And What About Paige?

When I talked about Impact Wrestling recently, I used a picture of Alberto El Patron and Paige. Those two are obviously in a relationship. Paige has had a bunch of injury and suspension issues in the last year, holding her back in her WWE career. Nevertheless, the WWE is making a movie about her. But then you have her being backstage at the Impact Wrestling tapings a couple weeks ago to support her man. That is the kind of thing that can get you in trouble with the WWE.

There seems to be mixed signals here. How good is the relationship between Paige and the WWE? On the one hand, they are still trying to do something with her. On the other hand, she might not be that interested in being as supportive of the WWE. She might choose her man over the WWE. This sounds familiar. Reminds me of the drama with CM Punk & AJ Lee against the WWE a couple years ago. We all know how that turned out. CM Punk walked out and AJ Lee retired abruptly. Like an RKO in the night, no one saw it coming. There were expectations that it might happen, but AJ Lee retiring when she did came out of nowhere. Will there be a similar end for Paige? 

I have seen some fans say that Paige is throwing her career away. They criticize her because this was her dream and she is just turning her back on it like this. Some say that the WWE should just fire her.

If Paige is not as in love with the WWE anymore, I do not blame her. She didn't debut during the start of the women's revolution era. She debuted during the dying days of the diva era. And her career shows it. She may have won the Diva's Championship in her first night on Raw, but the reign was terrible. Her feud with Tamina was not properly developed at all. Her feud with Alicia Fox featured Fox's crazy gimmick, which really did not serve a proper purpose in the feud. It just took creative investment away from Paige. Her feud with Naomi had to share the spotlight with Cameron and Naomi splitting. It was like they were more interested in putting creative focus on anyone but Paige. And she lost the title back to AJ Lee when AJ returned from her hiatus. She was finally pushed better, but that is because she was working with someone they wanted to be a star. The more you invest in a jobber, the better the star will look working with the jobber. She won the title back on her birthday, but the reign was short and just seemed pointless, as she dropped it back to AJ Lee.

Everything after that was just jobber pushes. The women's revolution era started. Some might say she was the leader of PCB, but she looked like more of the jobber of the group. She got that heated feud with Charlotte, but it was obviously a jobber push. And her career never looked that interesting again since then. Instead of being passed over for eye-candy divas, she was being overlooked for the sake of the Four Horsewomen.

Throughout all that, Paige has done a ton of extra-curricular activities for the WWE. She did Total Divas, Tough Enough, movies, and so on. Of course, these outside activities do not decide what kind of career you are getting in the actual division. And I already talked about the kind of career she was getting. Definitely not being pushed as an A-tier player.

Why should Paige be so loyal to the WWE when they are not properly reciprocating it in terms of how they push her? Even if this was Paige's dream to be in the WWE, it can very well be the case that your dreams don't always turn out how you would have liked. A woman might meet her dream man. Handsome, smart, funny, and all the other qualities she wanted. Problem is, he turns abusive after a while. Why should she stick with him? Because this is her dream guy? No, move on. It is the same idea with working in the WWE. A lot of people are eager to come to the WWE, but then some of them might not be happy with how they are treated. Why should they force themselves to stick around and be as loyal to the company as they might have first been when they came in?

Look at Mickie James. During her first run in the WWE, she took the career of a credible jobber and fooled many fans into thinking she was the centerpiece. She had the overness and talent to deserve it. She was loyal to the company. She had drive. She was the best option they had. But the WWE was still looking to create another eye-candy centerpiece. And that kept Mickie James as a credible jobber. If I remember correctly, Mickie James was released on a day she was promoting the Raw draft special in Richmond, Virginia. That's loyalty for you. Why was she so loyal to a company that never pushed her as a star and kept using her to put over other women and as filler, not to mention the humiliation? If the women's revolution never happened, I don't think the WWE would have ever given Mickie James a second run.

I am no psychologist. I do not know Paige personally. But I can understand the kind of situation she is in. She comes into her dream job with this idea that she can make something of herself and be great. She does a lot of projects for the company. She has some success getting over. But she gets pushed aside for other women that she might feel have not done the things she has done. It's like a great worker in a company that does a lot for them, but does not get rewarded in terms of getting promoted. Now, I can respect workers that shrug that off and just continue to do their job as best as they can because of a good work ethic, but there is nothing wrong with knowing your worth and not wanting to stick around in a situation where you are being mistreated, might be taken advantage of, or are just unhappy. This kind of mistreatment can just make you lose your drive. Your eyes might start to wander elsewhere. In the case of Paige, it looks like she's given some of that devotion the WWE once got to Alberto Del Rio.

People always talk about the WWE giving workers second or third chances. What about the other way around? What about workers that feel the WWE messed up with them and might not want to go back to them? Should they give the WWE a second or third chance? As I pointed out, Paige has done a lot for the WWE and they did not push her right. You can blame it on the dying days of the diva era being so bad. Okay, but Paige still stuck around. She was there as the women's revolution era got started. And she was not featured that well there. Should she give the WWE another chance and refocus herself into her WWE career? This era is still messed up. Both divisions have issues, although this era is looking like it will be better for women's wrestlers than the diva era. And Paige will likely not get lost in the shuffle like she has been in the past. But that is up to her whether she wants to still be with the WWE. I would say you can argue the WWE has betrayed her trust and loyalty in the past. Even if this was her dream job, they gave her a reason to lose interest. It's not like she turned her back on them after the first depush. She gave them multiple chances to treat her right. And if they don't value her, just let her go.

Does that mean she goes to Impact Wrestling with El Patron? It is an option. I already brought up AJ Lee & CM Punk. It is a very similar situation. AJ Lee was showing signs for a while that she was siding with her man over the WWE, but the WWE kept on pushing her well and still lost her. Paige is showing signs of choosing her man over the WWE. The WWE is showing they might still be interested in keeping her with this movie, but it might be too little, too late.

What would this mean for Impact Wrestling? Well, they need a successor for Gail Kim. She's 40 now and still looks like she is coming back for more. But the company really needs to plan for the future. They just can't keep bringing back ODB and Angelina Love. And I'm sure Velvet Sky will come back sooner or later. Outside of that, they rotate in women from the indies, but they never seem to make anything out of them. I have seen some people say that Jade would be the successor to Gail Kim. Yeah? How did that work out? Paige, who is still very young, can be that successor. Some people might roll their eyes at another ex-WWE performer getting a spot in TNA. You do realize Gail Kim was an ex-WWE performer before going to TNA, right? And she is still the most respected female performer the company has ever had. There is no shame in going from the WWE to Impact Wrestling. If Paige thinks she deserves better than the WWE, she might switch companies.

Last thing to consider, will losing Paige hurt the WWE? Not at all. Even though their depth is terrible, they have a ton of women in NXT to debut. And they just have to learn to be more efficient with what they have. Paige was pretty popular, but so are a lot of women these days in the WWE. No one woman seems to knock it out of the park these days. Paige was definitely someone that should have been pushed as a star, but it might just end up being their loss. That is, if they even care. They are doing a terrible job building stars in the women's division these days. I am not even sure if that bothers them.

The Drama With Alberto Del Rio And Paige

There have been a few disgruntled workers in the WWE this year that have just had enough and left. Cody Rhodes is gone. Ryback left. The Dudleys recently left. You might include Wade Barrett as someone that didn't want to stay. It seems you can now add Alberto Del Rio to the list.

Alberto Del Rio returned last year after being fired rather unfairly. He started off with a bang, winning the United States Championship against John Cena cleanly. Things just went downhill for him from the time he lost the title. The League of Nations just flopped and Del Rio was not treated right since. I am not saying it would have made all the difference in the world for Del Rio, but the WWE should have treated that stable better, including giving them the tag titles. New Day does not need them that badly. Those goofballs sell merchandise, I know, but they will sell items as long as they are entertaining. They'll sell shirts, cereal, unicorn horns, bellybutton lint, and everything else they can cut a promo on. Meanwhile, other teams could have used the credibility of holding the titles.

Anything major of value lost? Not really. I like Alberto Del Rio. He had potential. Things just never came together for him. But the WWE does lose a heel with some main-event credibility and who is a solid enough worker in the ring. Alberto Del Rio can be replaced, but the WWE will have to get to work on that. Is Kevin Owens being groomed to take that spot? Meanwhile, Smackdown's roster takes a hit. Bringing back lower-midcarders and midcarders will not take Alberto Del Rio's spot on Smackdown. The WWE will probably maintain a solid push for Baron Corbin.

Something I really don't like about this situation is that Alberto Del Rio supposedly expected to be treated a certain way by the WWE during this run and they did not follow through. He is not the most over guy in the WWE, and so is not entitled to much, but if the WWE made him believe he would get something if he returned and they failed to live up to their end of the bargain, I do not blame Del Rio for wanting out. It is the same kind of thing with The Dudleys. You just take guys with potential and fizzle out on how you push them. The WWE cannot keep on hiring all these guys and show the kind of ego issues that they sometimes have in the past. You have to give them fair opportunities, use them efficiently, and if you make promises to them, it would be nice if you saw them through.

Alberto Del Rio was in a relationship with Paige. Perhaps not coincidentally, she also looks like she might not be in the WWE much longer. She was dealing with some injury issues. She got suspended the same time Del Rio did for a wellness violation. And now there are these rumors that the WWE threatened to fire her if she did not break up with Del Rio.

First, let me just look at that report about the WWE threatening to fire Paige. If they actually did threaten to fire Paige over that, it comes down to whether they did it for a professional reason or some petty reason. If they did it for a professional reason, the WWE would not have anything to worry about and just acknowledge it. Just say that they felt the relationship was having a negative influence on the careers of the two involved or the professional atmosphere backstage. Something like that. The WWE pointed the finger of blame on Del Rio the first time they fired him. If Paige is causing a problem backstage due to this relationship or the WWE feels the relationship is negatively impacting her career, they can just come out and say that. The WWE has denied the reports. That makes me think journalists are exaggerating the situation or the WWE did it for reasons that go beyond what is truly best for their workers and the backstage environment.

Now, let me just look at Paige. She is a credible jobber. She was a credible jobber in 2014. She was a credible jobber in 2015. And her career was not improving in 2016. Some fans say the WWE handed Paige the world when they handed her the Diva's Championship on her first night on the main roster. No, they handed her the Diva's Championship. That's all. Looking at how they pushed her during that first reign, it was very mediocre. There was often a lack of proper feud development and often better creative focus on the women Paige was feuding against than Paige. Paige was not being pushed as a star. Things started to improve when she started to feud against AJ Lee again, but that was because Paige was being used to put her over. Paige's second title run was short and possibly even worse than her first one. The Bellas and AJ overshadowed her. She jobbed a ton during the start of the diva revolution last year. She was supposedly the leader of her trio, but Charlotte was the one groomed for a push in that group. And her career since putting over Charlotte has been an afterthought.

I do not blame Paige for the current situation she might be in. The WWE does not like her being immature? How about when AJ Lee was being immature? This is an example of why I don't like the WWE letting certain individuals get away with things they stomp other workers for doing. The WWE just ends up looking like hypocrites. Paige was there in the WWE when AJ Lee was acting up. She watched as AJ did things that could have made the WWE look bad and could have gotten AJ in serious trouble. Instead, AJ was allowed to be the longest-reigning Diva's Champion during her time in the company, won the belt two more times after that, remained undefeated at Wrestlemania, and got to retire when she wanted. I never read reports of the WWE threatening to fire AJ Lee or forcing her to retire. They just pushed her better than they should have.

Some people might say that AJ was treated that way because she is a big star. Problem is, she didn't exactly earn it by starting off with the credible jobber pushes most female wrestlers get, got over off that, and then moved on to a legendary career. The WWE groomed her in the periphery. Why wasn't Paige given the opportunity to earn that spot for herself, especially after AJ retired? I have said many times before that she should have. People say the WWE was making money off AJ Lee. Well, they were also making money off Paige. They should have done more to push her as a star and try to make even more money off her. That has been one of the WWE's problems in the past. They try to make money off of things that they want to make money off of and make stars out of people they want to be stars. If the WWE viewed Paige the same way they viewed AJ Lee, they would push her better on a consistent basis, make even more merchandise for her, and let her get away with some supposed backstage immaturity.

Some might say it is an age thing. Paige is so young and people at that age are sometimes not professional and might take things for granted, like their career. I would say it is more about being misled, which the WWE has done to certain other workers, regardless of age and gender. The WWE has not pushed Paige even decently in a long while. If she sees things are not going her way, why shouldn't she lose interest? It happens. Some might say Paige should still remain professional. Easier said than done at times. And if the WWE has made Paige believe that she was ever on top of the world or they were giving her a chance to be on top of the world, the mistreatment she has endured for most of her career on the main roster is going to hurt. Paige knows she has gotten great reactions. She knows she has made money for the WWE. To be put through the motions that the WWE has done to many female wrestlers for almost two decades now is annoying. It does have an emotional and psychological impact on people. I have brought up a few men that had enough and don't want to be a part of the WWE anymore from just this year. How often do you have women become disgruntled with the WWE to the point that they leave? Gail Kim is one of the best examples of this decade. But how many since her? AJ Lee? Not as many as the men, although I would say many women have more of a reason to walk away.

Should Paige leave the WWE and be allowed to work elsewhere, what will become of her? She has a few options. She comes from a wrestling family in England and can easily go back there. She can work in the independent scene in the United States. Having gained some notoriety from being in the WWE, TNA would love to have Paige. With Gail Kim reaching that age where she might finally retire, TNA might look for a new centerpiece for their KO division. Why not Paige? She has a lot of great qualities on her side. It might be a good fit for her.

What would losing Paige mean for the WWE? Honestly, I would say the WWE needs Paige more than she needs them. I already pointed out that she has various options. The WWE has a depth problem with their women's division, especially on Raw. Is Bayley the only face currently on Raw? No, but Raw misuses the roster so much, it feels like she is. Things will get a little better when Sasha Banks returns. Problem is, Sasha has shown that she can be very sloppy at times, particularly when doing dangerous spots. That makes Raw's depth questionable whether she is there or not. And these other NXT women need to stay healthy or things can collapse very easily. With a healthy Paige there, however, that helps the depth a little. NXT can't build women down there fast enough to help the situation on Raw.

You also have to keep in mind that Paige was on the main roster about 2 years before her injury issue, suspension, and the rest of the drama. The other top-tier NXT women have only been around a year. Bayley debuted a few weeks ago. I would like to see how the WWE keeps the ball rolling with these other women, if they even try to keep it rolling. Charlotte might be the centerpiece of Raw, but what about the rest? If they go through the same demotion Paige went through, how would they react? What stories will dirtsheet writers come up with? How will fans react? What happened with Paige could happen again.

Previewing Battleground 2016 Women's Matches

It is one of those occasions where a PPV will have two women's matches. Despite that, the Women's Championship will not be on the line for the second PPV in a row.

First, Natalya faces Becky Lynch. It is a decent secondary feud. Could be a lot better. The WWE has tried to make it like the story here is that all of Becky's friends turn on her. Not much to buy into here. Just seems like a lame story.

To make this feud mean more, I wouldn't have minded them making this some kind of gimmick match. No DQ? Falls Count Anywhere? Natalya has been brutalizing Becky for a while now. You want to sell this as a heated feud? Add something more to the match. Right now, this just feels like a match you would get on a Raw or Smackdown. And I don't think it will continue all the way to Summerslam. If it does, it will likely be on the pre-show. 

Who wins? It just seems obvious Becky Lynch should win. She is the fresher talent of the two. It is obvious by now Natalya is not going anywhere. She has dominated the feud against Becky. It just seems like Becky is winning this Sunday.

Onto the tag match. Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Sasha Banks and a partner of her choice. Let me start by talking about the WWE's decision not to have the title defended at Battleground. I am not a believer that a title has to be defended every PPV. I wouldn't even throw a fit if the WWE gave the Champion a rare night off to give the spotlight to two other women that have something else great going on. But this is the second PPV in a row that Charlotte is in a tag match and the title is not being defended. I am sure the WWE won't make too much of a habit out of this, but this new era for the women's division hasn't been working out as well as many fans would hope.

How about the decision to make Sasha get a partner to face Charlotte and Dana? That angle had some potential. They could have legitimately have sold it as no one wanting to team with Sasha, either because they don't want to cross Charlotte and Dana or women on the roster have not fully grown to trust Sasha after being a heel as long as she was. Problem is, the WWE had Becky Lynch team with Sasha on Raw this week to face Charlotte and Dana. Becky obviously won't be teaming with her on Sunday, but it kind of kills the potential of this angle by showing other women are willing to face Charlotte and Dana and tag with Sasha.

The only thing this angle still has going for it is the mystery element. Who will the partner be? Looking around, the top three options I see fans bringing up are Paige, Nikki Bella, and Bayley. The WWE going with Paige is not likely. There is no real impact there.

How about Nikki Bella? I have said before that she has not officially retired and could be coming back. She is not the partner Sasha Banks would pick if she had the power to pick her own partner, but the WWE might pick Nikki to get her back in the picture. And if she is back in the picture, it won't be as a jobber.

Bayley seems like the likely option. NXT will be represented in the draft on Smackdown tonight. Bayley and Sasha have a history. Wrestling fans would love to see her. But they are dreading one thing. What if Bayley debuts and gets lost in the shuffle soon after? With the brand split, it might be less likely that happens. Nevertheless, I do see some fans saying they would rather it be Paige so Bayley can debut at a better time and in a better way. If Bayley does debut and gets this match, what are the chances she gets added to the title feud between Charlotte and Sasha Banks? That would be unfair to Sasha. I thought it was unfair to insert Sasha Banks into the storyline that was there between Charlotte and Becky Lynch, and you might get the same kind of situation again where Sasha gets the short end of the stick. I would just like the WWE to see a feud for one of these new women to a proper finish before inserting another new woman.

The WWE could have avoided a lot of this dread if they just kept the feud between Sasha and Charlotte simple. Put the title on the line in a singles match at Battleground. Charlotte retains through cheating. Sasha wins the title at Summerslam. Bayley can debut a little later. Let one of the divas debut from NXT tonight, like Alexa Bliss. Some fans have brought up Nia Jax. Bayley is still the favorite to debut, but it would be nice if she wasn't inserted into the feud involving Sasha and Charlotte just yet. Sasha has enough face partners on the main roster already to tag with her against Charlotte and Dana. There was no great need to treat this like she needs to find someone special. Because you are left wondering what will happen to that person she does find. If she gets lost in the shuffle, that is something to complain about. If she ruins Sasha's push, that is something to complain about. Let's see how that plays out.

As for the winner of the match, it would be a shame to have a debut or return and have Charlotte and Dana win. The only way I can picture the heels winning is if it is someone like Paige that gets picked. I will say Bayley debuts and the face team wins.

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?

Time For Paige In The Periphery?

Despite certain changes with the WWE women's division, a lot of things are still the same. They still seem to want their division to revolve around a centerpiece. That would currently be Charlotte. And women are still not being given fair opportunities to earn that better career for themselves. Beyond that, there are still divas. There are still those eye-candy women. They may not be dominating title feuds, yet, but they are getting things to do in the periphery.

Interesting things happen in the periphery. It was that way in the beginning of the diva division. It was that way during the first dark age. It was that way in the golden age. Even during the recent dark age that ultimately brought about the supposed end of the "diva" agenda, you had interesting things going on outside of the title matters in the women's division at times. The periphery is where you see unique characters that stand out, like Chyna, Lita, and AJ Lee. The periphery is where you see eye-candy divas doing their thing, like Lana and Maryse. The periphery is where you see women interacting with the men, which can usually add some flavor to storylines.

The periphery scene right now is pretty weak. There are no unique characters for the women like those I just mentioned. Eye-candy divas cannot be utilized the same way now as they were a decade ago. There are also not a lot of great storylines featuring men and women interacting. The storyline between Dolph Ziggler, Lana, Rusev, and Summer Rae last year had potential, although wrestling fans hated it and circumstances led to the WWE botching it. That doesn't mean they should not do storylines where men and women interact. I am not talking about just a woman valeting or managing a man. I mean an actual storyline and the woman being better involved in the the guy's feuds than you see Lana and Maryse being used.

Who should get that push? Sasha Banks? I don't think so. I will talk about her another day. How about Paige? I am going to admit something that might make me look stupid. I think about the women's division every day. It is still my favorite topic to talk about here. And there have been some days that I'm thinking about what's going on and completely forget Paige is there. Paige is my favorite female wrestler currently on the roster. But the WWE doesn't utilize her well and most wrestling fans I come across are busy talking about Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Emma, Dana Brooke, and other women that have been a little more relevant. That's the problem with credible jobbers. That inconsistency with how they are utilized can kill their momentum, and the WWE also pushes other women in their place to make it even easier to forget about them.

The last female wrestler to get a great push in the periphery was AJ Lee. She was pushed with a unique character and given numerous storylines alongside top talent in the men's division. The WWE never pushed any woman to fill her spot. I think now is the time. Paige debuted right into an angle with AJ Lee and the two had a feud/partnership for months after that. But that's not why I think Paige should be the next top woman in the periphery. I think she has potential to be a unique character. She has a unique look. She has a personality. She doesn't need to be a psycho character like AJ. She doesn't need to be a character that wrestles men like Chyna. She doesn't need an extreme character like Lita.

The trick is to pair her with the right person to let her get that character rub. I read somewhere a while back that they were considering putting Paige with Bray Wyatt to play the role of Sister Abigail. I am sure there will one day be a woman paired with The Wyatts. I just don't think that needs to be Paige. This is a group of jobbers to the stars, after all. Unless the WWE actually plans to push the group well and not just to build them up to feed to someone, putting Paige with them would not be good. Paige also has a relationship with Alberto Del Rio. A pairing between those two might be interesting. One is British and the other is Mexican. But the characters might clash. I would also not put her with an authority figure. The drama going on with Shane and Stephanie does not call for someone like Paige getting involved.

How about Seth Rollins? If they are grooming him to follow in the line of Edge and CM Punk, he can use someone at his side. Edge had Lita. CM Punk had Paul Heyman. Rollins had those stooges, but he needs better than that. Despite smarks loving this guy, I do not think he really has broken out as a true superstar. Paige has already dropped more pipebombs than Rollins. She is charismatic. Rollins can help give her a main-event rub, while she might help him look more interesting. Paige doesn't even need any over-the-top gimmick or treatment. Just put her in this kind of position where she gets to work with someone else that can give her a rub and let her get involved in his storylines and his promos and his matches.

Paige definitely does deserve better than she is getting. Total Divas and those WWE movies don't mean anything. I see lower-midcarders being cast for those movie roles. Natalya, a credible jobber for her entire career in the WWE, is on Total Divas. These things do not take the place of how you are actually pushed. Paige has potential to do better than she is now. She has no chance to be the centerpiece of the women's division and you can't tell when she will be used as a jobber to the centerpiece or interim centerpiece again. The only other option is pushing her in the periphery. And the WWE might as well find something now.

Sasha Banks Turning Face

A few weeks ago, Sasha Banks attacked both Charlotte and Becky Lynch after Charlotte had retained her title against her former friend. The WWE started to tease tension between Sasha and her two friends, Naomi and Tamina. This week on Raw, it looked like Sasha officially broke away from those two and is turning face.

Sasha Banks wants the title. Becky Lynch obviously still has her issues with Charlotte. Just to add more ingredients to the pot, Brie Bella got a win over Charlotte. Charlotte isn't exactly friends with Team Bella. Brie Bella, who plays a tweener role these days, just made an argument as to why she should get a shot at the Diva's Championship.

Where can the WWE be going for here? Will there be a multi-diva match in the coming weeks to decide the next challenger for Charlotte at Fast Lane? Or will there be a multi-diva match at the PPV for the title? The WWE can go either way. I would personally want to see Charlotte defend against Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Brie Bella.

What does recent events mean for the face/heel balance? Charlotte, Tamina, and Naomi are obviously pure heels. But they are not heels you would consider to be on the same side. The WWE might want to have them bury the hatchet. Don't officially make a new stable with these three. Enough of that garbage. Just have them team up here and there and stop having them feud against each other.

I would say there are too many faces. Becky Lynch is a pure face. Sasha is turning face. Team Bella are looking like faces right now. Paige and Natalya are faces. They are the least relevant divas right now. They were just feuding against Team Bella a while ago. It was a very minor feud. Just call it filler. But there seems to be double the number of faces than heels. Not too long ago, there seemed like there was only one face in the division. The WWE sure remedied that situation. Maybe a bit too much?

I think this whole situation is messy. There are too many angles and feuds all over the place. The WWE cannot do them all justice. And even with all these angles, some divas are still lost in the shuffle. Of course, adding them to whatever is going on would probably make things even more messy. Charlotte is feuding with Becky Lynch. Sasha Banks is now coming after her title. Sasha Banks also has issues with Naomi and Tamina. Charlotte also has to deal with Team Bella. Brie and Alicia Fox will probably look like heels again if they match up against Paige and Natalya. Those two have nothing major to do. Trying to make sense of the mess, the WWE will likely go with Charlotte vs. Brie as a filler feud, while Sasha and Becky Lynch handle Naomi and Tamina. Even then, this conglomerated mess will continue. It has been there ever since last year.

Look at the men's division. You might see Randy Orton feuding with Sheamus and Cesaro feuding with Kevin Owens. It would not be unusual to see these two feuds cross paths. You might see Orton and Cesaro vs. Sheamus and Owens as part of the build of these separate feuds. But you still know who is feuding with whom. This happens all the time. It is the kind of booking you would expect.

That is not what is going on in the diva division. You have feuds that are more intertwined than that. Charlotte is the target of multiple divas right now. Sasha Banks wants the title and she has her feud with her former friends going on. This is not an elaborate storyline. In an elaborate storyline, the protagonist, antagonist, and supporting characters are all clear. It is not unusual to see a turn during this kind of storyline, but the WWE is just ridiculous with the diva division right now. Paige turned heel. Charlotte turned heel soon after. Paige turned back to a face. Sasha Banks just turned face. Team Bella go both ways. The character development is not great. Charlotte is obviously the top heel, but who is the face that is supposed to be the star of this? Or is this just filler because Nikki Bella is out?

I think back to that Naomi fan I talked about recently. He was unhappy that she was not getting a storyline. Well, she's getting a storyline now. But is this what he had in mind? It is obvious this storyline is more about putting over Sasha Banks than Naomi. And there is no way a Naomi fan should settle for that. When will Naomi get some legitimate focus for herself?

And Paige? Here is another diva with some fans that sometimes get annoyed when she is not on Raw. She just popped back up as a face a while ago. And she now seems to be on the weak end of the current storylines in the diva division. That is nothing new. She has had periods of being featured poorly like that throughout her few years on the main roster. Even with the WWE having multiple angles going on, they cannot find something for her. She really could benefit from a periphery push.

Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte For Royal Rumble 2016

Not surprisingly, the WWE is having a rematch between Becky Lynch and Charlotte for the Diva's Championship at the Royal Rumble. Tension started even while Charlotte was still feuding with Paige. Charlotte officially turned heel by turning on Becky. Ric Flair officially sided with his daughter as her manager. He was the one that agreed to the rematch on Raw this week. Will that be the start of the breakup of the father-daughter pairing? Let's see if the WWE is ready to go in that direction.

Who wins this Sunday? I have said before that the WWE should make this into an elaborate feud. That would mean extending it to Wrestlemania and letting Becky win there. It is not likely that the WWE would develop something great like that for the divas. Either way, Charlotte is my pick to win at the Royal Rumble.

What reason would the WWE have for giving Becky Lynch the title? Obviously, title reigns aren't always simply awards for a job well done. Some people win them because the company wants to build them to be stars. Some people win them so they can drop it off to the person being built to be a star. Some people win them more as a "placeholder" or filler role. If the WWE did decide to give Becky the title now, I think it would be just to drop it to a heel they eventually want to put over. Becky Lynch is not someone I believe they would groom as a star. But would that heel she would put over be Nikki Bella or Charlotte?

Another issue in the diva division recently was the lack of face divas. Becky Lynch was pretty much it. The WWE has some divas playing tweener roles. Natalya popped back up as a face on Raw this week. And Paige was with her, as a face. That is just dumb. Paige had taken Natalya out a few months ago. Paige had said harsh things about various divas. Do you want to make her look like a hated heel? Do you even know what you are doing? Sudden turns is a tactic the WWE has used in the diva division in recent years, so it is not surprising that they would do it here. Nevertheless, it is poor character development.

I have said, if the WWE wanted to run an elaborate storyline with Becky Lynch and Charlotte, Paige would be a supporting player to utilize. She was part of a group with them. Have her return as a heel. She would be a bit of a tweener in this role. She would be against both Becky Lynch, a face, and Charlotte, a heel. Have her criticize and put down both. But build the story so she gradually sides with Becky and eventually turns face like that. Do a face turn that actually makes sense. Not "Total Divas" sense. I am talking about kayfabe sense. That is character development that would also further a storyline heading towards Wrestlemania. Obviously, the WWE is doing nothing like that.

Too Many Injuries To Start 2016

Last month, the Raw before TLC ended with a big brawl between Roman Reigns and Sheamus. I said the WWE should be careful with things like that because of injuries. Some people might have thought I was just dumb for being so cautious. Maybe.

A few weeks later, John Cena was added to the list of performers currently having injury issues. He is a top star, so losing him has to hurt for Wrestlemania season. It even made me start feeling that the WWE should debut some new guys, like AJ Styles.

But the list just seems to keep growing. There seems to be new reports every week of some wrestler at least supposedly injured. You know the WWE is in trouble when they have to start pushing Heath Slater. I have seen people say that you could probably make a PPV card just with those wrestlers currently injured. I would go as far as to say that the PPV you make with those names will likely be a bigger draw than the PPV you can make with the healthy full-time performers the WWE currently has. Let me look at just some of these injuries.

The League of Nations is ravaged. Everyone knows Barrett has injury issues keeping him out of the ring, but at least he still shows up now and then to sell he is still with the group. There are now reports that Rusev is injured. Whatever it is, it has just been Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus in matches for the stable this week. This group just looks pathetic. Sheamus doesn't look like a great top heel. Vince McMahon is the only A+ heel in the company right now. All the other major heels are looking like his minion in his war against Roman Reigns. Would things be better if Seth Rollins was healthy? I would think so. He was not a solidified top star, but the WWE would probably feature him better than Sheamus. Even with a group, Sheamus does not look strong enough. It does not help when the members aren't all healthy.

Paige also has a minor concussion. She was already getting depushed anyway. She last wrestled at house shows at the end of December. She had not wrestled on Raw since November. I was on Twitter a while ago and saw someone asking why Paige has not been on Raw. I told him she has been getting filler and jobber pushes, like Mickie James. Next thing I know, Mickie James takes a shot at me because she thought I was insulting her. I'm not insulting her. I am just talking about how she was pushed. And that happened on my birthday. Not great getting burned by your favorite diva on your birthday. As for Paige, there is an obvious depush here, and not just because of injury. She lost more than she won during her big push a few months ago. Usually when you see that kind of thing, don't expect too much better when the push does end. Paige has been a credible jobber her entire career. There are no signs that is changing.

Regardless of her minor injury, the WWE could still do more with her. I said recently that the WWE can develop an elaborate storyline with Becky Lynch and Charlotte. One of the things that makes an elaborate stroyline what it is is the use of supporting players. These aren't just jobbers to give the two people pushed momentum. These are workers that actually add to the story. Paige has a history with Becky and Charlotte. She is someone that can be used in this story. If she's healthy enough to travel and talk about her injury in interviews, she is healthy enough to get involved. Of course, there is still plenty of time for that, if the WWE wants to build an elaborate storyline.

What should the WWE do with the injury issue they now face? First of all, I would say the problem is worse in the men's division than the women's division. Becky Lynch and Charlotte are the women being pushed. There are still many other women in the division to utilize. As for the men, the WWE is pushing men they would normally not push and bringing in more talent. They are doing what you would expect to fill up the gaps. Longer matches also mean more time is taken up and less performers have to be featured.

In terms of long-term solutions, I have seen some people suggest a brand split. I do not agree. A brand split is something you consider when you have a bunch of people on your roster and you cannot feature them properly. When your roster is limited, that is not the right situation for a brand split. A limited roster during a brand split was a problem in the diva division for a while. It created terrible depth issues. It is no surprise that they unified the titles when they did. There just were not enough credible challengers. And these same kind of issues can exist in the men's division. People talk about all the injuries in 2007 and how that influenced decisions the WWE made for the men's division back then. If they went back to a brand split now, they would only set themselves up for much worse than 2007.

Even with a brand split, these workers still have to go through a heavy schedule, including house shows. I know house shows are a major source of income for the WWE, but I would consider easing the schedule a bit. In many major sports, you usually get some kind of bye week or break, and that is in addition to the off-season. Some fans have suggested an off-season. The WWE will probably not go that far, but even giving it a rest for a week or two might mean so much. How about around the end of the year? For Christmas? Give the workers some time off. Run some "best of" specials during this time. It is funny how so many injuries would seem to happen in December at one time. Injuries around this time of year are just the worst. Or how about an "off-season" that consists of no house shows for a month but the WWE still does Raws and Smackdowns? The WWE should sacrifice a little bit of the money they make from live events for the sake of giving their stars a break and extending their years being active. If they do not, it can hurt the overall quality of the product, which will still end up costing them money.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: January 2016

Has the diva division gotten worse than a year ago? It certainly has not improved. One major problem is that there are really no stars in the diva division right now. AJ Lee, who did not have the perfect connection with the fans, left in 2015. Nikki Bella, the diva that looked like the new centerpiece of the diva division, has been out for months due to serious injury issues. Lana, who looked like she would be the best eye-candy periphery diva in years, is not featured as well as she was when she got over. The WWE never got where they should with any of these women, and then issues happened to mess things up further.

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.

Previewing The TLC 2015 Undercard Title Matches

All the titles will be on the line at TLC this Sunday. I will talk about the WWE Championship match next time. Right now, I will look at the matches for the Intercontinental, United States, Tag Team, and Diva's Championships.

A common theme in the matches I am about to talk about will be multiple angles going on for some of these wrestlers possibly holding back the potential of the title feuds. I talked about that recently. The League of Nations was just formed, with some of those guys already having something going on prior to the stable becoming official. Then The Usos and Dean Ambrose came out to help Roman Reigns, bringing up the possibility of a stable there. The diva division is a mess, as usual.

Let me start with the Intercontinental Championship match. Dean Ambrose goes against Kevin Owens. I said that this was a feud that did not really need a fancy storyline to it. I did not imagine when I said that that things would work out like they have. Owens was not able to get involved as best as he could for a while. Dean Ambrose got involved with Roman Reigns against The League of Nations. The feud just became an afterthought. They will have a contract signing on Smackdown this week. My initial reaction was that this feud does not really need that, but it is probably a good way to give this match some hype prior to TLC. I still feel Owens retains. Given how things have worked out, extending the feud a few more weeks after TLC would not be too horrible.

Jack Swagger goes after the United States Championship held by Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio retains, but it is really a shame what has happened to this feud. This was the midcard title feud that had potential for a good story. But putting Del Rio into The League of Nations has ruined the storyline they could have had here. It will be a chairs match, but the feud could have been better.

The tag titles will be decided in a triple-threat ladder match. Considering the men involved, it should be a great match and give the main event some competition for match of the night. The New Day defend against The Usos and Lucha Dragons. The Lucha Dragons are probably just there to make the match more exciting. It is unlikely they win. But it is a shame that they have not been featured better in the feud. Winning a match here and there isn't enough. It is all about how you are actually featured. The New Day have been associating with Sheamus and his group. The Usos have obviously sided with Roman Reigns. If Sin Cara & Kalisto were not involved in this title match, there would be no problem. As it stands, it feels like they are getting the short end of the stick. It seems like a lot of these title feuds have gotten the short end of the stick for a while for the benefit of furthering Reigns vs. Sheamus. Do The Usos win the titles here? It is only a matter of time before they do. I will say they do win them.

The diva division is a mess. The feud between Charlotte and Paige has been horrible. I have said that they probably should have ended it already. Move on to something else. They have continued it and only seem to make it worse. Already teasing friction between Charlotte and Becky Lynch before the feud between Paige and Charlotte is done just takes away from the feud. If Paige was the one forcing the wedge, that would be one thing. She's not. Even Team Bella has stirred the pot.

And the WWE brings back Ric Flair to get involved even more regularly. I do not think that is fair. How many wrestlers have a legendary father at the level of Ric Flair to give them a rub? It wouldn't be right for The Rock to carry a certain family member of his that has issues connecting with the fans, so I do not think the WWE should do too much with Ric Flair for Charlotte's benefit. She needs to do it on her own. If they wanted to bring Ric Flair in to work with Charlotte in a certain storyline that really deserved it, that would be great. That is not what they are doing here. This is just trying to give Charlotte a rub. I am still not convinced they really want to make her a star or are just pushing filler right now and creating the impression they really want her over. Either way, Charlotte has still not proven that she should be pushed as a top star.

As for Paige, I have brought up before that this push she has been getting may not necessarily be to make her into the new AJ Lee. It could be more similar to what happened to Melina when she turned heel for the last time to feud with Natalya over the title. The feud got treated poorly. Melina was not built up well, she lost to Natalya, and the WWE just moved on. I read Paige loses to Becky Lynch on Smackdown this week. The last show before the PPV and she loses. It has happened before that credible jobbers lose like that and go on to lose when they get their title shot soon after.

I would expect Paige to lose at TLC. The WWE has already started to tease Becky vs. Charlotte. Unless Becky is the one that costs Charlotte the title, the title will still be involved for the storyline between Becky and Charlotte. Why put the title on Paige? She is a heel. Sasha Banks is a heel. Nikki Bella, whenever she returns, will likely be a heel. Are there any faces that Paige can genuinely feud with? I doubt the WWE would dig Natalya back up to go against Paige. No, I say the title stays on Charlotte as she goes against Becky Lynch.

The Continued Demise Of PCB

I sometimes wonder why people even bother getting too invested in certain teams or stables that obviously will not last long. They come up with all these fancy team names. They come up with fanfiction that ends up better than anything the WWE will likely do. They sometimes just expect too much. I sometimes don't even bother using gimmick names for certain wrestlers or teams. I just feel awkward at times when I do. Whatever the angle is will likely not last.

PCB is another example of that. There were three teams in the diva division just a few months ago. PCB was the first to collapse. Paige turned on her group. The WWE dragged it out. They had her rejoin the group. Then they had her break away again. If the WWE wanted to do a good job keeping the stable stuff going, they could have plugged Natalya in with Charlotte and Becky Lynch officially. They didn't. You are left with Charlotte and her sidekick.

And even that looks like it might be coming to an end. The WWE has started to tease tension between Becky Lynch and Charlotte. Charlotte's issues with Paige aren't entirely finished, but it seems the WWE is also starting this up.

I would say the whole thing is stupid. There are a few reasons why I say that. First, it reminds me of one of the issues with Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt this year. They had developed this personal feud between these two guys, then they just started throwing in extra bodies and the feud lost that heat. And then they just discard the extra bodies and go back to Reigns vs. Wyatt to finish the feud inside Hell in a Cell. Charlotte and Paige were developing a personal feud, even though that certain segment they had a few weeks ago was just unnecessary and in bad taste. How about keeping it personal until the finish? I wouldn't have minded them ending it at Survivor Series, or the night after. That is not what they are doing. They are continuing it, while also bringing in the angle of issues between Charlotte and Becky Lynch. It hurts the feud you had between Charlotte and Paige.

Another issue, this really isn't fair to either Paige or Becky Lynch. Focus is on Charlotte. She is holding the title. She has issues with Paige and has something brewing with Becky. But what about Paige and Becky? This direction the WWE is taking is taking some of the momentum away from Paige. And that momentum isn't all on Becky. Neither of these two divas is getting proper development. Needless to say, neither is getting a real opportunity to succeed.

I am all for Becky Lynch getting a push, but do it right. The WWE is horrible at secondary feuds in their diva division. TNA does a better job in that respect, even though they are not perfect at it. Why not have Becky Lynch feud with Sasha Banks? I am talking about a real feud, not just having Becky job one Raw to Sasha and moving on. I was expecting the WWE to do a better job with Natalya against Sasha Banks. Didn't work out. Okay, but they could have done it between Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. A title does not need to be present to develop a proper diva feud. And this is something the WWE is going to need to do in this era of the diva division, especially after debuting too many women at one time. Filler matches are not good enough.

On a night when many fans might have been getting all excited over a ladder match being announced for the divas at TLC, the WWE begins the separation of Becky Lynch and Charlotte. And that is not something good. Not right now. Proper focus isn't on either Paige or Becky Lynch. The feud that was there between Paige and Charlotte will lose momentum. I didn't even mention how a heel turn might mess up the face-heel ratio right now. Too many heels, not enough faces. The WWE just cannot push quantity over quality. They are not going to get the most out of anybody. They are not going to make stars.

More Thoughts On Charlotte/Paige

Roman Reigns won the title. Sheamus cashed in and won. He has aligned with The Authority. I brought that up as a possibility, although not one I thought they would follow through with. Since nothing that shocking happened with the main event of Survivor Series, I won't spend too much time on that. Wait to see how the WWE develops things on Raw tonight.

Back to that controversial segment on Raw last week involving Paige and Charlotte. Charlotte retained the title at Survivor Series, but that is not worth talking about now. When I talked about the segment previously, it was more about the decision to place it at the end of the show and the quality of the segment. I did not focus too much on the big issue that caused the controversy. Since it is still being talked about, I might as well do it. This is about the WWE allowing Reid Flair to be brought up.

I was hoping it wouldn't cause that much of an issue, but it did. I do not think the WWE should have done it. It was unnecessary and it was stupid. Let me explain why I feel that way.

First, why was it unnecessary? Because you already had a direction they could have taken this. Paige's first promo that started her heel turn had her bashing the other divas and the supposed revolution that was going on. All they had to do was stick with that. Would Paige calling out the diva revolution leave her sounding like a face, since the whole thing has been poor? Thing is, all the WWE had to do was have Paige sound self-centered. Have her sound like the only reason she wanted change was to benefit herself. Smarks would love her, but she would be a heel. Instead of keeping the focus on the diva revolution, they bring up Charlotte's dead brother. Horrible development. I think they could have kept fans interested just by having this be about the diva revolution.

Why was it stupid? What is the WWE thinking? How can they allow something like this to be brought up? Someone dies of a drug overdose and you bring that up in a storyline? That wasn't kayfabe. As I have brought up before, I do not like the WWE acting like they are family-friendly entertainment, then doing things that are just pushing the limits. The WWE just comes off as hypocrites. What do they think they are doing to their audience when they do these things? Fans want the Attitude Era back because it was entertaining. It was edgy in an entertaining way. The WWE is not pleasing these fans by being edgy in this way. Moreover, for those fans that think they are watching family-friendly entertainment, this crap is the kind of thing that might turn them off the product.

One of the reasons Chyna is supposedly not in the WWE Hall of Fame is that fear that fans might Google her and find some stuff that is not PG. I'll admit it, I had forgotten the circumstances around Reid Flair's death and had to Google it. That isn't PG. That isn't entertainment. That is crass. Why would the WWE not worry about children looking that up?

The segment was also upsetting to the Flair family. Again, it is obvious Charlotte is in the WWE in the first place because her father is a legend, but it would really be great if the WWE stops treating Charlotte as a Flair and just treats her as a performer trying to break out on her own. I do not think there is a worse way to utilize the fact that Charlotte is part of the Flair family. Ric Flair has been involved in some antics of his own, but bringing up Reid Flair like they did was the bottom of the barrel.

The WWE has done things like this before since turning PG. They had CM Punk take advantage of Paul Bearer's death while he was feuding with The Undertaker. That just didn't feel as terrible as what the WWE did recently. Was it that Paul Bearer did not die in a controversial fashion? Was it that fans were just expecting it to happen, while what the WWE had Paige do was out of nowhere? Was it an age thing? Whatever the reason, the WWE needs to learn when to draw the line.

How does this compare to that controversial angle between Mickie James and Michelle McCool? The WWE was obviously burying someone they did want over, while trying to make someone they did want over look amazing. It was the typical feud you see between a credible jobber and a centerpiece, just more heated. The WWE had pretty much lost control of their diva division, failing to make stars and a woman they were not pushing as a star becoming more over than the attempts to create a new Trish Stratus. How does Paige and Charlotte compare to that? The jury is still out on whether either of these two women are being developed as stars. Paige has been pushed as a credible jobber since debuting. Is her current push just about being built up for Charlotte to knock down? Charlotte does not have the look the WWE likes to push as their centerpiece. And she has not really shown that she deserves to be a star. And you have to keep in mind that Nikki Bella, the woman that they were pushing very well for over a year now, is currently out with an injury. If the WWE is not focused on developing a new star out of either Paige or Charlotte, that makes what they did even more unnecessary. At least what they did to Mickie James in 2009 and 2010 had a clear purpose. What they have done recently might just be nothing more than a stunt gone wrong. The aren't burying a woman they do not want over and this angle may not do much to help a woman they do want over.

Whom should you blame for all this? I am reading that the blame might go to Charlotte. I do not think it should. The WWE needs to take responsibility. Whoever suggested it is not the one that should be blamed. Whoever allowed it should be blamed. I was pulling for the Mets in the recent World Series. In their final game of the series, Matt Harvey was playing well. They had the lead heading into the 9th inning and the coaches were going to pull him out of the game. Matt Harvey protested and wanted to finish the game. Terry Collins, the manager, allowed it. Harvey threw the game away and the Mets went on to lose the game and the series in extra innings. Terry Collins took responsibility for what happened. He was the guy that made the decision. That is how this current situation in the WWE should work. It doesn't matter who suggested Paige bring up Charlotte's brother. The people that allowed it should be blamed. They have to be smarter than that.

What the WWE did was simply horrible. I do not know if it would have been okay even if the WWE wasn't PG and this was the Attitude Era or Ruthless Aggression Era. It wasn't entertaining or exciting. It wasn't outrageous in a fun way. As I have said, it wasn't even necessary. It was crass. Vince McMahon might have supposedly thought what Mickie James did at Wrestlemania 22 was crass, but I never saw it get a negative reaction like what the WWE deliberately allowed to happen last week. The WWE is relying on crass angles to be edgy. Problem is, this is neither entertaining nor something that can draw. It is more likely to disgust fans and turn them off. Not smart.

Paige And Charlotte Have The Final Segment

Raw this week ended with an elaborate segment featuring the divas. Paige and Charlotte got some main-event focus prior to their Survivor Series match coming up this Sunday.

Normally, I might be split on how to feel about what the WWE did. This is not one of those situations. What the WWE did was foolish. I do not like it. I do see a lot of fans complaining about the quality of the segment, and that is part of it, but I dislike how the WWE handled things for other reasons.

First, you have a tournament going on to crown a new WWE Champion. You have had tournament matches going on since last week. So far, none of those tournament matches have gotten the main event of either Raw or Smackdown. Is the WWE trying to build a main-eventer here? I said just a few days ago that I would have these tournament matches be the main event for the Raws and Smackdowns before Survivor Series. I can understand taking a backseat to someone like The Undertaker, but taking a backseat for a diva feud that had no main-event credibility whatsoever? No. That is not something that should be happening. The WWE should be giving this tournament better focus. Charlotte and Paige could have gotten another top spot on the card under the main-event slot.

Another reason I dislike what the WWE did, they didn't really put these women in a position to succeed. It is football season. It is not unusual for the WWE to juggle things around during this time of year. A segment you might expect to close the show might open the show, since the NFL game has not started yet. There are also times where it seems they plan what segment they want to go on when halftime of the football game comes up. At around the time Raw is ending, the NFL game is in the final quarter. If it is a close game, this is the time fans will be more interested in watching that than Raw. And this week's game was close. It featured an undefeated team taking its first loss. I am thinking Raw's third hour might be bad this week. And will that be used as an excuse to not feature the divas better in the future?

It wasn't too long ago that Raw ended with The New Day laying out John Cena and a few other guys. The Tag Team Champions were standing tall to end Raw. But should you really make too much of that segment? Has the WWE continued to roll with the heel stable at that high level? No. None of them were even in the tournament currently going on. These were guys with no real direction prior to the stable being formed and will likely be right back in limbo a year from now. I see this diva segment as comparable to that. Don't make too much out of it.

Looking at the actual segment, it wasn't the greatest. First, you have Charlotte not being that great when it comes to promos. I talked about that recently. Another issue is the whole tone of this segment and feud. It is very sour. The WWE is trying too hard to be edgy. The segment also lacked energy to it. It just wasn't worthy of ending Raw, especially given other things they have going on.

I am for the divas being treated better, but you have to be sensible. You have to get your priorities in order. Moreover, simply throwing them into the main-event spot does not make everything great. The WWE cannot make the mistake of thinking the diva revolution is more important to the fans than it really is. There are still plenty of viewers that do not care too much and the WWE needs to put in work to get those fans to care. The WWE cannot get fooled by those fans on Twitter. Look at what they did with AJ Lee a few years ago and The Bellas last year. They didn't just put these women at the end of the show. They gave them rubs from main-eventers and Stephanie McMahon. They created big storylines for them. There was no main-event credibility last night. Michael Cole does not count as a main-eventer. And this storyline has been more sloppy than big.

This has been a very terrible year for the WWE diva division. AJ Lee, the first big star they created since Trish and Lita left, leaves the company. Nikki Bella, the woman that appeared to be the new centerpiece, has injury issues. Lana, the best eye-candy periphery diva in a long while, got injured. And if the WWE really had high hopes for Eva Marie, they are having a tough time getting that to work out. Is the WWE really trying to make Paige and/or Charlotte into stars? Or was that segment more about hyping the "revolution" than actually making stars? This is an era where fans care more about in-ring work and how the women are being featured than actual stars. That could lead to the WWE getting lazy when it comes to making stars. They sure have gotten sloppy.

Who wins this match? I will say Charlotte. But this feud will likely continue. After investing a little more into it, they should continue it. Problem with that is, it keeps someone like Sasha Banks from getting her time in a title feud. More fans seem eager to see her get the push than Paige. Is Paige just there to put over Charlotte? Or will she regain the title down the line?

Paige Gets Title Shot Against Charlotte

Charlotte has moved on from Nikki Bella. A match was held on Raw to determine the new #1 contender. Paige vs. Brie Bella vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch. All three groups represented, as well as Paige, the odd diva out for a while now. And Paige, not too surprisingly, won. She will go against her former stablemate, Charlotte.

The story here has been pretty inconsistent so far. Paige did a promo a few weeks ago slamming just about every woman in the diva division. She walked away from her team. It was obvious she was turning heel. Once again, the WWE takes what should have been a simple story and makes it complicated. They had Paige trying to get back with PCB. And they even had Charlotte and Becky let her rejoin them. Paige then attacked them after a loss on Raw recently. There was also the whole minor issue with Natalya. That was fine, but the angle of Paige trying to rejoin PCB was just stupid.

Earlier this year, the WWE had Randy Orton come back for revenge against Seth Rollins. The Authority wanted Orton back in the group. Orton pretended to rejoin the group so he could wait for the right moment to strike and get his hands on Seth Rollins. That is how the WWE played it and it worked fine.

This story in the diva division is not the same. Charlotte and Becky Lynch were already sour on Paige after her promo. They weren't open to bringing Paige back. But the WWE just has them accept her back. It reminded me of the whole "frenemies" angle with Paige and AJ Lee last year. That was not developed properly. Wanting to build up to something is one thing. What the WWE did was essentially pull the trigger, act like they didn't, and then pull the trigger again a short time after. All they had to do to keep Paige busy for a few weeks was have her feud with Natalya, then move on back to Charlotte and Becky Lynch. No need to get the group back together so Paige can turn on them again.

Speaking of that feud between Paige and Natalya, there were rumors that Paige was losing back then because of some issue she had using profanity. I am not going to talk about that much, but I will say that what bothers me more is the WWE allowing their own workers to use certain words on WWE programming. Stephanie McMahon herself has used "bitch" just last year. I am not offended. I am annoyed. The WWE wants to do family entertainment, including targeting kids, then they allow their workers to do things like that. There is also guys using the middle finger. If a worker does it in private, some interview, or something like that, I do not see it as such a big deal. But as far as the product itself goes, what does the WWE want it to be? The WWE just comes off like they can do whatever they want. That is arrogant. If you are going to target kids, there are things you should not be doing. I am sure more fans have seen and heard profanity watching Raw in recent years than even knew about what Paige did.

As far as Paige goes, what does the WWE want her to be? I am still not convinced they want her to be a star. She can go the path of AJ Lee, the top female wrestler of the diva division, or she can go the path of Melina, a woman who got a push like this just to put over another credible jobber and got lost in the shuffle soon after. Aside from that promo she gave weeks ago, there has been nothing too spectacular about this push. The WWE is either not serious about pushing her as a top star or they have gotten lazy. They might think that fans buzzing about the diva division this year means more people are into than there actually are. You still need to put work into these women. You can't just shuffle them all around in various feuds. AJ Lee got a huge push in the periphery a few years ago. The Bellas got it last year. I am not saying there needs to be a diva getting pushed that hard every year, but I do not see Paige being pushed like that.

Paige: The Next AJ Lee?

I once talked about whether Paige would be the next Mickie James. What does that mean? The WWE has a history of running the diva division in a certain way that most female wrestlers just get used to put over the eye-candy diva being pushed as the centerpiece or get pushed as filler. I call female wrestlers pushed like that credible jobbers. Because of the inconsistent and mediocre treatment these divas get, they don't really get very over. Mickie James took that career and became the most over diva on the roster, while the eye-candy divas pushed as centerpiece flopped. But the WWE continued along the path they wanted to work out.

When Paige debuted last year, it looked like she was getting the same career Mickie James had. There was no eye-candy centerpiece in place when she debuted. Dark age right now. But Paige was still used as filler and to put over AJ Lee in 2014. And I felt she had what it takes to overcome this kind of career to get very over. She has wrestling credibility, she has the look, and she has charisma. And there was really no stars in the diva division knocking it out of the park to bury her.

This year is different. AJ Lee, the only female wrestler the WWE has pushed as a star since Lita retired, left the company. You also have the rise of the diva revolution era. Since it is mostly wrestling fans that were complaining about the quality of the division, the WWE should push someone for them to really get behind. I have said before that Paige might be a good option to replace AJ Lee. What has happened in recent weeks to suggest the WWE might develop Paige to be the next AJ Lee? Paige dropped a pipe bomb. AJ Lee did one of those promos a few years ago.

What does it mean to be the next AJ Lee? As I said, AJ was the first female wrestler the WWE pushed to be a star in the diva division since Lita. All the others have been credible jobbers or didn't last long enough to go in any direction, like Kharma. AJ got her big push in the men's division, where just about every periphery diva is born. She was pushed alongside multiple main-eventers, including a few months as Raw GM. She then went on to hold the Diva's Championship a few times.

Even though Paige did that promo, she hasn't yet been pushed at the level AJ Lee was. She has not gotten anything in the periphery. Then again, one of the things about the diva revolution era is that there is all this interest in the actual diva division. Those vocal fans are that interested in the wrestling matters of the division, not so much the periphery matters, like Summer Rae and Rusev. It is possible to make stars off of regular wrestling feuds in the diva division. The WWE has never created a star like that. They have all come from the periphery. The eye-candy divas came from the periphery. Chyna, Lita, and AJ were made in the periphery. Mickie James got over on her own. Moreover, the WWE never pushed her as a star even after that. Without exception, the periphery has been where the WWE creates stars in the diva division. If the WWE is serious about Paige being the next AJ Lee, they can just bypass pushing her alongside Cena, The Authority, or any other top stars in the company.

They could, but I don't think they should. One reason, just because those vocal wrestling fans will react to Paige if she is pushed well within the diva division, that does not mean the wider audience might buy into her as well. You just usually have divas pushed uniquely in the periphery. That can really help Paige. Another thing to keep in mind, the diva division is just so congested right now. 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 was bad enough, but turning Paige heel just made things more problematic. She has not aligned with any other group. Natalya has taken her spot alongside Charlotte and Becky. The three stables still have issues with each other. You now have Paige having issues with everybody. The result? 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 vs. 1. Even though the WWE could now make stars through diva feuds, they are not going to do it with things this congested and sloppy. It might not be easy to think of a smooth way to do it, but I would get Paige out of this mess and push her alongside a top star in the men's division.

Or did the WWE just turn Paige heel and break her away from everyone else to make it easier to bury her? I don't think she was over enough that the WWE would need to go out of their way to bury her. But that is another thing about the diva revolution era. The WWE can easily bury any diva. They can just give someone a meaningless win without any direction, like they have Sasha Banks, or stick someone as just a sidekick, like Becky Lynch. These women are still getting featured, but they are not really getting pushed. The WWE can just juggle around these women as they see fit. No one treated like that will really get over. It is like an evolved version of how credible jobbers are typically treated. It is being done with more women at the same time. The WWE has not followed up with Paige well so far. Is that simply because they have so many divas to push? If Paige was the new AJ Lee, she would be pushed as a priority over almost all those women. The only exception would be The Bellas.

If the WWE is serious about pushing Paige as a star, I do not see this as an example of a woman overcoming being pushed as a credible jobber to get over and the WWE giving her the spot she earned. Even though I felt Paige had the qualities to do what Mickie James did, she never really got that over, yet. #GiveDivasAChance wasn't started for her. I have seen some fans this year get sick of her being pushed. Fans weren't really going crazy for her to force the WWE to push her better.  I have seen fans more eager for Sasha Banks to get pushed. If they give Paige the push, the fact that AJ Lee is gone and it would be smart to push some female wrestler as a star during the diva revolution would likely be the driving force for the push. AJ Lee got her big push at a time the WWE was failing to make stars and in between centerpieces. Circumstances helped her. Circumstances might be right once again for a female wrestler to get a big push. If the WWE sees it like that, Paige might be the female wrestler to get the big push.

If AJ Lee was still here, what would she be doing? They would definitely push her as a rebel. She wouldn't be getting meaningless wins or just playing a sidekick for long, if at all. This is someone they would want to stand out. She would be the one to do the promo bashing the other divas and the diva revolution. She would be the "1" in 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 vs 1. I don't know how well she would coexist with The Bellas and the overall diva revolution.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: October 2015

Shakira in gazelle form. Still hotter than half the women currently in the WWE diva division.

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.