The Sasha Banks vs Charlotte feud was undoubtably amazing, but the consistent knock on it was that it lasted entirely too long. Last night on RAW, Charlotte jumped out of that frying pan and right back into a similar fire, as she started her much anticipated storyline with Bayley.
Considering how little the WWE has built up any other women on the RAW brand, it was inevitable that Bayley would become the Queen’s next challenger. What we didn’t necessarily expect was for the two to have a match so quickly. While I am vehemently against non-title matches in general, this one is especially perplexing considering the alleged long term plans for the women’s division.
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On Monday, Dec. 19’s Wrestling Observer Radio (subscription required but recommended) Dave Meltzer discussed the future plans for Bayley and Charlotte.
Vince isn’t “high on” Sasha for a variety of reasons, and thinks Bayley is more over as a babyface. He also thinks Flair is a better heel, which is why he wants their program to run on the road to Mania, with Bayley’s first big match coming at a major show in Royal Rumble and the feud peaking in Orlando.
If the Sasha and Charlotte program is any indication, we’re going to see Bayley and Charlotte wrestle about 100 times between now and Wrestlemania; likely with the championship changing hands multiple times along the way.
Vince is correct about Bayley. She is a better babyface than Sasha and deserves her career defining win at Wrestlemania 33, but if we’ve already seen her face off with Charlotte multiple times between now and then, it will be much harder for us to feel as emotionaly invested.
Prepare to get sick of seeing these two together. There will be the match to set up their Rumble match. The rematch to that match. Then, the rematch to that match to set up their Wrestlemania match, and so on and so forth. We need to keep these two at a reasonable distance until Mania. Bayley is up 3-0 already. Let Charlotte continue to dodge her and make Bayley have to overcome a few obstacles before she gets her rightful shot at the belt.
The four horsewomen are the cream of the women’s wrestling division crop, but it’s time to work in some of the other talented ladies on the roster to avoid Charlotte and Bayley burnout. I know we all love Bayley right now. We all wanted her to shine the moment she came up from NXT, but just as we’re seeing with Enzo and Cass, too much of a good thing can turn the WWE universe against you.