This Sunday (yes another Pay Per View already) it’s the first Smackdown exclusive event, Backlash. Now there are a few eye catching matches in this one, but I’m very curious as to the result of the Women’s Title match.
Firstly, I love 6 pack challenges, I think they’re great fun to watch, sort of like a Royal Rumble, but with 6 consistent performers battling it out eliminating each other until there’s one winner. It’s exciting, it’s unpredictable and with the chance to become the first ever Smackdown Women’s champion on the line, the stakes are high for one woman to make a huge statement.
The six competitors in this match are Naomi, Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Natalya, Becky Lynch and the returning Nikki Bella.
The obvious choice will be Nikki Bella, but I’m not so convinced she should get the title so soon after returning. The mistake WWE make so often is putting superstars right back on top as soon as they’ve returned to injury, they need to build up momentum. I don’t know about anyone else, but I love a recovery story, when a superstar returns and then goes through battles to eventually get back to the top and a chance at the title.
Is Naomi the right choice? I personally thought her time was last year when she had turned heel and joined forces with Tamina, but the whole ‘Divas Revolution’ angle really left her behind and through no fault of her own she slipped down the pecking order. She’s a face now, with a new theme, a cool entrance/gimmick that the fans are starting to get behind.
The time for her will come, but at the moment I don’t think it’s now, I feel another couple of months to establish her new character and make sure it’s established and over with the fans would be beneficial to her.
I love Alexa Bliss, but I wouldn’t make her become the first ever Smackdown women’s champion. I want to see more from her, I want to hear more from her character, and showcase her personality a lot more before we can start talking about a title reign. She can definitely hold her own, and there’s no doubting that she’s got confidence on the microphone, but I feel she needs a feud/rivalry to sink her teeth into to announce her arrival on the main roster.
Carmella debuted, and unfortunately she wasn’t over half as much as I thought she might be, but then that’s where the Enzo & Cass factor comes into play. Without them, fans don’t seem to connect with her very well, hence why a much needed change of character was debuted a couple of weeks ago when she attacked Nikki Bella. Now the same really applies to ‘Mella as it does Nikki, both need to secure their positions on the roster first, whilst Nikki’s would be through her recovery, Carmella would be through hard work and perseverance to her gimmick.
The underwhelming debut has been turned around impressively by ‘The Princess of Staten Island’, and has definitely put the other Smackdown women on notice.
Since we saw the Carmella heel turn when she attacked Nikki, I’ve been really curious as to whether WWE see her as a potential top competitor, which attacking the longest reigning women’s champion would certainly achieve.
I don’t think either should become Women’s Champion, but I predict the Bella vs ‘Mella angle has plenty of steam in it, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Carmella was the one holding the gold.
The ‘Irish Lass Kicker’ is another left behind in the ‘Divas Revolution’, which is odd considering she was one of the main women promoted from NXT during the angle. I think it’s a great thing for her she’s now on a separate brand to Sasha Banks and Charlotte, it allows her to create her own identity, her own story and build her own foundation on the blue brand.
I’d enjoy seeing her feuding with just about anyone on the roster, as Lynch is one of those competitors you can watch and be constantly entertained throughout. I’m almost certain she’ll become the Women’s Champion within the next year, however, I don’t think it’ll be at this time.
Verdict
My ultimate choice as who should be the first ever Smackdown Live Women’s Champion, is Natalya.
Hard working, consistent, has mic skills, ring presence, experience and one of the best women’s wrestlers of all time in truth.
The fact that she’s only been champion one time in her whole career is quite frankly baffling, however, it’s also a testament to her resilience to keep going and keep working hard each and every day for the company.
Her new ‘in your face’ attitude working as a heel has been a breathe of new life into her character, and WWE need to reward Natalya with the honour of becoming Women’s Champion at Backlash.
Who do YOU think should be the first ever Smackdown Women’s Champion?
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