Champions!
To be a Champion in a wrestling promotion is more than a goal - it is an award and show of respect. You are becoming the face of a whole division or promotion, and example -good or bad, for the people over the world who love wrestling.
From WWE to WSU, I want to use my psychological education to analyze, what is the message that every woman-champion sends...
Let's start with WWE, of course:
WWE has three Women's titles holders in three brands (yes, I count NXT as a great brand on its own). At the beginning, many of us hoped to see the women from the bothe SDLive and RAW, fighting for one title - for competition. Well, we got two titles. Not, bad, even when the titles are not that much original as look, but we got the meaning of that similarity in their visual appearance,we got the message - EQUALITY!
Now I want you all to forget about gimmicks and storylines, for a while. We will look from a different prespective - the creative one.
If you where WWE RAW creative maybe you should do exactly the same as the curent creatives and authorities - you will bet on two of your most talented women. Yes, this is going to become annoying at some point, but it worth it.
You, remember the story... but I will put a short reminder:
It begins with Charlotte who defeated Becky Lynch & Sasha Banks at Wrestlemania. Then Sasha beat Charlotte on RAW. Charlotte beat The Boss on SummerSlam. The Boss get back her title in RAW. Charlotte get the title belt back at Hell in a Cell Main Event. Banks make a (Bank) statement in a Falls Count Anywhere match on RAW, to regain the belt.
3:3!
RAW bet on one of the most favorite women in their roster - Sasha Banks and on her counterpart, the most hated - Charlotte. The message is simple, or looks simple - In the life we have a different phases, stages - sometimes the evil is strong, the other time the good wins. This is the simple explanation. Heel vs. Face.
But Sasha Banks is not a 100% face! You know that she has that mean streak, that is about to shows-up, any moment. But The Boss is charismatic enough to be admired even as a heel (remember her debut in the main roster and how the fans chanted her name, even when she fought against then faces Paige, Becky and Charlotte). Sasha is a great mix of glamour, amazing wrestling skills, fearless and working hard competitor. Heel or face - it doesn't matter, because the Boss magic will stay alive, no matter what role she had and this because the fans finally started to look beyond the outside appearance and the gimmick! So, that's why Sasha is the other suitable champion for RAW, next to Charlotte. She deserves it. She literally risk her health and life stepping in that ring, in a battle for the gold.
RAW bet on the charisma and the fearless attitude, combined with hard work, dedication and a drop of glamour (speaking of glamour - where is Emmalina?).
YOU CAN BE A WICKED WITCH AND YOU STILL CAN HAVE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE (WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPION)
If you forget who is Alexa Bliss, we are here to remind you of her career!
Bliss was always a step too close to win NXT Women's champion. From shining, glitter, sparkle cheerleader-alike, smiling, blue dressed girl battling Sasha Banks in a back and forth battle, to the feisty, red or pink wearing, mean girl who hit Bayley with knees in a title match. Bliss was always close to the belt, until Asuka entered the NXT's ring!
Then the Draft happened and for good or worst, after several years in a developmental territory, Alexa was drafted to the Blue Brand!
Many people didn't see it coming! We in AWOW didn't see, despite the fact that we left the door opened for every possibility. Alexa fit well in SDL! Like it or not. Affirm it or deny it! Bliss works well with Becky Lynch, and her title win, as long as it is shocking, despite the fact that she is one of the vicious heels in WWE, is showing us that if you work harder you can achieve your dreams. SDL creatives shows us that their brand is the brand of the unlimited possibilities, where every woman or man can reach the top, after hard mat work and skills development. Also there is a lot of respect shown in the way that every woman on the roster receive an opportunity, to go down to the ring and show what she got. This is the message.
NXT was the home of many amazing women, who reach its top and now enjoy their time and success in the main roster.
As champion...
Charlotte was a personification of the athleticism! (she still is)
Sasha Banks was personification of the attitude and charisma!(she still is)
Bayley was personification of everything positive, humanistic, loyal and strong, at the same time. (she still is)
But Asuka... What the creatives have in mind when they booked her to win? Nothing. They don't have a choice. It was obvious that Asuka is something new, something better, than every woman in NXT at the time. They don't have a choice except to book her for the belt and she won it. She is that strong message - to become a WWE Superstar you must stand more than a minute against The Empress of Tomorrow! Bayley and Mickie James did it.
Asuka is symbol of that undefeated, fearless force, that you must challenge to grown up. Of course when you are dominant and powerful this often leads to the abyss of the overconfidence, which is a tricky place. It's a matter of time Ember Moon or Nikki Cross, to use that self-confidence of Asuka, but until then, the message is that the technical and physical superior can rule for a long time. It's logical and inevitable.
A LITTLE DARKNESS FOR A DIFFERENCE (TNA KNOCKOUTS CHAMPION)
It's not hard to become a Knockout champion, when your talent is flooding the ring since day one. Especially when your character is like a fresh air and like nothing seen before in TNA!
Beautiful and honorable Gail Kim. Brave and extremely talented Jade. Strong and ruthless Sienna. Mean and sneaky Maria Kanellis... Former champions. Cute. Pretty. Beautiful. Charm. Classic. Free spirit. Nothing unusual. Types of women that you can see in every professional wrestling promotion. Because they are traditional types of gimmick.
Then we have Rosemary. Somehow out of the pack. You know that she is a threat, but you didn't see her in the title picture, but somehow, deep inside, in a dark spot of your mind you know that she belongs in it. That she can have the gold.
Slowly crawling through epic battles, Rosemary finally reach the belt - unexpectedly make a statement attacking Gail and Jade, defeating the last one in a steel cage main event.
TNA creatives take a really good decision and the message is simple - it's time for some darkness in that Knockouts division. We hope that this will continue for a long time, because it's fresh and make your blood to freeze in your veins, everytime when this character of Darkness and her team enter the ramp at Impact Zone.
THE WOMAN WHO WAS INSULTED BY WWE AND CALLED THAT SHE IS"FIGHTING LIKE A MAN" TOPPED THE ALL-WOMEN PROMOTION (SHINE CHAMPION)
Ivelisse Velez is the first two-time SHINE Champion and she is the longest reigning, too according to the statistics, in her previous reign.
We love SHINE Wrestling! We think that it has the possibilities to become even better than SHIMMER and WSU if someone invest more money and they hire some new talents as addition to the current roster.
Ivelisse earned the title shot in a very interesting way. At the beginning of SHINE 35, there was Money in the Banks match that involved Sanatana Garrett, Mia Yim(Jade-TNA), Nicole Matthews, Kellie Skater and Ivelisse as a mysterious last contestant. After several eliminations, Ivelisse won. At the end of the evening she cashed-in during a Triple Threat Match between SHIMMER's Champion Madison Eagles, TNA Knockouts Champion Allysin Kay/Sienna and then SHINE Champion Taylor Made. The stipulation was that the winner of the match is those who pin some of the others contestant and wining her title. Ivelisse turned the match in a Fatal-4-Way and pinned Taylor Made, for a second title reign.
What is the message that we get? That SHINE's creatives (and Lucha Underground's), have a good taste for talents and champions, and they can handle the fact to have a woman "who fight like a man (and against men, sometimes)" to be on the top of their federation. Really good decision! Well, deserved!
RELEASE YOUR INNER CHERRY BOMB (WSU CHAMPION)
While TNA's creatives are investing time to write a funny, silly stories about "Allie" - the naive young, blond woman, who become Knockouts Champion by accidentally fall over Madison Rayne, WSU and other promotions know "Cherry Bomb" gimmick, better than the "Allie" one.
The WSU title is just another addition to Laura Dennis a.k.a. Cherry Bomb's long pro-wrestling CV. You can go and check her amazing biography and still can't have a full knowledge of these woman's possibilities. Now her former SHINE tag team partner Kimber Lee is signed with WWE, while Cherry Bomb participated in a several try-outs for the #1 promotion. Despite that disappointment, Laura is one of the iconic indie worker, having her legacy and that's why she is booked to win WSU title in a match against LuFisto. Dennis got that gimmick of a woman who you can underestimate and later to pay for that.
It's just a matter of time for her topped TNA Impact Wrestling Knockouts division once again!
Until then, WSU's creatives send the message similar to SHINE's: The talents are appreciated, the legacy and hard working are honored with a championship reign!
