Will it get the chance? Well, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports Raw ratings have declined 8.4 percent since last year. So anything with the potential to provide a different kind of appeal should get the chance.
Doesn’t mean it will.
So, where’s this go from here?
Charlotte and Sasha Banks were the big feud in NXT. Break up the factions, and get that going. Becky Lynch figures in. She’s had a rough start in the bigs, but Lynch is a talent. Natalya can help build. She made Naomi look better than usual Monday. Minimize the Bellas. They were good performers by the prior standard. But WWE is trying to change the standard.
Bayley offers possibilities that are scary. Who was the last wrestler that appealed to little girls, let alone did so in a fashion that’s 100 percent positive? She’s also a nailed-on Ricky Morton-style babyface, and that can still work with the women.
Vince McMahon disagrees with the new direction of the women’s division. He shouldn’t. He should give that direction lots of promotion, and lots of time.
It might not work. But it might. As opposed to most of the recycled crap that just won’t stick to the wall anymore. You got your lead babyface getting jeered out of the building almost every night. That defines “not working.” The ratings confirm. Beyond Brock Lesnar looms ruin, rubble and devastation.
Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkMaddenX
