WWE: Lacey Evans has been a solid addition to the Raw women’s division

Friday, WWE announced the results of the Mid-Year Awards and Lacey Evans was named The Best Breakout Superstar. Since, fans have questioned if she deserves the honor.

This weekend, Lacey Evans was named The Best Breakout Superstar via an online poll on WWE’s Instagram account. The announcement quickly made its rounds online and there were some of the usual knee jerk reactions.

For the sake of argument, let’s review Evans’ time on the main roster so far.

“The Lady of WWE” made her official debut as the first entrant in the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble match. She lasted 29 minutes and scored two eliminations, as she eliminated The IIconics. Her first pay-per-view appearance was filled with a few mishaps, but that could be chalked up to jitters.

Evans did have an intriguing stare down with Charlotte Flair, who eventually eliminated her later in the match. However, out of all the entrants from NXT she had the least entertaining spots for all the time she was given.

In the following months, Lacey Evans would walk out to the ramp, wave, and leave. This went on for weeks, and it was certainly effective because it annoyed most fans.

Still, it worked out in the long run because when she walked out to interrupt Becky Lynch on the Raw after Mania no one expected much. Instead, she turned to leave, then sucker-punched Lynch and inserted herself into the title picture.

Although her debut got off to a slow start, Evans worked well as The Man’s first challenger. They are polar opposites, so Lacey made a perfect foil for Lynch. “The Lady” was at her best when she cut promos or played off the crowd.

Their match at Money in the Bank left a little to be desired, but Evans excelled at generating heat and playing an outlandish heel character. If nothing else, she was entertaining.

Before the end of the night, Lacey Evans cost the first dual Women’s Champion the SmackDown Women’s Championship. This set up another title match at Stomping Grounds. It was admittedly better than their last bout, but it was still average.

With that said, Evans still stood out later as the special referee in the main event. She played her part perfectly, tormenting Seth Rollins and getting the crowd on his side.

On the other hand, it reignited the feud with Becky, and honestly, their program went on too long. WWE just didn’t have enough material for three matches, and it didn’t help they weren’t doing much with the other women on Raw.

Now, the Winner Takes All Mixed tag team match at Extreme Rules was better than it had any right to be, but it did feel a little contrived.

Evans hasn’t appeared on Raw since she left Baron Corbin high and dry at the pay-per-view event. But even so, she would make a great opponent for any of the remaining women on the brand. There is definitely a need for secondary feuds to build up the next contender for the Raw Women’s Championship.

So, is Lacey Evans The Best Breakout Superstar of 2019 so far? Not really, but she is a worthy candidate. For our money, Nikki Cross has had a better year so far.

Nonetheless, Lacey has undeniably made an impact since she attacked Becky Lynch the night after WrestleMania. Moreover, she has been the best new antagonist on a roster in dire need of more engaging heels.

Sure, it can be argued she is the best by default because she has been given more opportunities than any other new female talent, as Carmella pointed out. Still, she has done good character work with what she was given. Love her or hate her, she is eliciting a reaction.

Keep in mind, the Mid-Year Awards were based on fan’s votes. That has to stand for something, right?

Overall, Evans still looks green. She could use some more polish before she gets another title match, but she does have plenty of potential. It’s fair to be frustrated that she stayed in the title picture for three months, but it’s hard to deny she has been a nice addition to the Raw roster.