Looking at things from an era perspective, nobody can argue that the Attitude Era shined with respect to the women. Trish Stratus and Mickie James basically headlined WrestleMania. Their storyline was so much in focus that, with the exception of upper tier players like HHH, the event was largely forgettable. That's how you build a feud. We've never seen anything like it since Trish/Lita. You even had the women winning men's titles (Chyna won the IC title, Marlena/Terri Runnels won the Hardcore Title). It gave them exposure they lacked otherwise.
Fast forward to now. Triggered largely by short, laughable women's matches and terrible booking, this idea of a "Divas Revolution" hit the forefront. Everyone's got an opinion on who kicked it off: AJ Lee, Paige, Natalya, Beth Phoenix (?), etc. I would argue that, if you look far enough back, the resurrection of women's wrestling really started with Maryse. Yes, Miz's wife, Maryse Ouellet. Stay with me here.
Once the longest reigning Divas Champion, Maryse was not a super talent in the ring. She botched moves, she didn't have a strong moveset. But what she did have are traits that 99% of current WWE stars lack, and it is these that made her a strong character.
Absolutely Gorgeous
The woman oozes sexuality. She always did. Her French accent just helped the matters. You couldn't help but look at her, she was so gorgeous and still is. Very strong crossover appeal (but she didn't stay around long enough to capitalize on it with WWE).
Where this came in even better was her feud with Kelly Kelly, another visually appealing yet technically lacking Diva. I argue that the two of them had in-ring chemistry that they lacked against everyone else, with the possible exception of Beth Phoenix (who lacked charisma). It's like in school, where you've got the girl who all the jocks want but can't have (Maryse), then you've got the girl all the jocks joke about already sleeping with, true or not (Kelly).
A Nearly Flawless Heel
Maryse was a face for a hot minute. Most people didn't know that. She even had face theme music that would remind people of the sort of bubble gum feeling that Brie Mode gives you. But it was her heel run that she shined in.
- She had a finisher that people didn't kick out of (DDT). This is key. Stone Cold also called this out as a problem in current WWE.
- She had a unique pin that you can't forget (you know how your girl will lay on you? Yeah, that), complete with a pieface afterwards (ultimate heel move).
- She had a unique ring entrance (hair flip, wink and flirt), like HHH has his water spit. It's something you remember about her.
- She would laugh evilly at her opponent, at the crowd, at herself, etc. after landing a strong move. Again, ultimate heel behavior.
- She put a twist on her Camel Clutch by widening her legs (adding leverage), swaying and laughing with the occasional tug.
It wasn't until WWE started putting her into "take your boyfriend" storylines that her red hot momentum cooled (Ted DiBiase, Deuce & Domino).
The Deuce & Domino story was a problem only because Cherry Pie (Kara Drew) was so perfect a fit for an OVW-established tag team/manager combination that splitting them up just didn't make sense. We see that now with Lana & Rusev.
The Ted DiBiase storyline was a problem because DiBiase Jr. has zero charisma, and couldn't connect with Maryse except to use her as a figurehead on his arm, which destroyed her credibility. We see that now with Summer Rae and whatever other male they pair her with.
The reason I picked Maryse as the real kickstarter for the revolution, if there is one, is that she was the first one in a long time that WWE has booked strong despite having literally no experience as a wrestler.
WWE wants crossover appeal. They want women that can be more than just WWE talents. They want ones that are going to show on national television, to a wider audience, in the hopes that it will bring in more viewers. I'm not going to waste your time ranting about why this is a faulty strategy, I'm just calling it like I see it.
Here's the thing: the women they're bringing up from NXT are helping this process, but not in the way people think. Everyone has this faulty impression that WWE is going to wash out Divas like Alicia, the Bellas, etc. in favor of women wrestlers like Sasha and Becky. That's not what they're doing, nor should it be.
A strong roster has a blend of different types and characters, with the occasional perfect pairing, and perfect opposition. I would say that AJ Lee and Paige made a perfect pair in terms of tag teams, but horrible opponents in the ring. That's more about AJ than Paige though: AJ's style in the ring seemed to only really shine against lesser opponents like Rosa, Eva, and Alicia. Paige seemed to only shine against mat wrestlers like Natalya. Every other Diva is in a state of flux with their styles. WWE is adding different talent and skills to that pool to try and create interest in the division.
Enter this woman: Eva Marie.
Eva Marie came to WWE at the same time Total Divas was launched. She is the poster child for crossover, except for one key thing: She couldn't wrestle worth a damn when she came in. WWE has been pushing to get her up to speed, but she originally took a passive interest and only really focused on the modeling. At some point she decided she would go for it, training with Brian Kendrick, and she has been showing improvement in every match she's in.
At the moment, she has one of the two key traits I called it in Maryse: beauty. She has not been developed as an effective heel yet, despite her very heat already contributing to it. Just kind of "there" as someone who's trying hard and ignoring the fans. That might work long term, we'll have to wait and see.
I pride myself on being at the forefront of the #GiveEvaAChance movement, because I clearly recall how bad Trish Stratus was when she first started. I think it's unfair to beat Eva up for botching when everyone does it. Samoa Joe, a veteran, nearly killed Tyson Kidd with his finisher. It happens. You accept the risks when you sign on.
The only real thing holding her back is her age; being in her 30's and trying to thrive in WWE's "young talent" climate will be a challenge. I applaud her for trying to overcome that.
But she's also highlighted a key gap in WWE: thus far, the only person she's had a good match with is Bayley.
I'm not dissing Bayley; if anything it's a testament to her skill to carry a wrestler with lesser talent, but it also shows that styles make matches. Bayley's character does not have strong crossover appeal, but her in-ring skill allows her to develop matches with others that do, while at the same time drawing talent to the brand that want to headline matches with her and, as a result, draw fans that want to see "dream matches". WWE is pushing Bayley strong: at some point she will be the face of NXT, easily. Not Tyler Breeze, not Apollo Crews. Bayley. That's huge, and many fans don't see it. It allows so many doors for women that were closed shut before, and she will get an opportunity to hit an amazing status if she keeps up with the pace (and the writers don't screw it up). But she didn't get here alone.
When Snoop Dogg's cousin came to NXT, I wrote her off. Not because I didn't believe in her skill, but because she's black and, with slight exceptions (Jazz, Jacqueline), WWE doesn't believe in pushing black wrestlers. But Sasha Banks has truly owned the BOSS gimmick end to end. She's gone from face to heel, and it is her heel side that has shined (as with Maryse). She plays to the crowd, she generates heat when the crowd is cheering for her as a heel. She is singularly responsible for Bayley's momentum, because she was the perfect heel against the perfect underdog face (shades of Flair/Steamboat, and Dusty knew it). Fantastic charisma and in-ring talent the likes of which we haven't seen since Michelle McCool. Her character has almost zero crossover appeal, but doesn't need it, because she's often paired with those that have it.
My only complaint now with Sasha: they shouldn't do the segments with the New Day. It "exposes too much of the business". If you're going to push her as a dominant boss heel, she shouldn't be twerking and doing cart races with New Day. They should be conspiring with each other to dominate their divisions, with the occasional insults.
Once Sasha got over strong, and WWE felt they could trust her to develop stars in the ring, she needed an equal (this is where we see Benoit/Angle).
Daughter of the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair comes around, and it's only natural she be paired with Sasha Banks. The two of them would have great matches, but I would argue that their chemistry felt off for some reason, mostly because of Charlotte. Great wrestler, tremendous talent, but simply no charisma whatsoever. It's Beth Phoenix all over again. But what Charlotte brought to the table was the perfect challenge for arguably the most talented women's wrestler in all of WWE.
But these women are not here to replace the Divas. They're here to elevate and support them as they (hopefully) get better. Now that they're established, each has a critical role to play in the future of the women's division. Bayley will have NXT on her shoulders for the time being, with (probably) occasional guest appearances from the others. But Bayley is at the forefront and must showcase why she belongs there until she builds the "next her", at which point she will likely transition to the main roster. Sasha and Charlotte are there to add credibility to the main roster and help the women put on quality matches, rather than filler. At some point Eva Marie will either wash out or become a strong contender. It's too early to call it, but my guess is that Eva will be added to the main roster and bypass the feud with Bayley. Summer Rae and Lana are still around and winding up their love angle (hopefully) to where they will get in the mix, and they will need strong opponents that can carry them to quality matches (especially Lana).
The ideal outcome of the Divas Revolution? We identify real quality feuds and chemistry that lend themselves to "the next Trish", or "the next Lita" or "the next Mae", or dare I say, "the next Rock/Austin". But the vision is not to wash out who's there, the vision is to support and build the roster with strong talent against not-so-strong talent, in a cycle.
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