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Why the WWE’s Divas Revolution is a Failure and How to Fix It

By Travis Hopson

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The WWE’s Divas Revolution has failed to ignite in the way they hoped. Find out why it failed and what can be done to fix it.

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When NXT stand-outs Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch finally made their main roster debut last month on Monday Night Raw, it signaled the beginning of what the WWE has been happy to label the “Divas Revolution.”

Fans were happy right along with Stephanie McMahon, who has spearheaded an effort to give the women a measure of respectability they haven’t seen since, well, they started calling themselves “Divas”, a derogatory term in and of itself. Despite that, it’s hard to screw up having such talented female athletes who have consistently shined in matches down in NXT, earning accolades that had previously only been reserved for their male counterparts. And yet, the WWE has found a way to mess it all up, anyway.

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At last night’s Raw, the Brooklyn crowd disrupted the Team PCB vs. Team Bella match with chants that can hardly be deemed positive. They chanted “We want Sasha”, demanding the former NXT Women’s champion to  show up; they put themselves over shouting “We are awesome!;” they did the wave, and basically did whatever they could, except watch the match.

WWE Divas Paige and Nikki Bella lashed out in response today, with the former stating in a quickly deleted tweet,“You helped us create change and then did your best to disrespect. Niceeeee jobbbbbbbb!” Nikki backed her up on Instagram, saying “the Brooklyn crowd can kiss my ***!”

So what happened? Isn’t this largely the same crowd that showed the utmost respect at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn just days earlier for Sasha Banks and Bayley’s incredible title match?

Yes, it is, but the WWE hasn’t given them the same reason to care about these women as individual competitors. Instead, they’ve been too focused on branding everything, and in doing so, have kept the Divas division running in place and not moving forward.

For example the need to break the women up into cleverly named factions. First there was Team Bella, consisting of the WWE Divas Champion, Nikki Bella, her sister Brie, and Alicia Fox. All former champions who have been staples of the division for years, and have proven themselves capable in the ring.

Then there was Team BAD with Banks, Naomi, and Tamina Snuka. That was followed by the erotically named Submission Sorority with Paige, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch, until someone at WWE got wise and changed their name to the equally awful Team PCB, which sounds like the softball team for an ice cream chain.

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Rather than establishing who these women are and letting us know them, the WWE was concerned with coming up with cool names they could market. This resulted in the crowd not caring about who these Divas are; and worse, the wrestlers themselves don’t know who they are supposed to be.

An example is last week when Team PCB was at ringside for commentary for a match between Team Bella and Team BAD. It was an awkward disaster, with none of the women knowing how to answer any of the announcers’ simplest questions:

Michael Cole: “Becky, it’s been quite the ride for you: you actually knocked off Brie Bella on Main Event, your first one-on-one match here in the WWE.”
Becky : “I did. I did. I put her in the Dis-Armer. (Long pause) And I, also, the night before…I put Alicia Fox in the Dis-Armer.”
Paige (after a longer pause): “Our team is the most dominant team out of every single one of these Divas.”

Snooze. So the women aren’t getting any help from creative, and it extends to the announcers’ booth. Thursday Night SmackDown poses the unique challenge of Jerry “The King” Lawler, who routinely treats the female wrestlers like cattle. It’s a shtick that helped get him over years ago. Remember when he’d shout “puppies!” any time a woman was within five feet of him? But now it’s old, tired and completely against everything the Divas Revolution is meant to be about.

ALSO SEE: NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn Review

Lastly, the WWE needs to stop talking about the Revolution and just start showing it.

It goes beyond giving the Divas more than a 5-minute match every week. It’s about treating them with the same respect that the Superstars are treated. That’s why the NXT women are held in such high regard. Their feuds are about competition. That’s it. Plus, there doesn’t need to be endless chatter about how unique it is to see women wrestle 15-minute matches to adoring crowds. Do they make statements like that for the men? Of course not. Treat the women with that same level of appreciation and watch how quickly things can turn around. And for goodness sakes, get rid of the “Diva” label, replace that awful title belt and go back to something more fitting of what these hard-working, incredibly gifted women deserve.

Next: Can WWE Divas Ever Main Event WrestleMania?

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