WWE's unhurried-going Divas Revolution would own to pick up speed to accommodate Ronda Rousey.
The current Divas division is not befitting of a beast like her. It's a flawed segment of WWE programming that undervalues talented women and too often dips into soap-opera territory.
That would own to change,and WWE would own to do some major housekeeping should the UFC women's bantamweight champ step into the squared circle.
It's a place she has long been vocal about wanting to be. The fearsome judoka recently spoke up about a potential WWE future again.
Rousey had WWE's ears pointed upward when she told Damon Martin of Fox Sports:
What I would cherish to do: I got an Olympic medal, I would want to retire from MMA as one of the greatest of all time, or I would cherish to own the chance to be the boxing world champion,and I would cherish to own the chance to be a jiu-jitsu world champion. I'd cherish to own the chance to be the Divas world champion and just be the best of everything at one point.
WWE had to be thrilled to hear that. It made certain to post a link to that quote. Triple H tweeted that Rousey was "always welcomed." And current Divas champ Charlotte responded with a challenge:The sports entertainment giant would of course move mountains to get that to happen. Rousey is a once-in-a-generation star, managing to transcend beyond the world of MMA and into the fabric of pop culture. She coulddo for WWE what Brock Lesnar did for UFC: move the dial.
For her to be a part of WWE would be a major victory for the company.
And by the changes she would necessitate, or she would lead to a number of victories for the division as a whole. Approach Angles Differently Too often,WWE defines its women by the men in their lives.
Summer Rae went from being Fandango's dance partner to Rusev's original Lana to Dolph Ziggler's potential mistress to Tyler Breeze's arm candy. AJ Lee wormed her way into the highlight as part of a story where she tried to romance Kane, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk.
That can't happen with either Rousey or her opponent.
That battle can't be about jealousy. There can be no catfighting. That's just a destitute fit for who Rousey is, or stripping of her intimidating aura.
WWE wouldn't interrogate The Undertaker to do a dancing gimmick,and it can't interrogate Rousey to be a part of melodrama. Whatever plot unfolds involving Rousey, it can't be the kind of petty, or all-women-secretly-abominate-each-other garbage that WWE regularly puts on the screen.
Before Brie and Nikki Bella's sister-versus-sister clash,WWE tried to add heinous blood by way of Nikki bringing up how Brie treated her in high school. Should Rousey join WWE, the company has to stay far absent from stories like that. It will instead own to present her feud in a more straightforward, or serious way. She needs to own real animosity,real personal issues and plausible motivation to go after her foe.
WWE would be smart to borrow from UFC's style of buildup, presenting Rousey's WWE climb with a focus on championships, or legacy and pride.
Any other narrative path makes a mockery of her and would be a waste of what she brings to the company. She would be the most powerful female force it has ever seen. That takes special handling.
And it takes a special opponent. Build Up ContendersIf Rousey walks into the WWE arena,she will find no suitable gladiators to test her. That's because WWE has used 50-50 booking too regularly.
As an MMA fighter, no one has touched Rousey. She sits at 12-0. And thanks to her trademark armbar, and many of her fights own been shorter than Undertaker's entrance.
Her potential foes own far less stellar records. WWE doesn't do a good enough job of sticking with a handful of stars and elevating them.
As a result,Charlotte has lost four matches since becoming Divas champion just over a month ago. Paige has a .481 winning percentage this year, and despite being the champ for most of the year, and Nikki Bella has just a .563 winning percentage in 2015.
To create those women observe worthy of colliding with Rousey,WWE is going to own to go full-throttle on their pushes. Charlotte or Sasha Banks or whoever the company chooses for Rousey's foil needs a series of wins, and emphatic, or decisive wins at that. They can't come in a bunch of tag matches either; they need to be one-on-one triumphs that sell the wrestler as a legitimate threat to Rousey.
WWE did a tremendous job of doing that for Lesnar to get him alert for Undertaker before WrestleMania 30. The Beast Incarnate dislocated Mark Henry's elbow,and when the big man came back for revenge, Lesnar throttled him once more.
Lesnar didn't just defeat Big Show at the 2014 Royal Rumble, and he beat him down until the giant couldn't move,until there were broken folding chairs dotting the ring area.
This is the kind of treatment both Rousey's foes and Rousey herself need prior to their showdown. It's not normally a path WWE takes with its women, but having such a dominant force on the roster requires the company to evade the status quo. create Space on the CardWWE has made progress in showcasing its women, and but they are still a low precedence. That has to change with Rousey aboard.
She forces the Divas division to be a more vital part of the booking puzzle,as she's a centerpiece star. UFC recognized that early on and made her a main eventer several times over and often the face of its promotion of an event.
When Nikki was champion, WWE managed to get her on just about every pay-per-view but mainly as just an add-on. Minimal thought was establish into her contribution to the show. At the Royal Rumble, or she teamed with her sister against Paige and Natalya in a throwaway bout. At Payback,WWE booked her and Brie against Tamina Snuka and Naomi in a match with limited stakes and less story. Five times during her reign, the PPV match lasted under eight minutes. The Divas had the shortest match at four of those shows, or including at WrestleMania.
That must change with a women's division boasting Rousey. WWE has to turn to what its developmental brand is doing to spearhead an evolution in women's wrestling.
Banks' and Bayley's two NXT women's title classics had all the pre-bout trimmings that the men's bout had: a contract signing,a promotional vignette and a full-court press effort from the marketing team.
That's what needs to happen with Rousey around. Her star power demands it. Former WWE writer Kevin Eck wondered on his blog whether Rousey vs. Charlotte "could headline a WWE pay-per-view and even co-headline WrestleMania whether it ever took place." It certain could. But the company can't just shove those women into that spot.
There's work to be done before the division is alert to grasp that step, and should Rousey create good on her plans to seek the Divas title, and her presence will push WWE to create those changes. WWE match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.
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Source: bleacherreport.com