WWE Womens Wrestling Discussion

[BuffyRocks]

Oh my. I know Emma vs Asuka will probably be the best technical women's match of the night, and I am really hoping against hope that Mickie pulls off an upset and we can finally get a different champion... but I am thinking the potential for the most intense of the women's matches will be Fox vs Sasha. I think Alicia Fox is comic relief/crazy done 115% right. She's always been solid in the ring, and with someone like Sasha who will make all of Fox's offense look like she is murdering her, this really could be an incredible match. Hoping for an upset with a Fox win, too!

Also, three women's matches at a single brand PPV. That is pretty cool!

[Romford Pele]

Fox is sloppy as fuck in the ring. Feels like Banks has been treading water this year in prep for her heel turn and inevitable feud with Bayley.

[Nash Diesel]

Sasha Banks is going to be the new Cena/Roman with the "When are they going to turn heel?" stuff. I know she was already a heel in NXT and Team B.A.D. but I do think she's a much better heel.

[Sasori]

Oh my. I know Emma vs Asuka will probably be the best technical women's match of the night, and I am really hoping against hope that Mickie pulls off an upset and we can finally get a different champion... but I am thinking the potential for the most intense of the women's matches will be Fox vs Sasha. I think Alicia Fox is comic relief/crazy done 115% right. She's always been solid in the ring, and with someone like Sasha who will make all of Fox's offense look like she is murdering her, this really could be an incredible match. Hoping for an upset with a Fox win, too!

Also, three women's matches at a single brand PPV. That is pretty cool!

I doubt Asuaka vs Emma will be competitive. Asuka will destroy Emma in a quick 5 min. match.

[BGMaverick]

I doubt Asuaka vs Emma will be competitive. Asuka will destroy Emma in a quick 5 min. match.

To me, it feels like it really won't matter how the match is executed in terms of competitiveness. What will really matter is how they present her when she's not in the ring. Nakamura has been mangled a bit with his presentation outside of the ropes, so it'll be imperative that her charisma comes across correctly. The wins will (they better) stack up and that will add to the mystique.

[BuffyRocks]

I doubt Asuaka vs Emma will be competitive. Asuka will destroy Emma in a quick 5 min. match.

Really? They had a good Takeover match back in 2015 that was around 11-12 minutes, so I am hoping for a nice follow up to that.

And I kind of disagree, Romford. Fox certainly has been guilty of being sloppy, but I would hardly call her globally sloppy. She tends to bump her ass off for her opponents (to the point that it may actually be overkill), and is a decent worker. Of course, like I've said in comparison to Bliss, with the amount of women they have that are incredible in ring workers, women like Fox (who again, I think is solid, but not overly impressive) do come off as unimpressive.

And the girl is just hilarious to listen to. Maybe that's why I actually like her. She cracks me up.

[mth]

Recently read that Nia Jax is scheduled to be back for the November European tour and latest word is that it wasn't her walking out in a fuss, she never showed up, and it wasn't exactly a personal leave, either, just time off to rest as she didn't have anything on the table at the moment.

[Nash Diesel]

Random thought...

AJ Lee is at the top of my list of women who could return to a Road Warrior/Stone Cold pop. Is she came back, how beneficial would she be to the company? I always thought she got a raw deal in terms of showcasing her ability to the fullest. She was great, but she never really got to have a lot of great matches, they were few and far between due to the talent she was paired with. She was either not there or too low on the card to really do anything with the likes of Lita, Trish, Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool and then she left before any of the really solid workers got called up. Her matches with Paige were ok, but not the dream match quality I had hoped for.

Her returning to the WWE would just be amazing. I think the matches, the angles, there's literally a stockpile of women that she could tear it up with.

[Sasori]

I think if AJ came back, she would be wasted like the rest of the women on the main roster. There's very little excitement or intrigue in the women's division right now. I don't think it matters who they bring back unless they put more effort into better story lines and booking.

The Mickie/Bliss story line is the first one in a while that's been remotely interesting, mainly due to the mic work of James. If it leads to a payoff with Mickie winning the belt, then that would be exciting, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

[Nash Diesel]

I think if AJ came back, she would be wasted like the rest of the women on the main roster. There's very little excitement or intrigue in the women's division right now. I don't think it matters who they bring back unless they put more effort into better story lines and booking.

The Mickie/Bliss story line is the first one in a while that's been remotely interesting, mainly due to the mic work of James. If it leads to a payoff with Mickie winning the belt, then that would be exciting, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

I heard Meltzer say that exact same thing about Mickie James and I just don't feel it at all.

I would be curious what they would do with AJ if she did come back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcVa...st=WL&index=11

This is great.

[Mazer]

The Mick/Bliss storyline, which I was fairly negative on to start, has piqued my interest some.

Alexa has been consistent with her deliveries, and Mickie has brought enough personal emotion and fun into her mic work, where I feel some investment in seeing her get retribution.

[Sasori]

And like people have pointed out, that emotional investment should logically lead to a babyface title win, but then they lose. Mickie winning the title would be a nice feel good moment. Just give her a short 2 month reign while continuing to establish Asuka on RAW. Then Bliss gets the belt back from Mickie and drops it to the Empress.

[Nash Diesel]

The problem is that the Raw championship just keeps getting passed around way too much. Sasha Banks has 4 reigns, they don't even total up to two months. Bliss is a multi time SD/Raw champion. She's been on Raw 5 months and she's already what, 3 time champion? Had they just gave Bliss a long run post-Bayley they probably would have had Mickie win at TLC.

[Mazer]

Overall, I agree with you ND.

I could see having Mickie go over in December (this gives a little more time/normalcy to Bliss's reign). Have Alex win back at the rumble in a rubber match.

Enter the already built-up Empress of Tomorrow on the previous Raw.


If you simultaneously were correctly building Bailey/Sasha and tying some actual storyline into that, you could have whoever comes out on top of that one (probably Heel Boss) set up as a decent Mania opponent for Asuka.

[Nash Diesel]

Maybe the WWE had their fill of long reigns with this belt. You had AJ Lee with a long reign, then it was passed back and forth between her and Paige. Then Nikki Bella gets a stupid long reign followed by a quality reign by Charlotte. But then it passed between her and Sasha 40 times, then Bayley got it, then she lost it, the rest is history. Or maybe we'll see, for once, someone get a strong push like they were getting in NXT and we see that with Asuka.

[BGMaverick]

I really don't have a problem with Sasha and Charlotte trading the belt...just like I don't with The Usos and New Day. The commonality between the two situations is that both (at the time) were clearly established as the two best within their division. On top of that, they were evenly matched and not much was differentiating them in terms of who was actually better in the ring.

If that's the case, on any given night, one could beat the other. With that, I don't have a problem with them trading it back and forth. Just speaks to how closely linked they are to each other and that they're the best of the best. That probably also helps with investment from the fans in some ways.

[Nash Diesel]

I really don't have a problem with Sasha and Charlotte trading the belt...just like I don't with The Usos and New Day. The commonality between the two situations is that both (at the time) were clearly established as the two best within their division. On top of that, they were evenly matched and not much was differentiating them in terms of who was actually better in the ring.

If that's the case, on any given night, one could beat the other. With that, I don't have a problem with them trading it back and forth. Just speaks to how closely linked they are to each other and that they're the best of the best. That probably also helps with investment from the fans in some ways.

I had a problem with the formula. Charlotte wins the ppv, Sasha wins the Raw, back and forth. I personally wasn't a fan and to be honest, I think it was the start of fans starting to get sour again about the WWE's intent with the women. We've really heard nothing but "ughhhhh" since Bayley won the belt from Charlotte at the Raw Feb ppv. But even before that, you had a good chunk of the fanbase negative toward what they were doing after the 3rd title change in a month between Charlotte and Sasha.

Had a Rock-Mankind feel at first but then it just soured for me. But I'd rather see that match quality and passion on the mic than really anything we've seen since Mania from either brand. Alexa Bliss, cute girl, shitty wrestler, meh on the mic, has really had a shitty time on Raw in terms of quality angles.

[BGMaverick]

I had a problem with the formula. Charlotte wins the ppv, Sasha wins the Raw, back and forth. I personally wasn't a fan and to be honest, I think it was the start of fans starting to get sour again about the WWE's intent with the women. We've really heard nothing but "ughhhhh" since Bayley won the belt from Charlotte at the Raw Feb ppv. But even before that, you had a good chunk of the fanbase negative toward what they were doing after the 3rd title change in a month between Charlotte and Sasha.

Had a Rock-Mankind feel at first but then it just soured for me. But I'd rather see that match quality and passion on the mic than really anything we've seen since Mania from either brand. Alexa Bliss, cute girl, shitty wrestler, meh on the mic, has really had a shitty time on Raw in terms of quality angles.

Execution location was the problem, yes. That made it too obvious for the outcomes. The fact the outcomes were so back and forth wasn't a problem for me at all.

[Nash Diesel]

Execution location was the problem, yes. That made it too obvious for the outcomes. The fact the outcomes were so back and forth wasn't a problem for me at all.

I agree, until as I said it became overdone and predictable.

[BGMaverick]

I agree, until as I said it became overdone and predictable.

The other example I referenced with The Usos and New Day is really how it should have played out with Sasha and Charlotte. You could say they were beyond their expiration date. I wouldn't, but I could see the argument. Feels like the wins went opposite of what you would have expected. Usos picked their stipulation for the tag match and lost the titles. Then HIAC was seen as the blow off to the feud...and The Usos won it.

[BuffyRocks]

I agree and think Mickie winning the title from Bliss soon is much deserved, but in no way do I think Bliss needs to win it back (making her a 5 time champion in just over a year) just to have her lose it to Asuka. Asuka and Mickie had a brilliant match in NXT last year, let them repeat that and give us a great match.

[mth]

Latest "news" I've read is that none of that stuff about Nia Jax walking out over pay or creative is true and that she was just granted some time off because they didn't have anything currently going on for her, so she'll be back when it's time.

[PT*Paratroopa]

I too would rather see Mickie beat Alexa and then be the one who loses to Asuka instead of Alexa -> Mickie -> Alexa -> Asuka or Mickie just being pushed aside because she got a month push and time to move on.

[Peter Griffin]

Latest "news" I've read is that none of that stuff about Nia Jax walking out over pay or creative is true and that she was just granted some time off because they didn't have anything currently going on for her, so she'll be back when it's time.

Tenuous link, But I like how the main page corrected the report on Austin Aries being at TLC by saying how *source reported* earlier (The pic he posted was from a tour when he was there and it was very obvious it was a tourist attraction and not a sports arena, Plus in the pic he had hair, Now not so much), If the news had been correct and confirmed it would have been 'as we reported earlier'

[BuffyRocks]

Oh my goodness, look. ANOTHER CLEAN WIN for Alexa, but this time it was with a forearm instead of her create-a-wrestler DDT.

Great job, RAW. Bury the entire women's division under Bliss. Alexa's facial expression after she won was like, "Ugh, oh man, even I don't agree with this..."

Seriously, no disrespect to Bliss as she is literally just doing what she is told to do, but she again won cleanly against a face, absolutely burying Mickie in the process.

They really are trying to make her seem like a credible opponent for Asuka. Asuka vs Bliss will definitely be weird. They will have to rely on lots of Alexa's running away tactics, because unfortunately she is not good enough to put on a believable wrestling match with Asuka.

Seriously too bad for this outcome.

[Rancid_Planet]

Latest "news" I've read is that none of that stuff about Nia Jax walking out over pay or creative is true and that she was just granted some time off because they didn't have anything currently going on for her, so she'll be back when it's time.

That in itself though is odd. Who gets to go home just because they aren't currently being used?

[Peter Griffin]

Maybe people who need to rest up, I mean the 'news' sites were obviously chatting bollocks as evidenced last night.

[mth]

That in itself though is odd. Who gets to go home just because they aren't currently being used?

I feel like I've heard interviews with some low end guys talking about how they just sit at home waiting for a call that they'll be needed on TV.

[Mazer]

Oh my goodness, look. ANOTHER CLEAN WIN for Alexa, but this time it was with a forearm instead of her create-a-wrestler DDT.

Great job, RAW. Bury the entire women's division under Bliss. Alexa's facial expression after she won was like, "Ugh, oh man, even I don't agree with this..."

Seriously, no disrespect to Bliss as she is literally just doing what she is told to do, but she again won cleanly against a face, absolutely burying Mickie in the process.

They really are trying to make her seem like a credible opponent for Asuka. Asuka vs Bliss will definitely be weird. They will have to rely on lots of Alexa's running away tactics, because unfortunately she is not good enough to put on a believable wrestling match with Asuka.

Seriously too bad for this outcome.

Agreed. They've messed up angles and talent that should have been relatively simple to get over. Alexa's cleaned out the division, but doesn't actually come across as dominant. Everyone else just comes across as weaker.



There shouldn't be much way to mess up Asuka. Yet, you're forced to concede that they may find a way.

[mth]

I think I know where Nia Jax was during her "walk out"...

[Mazer]

It's a walk-off. Old school rules.

[Rancid_Planet]

I feel like I've heard interviews with some low end guys talking about how they just sit at home waiting for a call that they'll be needed on TV.

It still seems odd but regardless I'm totally behind this becoming a thing.

Time off will result in less banged up wrestlers and also lead to more storyline "surprise return" angles.

[VHS]

It still seems odd but regardless I'm totally behind this becoming a thing.

Time off will result in less banged up wrestlers and also lead to more storyline "surprise return" angles.

Bingo. I wish WWE would have an off season or something so it (a) gives the roster time to train, rest up, recuperate, relight the fires (b) increases anticipation so fans are frothing at the mouth for it to come back, and (c) gives the writers enough time to come up w/ compelling television rather than on the spot booking ever week. Things look thoughtless and cheap these days. Giving everybody a couple months off would be a lot of help, and it's not like they wouldn't be able to do press gigs and advertising inbetween seasons anyhow.

I'd be all for it.

[Nash Diesel]

Thoughts on the rumor Emma was released due to tweets?

[Sasori]

What tweets would these be? Were they deleted?

[Kdestiny]

I think he is referring to the fact that she had been a bit critical of her creative direction on Twitter.

While that could be, Nia Jax has done the same. She’s still there.

[Mazer]

Would be surprised if that was a main reason. Possibly didn't help.

[Rancid_Planet]

I think he is referring to the fact that she had been a bit critical of her creative direction on Twitter.

While that could be, Nia Jax has done the same. She’s still there.

As long as Vince wants The Rock on his good side...

I'd hate to think that Nia is abusing that family tie though.

[the_man_diva]

I hope the first real Inter-Gender Match we've had in YEARS tonight on SDL is a legitimate match and not just Becky and Ellsworth in the ring, with Carmella interfering or some shit.

[Nash Diesel]

As long as Vince wants The Rock on his good side...

I'd hate to think that Nia is abusing that family tie though.

She's actually very very close to The Rock and that side of the family. She was in the car wreck with his mom a few years back if anyone remembers that. He also bought her like a $50,000 car for her birthday last year or the year before.

Is she abusing the family tie? Probably. But you never know with twitter. I hate when talent like Nia Jaxx who haven't been in wrestling period for more than a cup of tea and they give off that vibe where they can use social media as a platform to make the company do something they don't want to do. She's not over, she's barely capable in the ring, looks like shit unless she's poppin that ass with Lana.

But I mean...look @ Tamina. Why the fuck is she even there? Fuck Jimmy Snukafly. She's the Manu of the women. With her Picasso face.

I hope the first real Inter-Gender Match we've had in YEARS tonight on SDL is a legitimate match and not just Becky and Ellsworth in the ring, with Carmella interfering or some shit.

Legit + James Ellsworth? Good luck. I LOVE Ellsworth but he sucks in the ring, just terrible for a guy who's a 13 year pro but when you're trained by Axl Rotten the base of his ability is already fucked.

[virms]

So angry

[Nash Diesel]

So angry

Naw, just hungry. Dorito Pie is on the horizon my dude.

[Sasori]

I hope the first real Inter-Gender Match we've had in YEARS tonight on SDL is a legitimate match and not just Becky and Ellsworth in the ring, with Carmella interfering or some shit.

I haven't read the spoilers, but I'm guessing this is exactly what happened. Expecting Becky to beat James' ass for 5 min. before Carmella interferes.

Naw, just hungry. Dorito Pie is on the horizon my dude.

There's a cure for this:

[Nash Diesel]

I haven't read the spoilers, but I'm guessing this is exactly what happened. Expecting Becky to beat James' ass for 5 min. before Carmella interferes.



There's a cure for this:

[Sasori]

Main page is reporting (courtesy of the Observer) that Emma tried to get a deal with Stardom, but it fell through. Apparently, her asking price was $2,000 per match. She also wanted 1st class plane tickets and full creative control of her character. Stardom wasn't interested.

[Badger]

As much as I feel bad for Emma about how WWE treated her, that's pretty silly if true.

[VHS]

Hmm... yeah, something to take note of. First class plus $2k? Like goddamn.

[Rancid_Planet]

Well, aim high I suppose.

[BuffyRocks]

Return of Paige, plus the MR debut of Mandy, Sonya, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riot, and Sarah Logan. As long as their is some explanation for their attacks, I think we could be in store for some good storytelling. Hopefully.

[virms]

Anyone think there is a connection between the two groups? They both have the same look and dynamics. I don't think we've ever seen such a mirror image of two groups at the same time.

[Donald]

They all have vaginas.

[PurePlayer]

There better be an explanation to it or else it's so cheesy to have two groups that are so similar debut.

[Mr McGregor]

Their gimmicks are all pretty different, assuming they'll retain these. Obviously there must be an overall connection for all arriving and indiscriminately attacking at once, but I reckon it goes beyond mirroring hair colours. Or maybe not - they're on WWE now.

I've read suggestions it's setting up a Women's Rumble, or a tag division, or possibly even both in the long run. It's curious.

[PurePlayer]

i still don't think they have enough to run a tag division for each roster. Smackdown has 9 women right now so they would need a third of them to hold a title? That would be a little weird.

You are giving them way too much credit by the way.

[Mr McGregor]

It's speculative. Like I said, they're just suggested reasons from various places, and not from anyone involved. They have enough women in the system, and there could be even more to show-up. I'd agree a tag division for each brand might seem excessive though.

I do like the spontaneity of them not following the whole NXT 'graduation' process. Keeps things exciting.

[BuffyRocks]

It's speculative. Like I said, they're just suggested reasons from various places, and not from anyone involved. They have enough women in the system, and there could be even more to show-up. I'd agree a tag division for each brand might seem excessive though.

I do like the spontaneity of them not following the whole NXT 'graduation' process. Keeps things exciting.

Agreed. It was cool to see women like Bayley, Sasha, and Asuka "graduate" from NXT to the MR, but sometimes it is nice to watch the women grow into great characters on the MR, too.

And I am thinking that the call ups and the similarities of the attacks are just too much for it NOT be connected. As someone said elsewhere, they are different brands, but they still very much exist in the same "universe" so it is not hard to believe that say someone like Paige is orchestrating a mini NXT invasion on the entire MR of women. And I think this is likely setting up for a Royal Rumble type.

[BGMaverick]

Agreed. It was cool to see women like Bayley, Sasha, and Asuka "graduate" from NXT to the MR, but sometimes it is nice to watch the women grow into great characters on the MR, too.

And I am thinking that the call ups and the similarities of the attacks are just too much for it NOT be connected. As someone said elsewhere, they are different brands, but they still very much exist in the same "universe" so it is not hard to believe that say someone like Paige is orchestrating a mini NXT invasion on the entire MR of women. And I think this is likely setting up for a Royal Rumble type.

The thing about that is that it has a loose end now. Ever since she started mentioning her role in the evolution, it made all the sense in the world for Emma to get her comeuppance from Paige. Now that Emma is gone, it kind of feels like it's missing the connective tissue.

[Mazer]

With both happening the same week, it did strike me as "part of an overall storyline". If they want to do a Women's rumble (and the last year+ they have more often mirrored the main men's gimmick matches at that type of event), they'd ahve enough now, with a few surprise celebrities/alumni to do a 20 woman rumble.

Paige running both groups would be a fun storyline......


Until we find that Alberto was behind the Smackdown NXT clique THE WHOLE TIME

[Fanny Batter]

Yeah, the women's Rumble is surely on the cards. There's surely 20 women on the main roster now - take 4 out for title matches (lets say Carmella defending against Charlotte and Bliss vs. Paige), throw in Bayzler to get the Horsewomen thing going, Gail Kim, Victoria, the Iconic Duo and maybe another one off like Kaitlyn and it's doable. Plus if it's built well then you can even have "pioneers" like Trish, Lita, Beth, Eve, Kelly etc. declare entry beforehand to give it propee hype. One minute entries and it'd probably get over.

[Sasori]

Return of Paige, plus the MR debut of Mandy, Sonya, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riot, and Sarah Logan. As long as their is some explanation for their attacks, I think we could be in store for some good storytelling. Hopefully.

Unfortunately, I don't know if WWE has put that much thought into these debuts. They just felt like the typical "making a statement" type of beat downs that allot of debuting wrestlers do. It's still RAW vs Smackdown as well. Doesn't make any sense for stables on different shows to be allies. I'm prepared to be proven wrong because, well, the track record of this company...

Anyone think there is a connection between the two groups? They both have the same look and dynamics. I don't think we've ever seen such a mirror image of two groups at the same time.

There better be an explanation to it or else it's so cheesy to have two groups that are so similar debut.

Someone must have watched "the Farnsworth Parabox" and thought it was funny.

i still don't think they have enough to run a tag division for each roster. Smackdown has 9 women right now so they would need a third of them to hold a title? That would be a little weird.

You are giving them way too much credit by the way.

The RAW Tag Division consists of about 4 Teams. I don't see why it would be a problem going this route with the women.

[Nash Diesel]

Unfortunately, I don't know if WWE has put that much thought into these debuts. They just felt like the typical "making a statement" type of beat downs that allot of debuting wrestlers do. It's still RAW vs Smackdown as well. Doesn't make any sense for stables on different shows to be allies. I'm prepared to be proven wrong because, well, the track record of this company...





Someone must have watched "the Farnsworth Parabox" and thought it was funny.





The RAW Tag Division consists of about 4 Teams. I don't see why it would be a problem going this route with the women.

They also have about 15 to 20 singles wrestlers.

[BGMaverick]

And the amount of time committed to women's storylines is fractional compared to the men.

[Badger]

The idea of more call-ups is good, but looking at who has been called up to the main roster, there are better choices that have missed out completely on even an NXT spot (eg Gabert, Blanchard and Niven). Niven in particular is a crime, I think she's a better big woman than Tamina and Nia personally from her MYC work.

Also while Bianca Bel Air is in NXT, I would take her over any of Paige and Ruby's stablemates on the main roster. She has the potential to be an amazing heel. She got far in the MYC, Logan gets knocked out first round yet gets offered a main roster spot before her? Bit odd.

[lotjx]

Nice should be in NXT already.

[BuffyRocks]

The idea of more call-ups is good, but looking at who has been called up to the main roster, there are better choices that have missed out completely on even an NXT spot (eg Gabert, Blanchard and Niven). Niven in particular is a crime, I think she's a better big woman than Tamina and Nia personally from her MYC work.

Also while Bianca Bel Air is in NXT, I would take her over any of Paige and Ruby's stablemates on the main roster. She has the potential to be an amazing heel. She got far in the MYC, Logan gets knocked out first round yet gets offered a main roster spot before her? Bit odd.

I think the thinking here is that Bianca has been training for only a year (and what a great year for her, because that girl is going to be amazing!!). While Sarah has been wrestling since 2011 and I think is an incredibly solid technical wrestler. Bianca will get called up, but for now, she will probably be a major player in NXT.

[Badger]

I think the thinking here is that Bianca has been training for only a year (and what a great year for her, because that girl is going to be amazing!!). While Sarah has been wrestling since 2011 and I think is an incredibly solid technical wrestler. Bianca will get called up, but for now, she will probably be a major player in NXT.

I hope Bianca is a major going to be a major player in NXT. She's not been seen for a while though that might just be the rotation. I haven't seen enough of Sarah to judge her to be fair.

Should've got Piper in though.

[PT*Paratroopa]

Hate that they rushed five new women up overnight. Just reminds me of the clusterfuck that happened when they did the same for the initial roster split and even back when they brought up Becky/Charlotte/Sasha all at once with the Team Bella/PCB/BAD shit too.

[PurePlayer]

The RAW Tag Division consists of about 4 Teams. I don't see why it would be a problem going this route with the women.

Huge difference. You can create tag teams like sheamus and cesaro or the shield etc. If you have 4 tag teams in the women's division that leaves nothing else. In my opinion, you need at least 15 women on the roster to do this.

[BuffyRocks]

From the main page:

With five new NXT women wrestlers moving up to Raw and Smackdown this week, a lot of "marginal talent" on the main roster are nervous about their spots because when talent is added, there is likely subtractions coming as well.

I honestly can't imagine who is really that nervous (if they are, in fact, talking about female talent being nervous). One would think maybe Dana, but Vince is apparently high on her. And Alicia has been with the company since 2006 and is a homegrown girl, so she will likely get a say (a small one albeit) when she goes, not a surprise pink slip. I can't see any of the other women being nervous, as many of them seem to be in safe-ish positions.

[MikeHunt]

From the main page:

With five new NXT women wrestlers moving up to Raw and Smackdown this week, a lot of "marginal talent" on the main roster are nervous about their spots because when talent is added, there is likely subtractions coming as well.

I honestly can't imagine who is really that nervous (if they are, in fact, talking about female talent being nervous). One would think maybe Dana, but Vince is apparently high on her. And Alicia has been with the company since 2006 and is a homegrown girl, so she will likely get a say (a small one albeit) when she goes, not a surprise pink slip. I can't see any of the other women being nervous, as many of them seem to be in safe-ish positions.

I would lay on the side of this being complete nonsense tbh. They need more women on the roster not less particularly if they are going ahead with the female rumble.

[PT*Paratroopa]

I mean, I did think it was weird that they just cut Emma to save money and then brought up five new women only a couple weeks later. Obviously cutting Emma helped make that possible but it feels like they have little or no short-term plan here, just like when they started the women's revolution and segmented the entire division off into teams.

[MikeHunt]

I mean, I did think it was weird that they just cut Emma to save money and then brought up five new women only a couple weeks later. Obviously cutting Emma helped make that possible but it feels like they have little or no short-term plan here, just like when they started the women's revolution and segmented the entire division off into teams.

Everyone of those women were already under contract in nXt. Them getting called up and releasing Emma is still a saving but her staying or going had no impact on why they were called up, especially from a financial pov.

[Sasori]

It would have been interesting if these debuts had been spread out more. Paige's return alone is a big deal. She could've done her own thing for a week or two and teased something else happening. Then Mandy and Sonya could debut together to help Paige beat down the other women. A little while later, you could debut all 3 women on Smackdown for a big shake up.

[Gampo]

with so many women available now on SD, RAW and NXT do you think there is a chance we eventually see Women's tag titles? and if so, I don't think there are enough women on each brand for each to get women's tag belts... so I wonder if they would float the titles between maybe the 2 major brands.. or all 3? and have it so the only time the titles can change hands between brands would be at joint brand PPVs? but they can freely change between teams on the brand that currently "owns" them?

[Mr McGregor]

Perhaps if it was similar to the UK Title, established but no dedicated division, not on TV every week but available to use whenever they need the variety, something for the under-utilised wrestlers to work with instead of continuing working meaningless multi-woman/tag matches, putting focus on developing proper one-on-one feuds for the Women's Titles and breaking the monotony. It won't necessarily be a big deal, but they could, hypothetically, make it work instead of having 8 or 9 of the 11 women on each show being mostly redundant every week. Perhaps.

The only downside I can think of is the Bellas might think that they pioneered it, and Nikki will continue saying the word "empowered" a lot more.

[BuffyRocks]

Perhaps if it was similar to the UK Title, established but no dedicated division, not on TV every week but available to use whenever they need the variety, something for the under-utilised wrestlers to work with instead of continuing working meaningless multi-woman/tag matches, putting focus on developing proper one-on-one feuds for the Women's Titles and breaking the monotony. It won't necessarily be a big deal, but they could, hypothetically, make it work instead of having 8 or 9 of the 11 women on each show being mostly redundant every week. Perhaps.

The only downside I can think of is the Bellas might think that they pioneered it, and Nikki will continue saying the word "empowered" a lot more.

I love this, and you.

[Sasori]

I can't wait until Paige starts submitting women on tables again.

[Nash Diesel]

Perhaps if it was similar to the UK Title, established but no dedicated division, not on TV every week but available to use whenever they need the variety, something for the under-utilised wrestlers to work with instead of continuing working meaningless multi-woman/tag matches, putting focus on developing proper one-on-one feuds for the Women's Titles and breaking the monotony. It won't necessarily be a big deal, but they could, hypothetically, make it work instead of having 8 or 9 of the 11 women on each show being mostly redundant every week. Perhaps.

The only downside I can think of is the Bellas might think that they pioneered it, and Nikki will continue saying the word "empowered" a lot more.

They take credit for the Divas Revolution or whatever the fuck and in a way they're not wrong. Without the likes of the Bellas to revolt against what would the division look like?

[Mazer]

A lot like it does now.


But with less "Total Bellas" previews during commericals.

[Sasori]

So, Becky is referring to herself and Charlotte as "Tea-Generation X"

[Mazer]

She's the best.


If only she had done that before Monday, so that "Absolution' could have added that to their promo.


Before Tea-Generation X...there was Paige.

[Dr_Seldon]

"I've got two words for ya, Sip It!" She's so adorable.

I'd love to get a Tea-Generation X shirt.

[mth]

[Peter Griffin]

Interesting transcript on the main page of Paige on Lillians podcast, I would link but I'm on my phone and it's wank.

[mth]

Was considering posting it myself, so I got it:

WWE Superstar Paige recently appeared as a guest on Lilian Garcia's "Chasing Glory" podcast for an in-depth interview. Featured below, courtesy of Marc Middleton and Reddit user StillScreamin, are some of the notes from the interview.

* Regarding her nude photos and videos being leaked last year, Paige said she didn't even want to go out after the leaks. She talked about going out just last Tuesday to hang out with friends when a man came up to her friend and said, "That's the pornstar and I jacked off to her yesterday."

* Paige then got emotional and said she finds it really hard to feel close to anybody anymore. She said she's not a bad person and she has made a ton of mistakes. She called the photos and videos a stupid mistake and warned girls about the troubles of social media. An emotional Paige talked about how she barricaded herself into her house and even thought about suicide after the leaks. Paige added that she hates how she's going to be known for the leaks now. She hates how she's referred to a "sex tape scandal star" in headlines.

* Paige recalled how she got so skinny and ended up collapsing from exhaustion in England. She was told that it was stressed-induced anorexia. She also said some of her hair fell out due to how sick she was. She blamed the sickness on cyber-bullying and said she realized she could still inspire other people after she saw a little girl who said Paige was still her favorite. She admitted that she regrets the photos and videos immensely, and said she feels horrible for Xavier Woods too as he is her friend. Paige said she felt like she degraded herself as a woman and she's learned to never do something like that again.

* Paige went on and talked about how she was in pain and getting a lot of comments about her being fat. She got wrapped up in drinking and wrapped up in the party lifestyle in 2016 because she felt like she was exploring the childhood that she missed out on. She said her first WWE Wellness Policy suspension was not for drugs but because of missing the time given to take the test. Paige admitted her second WWE suspension was due to drug use. She said she didn't even enjoy doing the drugs and she's not that kind of person but she did choose to do them and it was her fault. She tried to cover up the drug use but she was just embarrassed as she didn't want to look terrible because she'd built herself up as a role model and didn't want to be seen as the girl who does drugs and parties.

* Paige said she was not mad at WWE officials for suspending her. She said the company loves her and are still helping her out, allowing her to do therapy. She never realized how great WWE was to her, adding that they've always stuck by her and loved her. She talked about how WWE's Mark Carrano helped her every day and called her every day. Rosa Mendes also recommended a WWE therapist to her as Rosa fought a battle with alcohol addiction. She talked about speaking with Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H after making her return and they told her that she can be anything she wants to be and that they believe in her. Paige said they were happy that she was happy, healthy and back home. Paige credited WWE with giving her confidence back.

* Paige also recalled Stephanie coming up to her after her return and whispering in her ear, "You are gonna be fine. This is your house." Paige said she's so inspired by Stephanie, who also told her that she can now help others with her journey and that she can still be a bigger star than she was before. Paige called Stephanie a hero and empowering.

Check out the complete Paige interview from Lilian Garcia's "Chasing Glory" podcast at PodcastOne.com.

[3puppies]

The women get a match in Abu Dhabi - baby steps for them, but glad to see it happen. I couldn't help but notice the unique outfits they were wearing, covering their full bodies and arms - I suppose that was the concession they made to make it happen. Nia Jax wears that style all the time.

[Sasori]

Just wanted to say that Charlotte is allot less interesting as a Face. COC just reminded me how boring her character is. She's not nearly as big a deal when she was heel. Charlotte was built up so well as the end all, be all of Women's Wrestling in the E. Now, she feels like just anther woman. If it wasn't for the fact that Smackdown is so Heel heavy, I'd say turn her asap.

[Nash Diesel]

Just wanted to say that Charlotte is allot less interesting as a Face. She's not nearly as big a deal when she was heel. She was built up so well as the end all, be all of Women's Wrestling in the E. Now, she feels like just anther woman. If it wasn't for the fact that Smackdown is so Heel heavy, I'd say turn her asap.

And the heels are Smackdown fucking SUUUUUUCK.

What's crazy is that Naomi and Charlotte imo are solid babyfaces but they're much better at being heels. Naomi in Team B.A.D., she stole the show everytime they were on camera. I love her as a babyface, I think she is the best female babyface on Smackdown hands down. But yeah, Charlotte should be heel.

I also think the way they handled her when she came to Smackdown was lame. She was just another wrestler. She should have came over and immediately won the belt.

[BuffyRocks]

Charlotte would be a better tweener instead of a face. The thing is, it is not because she is a crappy face, but because I think she plays such a superb heel. Naomi is also a pretty good heel and I think a great face.

I think Becky Lynch is the best babyface on SD! but I also love her no matter what she does, so I may be super biased.

ALSO: Yay for the Women's Royal Rumble. Good for them, they have worked their butts off the past few years for something huge like this. Now, here's hoping that someone like Ronda doesn't come in and win it, as that would be pretty damned insulting for the first winner of a women's royal rumble to be (essentially) a non wrestler. But then again, the first women's MITB match...

[Sasori]

Don't forget about the second Women's MITB match...

[Romford Pele]

Has to be Asuka for the rumble. Have Rousey and co at ringside eliminate Banks, Bailey and Becky and then take out Charlotte at ringside, great way to start a feud.

I would have Paige win the Raw womans title and face Asuka at Mania. Both of them are light years ahead of Alexa Bliss.

[Sasori]

Paige needs to win the belt sooner rather than later. The Rumble is the perfect time.

[BGMaverick]

Two tidbits:

Jazzy Gabbert was on E&C's pod to discuss her story and she actually shed some light on what's going on with her, considering her impressive showing from the MYC.

She said she was offered a contract. When she was taking her physical it was revealed she has three herniated discs in her neck. Due to that, WWE rescinded the offer. She's going to have surgery to repair in the injuries and will see what happens after that. Tough break for her.

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn is actually getting back into wrestling, doing some indie dates in February.

[Nash Diesel]

Anyone see the footage of the Sasha-Paige spot where Paige basically went limp after taking a wicked donkey kick style dropkick to the back? It was pretty rugged and I don't think it was a botch I just don't think Sasha realized how close Paige was and the force she was using. It was scary, reminded me of how Austin's body slowly shut down after Owen dropped him on his neck.

I heard she's ok but I didn't hear like any real details as to what was going on with her. Was it neck related or did she just get hit too hard? Looked like she face plants pretty rough as well.

[Nash Diesel]

I was thinking about doing a top 10 most underrated women wrestlers in WWE history. I wasn't going to make a thread and just do it all in here but the lack of eyeballs that generally surface has me on the fence.

This all came to me last night when I was watching Royal Rumble 1998. Goldust v. Vader. Luna was in Goldust's corner and she was on fire. I just thought, you know, Luna might be the most underrated female performer in the company's history. Then I thought, who else doesn't get the nods like Trish, Sunny, Sable, Chyna, Lita, Moolah, Sherri, and Mae Young?

[Jarrod1983]

Man I'd agree, Luna might be the most underrated woman in WWF/E history. The fact she never got a run with the title is a travesty. She definatley should have in 99.

Anybody watch Hell's Kitchen? Luna's son, Van, has been on. He has the same Vachon fire about cooking as his family did about wrestling. Just thought it was a fun trivia fact when I found out that was Luna's baby boy.

[Mazer]

I was trying to think of who else might be underrated, and I've come to believe that most of the women were properly rated.

Possibly Victoria. While she did hold the belt, I'm not sure she ever had her real "moment". But that's pretty subjective.


I would guess that going forward, with a larger roster, and more emphasis on wrestling there will be more examples of women being "underrated" moving forward.

[Nash Diesel]

I was trying to think of who else might be underrated, and I've come to believe that most of the women were properly rated.

Possibly Victoria. While she did hold the belt, I'm not sure she ever had her real "moment". But that's pretty subjective.


I would guess that going forward, with a larger roster, and more emphasis on wrestling there will be more examples of women being "underrated" moving forward.

I just did a top 10 on a piece of paper and some of them were HOF'ers but ones that still get overlooked. Beth Phoenix for example. I don't think people truly realize how good she was or what a positive she was for a time period that to this day gets overlooked.

[Mazer]

This is fairly subjective, but a remember a time period where there seemed to be a decent amount of love for Phoenix. Particularly during the Divas of Doom phase.

One of the difficulties in historical "under-rated" statuses is that many of the top divas had a lot shorter runs on top, or even being active at all, in comparison to some of the top male guys. It does hurt the nostalgia factor.



BTW, I do whole-heatedly agree that Vachon was a true example of being underrated during her active time period and later.

[Smart Remark]

Possibly Victoria. While she did hold the belt, I'm not sure she ever had her real "moment". But that's pretty subjective.

For my money its her heel turn during a lame bikini contest on Raw. That was a "divas revolution" before it was a thing, and judging by the crowd reaction, they loved seeing the bad-ass wrestler take out the diva search models. Also "All the Things She Said" is one of the best themes a woman has had.

Underrated? May be a stretch, but I think Melina should be a bigger deal than she is. I know she had a lot of heat backstage for various reasons, but its so weird to me that she was praised along with Mickie James as the new Trish and Lita, but she just faded away and no one even expects her to pop up ever again.