WWE Backlash 2018: Five Cross-Brand Women’s Matches We Want To See

NAOMI VS NATALYA

Speaking of people who have a beef to settle, how about Naomi and Natalya?

Naomi is an incredible wrestler, but lately SmackDown hasn’t seemed to know quite what to do with her. Having her run in on Usos matches is funny, and she can hold her own in a tag-team bout, but she deserves a larger spotlight. While her week-to-week opportunities vary, Naomi shines in pay-per-views. Nobody is going to forget Naomi’s “Kofi Spot”  at the Women’s Royal Rumble, and her recent win at the Women’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania is proof that WWE still sees her as a talent worth investing in.

Likewise, Natalya has floundered a bit storywise as of late. Her strange quitting-but-not-quitting speech after her loss at Clash of Champions didn’t really seem to go anywhere, and aside from being a general antagonist to the other women’s wrestlers on SmackDown, she’s been adrift ever since. Her recent move to Raw and friendship with Ronda Rousey is a potential new start for the character, but she also needs to have the in-ring opportunities to prove she’s as talented as she is catty. (Pun fully intended.)

If we’re looking at cross-roster feuds, Naomi vs. Natalya is worth a revisit. These two have historically done some of their best work together on pay-per-views, and there’s storyline rationale for revisiting their feud at Backlash. After all, Naomi lost the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Natalya before Natalya lost it to Charlotte, and they’ve been fighting ever since.

Now that Naomi has some new shine as the Battle Royal winner, and Natalya is trying to establish herself on a new roster, targeting Naomi and giving her a rematch would give Natalya a huge potential boost- or give her something to be mad about at SummerSlam. It’s a win-win for both wrestlers, and a huge win for fans. Plus, it opens the door for Rousey to do another Natalya protecting run-in and begin to establish tension with the ladies on the SmackDown roster. Rousey vs Naomi at SummerSlam? I’d watch it.