When Paige debuted last year, it looked like she was getting the same career Mickie James had. There was no eye-candy centerpiece in place when she debuted. Dark age right now. But Paige was still used as filler and to put over AJ Lee in 2014. And I felt she had what it takes to overcome this kind of career to get very over. She has wrestling credibility, she has the look, and she has charisma. And there was really no stars in the diva division knocking it out of the park to bury her.
This year is different. AJ Lee, the only female wrestler the WWE has pushed as a star since Lita retired, left the company. You also have the rise of the diva revolution era. Since it is mostly wrestling fans that were complaining about the quality of the division, the WWE should push someone for them to really get behind. I have said before that Paige might be a good option to replace AJ Lee. What has happened in recent weeks to suggest the WWE might develop Paige to be the next AJ Lee? Paige dropped a pipe bomb. AJ Lee did one of those promos a few years ago.
What does it mean to be the next AJ Lee? As I said, AJ was the first female wrestler the WWE pushed to be a star in the diva division since Lita. All the others have been credible jobbers or didn't last long enough to go in any direction, like Kharma. AJ got her big push in the men's division, where just about every periphery diva is born. She was pushed alongside multiple main-eventers, including a few months as Raw GM. She then went on to hold the Diva's Championship a few times.
Even though Paige did that promo, she hasn't yet been pushed at the level AJ Lee was. She has not gotten anything in the periphery. Then again, one of the things about the diva revolution era is that there is all this interest in the actual diva division. Those vocal fans are that interested in the wrestling matters of the division, not so much the periphery matters, like Summer Rae and Rusev. It is possible to make stars off of regular wrestling feuds in the diva division. The WWE has never created a star like that. They have all come from the periphery. The eye-candy divas came from the periphery. Chyna, Lita, and AJ were made in the periphery. Mickie James got over on her own. Moreover, the WWE never pushed her as a star even after that. Without exception, the periphery has been where the WWE creates stars in the diva division. If the WWE is serious about Paige being the next AJ Lee, they can just bypass pushing her alongside Cena, The Authority, or any other top stars in the company.
They could, but I don't think they should. One reason, just because those vocal wrestling fans will react to Paige if she is pushed well within the diva division, that does not mean the wider audience might buy into her as well. You just usually have divas pushed uniquely in the periphery. That can really help Paige. Another thing to keep in mind, the diva division is just so congested right now. 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 was bad enough, but turning Paige heel just made things more problematic. She has not aligned with any other group. Natalya has taken her spot alongside Charlotte and Becky. The three stables still have issues with each other. You now have Paige having issues with everybody. The result? 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 vs. 1. Even though the WWE could now make stars through diva feuds, they are not going to do it with things this congested and sloppy. It might not be easy to think of a smooth way to do it, but I would get Paige out of this mess and push her alongside a top star in the men's division.
Or did the WWE just turn Paige heel and break her away from everyone else to make it easier to bury her? I don't think she was over enough that the WWE would need to go out of their way to bury her. But that is another thing about the diva revolution era. The WWE can easily bury any diva. They can just give someone a meaningless win without any direction, like they have Sasha Banks, or stick someone as just a sidekick, like Becky Lynch. These women are still getting featured, but they are not really getting pushed. The WWE can just juggle around these women as they see fit. No one treated like that will really get over. It is like an evolved version of how credible jobbers are typically treated. It is being done with more women at the same time. The WWE has not followed up with Paige well so far. Is that simply because they have so many divas to push? If Paige was the new AJ Lee, she would be pushed as a priority over almost all those women. The only exception would be The Bellas.
If the WWE is serious about pushing Paige as a star, I do not see this as an example of a woman overcoming being pushed as a credible jobber to get over and the WWE giving her the spot she earned. Even though I felt Paige had the qualities to do what Mickie James did, she never really got that over, yet. #GiveDivasAChance wasn't started for her. I have seen some fans this year get sick of her being pushed. Fans weren't really going crazy for her to force the WWE to push her better. I have seen fans more eager for Sasha Banks to get pushed. If they give Paige the push, the fact that AJ Lee is gone and it would be smart to push some female wrestler as a star during the diva revolution would likely be the driving force for the push. AJ Lee got her big push at a time the WWE was failing to make stars and in between centerpieces. Circumstances helped her. Circumstances might be right once again for a female wrestler to get a big push. If the WWE sees it like that, Paige might be the female wrestler to get the big push.
If AJ Lee was still here, what would she be doing? They would definitely push her as a rebel. She wouldn't be getting meaningless wins or just playing a sidekick for long, if at all. This is someone they would want to stand out. She would be the one to do the promo bashing the other divas and the diva revolution. She would be the "1" in 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 vs 1. I don't know how well she would coexist with The Bellas and the overall diva revolution.
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