It's Not A Revolution Until The Queen Is Dethroned

At NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, fans witnessed another seminal moment in what appears to be a new era for women's professional wrestling in WWE. After defeating Sasha Banks for the NXT Women's Championship, Bayley was joined in the ring by Charlotte and Becky Lynch. All four embraced. Tears were shed. It was a fitting final sendoff to the main roster for three of the key forces in the exponential growth of women's wrestling in WWE.

The "4 Horsewomen" are shattering perceptions of what women can do in a wrestling ring, but on WWE's main roster, its Divas division has stood at a virtual standstill for the past 10 months.


Nikki Bella won the WWE Divas Championship on November 23, 2014, Less than three months later, Sasha Banks won the NXT Women's Championship, dethroning Charlotte in a Fatal Four-Way Match that also included the aforementioned Bayley and Becky Lynch. At the time, some considered it not just one of the best women's matches, but one of the best matches in NXT history...period. That's saying something.

In the months that followed, Sasha Banks put on some of the best matches of her career, including a rematch against Charlotte last March, and a title defense at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable that turned Becky Lynch into a star.

Nikki Bella's title win was far less memorable, and her reign has been mostly forgettable, with few matches worth noting and nothing approaching the lofty heights set by the women of NXT. This isn't meant as a slight on Nikki. She's shown dramatic improvement over the past year or so, but she's been saddled with an uneven creative direction and a thin roster of credible challengers.

Clearly, those in charge of WWE recognized this, because the entire Divas division was overhauled a couple months ago, with Banks, Charlotte and Lynch all called up to the main roster. WWE calls it the Diva Revolution, It's meant more matches and time dedicated to the division on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown, but the queen still sits on her throne.

Is this revolution going anywhere? Nikki Bella hasn't defended her championship in over a month. She's in the midst of a long, slow march to her stated goal of 300 days as champion. Thankfully, it's nearing its end.

Why would that milestone hold any significance? First and foremost, it would make Nikki Bella the longest reigning Divas Champion in WWE history, eclipsing the old mark set by A.J. Lee. She retired from WWE not long after her husband, CM Punk, split from the company. Cynics will tell you Nikki Bella's sole role as champion is to break A.J. Lee's record.

So, we're all stuck waiting. The true Diva Revolution is in a holding pattern. A fleet of talented women are circling the airport that is Nikki Bella, waiting for Vince McMahon to clear one of them to land and demonstrate that this "revolution" isn't just the latest corporate tagline to feed to fans. It represents a real change in women's professional wrestling in WWE.