As the segment ended with Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks sparkling like diamonds – God, those submission holds were applied for a long time; shouldn’t a bone have broken? – I wanted very badly to believe a new era had arrived for women’s wrestling in WWE, and I know many of you did, too.
Here’s hoping. I’m rooting.
But I don’t believe it. Not for one second.
The segment was designed primarily to get Stephanie McMahon over as a great crusader for #GiveDivasAChance, exploiting a chance to ride the current wave of cool in women’s sports thanks to UFC’s Ronda Rousey and the World Cup-winning U.S. women’s national soccer team. (How long before they’re on Raw?)
Steph cut everyone’s promo. She did Ric Flair’s strut on behalf of Charlotte. Her footprint could have crushed the life out of the angle.
It didn’t, and that’s a tribute to the charisma of the debuting trio and the crowd’s eagerness for something different, particularly in the stale world of the Divas. Once the parts started moving, everything went very well.
Raw’s live audience consists largely of internet smart marks. That serves Banks, Charlotte and Lynch well. They got great reaction last night and, given their quality, that shouldn’t stop anytime soon. But, as always, ratings will dictate.
If the ratings dictate positively, it’s Steph’s doing. If the ratings dictate negatively, it’s the girls’ fault. That’s the blueprint, tried and true.
Now it either works, or it doesn’t.
