As we sit around and ponder the outcome of the WrestleMania main event, there are some symbolic moments set to take place that could very well alter the course of the WWE. One of these events is the rebranding of the WWE Women’s Championship. The Women’s title has graced the waist of many Hall of Famer’s including the Fabulous Moolah, Trish Stratus and Lita. Once the WWE changed the persona of the female division to that of a Diva, it instantly took away the prominence of a prestigious title that was symbolic to the blood, sweat and tears of all the past female performers.
Becoming the Divas champion was more relatable to being crowned Prom Queen than given the opportunity of holding an illustrious piece of metal around your waist that carried out a legacy that spans many decades. There has seemingly been a wall built between genders when it comes to talent over the years and the women’s division certainly flopped more than it excelled when it came to WrestleMania. Again, a lot of this falls on the shoulders of creative as they built on the celebrity mantra with the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Snooki instead of holding an attraction that would show off athleticism and in-ring ability. For a long time, WWE seemed happy to cultivate reality show characters instead of in-ring talent.
Over the last several years, fans have called for WWE to bring back the “Women” name for the division and the removal of the butterfly Divas Championship. Doing both would bring women’s wrestling back into the fold and also put some more momentum behind this product. This could easily be a big step forward in bringing respect back to a division that sorely missed it.
It very well could have all started with a hashtag: #GiveDivasAChance, which was largely the doing of AJ Lee. Everyone got sick of two or three minute filler matches which didn’t allow the women involved to showcase their talents and continually voiced their displeasure. This could have been the spark that lead Stephanie McMahon to call up Charlotte, Sasha and Becky from NXT to be the main cogs in the wheel that will make this train ride into the future with class.
For a time, the Divas were becoming a highly rated segment and seemed to be building steam. However, WWE’s bizarre decision to focus on teams of three clearly left them in something of a predicament with the way things unfolded. The talent was not being utilized correctly and segments were becoming rather boring. Eventually, this led to the above three becoming the faces of the Divas on the main roster. This is one of the main reasons why they will be facing each other in a Triple Threat match for the Divas Championship at WrestleMania on Sunday.
The in-ring competition among female wrestlers is as entertaining as ever in WWE currently due largely to the fact that Charlotte, Sasha, Becky, Bayley and others have changed the perception surrounding women’s wrestling. The relationship they have shown with the fans and large social media presence has been an integral part of its success.
For example, Sasha and Bayley main-evented WWE TakeOver: Respect in a 30-minute Iron Man match, which proved that the women are more than capable of being on the same level as the male performers. We all knew it was Sasha’s last ride on the show and it proved to be a fantastic sendoff.
Leading up to WrestleMania 32, the women of the WWE have really gained some high-speed momentum. The Current champion Charlotte has settled nicely into the role of a full-time heel after being a less than compelling face and is set up for an excellent triple threat match for the Divas, soon to be Women’s title. Sasha and Becky, the top contenders for her title are both over, but I disagree that either one would be an excellent choice to beat her on the companies grandest stage.
If WWE is rebranding the Championship, I think the new leader needs to be a BOSS. Perhaps the best overall worker in division, Sasha Banks’ immense popularity makes it hard to hold her back from becoming the leader of this new era. The charisma she displays and the much over character she portrays is exactly what the product needs.
Regardless of her alignment Sasha has a year of being at the top of the card ahead of her. She’ll either be winning the title at Mania or at a later date such as Summer Slam. The sky’s the limit for the LEGIT BOSS in 2016 and now is her time to shine.
The announcement regarding the change from Divas division and Divas Championship to the Women’s division and the Women’s Championship is expected to be made on the WWE RAW the night after WrestleMania 32. The Divas name is a bit outdated given the rise of women in society. Upgrading the image of their women performers looks to have taken precedence and it’s nice to see them attempt to bring back an entertaining division that was a segment the audience used to cheer instead of boo. The question is, will it work? It looks like we will soon find out!
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