What does the WWE have to work with now? They are running with Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte. I have seen some people confused by how they have been pushing Charlotte in the last few months. It is a prolonged heel turn. Call it pushing her as a tweener. They did this same kind of thing for Michelle McCool. Handling a heel turn like this is better than some heel turns I have seen in the diva division in recent years. I have seen a diva do something that just made it clear that she had turned on her face pals, then the WWE backtracks on the heel turn, and then they pull the trigger again. The development of this turn has better than what I have seen in recent years.
That is probably the only good thing I can say about it. Problems? First, is Becky Lynch going to be your only face featured on a regular basis in the diva division? Everyone else will end up being heels. Even with the grey area the WWE pushes in the diva division these days, having some heels play tweeners and feud against other heels, this whole situation is just not going to work. Will they turn Paige back to being a face? Will they use Natalya better? Time to turn Sasha Banks face? I doubt Bayley will debut anytime soon. Regardless of what the WWE does, they have created a messy roster.
How would this strategy the WWE is now using have worked at another time when roster depth was a problem? I am thinking back to when Mickie James was the only face credible jobber in some situations. The WWE ended up pushing her more than they would have liked, especially with centerpieces not working out left and right. Difference is, there are more women with wrestling credibility in the division these days than there were back then. The roster split is one reason why you had this issue back then. And the WWE was not as comfortable pushing eye-candy divas as credible jobbers as they are now. The diva roster on Smackdown was even more horrible for a while in 2008 and early 2009. This strategy actually makes better sense now than it would have back then. There are plenty of women with at least decent wrestling ability and there is no roster split to limit possibilities.
Back to issues with the current diva feud. One reason why fans might have been confused by what the WWE was doing with Charlotte is that they started building her heel turn while she was still feuding with Paige. The WWE had Paige say things that caused a bit of controversy. Definitely heelish statements. You would think that would make fans sympathetic towards Charlotte and want to see her crush Paige. Before that feud can be ended, the WWE starts having Charlotte act like a heel. How are fans supposed to feel about Charlotte? In terms of her character, it is hard to now feel sympathetic towards her. In terms of Charlotte as a performer, she is not great enough to get over through her talents alone. She needs booking to go her way.
And she has her legendary father to help her. That is an unfair advantage. There are two directions the WWE can go with Ric Flair being involved in this.
First, I am thinking back once again to the diva division in 2008 and early 2009. Raw had Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix as a couple. And yet, the whole thing felt like it was more about giving Santino a storyline to do his comedy act. Beth Phoenix did not really benefit from working with Santino. She got lost in the shuffle again soon after that angle. She was always a credible jobber. This was back when Candice Michelle was flopping as the centerpiece. What better time to let Santino run wild?
At a time when the diva division lacks real stars, Ric Flair might be biggest star involved in the division. Is the WWE just using the situation to feature Ric Flair? Is giving Charlotte a rub and building her to be a star not the real priority? I have seen some fans loving Ric Flair in this storyline. Flair is one of the greats. The greats in pro wrestling usually find a way to stand out. Regardless, is it fair to the diva division to have him involved?
The other possibility here is that Ric Flair really is here to give his daughter a rub. The WWE has never built a star in the diva division through regular diva feuds. Stars are made in the periphery. Chyna got over from angles alongside men. Lita got over from angles alongside men. That is where AJ Lee got her big push. Trish Stratus got rubs in the men's division prior to being pushed as the centerpiece. You have your other eye-candy periphery divas. The angle with Charlotte and Ric Flair is not your typical periphery angle. It is still another instance of a man being used to get a woman over, if the WWE is aiming for that.
I would not put too much effort into Charlotte. She reminds me of Michelle McCool. McCool did not fail as centerpiece because she regressed in her wrestling ability or injuries ruined her. She is the second longest-lasting centerpiece the diva division has ever had, behind Trish Stratus. She just could not get over. And the WWE was just overbearing with how they pushed her. I said that the heel turn Charlotte is getting reminds me of what the WWE did with Michelle McCool. They also look similar. I would say McCool was hotter. They are both solid in the ring, just not amazing enough to get over through that alone. In terms of charisma, I would give Charlotte the edge. Even then, she is just not great enough to get over. If she cannot get over as a face, as a heel, and even with her legendary dad helping her, she does not deserve a million more chances.
One of the main reasons the Charlotte is even getting the focus she is now is most likely Nikki Bella not being around. When the centerpiece is not around, that is when the WWE will either push filler or start building new stars. The first dark age led to the rise of Trish and Lita. The WWE started developing both AJ Lee and Eve Torres at a time when it looked like they were moving away from Kelly Kelly. AJ Lee, even though I do not consider her being pushed as the centerpiece during her years with the title, took a break in 2014. The WWE wasted no time in starting to push The Bellas better, in the periphery. If Nikki Bella was not seriously injured, the WWE would likely just treat her hiatus as a time to feature filler. A more serious injury would lead to them thinking about developing a new star. The diva division would definitely look different if Nikki Bella was around.
The rest of Team Bella are lost in the shuffle. The WWE should consider pushing Brie Bella better. Or are they worried about fans associating Brie with Daniel Bryan? Even if Brie Bella is not amazing in the ring, she has to have some value in the periphery.
Sasha Banks and her two pals are only in a slightly better position than Brie and Alicia Fox. Sasha Banks has her win streak. It is pointless. I already talked about her matches on Raw not living up to the high expectations many had for her. If the WWE ever does decide to move away from Charlotte, give the spotlight to Sasha Banks for a while.
How about Paige? When she debuted a few years ago, I felt she had potential to do what Mickie James did. The WWE definitely has been pushing her the same way they did Mickie James, as a credible jobber. Paige just has not broken out. She is over, just not over enough. Her push is also over. Becky Lynch has been rotated into the spot Paige held. Because depth in the diva division is better than it was when Mickie James was there, and combined with the WWE's strategy of pushing tweeners and constant turns, Paige does not have to be pushed again for a very long time, unless the WWE has a change of heart. If they do not, expect mediocrity or nothing at all.
Becky Lynch is the credible jobber currently getting pushed. She will get a title shot on Smackdown. Good of the WWE to have some title matches on the first Smackdown of the year. This should be the match where Charlotte cements her heel turn. There will likely be a rematch at the Royal Rumble. Becky Lynch is someone else I would like to see pushed better than this. I do not feel she has the potential to overcome being pushed as a credible jobber to get very over. She might prove me wrong.
Lastly, how about the diva revolution? I would say the reaction that match between Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch on Raw last month got shows the direction it is going. The WWE really should just phase out talking about it. Give the divas a respectable amount of time to work. Just do not give them more time than they need. That is not a shot at the women. Even some men have matches that seem to last too long. The whole thing was a mess. It was more hype than substance. Have the fans on Twitter learned their lesson? The next time the WWE has a Raw diva match last under a minute, will there be another protest? I hope not.
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