PWP Contributor Ford Fischer is looking ahead in this piece about the The Divas Revolution culminating in an epic clash at Survivor Series 2015
The weeks and months before SummerSlam were some of the most successful and exciting for the Divas Division of WWE in decades. Nine women really stepped up their game & basked in the spotlight as they were the main event match of RAW twice!
Paige vs. Sasha Banks and Nikki Bella vs. Sasha Banks were the two bouts that went on last for each RAW respectively. Not only did these women main event RAW, they have had two and sometimes three different matches on the same show; which is completely unheard of in the past 20 years.
Three teams began to come together as first Alicia Fox showed her loyalty to The Bella Twins while Sasha Banks debuted alongside the established team of Tamina Snuka and Naomi. Then, Paige had to blow them all away by debuting her two friends in Charlotte (Ric Flair’s daughter) and Becky Lynch. Far and away, Team PCB (Paige, Charlotte, and Becky) were the most popular and likely to win at SummerSlam.
However, both Team B.A.D. (Beautiful and Dangerous) and Team Bella had their moments as Brie Bella surprisingly racked up several wins in tag team, singles, and 6-lady bouts while Sasha Banks was able to defeat Nikki Bella in the aforementioned main event of RAW in a non-title bout. Not only was she able to defeat Nikki, but she cleanly made her tap out!
The common denominator in both of the RAW main events by the ladies of The Divas Revolution was indeed Sasha Banks. She was the reigning NXT Women’s Champion when she debuted & her only real set-back since debuting on the main roster has been losing her title to Bayley at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn the night before SummerSlam. Leading up to the night, Sasha Banks was on cloud nine as she was the one people were paying most attention to (both backstage and the crowd according to how strongly she was booked).
This all culminated at SummerSlam where the three teams of three ladies faced off in an Elimination Tag Team Match. Personally, I would’ve been more into the match if they had done a true Elimination style match and not just one elimination per team. Team PCB ended up winning, much to the chagrin of the other two teams.
But much to the enjoyment of the capacity crowd at the Barclays Center; where just the night before, The Four Horsewomen revealed themselves as they broke down the fourth wall as Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Sasha Banks all embraced after the 30-minute clinic that Sasha and Bayley had just put on for the NXT Women’s Championship during what should have been the main event of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.
Getting back to SummerSlam, the reason that the match was not treated as a single elimination match became obvious to me: WWE wants to keep a slot for the women in a Traditional Survivor Series match at Survivor Series in November! The Four Horsewomen revealing themselves shows serious foreshadowing for Survivor Series as they could easily shift teams around and make it so.
Seeds were planted with Paige turning on Becky Lynch and especially Charlotte as she recently became #1 Contender to the WWE Diva’s Title via a lackluster Beat The Clock challenge on RAW (where Paige vs. Sasha Banks was the main event and Paige failed to beat the time set by Charlotte defeating Brie Bella in under two minutes).
Now that the expected turn has happened recently on RAW, many are seeing the writing on wall that teams for the annual November Pay-Per-View will be formed in the coming weeks.
So, looking ahead to Survivor Series…all we fans can do is speculate. I like to speculate & do what I would personally like to see rather than “what should happen” because apparently that is Triple H’s genius mentality on booking NXT. It is ironic he does that because his character on television is always all about what is “best for business.”
I am looking out for any signs of the Four Horsewomen to crop up in the next few weeks. Considering this Divas Revolution started well before SummerSlam, I would expect at least a four week build-up to Survivor Series.
In some way, I hope that Natalya Neidhart is able to get in the mix and become a pillar of the division. She and Tamina can bring some real physical presence to the story and bring back a version of the Divas of Doom (the short-lived team of Beth Phoenix and Natalya from the Summer of 2011.)
If they have Paige and one other crucial addition to their team, they will be one hell of a formidable group to face off against the ever-popular Four Horsewomen (Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch). Just like how Sasha Banks debuted as NXT Women’s Champion, expect Bayley to do the same and debut this way.
Also, don’t be surprised if the woman she is feuding with to be brought up as well; Dana Brooke. Dana is a body-building, semi-famous newcomer to NXT and she could easily be fast-tracked to the main event as she has the physical prowess, the showmanship, and the ability to make others dislike her with a simple look. She would fit in just perfectly with potential team of Paige, Natalya, and Tamina. While that is unlikely, Naomi also fits the role perfectly and the potential team could be: Paige, Naomi, Tamina, and Natalya.
Either way you slice it, Survivor Series should be interesting and hopefully will culminate to something even bigger and better than SummerSlam was. I, for one, am for this Divas Revolution to continue for years to come.
My only gripe is that they eventually change the, “Divas Division” and revert back to the more respectful, “Women’s Division”, thus making for a change from the Diva’s Title back to the much more attractive and historically significant Women’s Title.
I believe that if one of the ladies brings back the Women’s title arbitrarily (most likely as a way to generate heat for a heel) and building to some kind of Unification Match whether it be a Ladder Match, On a Pole, or some other kind of gimmick match…that would be best for the division in the long-run.
There are at least six women on the main roster that have superb in-ring talent compared to the likes of Eve Torres, Aksana, and Maryse (although she was far and way the most gorgeous woman on the roster for several years in my opinion!)
In addition to those six women, they have several solid, yet a bit more seasoned wrestlers to help them evolve and only get better in Natalya, Tamina, Alicia Fox, and The Bella Twins.
Hopefully, all of this attention for women in wrestling can get certain talent from yesteryear interested in possibly getting back into ring-shape like AJ Lee, Beth Phoenix, Awesome Kong (if Kharma wants to make a return!), Michelle McCool, and especially Lita. Lita would be the most beneficial addition to the women’s division…almost like bringing back The Dudley Boyz to the Tag Team Division. Too bad we know Trish Stratus is happily enjoying motherhood and Mickie James is most likely going to fade into the background and do the same…otherwise, I would have readily mentioned their possible comeback.
This could also get enough traction to get WWE to finally trust the women and possibly get their own weekly television show based on wrestling rather than the current Kardashian-like show on the E! Network, “Total Divas.”
This way, women like Ivelisse from Lucha Underground or Cheerleader Melissa and Madison Eagles from Shimmer might be more willing to become a part of the division rather than be pushed aside for “the hotter chick.”
Here’s to Survivor Series being the beginning of an extremely long run for the women of wrestling. And here’s to “Rowdy” Rhonda Rousey for getting this women’s revolution in sports started in the first place!
Until next time, this is @FordTheFish signing out from the Ocean Floor.
