State Of The WWE Women's Division: July 2016

This is my first time doing a general overview of the WWE women's division since they made "diva" a bad word. Have things really changed that much? First, I am going to run through the main players in the women's division right now. After that, I'll look at the two feuds going on.

Let me start with Summer Rae. She is a diva. And she is a diva that has been getting in the ring probably too much. Most of her singles matches this year have been losses, so wrestling fans aren't going to complain about her burying anyone. This is a new era and I don't think seeing someone like Summer Rae get so many matches is what many wrestling fans were hoping for. Not only are some of these matches the WWE is booking not as great as some fans might hope, it just gets stale seeing Summer Rae always in this position. She needs a periphery angle. That's where she can do her best work and be more useful.

One step above of Summer Rae would be Dana Brooke. She is another eye-candy worker. But she is a little more relevant than Summer Rae by being the sidekick to Charlotte. Michelle McCool had Layla and Charlotte has Dana Brooke. Again, this is a worker wrestling fans probably did not expect to get as much in-ring time as she has when this new era started. She is not the greatest in the ring. She is charismatic. That's probably her best strength. She should be a sidekick. It is a good role for her. But the WWE needs to get some better in-ring workers to help make these filler matches a little more appealing for wrestling fans.

Switching to some eye-candy divas that aren't getting in the ring, let me start with Maryse. Miz is back from filming another movie, so his wife gets to be relevant again. Maryse hasn't been used in a big way, but she has gotten involved here and there in segments. That's good. I would say they are using her about as well as they could an eye-candy diva in this era aligned with a midcarder.

Lana is a different story. When Rusev and Lana first came on the main roster, Lana really stood out. Rusev was the brute that destroyed people and Lana was his charismatic, sexy mouthpiece. She had a strong character that got over, even as a heel. Rusev has grown since then. He now speaks for himself. He is his own guy. Lana is still in the picture, but she is really an afterthought. If she wasn't a sexy woman, she would probably be phased out and eventually released like certain other sidekicks over the years. But the WWE can use her for Total Divas, photoshoots, and other things like that. She has been learning how to wrestle. The WWE could develop an in-ring feud for her. Don't treat her like Summer Rae, but do more to let her character really stand out again. There have been some beautiful women in the history of the WWE that may have hurt their overness by getting in the ring and not being good enough to keep wrestling fans on their side. I don't think it would hurt Lana to get in the ring a little more often. If not that, find a better way to incorporate her into Rusev's angles.

Switching to the actual wrestlers, let me start with Paige. Paige is more relevant for angles associated with Total Divas than she is for actual wrestling angles. She is a credible jobber. No shocker with how she is being pushed. I have said before that she deserves better. Push her in that spot AJ Lee had. Push her as the top female wrestler in the periphery. I think she has what it takes more than any other female wrestler on the roster right now.

Natalya is also a credible jobber. She had her recent heel turn and feud with Becky Lynch. Eventually, she might be the one serving the purpose Summer Rae now serves. After the brand split, just keep Natalya on the show with the title to be a heel credible jobber there. Let Summer Rae go to the other show and get periphery angles there.

Becky Lynch is pretty much the face version of Natalya. She is a face credible jobber. I would say she is another one being underutilized. Getting a feud is better than nothing, but there was a great story between her and Charlotte that has gotten ruined. The WWE may never be able to regain the momentum that was there, even if they wanted to try in the future.

Sasha Banks is the face credible jobber currently being used as jobber to the centerpiece. Most wrestling fans want to see her win the title. The WWE might as well do it. Don't play with fire. Just give her a title reign, go through the motions with her for a few months, and then drop it back to Charlotte, or whomever they want the centerpiece to be by then. By that time, Bayley will probably be debuting and wrestling fans will be calling for her to get a title push. Sasha Banks can then get phased out easily. I have seen the WWE do this many times in the last almost two decades. No one ever catches on. Fans will just say that Sasha Banks had her push and Bayley deserves her opportunity. They won't stop to realize that, while all these women are being rotated around, the WWE is attempting to treat one woman as a constant.

And that constant appears to be Charlotte. She is the centerpiece of the new era. She just is not a great centerpiece. Some fans point out that she is getting heel heat. Okay, but is most of that reaction she is getting based on her being a great heel? Or is it mainly fans not liking her or her act? Is Roman Reigns a great heel because he gets booed? Problem is, he's a face. If the WWE turned him heel and fans still hated him or his act, he would get booed. It wouldn't be heat because he's a great heel. It would be heat because fans just don't like what they see. That's the kind of thing I am wondering with Charlotte. Even if she does get genuinely over as a heel, what happens when they turn her face? Do fans buy her? A centerpiece should have the versatility to connect with fans as a face or a heel. If fans boo a heel because he does a great job playing the heel role, that's good. If fans cheer a heel because he is so entertaining or a wrestler they will respect no matter what, that is also good. But if they turn that heel face and fans don't care or hate him, that's a problem. While Charlotte may be working as a heel, there are women on the roster that can be great as a heel or a face. One of them should be the centerpiece.

Let me go to the feud between Charlotte and Sasha Banks. It really isn't that amazing of a feud. Since Sasha Banks is involved and has a chance to get the title, many fans are buying into this as something more amazing than it really is. I can see Charlotte retaining at Battleground and Sasha winning the title at the next encounter, probably at Summerslam.

Becky Lynch vs. Natalya is another feud that really isn't that spectacular. But it is getting heated and fans are buying into it. Natalya is dominating the feud so much, the outcome seems obvious. While creative depth is always good, I hope the WWE doesn't make every secondary women's feud just a heel beating up a face until the face wins. More of a story would be nice.

Let me close by going back to the issue of certain women that aren't that great in the ring getting put in matches too much recently. That is a depth issue. The WWE has had to deal with some injuries to some women in the last few months. This is just reminiscent of issues they had in the diva era. A lack of depth led to the WWE pushing women they probably would not have wanted to push. You can say the WWE could have just rushed the debut of someone from development. They didn't. They made do with what they had. How about recent months? Has the WWE been in a situation where they should have rushed a debut? I am not talking about Bayley or Asuka. I mean someone that would be an obvious low-tier or mid-tier credible jobber. It would make for some fresher matches and likely better matches. Fact is, they didn't. That's not something they do. They make do with what they have. It will be interesting to see what they do with the brand split and should issues arise in the two women's divisions after the split occurs. If the roster gets thin again, how will the WWE react?