What Happens If Nikki Bella Returns?

Nikki Bella, the last eye-candy centerpiece of the diva era, hasn't wrestled since last year due to serious injury issues. With her out, the WWE has been working on developing Charlotte as a star. That is usually how the WWE operates. When a star drops out, they work on making a new one, or possibly more. This is also a new era. This is an era where the WWE is supposedly going to treat women's wrestling with more respect.

Despite her injury issues, Nikki Bella never officially retired. Her sister did. I wouldn't be surprised to see Brie back again in the WWE ring one day. As for Nikki, she seems to want to come back. She is also going to change up her in-ring work a bit to avoid further aggravating her injury.

What happens if Nikki Bella does come back? I am not talking about Total Divas or Total Bellas. Total whatever. What impact will it have in the division? This isn't some low-tier credible jobber coming back. This is a former centerpiece coming back. She is still in a good relationship with the WWE. I don't need to bring up who her boyfriend is. There are reasons why she will likely be treated well, if she comes back.

First thing to consider, will she get her centerpiece spot back? Will this be the end of Charlotte at the top? Neither woman really knocks it out of the park when it comes to connecting with the fans. Some fans say Charlotte has gotten over as a heel. I wonder how much of that is her being a great heel and how much is her being someone fans just don't like. Whatever the case, there definitely are women that could do better with the push Charlotte is getting. But does that mean Nikki gets it back? The WWE might be hesitant with her injury issues. Moreover, she is not a great representative for what the new era in the women's division should be. That's the kind of thing I have said about Roman Reigns and why he shouldn't be the top star of the entire company. He's just not a good fit. Same thing with Nikki Bella.

Of course, the brand split is coming back. I could see Charlotte staying on Raw with the title and Nikki Bella going to Smackdown to be the top star there. No title necessary. This could be like the good old days of the diva division. People praise that golden age for women's wrestling, but the division on Smackdown during this time revolved mostly around the periphery. It was Torrie Wilson pushed as the top star there. Sable, a former centerpiece, came back and was pushed there. Even Stephanie McMahon was involved in a few angles and matches during this era on Smackdown. I don't know exactly how the WWE would choose to push Nikki on Smackdown. Smackdown GM? Probably not. Embrace her relationship with Cena and have the two involved in storylines together? Probably not. They could just have her get light feuds against women like Maryse and Lana. Have her get some non-title wrestling feuds with whatever female wrestlers end up on the same brand as her. There are possibilities.

Last thing to consider, does she even deserve to come back and be featured as a star? Smarks dislike The Bellas. I don't think they are that bad. I am not going to watch whatever reality show they are on. I am not a big fan of either of them. They have been part of some bad segments. I know they are not the greatest workers. But they are good to look at and can be fun characters at times. Nikki Bella would be good for the periphery. Besides, the WWE has invested a lot into Nikki Bella and it would be kind of bad to throw it all away. She isn't as bad as Roman Reigns. Depending on how they push her, she can connect better with the fans.

Previewing The Diva Matches For Fastlane 2016

This is one of those rare times where there will be 2 diva matches at a WWE PPV. Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks team up to take on Naomi and Tamina, while Charlotte defends the Diva's Championship against Brie Bella.

The tag match is pretty straightforward. Sasha Banks turned face and split from her stable. This is the customary feud you would expect to see. Faces win.

Some people were ready to say Becky Lynch was buried after the Royal Rumble. She lost to Charlotte, then Sasha Banks popped up and made her intentions clear that she wanted the title. What followed was Sasha turning face and eventually finding an ally in Becky. I have said before that the WWE could develop an elaborate storyline for Becky Lynch against Charlotte. They aren't doing it. Even if they do go back to that feud, it has lost some of its heat. Instead of Becky being that determined to prove herself and get revenge on her former friend, she's teaming with Sasha Banks while Charlotte is busy with something else. If they wanted to make this elaborate, they would have Becky still remain on the fringes of Charlotte's current feud, not plug her into Sasha's feud against Naomi and Tamina. Regardless, I would not say she is buried. There are some women in the division that don't even have as much to do as Becky currently has.

Onto Charlotte. She has Brie Bella. This is another feud that isn't too intriguing, in terms of how it has been built. But there are those rumors going around that Brie Bella will retire. That might make the winner of this title match obvious. Charlotte retains. Of course, The Bellas are no strangers to getting a short title reign prior to leaving the WWE. It happened with Nikki years ago. Moreover, there were rumors of AJ Lee leaving the WWE back in 2014. She went on to still get another title reign, take more time off, come back for another Wrestlemania win, and then seemed to pull the rug out from under the WWE by retiring soon after that. There certainly would have been some angle if the WWE knew she was retiring in advance. Point is, a lot of things can happen, despite these rumors. I will say Charlotte retains, but a title change here would not be shocking.

Let's assume Brie Bella is leaving. Nikki Bella has been out with an injury and her in-ring career may be done. The WWE really has no stars in the diva division. Before anyone bites my head off, I am not saying there are no women with talent. I am not saying they have no fans. I am saying no one really has A-tier overness. I am saying there is no centerpiece right now. I am saying AJ Lee, the WWE's top periphery diva, retired last year and the WWE never got around to replacing her. I am saying the eye-candy periphery divas that are around aren't featured very well. I am saying that what you are pretty much left with are a bunch of credible jobbers that made a lot of noise in NXT, and some of that overness is carrying over in some cases, but none of them are really stealing the show. Moreover, the WWE cannot make the mistake of thinking that these women are really over just because of NXT fans or fans complaining on Twitter for better matches. Even if both Bellas were here and good to go, that would not fix the WWE's problems.

I do not think the WWE needs to immediately debut anyone from NXT to fill the void Brie Bella might leave. Keep in mind that the WWE debuted three women in one night a few months ago. That left them with more women than they could properly handle. It's probably a good thing to let some women go to become more efficient with the women they do have. After they do that, then worry about debuting more women.

How about that centerpiece position? Charlotte is definitely not a good long-term option. I doubt the WWE is ready to put an end to the status quo of the diva division. You can look at how they have stuck with Roman Reigns to get the idea that they will not give up easily on something they want to work. The status quo of the diva division has existed before Roman Reigns even joined the WWE. Some might say it has flopped even worse than Roman Reigns, but the WWE will probably still be just as stubborn with it. If the WWE is moving on from Nikki Bella and still want an eye-candy centerpiece, I can imagine them either going to Summer Rae, going to NXT for someone like Alexa Bliss, or try to bring back a former eye-candy diva, like Eve Torres.

Nikki Bella Wins Diva Of The Year

The Slammy Awards were last night. Unlike last year, nothing stood out as too awkward in terms of the winners. Last year, Roman Reigns winning "Superstar of the Year" was awkward. Before I do get into Nikki Bella winning a Slammy last night, let me go back to last year and talk about the Slammies in general.

The way I see some fans reacting, they think the WWE predetermines every Slammy winner, despite the fact that the awards are supposed to be voted on by fans these days. I wouldn't go that far. First of all, some of these awards are really meaningless. You have lower-midcarders winning some of them. No push needs to be attached to them. It just leads to a segment and everyone moves on in many situations. Even at a time when the WWE did decide the winners, no big push needs to come of it. Beth Phoenix was the winner of "Diva of the Year" in 2008. That wasn't decided by fans. She got pushed as a credible jobber in 2008. She got pushed that way in 2009. She never stopped being pushed like that. The Slammy didn't mean too much.

Another thing to keep in mind is that whatever is likely to win is something or someone that was popular or talked about the most in a given year. There are also situations where something that just happened might be fresher in people's minds and they would vote for that. There are multiple explanations why something or someone might get an award as voted on by fans.

And then you have Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns winning that award last year was very suspicious. He had not accomplished anything memorable in 2014. He was over, but obviously not as over as the WWE would have liked. He was out for weeks prior to the Slammy Awards last year, so you can't say that he had just returned and done something to get fans interested in him. Seth Rollins winning that same Slammy this year makes sense because he held the WWE Championship longer than anyone this year and retained it against some big names. He is not extremely popular, but I can buy into him winning. Fans bought into his booking. But would those same fans that voted Roman Reigns last year really pick Seth Rollins this year? If popularity is supposedly the driving force behind the "Superstar of the Year" Slammy, you might expect someone like Dean Ambrose to win this year. He has never been World Champion, but neither was Roman Reigns when he won the Slammy last year. And if Roman Reigns was supposedly popular enough to win it last year, when he didn't really accomplish anything and was out for a while, why wouldn't he win it again this year? He was here all year. He actually won the WWE Championship, twice. He seemed to win his haters over at TLC and the night after.

Why would the WWE rig the Slammies for Roman Reigns last year? To hype him up prior to his big push. People could see his big push coming even before he won the Royal Rumble this year. Problem is, he was out for a few weeks, which hurt his momentum. Giving him that Slammy would be a way to hype him up big again as the WWE continued his big push, which ended up backfiring. I do not think the WWE rigs all their polls, but this is a company that tries to build stars, sometimes forcibly, and is known to screw people. I definitely believe the WWE would take advantage of a Slammy win, or non-win, to make someone look great, or sell that someone else is not that popular.  

Onto Nikki Bella. I do not find her winning a Slammy suspicious. If you can accept fans voting for Seth Rollins because he was WWE Champion for most of the year, you can use that same logic to buy Nikki Bella winning her Slammy. She broke the record for longest reign with the Diva's Championship. PWI named her #1. Some fans buy into booking for awards like this.

Just to make it clear, this is not a sign that Nikki Bella is popular. I remember fans on Twitter being very against her breaking AJ Lee's record. And even a hashtag about her deserving to break the record was full of more negativity towards her than positive comments. But if you want to talk about which diva has had the best year, it is Nikki Bella. I have seen divas win polls based on how well they were booked at the time or for the year. It doesn't always come down to a popularity contest.

Another reason I do not find Nikki Bella winning suspicious, who is really the most over diva on the roster? There isn't one diva knocking it out of the park right now. Sasha Banks obviously has her fans, but I have said before that those chants do not mean she is as over as some people might expect. Paige is also liked by many fans. Charlotte is currently holding the title and there was a time when people were actually looking forward to seeing her debut and get pushed. I think her support has died down a bit. Despite fans wanting to say that Nikki Bella slept her way to the top, there are still people that like The Bellas out there. I am not surprised Nikki Bella won. I can imagine a lot of fans looking at how she was booked all year and hearing about her beating AJ's record and deciding to vote for her. There was really no one diva in the whole roster that was so over that you would expect her to win instead, despite Nikki's booking.

The fact that there isn't one diva that is that over is a problem. If the WWE had a worker with the in-ring talent to connect with wrestling fans and the charisma and look to appeal to a wider audience, they can build around her. That's the centerpiece. Push other eye-candy divas in the periphery to also appeal to viewers that want to see something sexy or glamorous. Push a female wrestler in a unique way in the periphery to draw some unique interest there. Have a strong foundation of credible jobbers to keep things respectable. The WWE really had a great system at one time, but it has unraveled. They have not had workers they were willing to push as stars connect with the fans at a great level since Trish and Lita.

Even going back a year to when AJ Lee was still around, they did not have someone bringing A+ results. I remember paying attention to polls in 2014. After Paige debuted and won the title from AJ Lee, I would see fans voting Paige as hotter and better than AJ. Soon after AJ returned and won back the title, that love went back to her for a while. I have seen this kind of swing just on one message board. AJ was obviously the diva they wanted to push as a star, while Paige is a credible jobber. Some fans have criticized AJ's wrestling ability. They say she just wasn't interested during her last year in the WWE. I think part of that was her aloof character. And yet, she was the closest thing to a great star the WWE created in the diva division since Trish and Lita.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yeah, I would not mind seeing AJ back in the WWE. But she is just at her best as a periphery character. Pushing her in wrestling matters just ruined her edge. I already pointed out many fans criticizing her wrestling ability. And her character just made her hard to buy into for some feuds and storylines. In the periphery, however, she wouldn't be that annoying. She works well as a character performer. She has charisma. She is attractive without looking like the typical diva. Depending on how they would handle her, AJ Lee might have ended up a better periphery diva than Lita.

To top it all off, I do not even mind Nikki Bella coming back. The diva division has been sour the last few months. Most of the blame should go to the WWE and their creative ideas. Moreover, things probably still would have been bad even with The Bellas pushed during that time. But I am starting to think even The Bellas can be more useful and possibly get over. But it will take more than a long title reign and a Slammy to get it done.

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.

Three NXT Divas Debut On Raw

The Bella Twins and Alicia Fox came out to gloat on Raw last night. Stephanie McMahon came out and put them back down. That led to Paige, Naomi, Tamina, and a few new divas from NXT coming out. Those NXT divas would be Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch. Charlotte and Becky sided with Paige. Sasha Banks has been paired with Naomi and Tamina. Not surprisingly, a lot of fans are praising it as the greatest diva segment in years.

What kind of feud do you have here? 3 vs. 3 vs. 3? As I have said before, the WWE has just made the diva feud more complicated than it needed to be. They did not need to call up three women in one night to insert them into this feud. If they had kept things simple weeks ago, they only needed to debut one diva to keep things fresh for the rest of the year. No need to put Alicia Fox with The Bellas. No need to bring back Naomi and Tamina against The Bellas. If they really wanted to do something with these other divas, do a better job utilizing other women already on the main roster, like Emma. I know #GiveDivasAChance is not all about Emma, but she was the one that took the pin the night all this started. And what has she done on the main roster since? No need to hand her the title, but a minor feud on the main roster would be nice.

Another issue with the development of this diva feud, there isn't exactly a lot of time between the debuts and Battleground. The WWE could have debuted a new diva a week or two ago and spent the time between then and the PPV introducing her to the main audience by having her wrestle singles matches and be in Paige's corner for her matches. The PPV match would then be Paige and the new diva vs. The Bellas. Instead, all you have until the PPV is one more Smackdown. And how well can you feature three new divas on that one show? It has just not been timed right to properly build to whatever match they are aiming for.

How the WWE follows through with these women after Battleground will also be interesting. If they had just debuted one diva, you could just put the focus on her as she slowly takes the spot against The Bellas Paige has held for months now. You now have three new women in the picture. Obviously, these women still have NXT stuff to do. That makes the decision to use all three on the main roster right now even more questionable. It would have been better to just debut a diva you were prepared to properly develop on the main roster. Good luck trying to keep the ball rolling with this after Sunday.

Let me just talk about Stephanie's promo. She talked about a revolution with women in sports. She brought up women's soccer, UFC, and tennis. Yeah, I can respect what the US women's soccer team has done, what Ronda Rousey has done, and what Serena Williams has done. What makes these women great are not the accolades. It is how they have earned those accolades. It is not just talent. It is how they have utilized that talent. It is the fact that they have beaten other top challengers. Competition. Stephanie also brought up that word. But is there competition in the diva division now? There is fresh talent in the diva division. But will they be given a fair shot to actually succeed and earn the top spot from The Bellas? If not, nothing has changed. This is still a women's division that revolves around eye-candy divas and women with wrestling credibility are often just used to put the stars over. These new divas will get to show how great they are on the main roster. That freshness will excite a lot of fans. But there is more to it than that. What about earning those better careers? What's the point of earning something when you are not allowed to get it? What if those female athletes I brought up did everything right to earn a major title, but some official or committee decided to just hand the title to someone else that did not earn it? Unthinkable, but it happens in the WWE. And I don't mean titles. I mean being actually pushed as a star.

Previewing Money In The Bank 2015: Part 1

The New Day defend the tag titles against The Prime Time Players. There was a time I felt The Prime Time Players definitely should win the tag titles. They have since split up, gotten back together, and are once again in the title scene. The WWE has started putting the titles on teams that lack a strong build to really deserve them. That might make a title change a strong possibility. But I am going to say New Day retains.

The Intercontinental Championship match is just between Ryback and Big Show. Miz has been involved in the storyline, but he is not in the match. They probably should put him in the match to make it more interesting. That is not to say he should win it. Same thing with Big Show. I do not picture him winning it. Ryback just won it. He should be retaining it.

The diva feud is just between Nikki Bella and Paige. The storyline has been all about #GiveDivasAChance, again. The WWE really just should stop it. They are not bringing in any legitimate change. They have even regressed to short matches. Fans are complaining on Twitter again, although I do not believe they have gotten #GiveDivasAChance trending again. The WWE is just taking advantage of it for storyline purposes. It is what many should have expected. I find it horrible when the WWE does this kind of thing. They mistreat their own workers, and even their fans at times, make storylines out of it, and don't bring about any real change. Zack Ryder's storyline led to nothing lasting for him. He was used in a bigger storyline involving Cena, then dumped. CM Punk did these promos about change. Nothing actually changed from the WWE. And they are doing it again with the divas. People have said that Total Divas makes it difficult to create storylines. I never bought that. You now have the entire diva division blanketed in a storyline that can last forever. Just bring up #GiveDivasAChance in every promo. Point to some face as a hero fighting for fair opportunities. Point to some heel as the one holding the diva division back. It would be nice if someone actually did a promo admitting it is the bosses in the back that are really holding back the diva division. Then again, a promo is all it would be. CM Punk knows all about that.

Paige is the face hero in this feud. She gave a promo about change. Nothing to take too seriously. I do notice some fans rolling their eyes at Paige frequently being in the title picture. I also feel the WWE should develop some fresh feuds, but I do not think #GiveDivasBesidesPaigeAChance is too fair. I prefer using #GiveOtherDivasAChance. Thing is, Paige isn't really getting a chance. She has been pushed as a credible jobber since debuting. I am not convinced that the WWE is developing her to be the next AJ Lee. They are not doing it until they are doing it. How they push Paige after this title feud will be telling. As for the diva that is next pushed in Paige's spot, she will likely just be used as a credible jobber, as well.

Some fans seem to want every diva to get an opportunity at the title. The WWE obviously does not operate like that. They like developing a centerpiece. But I actually think they should break the division down. Enter the preseason. I have said that TNA is always stuck in the preseason. They rotate everyone, give everyone pushes all over, but never commit to whom they want their top stars to be. The WWE should rotate their women, but to assess who is their best and give these women a chance to get very over. Once they pick the absolute best of the best, push that woman as centerpiece. Periphery divas and credible jobbers will fall into place around her. Not only is doing this a fair way to rebuild, it might please those fans that want to see Paige and The Bellas out of the title scene.

As for this match at Money in the Bank, I would say Nikki retains. If Paige wins, that would just prolong this feud longer. I do not think fans would like that. I also think the WWE wants Nikki to hold the title for about 300 days. I would say the title stays where it is and the WWE starts going in a new direction.

The Bellas Are Heels Again?

Nikki Bella faced Paige on Raw with her Diva's Championship on the line. She cheated to win. They did the old twin switch. How does that work when Nikki and Brie aren't that identical anymore? That is a stupid move by the WWE.

The Bellas are heels again? They had just turned face a few weeks ago after AJ Lee left, Paige took time off to make a movie, and the face depth in the division was horrible. With Paige back, I guess the WWE decided to turn The Bellas again. That is sloppy. It just shows that a lot of turns in the diva division are not done for the good of character development. It is done to cover depth issues.

I would have kept The Bellas as faces. I think they were doing a good job connecting with the fans. What will a sudden, needless heel turn do to that? This is not a situation where a diva not being pushed to be a star gets over and the WWE does something to try to hurt her overness. This is a situation where a diva being pushed to be a star might be unintentionally screwed by the WWE's sloppiness. Nikki Bella is someone they want to be a star. They are already hyping how long she's held the title. But overness is more important than how long you hold a title. This is not even a issue of depushing her. This is bad character development.

What would I be doing right now in the diva division? There are only two weeks between Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank. No need to run with heel Nikki vs. face Paige. Let Naomi vs. Paige get strong closure. Look back at 2008. While Mickie James held the Women's Championship, Melina and Beth Phoenix had a minor feud going on. No title involved. It led to an I Quit match. Mickie James did not have a feud for those few weeks. She had an angle with John Cena, which never went anywhere. Point is, all three divas had something to do. And none of them were even pushed as the centerpiece. The centerpiece was injured at the time. The WWE should do that kind of thing now. While Naomi vs. Paige gets the attention for Money in the Bank, The Bellas can have a periphery angle, start building up their next feud, or just be on the backburner for two weeks. It is just two weeks. For the sake of more creative depth, it would have been nice.

The WWE needs to debut someone. I am not talking about debuting another Emma. I am talking about debuting a diva they are willing to push properly. There are women on the roster Nikki can feud with, regardless of whether she is heel or face. But because the WWE does not utilize their roster efficiently, it feels like they have no one and Paige is the only option. If that is the way they are going to play it, debut someone new. I cannot imagine them continuing like this for the rest of the year. Someone has to debut.

Nikki Bella Vs. Paige Vs. Naomi

Paige returned recently and you are getting the diva feud for Elimination Chamber that you probably expected. Nikki Bella will defend the Diva's Championship against Paige and Naomi. Paige wants revenge on Naomi for taking her out and wants her title shot she never got. Naomi has been in the title hunt recently. The feud basically writes itself, especially with so little time until Elimination Chamber.

Who should win this match? It would make sense for Naomi to win the title and the feud to shift to her and Paige. Build up to Paige regaining the title after being attacked last month, while also getting her revenge on Naomi. The Bellas seem to have another storyline developing for them. Stephanie McMahon, again? That is another issue for another day. Nikki does not need the title.

What is the WWE likely to do? Both Paige and Naomi are credible jobbers. Those performers usually get the shorter end of the stick. Even if they win the title, they are not featured as prominently on a consistent basis as the real stars. I can imagine Paige and Naomi getting the kind of mediocre feud that you saw at times last year. Nikki Bella will continue to hold the title into whatever larger storyline the WWE is working on. Will Nikki eventually break AJ Lee's record with the butterfly title? I wouldn't be surprised if she did. Regardless, I am expecting her to retain.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: May 2015

There are no signs that the WWE is ready to quit on the diva division. They still want to run a women's division that leans towards eye-candy divas. I have read all these reports of eye-candy divas the WWE is high on. Looking at how the divas are being pushed, it also seems like no female wrestlers are in a great position. At the same time, this is still a dark age. The WWE has not become truly efficient again.

Paige has her plate full when it comes to extracurricular activities. She's getting things to do outside of actually performing on the wrestling shows. Never make too much of that. The WWE builds the people they want to be stars on the wrestling shows, not just in their movies and Total Divas. I would like to believe the WWE wants to start pushing Paige better with AJ Lee gone, but I will wait to see it actually happen.

Reports say the WWE is high on Lana and Eva Marie. I have spoken a little about Lana already. How about Eva Marie? I once had a conversation with a guy on Twitter that was talking about how bad the division was after Lita left. He pointed out Ashley and how bad she was. I brought up Eva Marie as this era's answer to Ashley. He said it doesn't count because the WWE does not push Eva seriously. I wonder what he would say now. Of course, Eva Marie is getting great training and showing signs of improvement. That is the overall story of the diva division. Hot model-type performer develops wrestling skills and becomes the greatest in the division. I just wonder if she can overcome some fans that have already made up their mind about her and may not be willing to give her a chance. #GiveEvaMarieAChance? It isn't just about sitting through all her segments. It is about having an open mind. A lot of fans I have seen seem impressed by her training. But I wouldn't become a fan of anyone just by how they train. They have to make it work when it counts the most.

Aside from reports, you can just look at the division and see the WWE is still pushing The Bellas. Nikki is still holding the Diva's Championship. Is the WWE serious about sticking with them as the centerpiece? Lana and Eva Marie aren't the only ones that have the look and the background. But you might eventually have yourself a congested division. The WWE was able to balance things better back a decade ago when they had the brand split. These days, they need a better periphery to be able to push their stars well outside of their centerpiece.

Nikki is still feuding with Naomi. Tamina returned to side with Naomi. There is a family connection there. It could be interesting, but the WWE usually drops the ball with divas that are not priorities to them. I am not convinced Naomi and Tamina are priorities. They are credible jobbers.

Credible jobbers still win titles. Will Naomi win the title? She lost the encounter a few weeks ago. It is not unheard of for the centerpiece to drop the title in the second encounter. You also have the fact that Paige had won a match to get a title shot and Naomi took her out. Forgetting what the diva division is about for a moment, just thinking about how you might develop a feud, it would make perfect sense for Naomi to win the title and eventually feud with Paige. It writes itself. But this is a company that buries what might make sense for the benefit of what they want. Paige and Naomi can end up with a non-title filler feud, while Nikki continues to hold the title. I would not be surprised to see that.

Extreme Rules 2015: Final Preview

I have already said all I want to say about John Cena vs. Rusev and Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton. I will talk about the other matches today.

Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper. If Dean Ambrose can't win this feud, there has to be some kind of running gag here. There is no reason to bury him. He is over, but there is no heavy protest to see him get pushed. Luke Harper is not going anywhere. Give the win to Ambrose.

Tyson Kidd & Cesaro vs. Big E & Kofi Kingston. The tag division is looking almost as sloppy as the diva division. I am talking about how it is managed, not the quality of matches. I would expect Kidd and Cesaro to retain. If the WWE is serious about developing The New Day as something credible, and I mean really SERIOUS, I can picture them giving them the titles. I do not think they care. It does not matter whether they are heels or faces. They have been mediocre too long.

Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett. Why don't I ever call him Bad News Barrett? Anyway, Daniel Bryan's health continues to be an issue. Is he badly hurt? If he is not that hurt, he will retain. If he is hurt but can still go, he will work the match and Barrett will regain the Intercontinental Championship. If he is too hurt for even that, you are going to have a repeat of what happened last year. Regardless of Daniel Bryan's health, I still feel he could have been utilized better in the last few weeks. There are some guys that are so over that just being out there is enough for the fans. They do not need to wrestle every night. The product has felt a little weak lately. Daniel Bryan could have helped fix that to some degree.

Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler. Sheamus just made his return a few weeks ago. They seem more interested in pushing him right now than Ziggler. Ziggler just seems to be in the position to put Sheamus over. I do not see them hurting the momentum Sheamus is developing. He likely wins this match. I do not want to imagine what will happen with the "kiss me arse" aspect of this match. Crass.That's the word I'll give it.

Roman Reigns vs. Big Show. There will be rowdy Chicago fans at Extreme Rules. You can imagine some of what they will do. They will love Cesaro and Kidd. Cena will get booed. As far as this match goes, you have two guys that smarks do not like. "Please Retire" chants for Big Show? Will Roman get mugged as he tries to make his entrance through the crowd? I usually get excited for Last Man Standing matches, but a lot of hardcore-style matches have been weak in recent years. The WWE is trying to be more edgy again. There is also no reason to be too interested in who wins. Roman Reigns is the guy they are developing to be a star. Big Show is a jobber to the stars. It will be more interesting to see how fans treat this match than anything else.

I have saved the diva match for last. Nikki Bella vs. Naomi for the Diva's Championship. Naomi is the heel and Nikki is the face. Paige had won a battle royal to get a title shot. Naomi turned heel that same night and took her out. Paige is out filming a movie. The WWE pretty much took out their top face right now. They fix it by turning The Bellas face. This is sloppy, inconsistent booking. I do not think you can put all the blame on AJ Lee retiring. They could have kept all the alignments the same and developed face Naomi to take on heel Nikki for the title. Have The Bellas take Paige out if she has to take time off.

How about the decision to turn The Bellas face? Given the hole the WWE dug for themselves, this is an okay move. You have two faces with one turn. There are still other divas they can treat as faces. More faces will eventually debut. The main issue is how randomly they did it. Not developed well. In one year, The Bellas have gone from being faces to being heels to being faces. Paige has gone from being a face to a heel to a face. AJ Lee was a heel, turned face, and if she had not left, would have turned heel again. Some people complain about how long John Cena has been face, but you can bring up the opposite complaint about the diva division. Stop turning them so much. A lot of these turns are done because of depth issues, not for the sake of good creative investment.

I would not make too much out of Paige starring in a movie for the WWE. Extracurricular activities do not determine your place on the roster. Brodus Clay also starred in a movie for the WWE. Where is he now? TNA. Things like movies and Total Divas usually do not do the most for helping you to get over. Not everyone can get over through extracurricular activities like Zack Ryder did. It comes down to how you are actually pushed. Let's see how Paige is pushed when she returns.

Who wins between Nikki and Naomi? I would say Nikki. After that, you will probably eventually get a triple threat involving those two and Paige. Paige will still have a title shot coming and Nikki will probably still be face. Face vs. face? Insert heel Naomi. I would not be surprised if the WWE books Nikki to hold the title long enough to break AJ Lee's record. She's almost halfway there.

Paige Gets A Title Shot, While Naomi Turns Heel

There was a diva battle royal on Raw to determine the next challenger for Nikki Bella's title. Some fans were predicting Charlotte to debut in this match and even win it. That did not happen. Paige won. Naomi, whom the WWE was pushing in recent weeks, turned heel.

I do not really like what happened. The major issue is depth. AJ Lee, a face, just left. Naomi, a face, now turns heel. Who are your faces now in the diva division? Paige. And? Natalya has been treated as a tweener. Emma can play a face on the main roster, although it seems she is being utilized better on NXT. Charlotte will still eventually debut. The brand split is gone and depth is still pretty poor in the division.

You can say that AJ would have ended up turning on Paige had she not retired. Does that mean they still needed to turn anyone at all? I do not think so. It looks like Naomi is in the spot AJ Lee would have been in, but I will not be quick to say she is now an A player. She has not gotten the kind of build AJ Lee had from 2012. It looks like they are just doing this for the sake of the storyline they intended to do. I would have scrapped that storyline. It just would not work as well now. I never really liked how they developed the relationship between AJ and Paige, but Naomi filling the role of AJ is even weaker. They just should have come up with a different storyline.

How about Paige once again getting a title shot? I like Paige. I just do not feel she needs to be in the title scene so much. I felt the same way about Mickie James. In that WWE diva division, the title scene is sometimes the worst place to be. That is particularly the case for female wrestlers. They are usually not pushed there to be developed to be stars. They are pushed there to put over stars or used as filler. It is an eye-candy diva that the WWE likes to develop as the centerpiece, like The Bellas, although the WWE has not shown they are really committed to them as centerpiece. Of course, this is a dark age, so the WWE does not have the kind of division they want right now.

How would I have done things? First of all, I would not debut Charlotte now. No need. Save her for the summer. Meanwhile, push some of the other divas on the main roster against Nikki in title feuds. That includes Naomi. Let Naomi stay face and get a title shot. Paige would not be left with nothing to do. Push her in the periphery. Since she debuted, she has not gotten anything good in the periphery. She has had no angles alongside the men. She has not feuded with other periphery divas in non-title feuds, like how The Bellas faced Stephanie McMahon. The only thing she's had outside the title scene was that feud against Alicia Fox to kill off their partnership. It was filler. Find a guy you are willing to push well and consistently. Pair Paige with him. It will be good for her.

What If The Bellas Left?

AJ Lee just retired. What if Brie & Nikki Bella were to leave the WWE now? I still do not watch Total Divas, but I have heard that they are teasing The Bellas might leave the company, again. I doubt that will happen. Regardless, just for the sake of discussion, what might happen if they did leave?

Without bringing up Stephanie McMahon, The Bellas are the only divas in an A-tier position. With AJ Lee gone, that might make it easier for the WWE to better develop them as the centerpiece of the diva division. Nikki? Brie? Both? They are more of a centerpiece unit than LayCool were. In fact, with AJ gone, you can say the diva division is back to that one-dimensional look it had back then. The WWE was only concerned with developing a new centerpiece back then. When Michelle McCool was their lone attempt and Layla was her sidekick, that made the division at that time very painful. If you did not like their annoying act, you didn't have many other options being pushed well. Even if another diva held the title, LayCool still often trumped them. That is why holding the title does not mean you are the centerpiece. The Bellas have shown signs of being like LayCool. Getting over was an issue for McCool. It is still an issue for The Bellas, but I think they are a little more over now than McCool was during her centerpiece run. But that is still not too impressive.

What happens if you take that away? What happens if you take The Bellas out of the diva division? I have seen some fans say that the only thing holding the diva division back is The Bellas. In a while, the division will be full of all those fabulous wrestlers from NXT. The Bellas leaving will not cause the WWE to give up on the diva division. Michelle McCool leaving did not lead to the end of the status quo. They started pushing Kelly Kelly as the new centerpiece, not Layla. There is another Diva Search coming soon. That should be the ultimate sign that the WWE has not given up on this philosophy for their women's division that revolves around model-type performers. The Bellas leaving will just lead to the WWE moving on to someone else.

There are options on the main roster for the WWE to go to. I just do not know how confident they would be in those women. Summer Rae? There is also Eva Marie. She has been showing signs of improving. I would not be surprised to one day see her holding the title and pushed as the next Trish Stratus. With AJ Lee leaving, filling her spot is optional. Should The Bellas leave, the WWE would definitely try to fill their spot. The diva division revolves around a centerpiece.

From the standpoint of everything the WWE has put into these two, would The Bellas leaving now make them a bad investment? I am not talking about Total Divas. I am talking about their worth in the actual diva division. When I talked about AJ Lee leaving, I felt the WWE could have gotten more out of her and she really wasn't connecting with the fans as she should. The Bellas also lack the overness you would want your top stars of the diva division to have. But I don't feel they have been pushed as hard as AJ was, despite the big push they had for much of last year. AJ Lee is a female wrestler. I would have expected her to connect with those type of fans even better than she has. The Bellas are eye-candy divas. They are connecting about as well as you might expect, but that still isn't too great. In general, I do not think it would be a huge loss if The Bellas did leave. They do not have a great overness that would leave a huge hole in the division and they are not extremely talented, although they have improved very well. The WWE can just start developing another eye-candy diva to be like them. In terms of position, everyone is replaceable. In terms of how well someone can bring results, not everyone can be replaced that easily. I am not taking The Bellas for granted. They are better than many of the centerpiece attempts since Trish left. But there can be better.

Cutting Down To Eight

Recently, I talked about how TNA is able to run an efficient women's division with even less women than the WWE has. Downsizing might help the WWE diva division right now. If the WWE could only keep 8 women on the main roster, whom should they pick? Before getting to that list, have to cover a few things.

First, why a pic of Shakira? Because I felt like it.

On to the stuff that matters, why eight? Because I felt TNA was capable of remaining efficient with just that number. Even if Awesome Kong had not returned, they could still be respectable and utilize the women they have like they usually do. If TNA can do it with a low number, how about the WWE try it?

Aside from going small like TNA, this is not about turning the diva division into the KO division. I am still keeping the same philosophy and system the WWE likes to run. It has major issues, but if you try to change too much at one time, it might be a bit of a culture shock for some people. First, get the diva division efficient again. After that, you can go back to getting female wrestlers legitimate opportunities. From there, you should be getting respectable women's wrestling again and never have to experience another dark age like this.

Another thing to keep in mind, I am not including women like Lilian Garcia. I am only including women that are regularly involved in angles or serve some purpose in the actual diva division. Stephanie McMahon will also be left off the list. Just take it for granted that she is going to be around. This will be 8 actual divas that I think should remain in the division.

It is obvious that some women are only relevant because of Total Divas. For the purposes of what I am doing here, forget Total Divas is going on. This is about keeping women that you can use efficiently to help the diva division regain momentum. Total Divas is an extracurricular activity that has not had too much of a positive impact on how the divas in the actual diva division are being handled. It might make it easier to create certain feuds and angles, but the WWE has not been handling it in a great manner to really entertain and create stars.

Downsizing is not necessarily a bad thing. It is not a sign of weakness. You can talk about the financial benefits of downsizing, but this is about being efficient. Smaller class sizes are usually praised. With less students in a classroom, the teacher can give each student more individual attention and help them better. That is the same idea with downsizing the diva division. You have too many divas on the main roster. A lot of them are irrelevant. Even many that are being pushed are being pushed inefficiently.

All that out of the way, let me talk about the 8 divas I would keep.

The first two happen to be twins. The Bella Twins have been in that diva division for a long time. They have improved in their wrestling ability over the years. Being twins makes for some interesting storylines and angles the company could do with them. They have also been pushed hard recently. I am not going to say they have amazing overness, but they certainly had to have grown on some fans over the years.

Paige is still very young and has a lot of potential. Of the female wrestlers on the roster right now, I would say she is the best. She has a unique look and could be a unique diva, if the WWE allows her to be. And she also has a good connection with wrestling fans right now. Her presence might hold down their complaining about the diva division for a bit.

After everything the WWE has invested into AJ Lee, you cannot just cut her loose. Forget the CM Punk drama. If she wants to be there and they want her, she should be there. I think Paige makes a better "anti-diva" diva, and how many of those do you really need at one time? And I also think Paige is better in the ring. Regardless, having two female wrestlers like that won't hurt too much.

Lana doesn't even wrestle. It doesn't matter. As I said, I'm not changing the diva division into a KO division right now. I am just trying to run this type of women's division efficiently again. And women like Lana help. She is an eye-candy periphery diva. She is exactly what an eye-candy periphery diva is supposed to be. She is hot and has an interesting character. When the sun does eventually set on Rusev, the WWE should continue to utilize Lana.

The most useless diva on the roster? Am I serious? Eva Marie is the same type of diva as Lana. She is an eye-candy periphery diva. She does not have the wrestling ability to be anything else. Eva Marie can be useful if utilized right. Besides, if you are going to keep around two "anti-diva" female wrestlers, why not keep around two eye-candy periphery divas? Eva Marie has a different look from the typical blonde and she is definitely sexy.

Let me get to some eye-candy divas that have become good in the ring and have gotten the kind of pushes you would expect of credible jobbers. Those are the true hybrid divas. Layla is one of the best in that category. She has become good in the ring, is beautiful, and has charisma. It is a shame she is not more over than she is. She would be a great choice to develop as centerpiece, although not likely. Even though she is 37 and will likely be out of the WWE soon, she is still one of the divas currently on the roster I would want to keep around.

Naomi has become an entertaining in-ring performer. She has great agility that can make her matches fun to watch. And like some of the women I have mentioned, she happens to be in a relationship with a superstar on the roster. That can make for some interesting storylines. You are seeing some of that now. The WWE could do better.