How goes the WWE diva division currently? It is still a diva division. But something that you have now that was not there a year ago is the diva revolution. And I would say it has really had an impact on what is currently going on, not necessarily for the better.
This is still a dark age, but it is a different dark age. The diva division did not collapse right after Trish and Lita retired. The WWE maintained some efficiency for a few years. But failure at the centerpiece position led to the collapse you have now. That period between the golden age and the new dark age is the era of failed centerpieces. That's what I call it. I think this current era also deserves a separate name. This is the diva revolution era. The WWE didn't really want to be more efficient, but fans called them out on Twitter and the Internet support has never entirely gone away. First was just longer matches. The WWE went on to debut three women from NXT in one night. They made a storyline out of what is going on. Divas have gotten two matches some nights. There is definitely better emphasis in the diva division. But it still feels like a different creature from what you had from the first golden age.
One problem is that it is still sloppy. I had said earlier this year that it might be wise for the WWE to downsize. Just feature 8 divas in the division. Start being efficient with those women, which would include a mix of female wrestlers and eye-candy divas. Once you have things working out, build around what is working out. That is when you can bring in more women. Instead of running that kind of plan, the WWE debuted 3 divas from NXT and you had a 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 feud. Nine divas were being pushed in that one feud. That is around the same area I was talking about with 8 divas. But then you also have to bring up Lana and Summer Rae in a periphery angle. That is 11 divas. Natalya is now being featured again. I will get to that later. Has the WWE proven they can handle this kind of multi-diva feud properly? I do not think so. Some women seem to get meaningless wins with no real direction, like Sasha. You have rivalries mixing and some fans might be unsure how to connect with what they are seeing. The Bellas look like heels some nights, then play faces other nights. A lack of individual focus can also hurt some divas, like Becky Lynch.
Fan reactions are another problem. Fans on Twitter are not completely representative of all WWE fans. Twitter fans can seem heated about this. But a lot of them settled very easily for those longer matches the WWE gave them earlier in the year. It took them a while to realize things were still poor. The WWE debuted some NXT divas. These fans were content again. But again it was obvious that there are still issues. And again fans are wanting better. But while that is going on, there are a lot of fans, especially the live audience, that are not reacting the same way. They are not as passionate. There are some nights where the female wrestlers and the diva revolution get a positive reaction, but there are also some nights where these women do not get a good reception and the matches are not respected.
Another issue is the overall atmosphere. It is not fun. It is sour. It has a very self-righteous tone. Even though it was arguably the fans that really started this era, you have divas sometimes arguing in their promos about who started it. Paige dropped a pipe bomb. Those are supposed to sound self-righteous. And there is nothing wrong with that. But if that is all you do in the diva division for a year or longer, it is going to be painful. It might end up like LayCool's bully gimmick lasting longer than it should have. It did not help Michelle McCool get the overness she should have had and the WWE did not follow through with pushing Layla as a star. It is like listening to a feminist giving a speech about women's rights. You just might respect it, but what if that is all she ever does? After a while, it might get annoying. Too much negativity. Pro wrestling is supposed to be fun. Internet fans may be eating this up, but I do not believe the WWE is creating an environment the wider audience will enjoy.
How about overness? Is there one diva that is obviously stepping up and connecting with the fans better than the rest? Why is it important? I think it just makes things easier. Build around what works. Moreover, if you don't have one woman that is deserving of that treatment, you might have an even tougher time pleasing fans. Paige obviously has her fans. There are fans waiting for Sasha Banks to be more relevant. There are some fans that just want to see great wrestling. If any one diva gets pushed for too long, these fans might complain about it. And don't overlook The Bellas. They may be hated by many wrestling fans, but they do have people that like them, whether because of Total Divas, because of their looks, or whatever. Lana has also shown that she could get over. But just sticking with the 9 divas that have been pushed centerstage for the last few months, there are a couple women that are around the same level of overness. And the WWE cannot do all these women justice. Some fans are going to be left irritated, while a diva that may lack A-tier overness is getting opportunities other women are not getting a chance to get.
What is specifically going on now? Charlotte may have won the title, but Nikki Bella will still get her rematch. Outside of that, Paige has turned on her former teammates and Natalya has popped back up to feud with Paige. Sasha Banks continues to get meaningless wins. Does Paige turning heel make it harder for Sasha to get a real push? Paige is a heel getting focus. Nikki Bella is a heel and still appears to be the centerpiece. Another issue is that all these rivalries are still intertwined. The result isn't an elaborate storyline. The result is sloppiness. An elaborate storyline, like the one you had between Mickie James and Trish Stratus, still involves a clear story, just with supporting players properly being utilized, character development, and elaborate segments. This whole diva revolution storyline has been a juggling act. Paige has gotten some character development, but it all might backfire if the environment continues to be sour. There have been some elaborate segments, but a lot of them have been criticized. The whole story is that various groups dislike each other. The development has been Paige snapping. This really just sounds like a basic storyline, only with a lot of extra bodies involved.
The diva revolution era might lead to the end of the diva division and the rise of a respectable women's division. It can also completely flop. Keep in mind that the entire company is still in a dark age. I doubt the diva division will be fixed without the WWE getting their act together in general. And as long as this diva revolution era continues, I would expect this self-righteous, sour environment to continue. Again, some fans on Twitter will eat it up, but there will be a lot of fans out there that will just get sick of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment