Recently, the WWE has been just having Nia squash local jobbers. When is that going to come to an end? It should be soon. Just a few weeks into the brand split, it feels like they already have an emergency situation on their hands. Raw's women's division's depth is pretty terrible. It hurts even more when you don't utilize the entire roster properly. You can't just suddenly start pushing someone like Summer Rae and think everyone will care and buy her as credible. At least Nia Jax has some credibility and is fresh.
I am all for creative depth, having multiple angles going on at the same time, but now is pretty much a time when they should have brought Nia into the title feud. I am not a fan of her, but the title feud has just gotten stale with the same players involved. The mixed-tag match was a breath of fresh air. Luckily, Summerslam is this Sunday. But if the WWE does decide to continue Sasha vs. Charlotte, they need to add someone else to freshen up these matches. Why not Nia Jax? She's not going anywhere just squashing local jobbers.
The thing that really stands out to me about Nia Jax is that she has her own shirt. That's it up there. Why does that matter? Why would the WWE even bring out a shirt for her? I understand NXT has become a brand now, complete with them touring and selling merchandise for talent down there, but Nia Jax wasn't really a hot act from NXT. Moreover, she hasn't really made a major splash since coming to the main roster. The WWE isn't pushing her in a great way. And she gets a shirt?
It is a sign of times changing. The WWE is trying to make money wherever they can. I believe Naomi was upset not too long ago about lack of merchandise for her. She now has a shirt out. Shinsuke Nakamura just debuted a few months ago in NXT. The WWE already has at least four shirt designs out for him, plus other merchandise. I can understand that. He is a hot NXT act. Nia Jax, however, is something else.
Aside from paying attention to how a worker is being pushed, another way of sometimes telling if the WWE is serious about them being a star used to be looking at how much merchandise the WWE makes for them. The WWE doesn't just create stars so they can get cheered, but also so that the company can market them to make money and promote them to draw for them.
Look at Mickie James during her time in the WWE. She never complained on Twitter about a lack of merchandise for her. She probably should have. She was more over than Naomi. I can understand the WWE not making more merchandise for Candice Michelle or Maryse. The WWE attempted to develop these women to be centerpieces, but they never worked out. Why bother making shirts for workers that aren't working out well? But what's the excuse for Mickie James never getting a shirt? If the company wants her to be a star, why aren't they putting more effort into making merchandise for her to make money off her? She is over. I am sure the WWE can design a better shirt for her than TNA did. Some people say the WWE was upset with Mickie James because they couldn't make money off her music career. Okay, and what was their excuse for not doing more to make money off her prior to her interest in a music career? Did they need a wake-up call? To me, that was just another sign that they did not want her as a star. They never pushed her as one and they never tried to market her as one. When they released her, they did not lose a star and they did not lose a source of money. They just lost a credible jobber that was more over than the women meant to be stars.
But this is a different era. The WWE is making merchandise for everyone. And I'm not just talking action figures. It is what they need to do. The WWE Network hasn't exactly been the greatest investment ever. Talk about record revenue all you want, but costs are also increasing. Making money wherever you can get it doesn't hurt. They just have to be sure they are making smart investments. Market what the fans actually want, not what you want them to want and certainly don't market what definitely they do not want. Waste of time and money.
Back to Nia Jax, I talked about what the WWE should do with her in the short-term. As far as long-term potential goes, what can you say about her? I doubt she will still be squashing jobbers four years from now, if she is still around by then. Where can they put her where she will really be useful? The best thing for her might be as a bodyguard. Let her be Charlotte's sidekick. Or create a stable with Dana Brooke also involved. A woman like Nia Jax might not last long, unless pushed in the periphery. That's where Chyna was pushed. That is where Kharma would have ended up. Beth Phoenix is the only dominant woman from the diva era I can think of that didn't get pushed big in the periphery, but she didn't exactly stay that dominant forever. She became beatable. I just don't think Nia will work as the next Beth Phoenix. The periphery is also not very strong these days. If she won't be a periphery diva and may not be a great credible jobber, what is left for her? If yearly mass releases become a regular thing again, I would not be surprised to see her gone one day.
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