A Brief History Of The WWE Women’s Revolution (Part 3)

The conclusion in this series of articles on the key events and entities that lead up to and took us beyond the WWE Women’s Revolution, and into WWE Evolution.

Part 1 of this series on the WWE Women’s Revolution gave props to early trail blazers in the modern era. Part 2 applauded the bar-raisers and trend-setters inside and outside of WWE, as well as the fans and figures who used the power of their voice for change.

Here in this final part we continue on the journey of ascension for WWE’s Women.

Sky’s The Limit

From: WWE Network

After the culture shock that came with the #GiveDivasAChance social media movement, the only way forward for the women of WWE was through elevation.

Just over two weeks after the 30 second fiasco involving Paige, Emma and The Bella Twins, new NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks would defend her title against the former Queen, Charlotte. This significant contest on the March 4th, 2015 episode of NXT was given its proper due: it was the main event of the program.

The last instance a women’s match had headlined a main WWE show was over 10 years earlier, in the match between Trish Stratus and Lita on RAW, December 6th, 2004. This was also when the WWE Diva’s Championship was still the WWE Women’s Championship.

Eve Torres and AJ Lee were part of the main event on the July 09, 2012 episode of RAW, but as part of a mixed tag team match with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. That match capped off a rather uncomfortable to watch Domestic Manipulation / Mental Health story-line.

The story of this NXT Women’s title match was whether Banks could defeat Charlotte in one-on-one competition. Up until now Charlotte had always had Banks’ number, and it took the organised chaos of the Fatal 4 Way match at NXT TakeOver Rival for Banks to get the win.

Banks played to this theme by being hesitant to engage early on, and only began battling with her long time nemesis when the more physically domineering Charlotte left her with no choice.

At 11 minutes bell-to-bell, the match was a bit of a slow burn that didn’t pick up until the closing moments. Not all of the NXT audience were accepting of Banks as champion, partly because she was still very much the villain in this feud who did what ever it took to stay champ. This would include the referee not seeing Banks use the ring ropes for an unfair leverage advantage, securing her the contest-ending pin. Such tactics are generally considered illegal within the laws of the Pro Wrestling universe.

This was a good example of story telling to get crowd heat on the ‘Bad Guy‘ – not a 30 second match that was only to the benefit of limited performers; a match that may or may not have been orchestrated by the ‘Divas’ involved. The finish of Banks vs Charlotte actually made the audience look forward to a continuing rivalry.

Before that would happen it was decided Banks needed fresh competitors to help prove she was a credible figurehead for the division. A series of title and non-title matches took place for Banks to show off and prove her dominance.

Banks’ next significant story-line challenge would come in the form of former Team B.A.E. ally Becky Lynch, who ultimately wanted her own chance to rule at the top.

The match to see who was best was set for NXT TakeOver Unstoppable, May 20th, 2015. The event saw another evolution in Becky Lynch’s look as she debuted entrance and ring attire that had Steampunk sensibilities. The new look may or may not have been based on Chandra Nalaar – a character from Magic: The Gathering, a fantasy based trading card role playing game.

The string of exhibition matches Sasha Banks was given beforehand had done their job – even though she was a villain, the crowd was largely behind her having come to respect her work in the ring, and in the presentation of her character. The creative team in NXT was proof positive that an antagonist could be booked strong if the talent was there to begin with.

Banks also benefited that night from working with an opponent who had similar physical attributes to her: the difference in strength, speed and agility between her and Lynch was minimal. It allowed both women to tell a much different in-ring story than with the taller, more powerful Charlotte.

The result was quite frankly the best Women’s match the NXT brand had seen up to that point – quite possibly the best Women’s match in WWE thus far. 15 minutes were spent trading blows, high risk moves and sadistic looking holds.

More than that, the match elevated Becky Lynch to Superstar status. The faithful fans of Full Sail were captivated by the talent and passion on display, and even in a losing effort, Lynch’s performance had won much of the audience over.

More than the “This Is Awesome” and “This Is Wrestling” chants that were now a regular feature of NXT women’s contests, it was the quiet appreciation that became an impromptu, A capella rendition of Lynch’s theme as she struggled to stand post-match; alone in the ring and  distraught that the title had slipped through her fingers.

The reaction was truly organic and something special. Lynch was now recognizably on the level of Sasha Banks and Charlotte.