PWP’s Women’s Wrestling expert, Matthew Hollie, brings you the lowdown on the current run of Santana Garrett on the independent wrestling scene and why it is so important.
While all eyes are on The Divas Revolution in WWE, the independent scene is getting in on the action considering the young talent is evolving and the veterans continue to prove they still belong. The talent all across the board is absolutely phenomenal. One of them is former TNA Knockout and current SHINE and National Wrestling Alliance World Women’s Champion Santana Garrett.
Ever since her second TNA departure (Yes folks, she had an earlier run in TNA prior to her second run as Brittany), Santana has set her focus on becoming the best. And she did just that when she became the NWA World Women’s Champion by beating Barbi Hayden this past February.
She has tried to make that title relevant as The Fabulous Moolah and Debbie Combs did in their respective runs, and so far she’s succeeded.
And in April, she beat Mia Yim for the coveted SHINE Championship, making her the fourth woman to win that belt. There may be gripe from some people about that, but in my mind it’s a big deal.
But along the way, there have been some quality opponents as Ivelisse, La Rosa Negra, Allysin Kay and others have faced her for either the SHINE Championship or the NWA World Women’s Championship.
And there are some opponents that can’t hold their own against the champ.
Her ability to mix it up against who she has faced in recent months is completely astounding, but the NWA’s inability to provide quality opponents for Santana is just plain wrong. If you want to keep the belt relevant like the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, then you have to get opponents that are high quality and much respected.
But I’m not knocking Santana down for getting high quality opponents for SHINE, however. Her matches with Ivelisse, Allysin Kay, Mia Yim and others proved she is on top, no matter the circumstances. With her next title defense against the “Queen Of Kicks” Evie coming up on October 2nd, it should be interesting to see who comes out victorious. If it’s Evie, it’s a big upset coming our way. If Santana pulls off the win, no telling what will happen.
Her popularity is off the charts right now, and if this keeps up, expect great things from this talented lady. There’s no reason why everybody should hate her because she is out to make women’s wrestling a happening, and so far she’s doing it.
If a young talent comes along and goes off saying that this individual is the best, that might come of as a bit cocky. Santana Garrett is never that cocky but is lucky to have plenty of people in her corner. A student of WWE Hall of Famers Scott Hall and Larry Zbyszko, Santana has the ability to be the best there is today, championships or not.
With seven belts to her name right now, she is dominating the independent scene with charm and ability, and that’s saying a lot. But without high quality opponents, this is completely futile. While it’s obvious to see her get the top spot in this year’s Pro Wrestling Illustrated Female 50, that might change with Nikki Bella breaking AJ Lee‘s record for holding the WWE Divas Championship the longest. Nobody has worked harder than Santana this year.
But the one question on everyone’s mind is: Is Santana Garrett the new face of women’s wrestling? To me, she is, but to others it’s highly debatable.
It’s all about dominance, and Santana Garrett proves she can be dominant, even if she isn’t in the big two right now.
