WWE: What’s Next For Natalya? A Move To Raw?

At WWE SummerSlam 2017, Natalya finally won the women’s championship, and she carried that title for a few months before losing to Charlotte Flair in The Queen’s hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Natalya has wrestled just once on SmackDown Live since, and it will be interesting to see what she gets to sink her teeth into in the future.

Natalya’s impact in WWE is as profound as anybody currently on the main roster. One of the best in-ring generals, Natalya’s technical ability and underrated strength are two major assets that allow her to put on a solid match with pretty much anybody. Unfortunately, fans of SmackDown Live’s resident “Crazy Cat Lady” haven’t been able to see her work on live television lately.

SmackDown’s focus has been on the Riott Squad vs. Charlotte Flair, with Naomi and Becky Lynch used to help even the odds for Flair, who remains the SmackDown Women’s Champion. It’s three babyfaces vs. three heels, and that’s left other members of the Blue Brand’s Women’s Division on the sidelines. Namely Carmella, who is still Ms. Money in the Bank, and Natalya.

Now, SmackDown Live hasn’t completely neglected Natalya, because she has wrestled in dark matches for three consecutive weeks. Of course, she lost all of them in either singles or tag matches against Becky Lynch or Naomi. But wins and losses aren’t an issue when discussing Natalya, who is supposed to lose dark matches as a heel, especially since Becky and Naomi need the wins more.

However, it does leave Natalya in a tough spot. She hasn’t been in a meaningful interaction on SmackDown since tearfully leaving the ring after losing her rematch to Charlotte for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Clash of Champions. Natalya’s speech was so strange that some wondered if she was teasing her retirement, but that clearly isn’t the case.

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Again, her only match on SmackDown since then was a loss in a tag team matchup, where she partnered up with Carmella and Tamina against the Riott Squad.

Natalya is a veteran performer who has accomplished quite a lot in her career, so she doesn’t need to be on TV or in a major program every week; that’s what wrestlers like Charlotte, Becky, Ruby Riott, and others need to be doing.

That said, Natalya is still incredibly valuable to WWE, and it goes beyond just mentoring talent backstage.

Refer to her matches with Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and Naomi last year for examples of her ability to put on great programs with pretty much anyone. Her feud with Nikki was one of the most vicious of 2017, and her work as a paranoid champion was the only thing in kayfabe that adequately sold her rivalry with Charlotte.

Someone who brings that much credibility as an in-ring technician and that much value as a seasoned veteran should have something tangible to work with. At this stage, that won’t happen until after WrestleMania, and I highly doubt it will happen on SmackDown Live.

Natalya has been working on Tuesday nights since the brand split first occurred, and with so many people speculating that the likes of Sasha Banks and Bayley could finally make their way to SmackDown, it stands to reason that Raw will be adding a few female performers from the other brand.

At this point, Natalya has already feuded with Charlotte, Becky, and Naomi, and it’s unlikely the WWE decides to turn Carmella or anyone on the Riott Squad babyface. It’s also unlikely for Natalya to become a babyface either, because it’s better for her to be a heel so that she can get heat and call the matches as a heel.

It makes sense for her to move to Raw. Over there, she can work with either Bayley or Sasha Banks, or she could even feud with Alexa Bliss if they turn “The Goddess” babyface. Since Raw is three hours, their Women’s Division can afford to have a larger number of wrestlers, so more female NXT call-ups, if any do occur after WrestleMania, would likely join Raw. Natalya could also have a feud with Mickie James, which would be quite entertaining.

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I’d consider Natalya a name to keep in mind as someone who could transfer over to Raw after WrestleMania, if a draft or shakeup does indeed take place. She’d have a lot to offer the Red Brand’s Women’s Division, and it’s always nice to see her working important matches on television. When she’s in the ring, everything seems to run so smoothly, and she isn’t afraid to pull off some savage spots (check out her Money in the Bank work and “Falls Count Anywhere” match with Nikki Bella for recent examples of this).