffle soon after Kelly Kelly won the title. It was with this title reign that I like to say the second dark age started. The Bellas were on the bottom of the ladder in terms of credibility. They were arm candy for celebrity guest hosts for so long. Since then, the WWE has treated them better. I respect them a little bit more now than I did back then.
Does that mean Brie is being groomed to be the next centerpiece? There is still a vacancy there. She has been getting pushed alongside her husband, Daniel Bryan, and has gotten a bit physical with Stephanie McMahon. Right now, Brie is obviously getting the periphery treatment. But Trish Stratus did get that kind of treatment prior to being pushed as centerpiece. She did feud with Stephanie McMahon. Could Brie be getting developed to follow in Trish's footsteps? I don't think so. This is just a great periphery angle. As long as she is with Daniel Bryan, there is a good chance the WWE can keep her in that position as a top-tier periphery diva.
Between Brie Bella and Summer Rae, who is still the likely choice for new centerpiece, who really should get the spot? That centerpiece position is the most important position in the division. The division revolves around that. That woman will frequently be involved in title matters. Title reigns will frequently be coming to her. The reason that division has collapsed so badly is because of centerpiece issues. Which of these two women stands the best shot at helping the division get back on its feet? I'm not going to do this, but you can probably make a head-to-head chart for Brie Bella and Summer Rae. Who has the better wrestling ability? Who is more charismatic? Who has better mic skills? Who is hotter? Who is currently connecting with the fans better? Grade them in each of those categories. If you really want to get fancy, poll other fans in each of those categories to see what they think. Which of those two women is really best for the job? Personally, I think they are pretty close to the same level. Neither of them really stands out in any area.
If I had to choose whom to develop as the new centerpiece out of those two women, I would go with Brie Bella. That is mostly because she has been around longer and I'm more used to her. Beyond that, Summer Rae just seems dry and generic to me. She has better charisma than Michelle McCool, but I don't think she is as solid as her in the ring. Then again, the whole point is to take an eye-candy diva that lacks that wrestling ability and develop her to be the central focus. Brie Bella isn't that amazing, but I like her more. Again, if you asked me about Brie Bella a few years ago, I would have had a much worse opinion of her. And you never know, Daniel Bryan might provide more than just a storyline rub for her and help her become even better in the ring.
Summer Rae still seems like the likely option for the WWE. They have decided to run with her as a face. Okay. I would have kept her as a heel. I think she could stand a better chance of showing character as a heel, and she needs to get over with the fans. I also think it would be good to give her some main-event storylines and rubs to make her look even better before pulling the trigger on her. Her current storyline with Fandango and Layla is fine, but a main-event storyline would have more hype to it. If they had kept her as a heel, what could they have done with her? Have her feud with the faces on Total Divas.
What does it mean for title matters that Summer Rae is a face? Unless she eventually wins the title in a multi-diva match, she is going to feud with a heel over the title. Who will that be? They could turn Paige heel. They could pass the title to Alicia Fox. How about waiting for AJ to return? They could probably create a great storyline involving her. How about taking advantage of the storyline they have for Summer Rae now? Have Layla eventually win the title and have her transition it to Summer Rae as part of their feud. Sable won the Women's Championship from Jacqueline. There was a feud between those two even before the title came into play. Summer Rae would really be following the path of Sable if they did it like that.
One last thing I want to bring up, when do you say that the WWE has officially pulled the trigger on a new centerpiece? After the WWE has been doing this for over a decade, you know what kind of diva they like to push as the centerpiece. You might even say you can see it coming from a mile away in some instances. But when does the reign of a centerpiece begin? Of course, you can look at it however you want. Personally, I usually like to wait until they win their first title after being developed to be centerpiece. Eve won the title 3 times, but the first two came at times when they were not pushing her as centerpiece. The only exception to the rule for me was Sable. I like to say they started pushing her as centerpiece when they brought back the Women's Championship. Jacqueline won it first, but that was just to develop a title chase for Sable. And that is also when I like to say the diva division started. There is usually some development before a diva is officially pushed as centerpiece. Besides that, you don't want to rush to say a diva is the new centerpiece. Give the WWE some time to make up their mind and actually pull that trigger. Summer Rae could do something to make the WWE change their minds about her. If they just keep her in periphery angles, than all she will continue to be is a periphery diva. But I think she is the next centerpiece. You have the position vacant, she is the type of diva they like to hold that position, and they do seem to be developing her for that position.
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