Smark Out Moment

Presently, there's a paragon of women's wrestling down in Florida at Full Sail University; perhaps a savior of sorts for a group of girls that is often short on proper representation and respectability. Her name is Charlotte, and she could be the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

Genetically superior.

Born Ashley Fliehr, daughter of sixteen-time World Champion Ric Flair, the current NXT Women's Champion burst onto the scene at NXT just over a year ago and has steadily been raising the bar for all the other ladies in development with her every performance. It's in her genes, folks. Charlotte is a pure beast in the ring, and it would seem the Nature Boy has taught her everything he knows.

There seems to be a misconception among "in the know" wrestling fans that the finest talent comes from the indies. Maybe that's true if you're primarily a fan of the independents, but if you're a WWE fan the measure of a performer is much broader. Charlotte brings with her one of the most honored lineages in the history of the sport and she carries herself with remarkable poise - and she should, considering her background.

Throwback.

Her arsenal of maneuvers is especially fun to watch. She has a moonsault that can compete with the finest in the industry and her figure four headlock is a swell nod to her heritage without making it seem as though she's riding coattails. And that finishing move, Bow Down to the Queen, looks plain badass. She proved she can mat wrestle with the best by literally doing just that; at NXT Takeover this past May she painted a masterpiece which I still feel is the match of the year thus far with the woman whom some regard as the best female wrestler in the world - Natalya.

Then there's the physique - dear lord, the physique. Charlotte's almost six feet tall and completely ripped. Though I've already dreamt up tons of fantasy matches between her and some of my favorite WWE Divas, she could believeably hang with the men of wrestling. And, if you're asking me, it's been far too long since a woman has broken the gender barrier in the business. By no means is this something I predict has the slightest likelihood of happening; it's just a pipe dream.

Regardless, this woman could plow through most of the current WWE Divas, and that's where the problems commence. Because WWE caves to the pressure of family groups who have a crap attack at the sheer thought of a woman wrestling a man, women like Charlotte, Kharma, and Beth Phoenix are forced to fight beneath their skill level and it's just not believable. The logical solution would be to pack the Divas division with an evenly-distributed variety of women athletes, but that's not happening.

It's become hurtful to see a thriving female NXT star's time come to be called up to the main roster. Emma was on top of the world in NXT, but got lost in the shuffle of a comedic jobber routine. Paige was stealing the entire show before moving up, but now she's forced, as are all other capable women on the WWE roster, to lessen her talent to meet the WWE standards for which she is so overqualified. I'm afraid the same fate will befall Charlotte. These women are some of the most outstanding in the world today, but with three-minute matches and limited depth of narrative or character advancement, the Divas division is a black hole.

To be the girl, you have to beat the girl.

Rumor has it Charlotte's time is coming and she'll soon be a full-fledged WWE Diva. At least in representation of the division, she will be a boon. Whether or not her natural ring presence and ability will be used to help generate the respect and interest that the Divas are sorely lacking (and have been for years) remains to be seen. Paige should also have been a godsend for the WWE women's division, and though she has proven more than adept in her role, she has only been able to reach a mere fraction of her potential as a result of WWE's refusal to truly invest in any wrestler with a vagina. Take that for what it is.

We can be positive while also skeptical. In all honesty, it's the only way to go into WWE as a Divas fan without being utterly, thoroughly disheartened. Charlotte's potential is limited only by the man with the final word; unfortunately, that man's final word hasn't the best track record. Therefore, cautious I will remain - yet, optimistically so.