WWE Raw: Charlotte Flair is Being Used to Troll the Fans and It’s Working

The Feb. 11 episode of WWE Raw dealt with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon trying to get Becky Lynch to apologize for her recent actions at the risk of stripping her WrestleMania shot from her. Although The Man ultimately swallowed her pride, Vince McMahon didn’t buy it. Not only did The Chairman suspend Lynch for 60 days, he replaced Lynch with none other than Charlotte Flair.

Well, that was a unique way to end Monday Night Raw. And by unique, I mean divisive. Then again, divisive implies that there’s an even split that allows for discourse between those who loved WWE Raw’s final twist and those who hated it. A quick glance at the TL would show that everybody and their mother loathes what happened.

Ever since WWE Raw went off the air, the WWE Universe has been in a complete and utter uproar. People are complaining that Charlotte vs Ronda isn’t the match they want, Becky is legitimately getting screwed, Charlotte is a third wheel, the ending was terrible, WWE’s bad at booking, etc. Everyone is going bananas about these recent developments.

Which means that WWE’s plan is going according to plan.

It’s easy – and frankly, a popular belief – to say that WWE is out of touch and don’t know what they’re doing, but truth be told, they deserve just a little bit more credit than we tend to give them. Yeah, there are several recent example of WWE not understanding their audience, but the recent developments in the Raw Women’s Championship storyline suggests they understand their audience now more than they ever have in recent memory.

It seems evident that they understand that more than anything else, the WWE Universe want to see Becky Lynch in the WrestleMania main event and they last thing they want to see is Charlotte shoe-horned into another title match. WWE are using what they know that the fans want and manifesting it into a storyline. Most importantly, they know what the fans would hate to see and are turning it into a journey to give the fans what they want.

To put it in layman’s terms, WWE is trolling their fans. And oh boy, is it working.

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Within minutes of WWE Raw ending, both Vince and Charlotte were trending topics. There weren’t any kind words directed at either party, but that was by design and exactly the reaction that WWE wanted. Vince McMahon raised Charlotte’s arm at the ramp sporting a devilish grin. Of course they know fans would hate this, but they are using that hate to generate heat for Charlotte Flair. They are building up a villain worth hating to make it all the more satisfying when they’re vanquished by the hero, which is what WrestleMania’s all about.

I may be alone in saying this, but I loved the ending to WWE Raw last night. I’ve flipped back and forth on the idea of a triple threat women’s main event; even after the match was set up at the end of TLC in December. However, as soon as both Charlotte and Vince stepped on-stage wearing shit-eating grins, I was sold on the triple threat.

Suddenly, I wanted to see payoffs to Ronda Rousey’s feuds with both Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch that were set up in late 2018. I want to see how Becky Lynch is going to get herself back into the Mania main event and un-suspended this time. I want to see both Ronda and Becky kick the tar out of the villainous Charlotte Flair on the Grandest Stage of Them All. After all, that’s what the main event of WrestleMania has always been about, right? Giving us a payoff to a compelling storyline involving the company’s most hated heel and most beloved babyface?

Becky is that babyface, Charlotte is that heel, and Ronda is the champ in the thick of it all.

Could Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch have sold the match by themselves? Of course.

Did we need a third party into the match? Not necessarily.

Did WWE have to tell the story in this manner? No.

But this is the story that WWE chooses to tell. So far, judging by the reaction to what WWE’s setting up, they’re telling it well. If fans didn’t care about the storyline so much, they wouldn’t be complaining so venomously and that’s a win in itself.

The only major problem with the storyline so far is that we don’t know the finish line, which in WWE is both wonderful and terrifying. It’s fun to not know where a story is going to go and how it is going to end, but WWE has never been the flag bearer of satisfying storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, when they’re on, they’re on fire. WWE has plenty of examples where they gave us fairytale endings. And also plenty of examples of not so great payoffs.

As long as Becky Lynch has her hand raised at the conclusion of WrestleMania, this would be a perfect storyline. Till then at least, the journey to WrestleMania is an exciting one.