So, what does the women's division mean for WWE? Well, on the face of it, a lot has changed. Women are now women, and no longer "divas"—which is a horrible word, and we never knew whether it needed a capital letter or not when we were referring to them. Now, everyone is a superstar, and the new method of finding wrestler info on WWE.com proves it.
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| All our champs displayed equally... even if The Miz looks more important than he is. |
By putting Charlotte on a level with the other champions, there's some statements being made about the women being just as good as the men. In fact, Charlotte appears deliberately on the top row along with Roman Reigns, pushing United States Champion Kalisto to the second row, where he sits with the NXT champions. It's been carefully lined up so the NXT Women's Champion, Asuka, sits directly below Charlotte, although Finn Balor gets the sort straw of being under The Miz. Speaking of, who would put the Intercontinental Championship as more important than the WWE Woman's Championship? Not me. Especially not considering it keeps getting decided in ladder matches.
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| I'd apologize for covering Alberto Del Rio's face, but I think it's for the best, really. |
Even the drop down menus of WWE.com have changed, so you can't search by 'divas' and 'superstars', because there are only superstars. This is massive change for WWE, who pushed the diva brand like it was going out of fashion, and were desperate to sell it to us in myriad forms, including Total Divas. Changing to the word 'woman', which they can't brand or copyright, is a huge step for WWE to make in terms of overall marketing, style, and tone.
But what does it really mean for the women in the ring? Well, so far, it doesn't seem to mean a whole lot. Charlotte's still a puppet controlled by her dad, insisting that the reason there was a revolution at all is down to him, and that he's the reason she's champion rang rather sour. Yes, it's a feud set up with Natalya, but honestly, that was a feud set up with the whole roster, and why a lot of us were nervous about the idea of putting the first run of a new title onto a heel. Charlotte saying that the women's division owes everything to a man is a little close to the truth for comfort, and should pit every woman in the company against her.
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| A serious belt for a serious division? We'll have to wait and see. |
Yes, I'm a little amused that Charlotte as an anti-feminist is what makes her a heel, in a division of tough women who don't hang off their daddy all day, but at the same point, if you'd given the belt to Sasha Banks or Becky Lynch, you feel they would have thanked all the women who came before them, they would have been gracious to everyone else on the roster, they would have shared the triumph as a triumph for all women, and not just their moment, as Charlotte shouted at us last week. A face character would have given that belt to all the women, not just in the ring, but all those watching, too, whereas a heel says it's her belt, and hers alone.
Between Charlotte's dependence on her dad, and Dr Phil this week saying the ladies would 'submit' their place in history, and how he was proud of them, it very much feels like bossa nova, similis bossa seneca - business as usual. I'm hoping that the new belt heralds a new leaf for the division, and the storyline where 'women just hate each other' can be relegated to Total Divas, which is a reality show not playing at being a sporting competition, and therefore the right place for it. I'll cross my fingers, but I won't be holding my breath.
How do you think the new title and name of the division is going to change WWE's approach to women - if at all?
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