It was not the booking decision I would have made, but it is not too surprising. The WWE has a history of building their men's and women's division around one individual. That person is going to dominate the title scene. Even when that person is not in the title scene, it is not unusual for that person to still be treated better than the person holding the title. That person is the centerpiece. It seems Charlotte truly is the person the WWE wants as the centerpiece.
I have said before that what the women's division will look like in the new era will take time to develop. You can't just jump to the conclusion that they are going to do things a certain way. And I will say that it has really started to develop, for Raw's women's division, anyway. Some fans obviously jumped to the conclusion that the women's division would go through Sasha Banks. Even if just for a few months, she would be featured like Charlotte was featured for the last year. That is obviously not happening, as Bayley is now being rotated in as the credible jobber that will work with Charlotte.
If you analyzed the treatment Sasha Banks was getting since she debuted last year, you probably saw some signs that this depush would come for her. Despite her win streak, which was ultimately meaningless, she was pushed inconsistently. The 3-stable war was mainly about PCB and Team Bella. To be more specific, it was about Charlotte and Nikki Bella. Fans were upset that Sasha was not pushed better. When Sasha showed up to attack Charlotte at the Royal Rumble this year, her fans were ready to party. Another depush followed after Wrestlemania. After a concussion issue, Sasha got that push that led to two short title reigns. But there were two periods of mediocrity prior to her big recent push. And then you take into account that she only seemed most relevant when feuding with Charlotte. Credible jobbers will seem that relevant when being used as a jobber to the centerpiece or interim centerpiece. Even though signs were there, what you would hope for is that a new era meant things would be done in a new way. The only thing that seems to have changed is that the WWE is no longer as determined to have an eye-candy performer as their top star. They are still running a centerpiece-driven system. At least, that is what they are showing on Raw.
As I said, this was not the booking decision I would have made. Some morons have accused me of not liking Sasha Banks, or whatever. It has nothing to do with liking or disliking anyone in particular. It is about seeing these individuals get fair opportunities and get what they deserve. As a fan, I will have people I like or don't like. As a critic, I will point out strengths and weaknesses, and it may sometimes sound like I hate someone I actually like, or vice versa. As an analyst, I try to be objective. And as an analyst, I would say the WWE didn't really give Sasha Banks a legitimate opportunity at all. She has had two title reigns on the main roster, but both were really short. Charlotte was obviously the centerpiece the whole time. The WWE should want to give multiple women fair opportunities to show what they can do in the spotlight to determine which of these women truly deserves to be the centerpiece. They can't just predetermine what they want to do and try to make it happen. When a quarterback predetermines where he wants to throw the ball, that can sometimes lead to trouble. He might get intercepted. He needs to understand what's going on in front of him. Analyze. Think. It's even worse when the WWE is so determined to force something to happen. Look at John Cena. Look at Roman Reigns. Look at multiple failed centerpieces in the diva era that led to that era's collapse. I would have let Sasha Banks hold the title for a few months, possibly all the way to Wrestlemania. Have her get some successful feuds against the likes of Emmalina and Nia Jax. Give her a chance to show if she deserves to be the centerpiece. Contrary to what some of Sasha's fans might think, she is not as over as they might think. But she deserves the opportunity to expand her game and show what she can do when the spotlight is on her, beyond just wrestling. The WWE did not give her that shot.
Bayley is likely in for the same treatment Sasha Banks just had. You have already seen Bayley go through a period of mediocrity. She was floating around for a little while during Charlotte vs. Sasha. They gave her a feud with Dana Brooke, but it seemed like mostly filler, although the WWE did put some work in developing it. Fans didn't like it so much. Bayley will eventually get a title run. But how long will she hold it until Charlotte gets it back?
Onto Charlotte. I don't think she has shown enough to prove that she deserves to be the centerpiece. Yes, she can wrestle. But the centerpiece of a division in the WWE, a company that has been interested in more than just pleasing wrestling fans for a long time, should be strong in more than just wrestling. She doesn't have that natural charisma that helps a lot of people to get over with a wide audience. She does try, but trying is not the same as getting it done. I failed every test in a Calculus class I took. I got a D. That's because the professor saw that I tried and put in effort. I should have gotten an F. In terms of her charisma and the effort she puts into showing character, I would not give Charlotte a D or an F, but there are women that could do better that also happen to also be good in the ring. Why not give these women, like Bayley or Sasha Banks, a legitimate chance? I am not going to critique her looks. The WWE is pushing that women's revolution stuff, so emphasis should be given to in-ring work and overall character. If there was a woman on Raw that was good in the ring, charismatic, and beautiful, it is likely she would have the overness to deserve to be centerpiece and I would recommend her. As it stands, the WWE is sticking with Charlotte, and she has not shown she really deserves to be pushed this well.
Just stop and look at how Charlotte has been pushed. Counting her NXT title win and holding the butterfly title, she is a 5-time women's titleholder. Toss in her undefeated streak at PPVs, including wrestling in the first women's Hell in a Cell match, which also happened to be the first time women main-evented a PPV. She is over-pushed. She will be a 10-time Champion before the end of 2018. She will likely be the first woman to have held both the Raw Women's Championship and the Smackdown Women's Championship. I haven't seen anything like it since Michelle McCool. Michelle McCool was another solid in-ring worker that lacked natural charisma. It just doesn't energize the division to have someone that isn't that popular dominate like this. It is deflating for many. The WWE should still leave the playing field open to give other women a chance to earn this big career Charlotte is being given.
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