WWE: Naomi’s win over Bayley must mean something

Naomi earned a big win over Bayley on Friday and it should elevate her to a top contender position.

WWE has a problem with following through on storylines. There is a variety of examples in which an angle was started or hinted at, just to be forgotten about as if the viewers did not see it happen. It is frustrating to fans and even more so to the wrestlers involved. Hopefully, Naomi’s victory over Bayley from the most recent edition of Friday Night SmackDown is not ignored. Instead it should lead to a one-on-one battle between the two at an upcoming event.

Last Friday, Naomi pinned Bayley in the center of the ring in less than three minutes. She landed the Rear View and put the WWE SmackDown women’s champion away. Bayley was successful at SummerSlam where she defeated Asuka to keep her title, but she is not clear of top contenders. Not with Naomi holding that win over her head.

Bayley already has plenty of reasons to look over her shoulder. The Golden Role Models are set to defend their tag titles at Payback on Sunday against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. Plus, she needs to keep a close eye on her best friend, Sasha Banks, who has eyes on any title she can get around her waist, including that blue one.

So where does Naomi fit into this picture? Well, she should get a one-on-one match against the champion. So many of her fans have continued to push for her to be given another opportunity at the top of the card. Much like the push Kofi Kingston experienced in 2019, people of color are clamoring for one of their favorites to break through from the mid card once again. So far, WWE has responded by making a mockery of this push both in storyline and via various comments from other professionals, but that does not mean the call still is not there. Pitting Naomi against Bayley would be a start to what should be a positive push for the ten-year WWE veteran.

Naomi versus Bayley, while they “save” the other match

Currently, it seems like the WWE is looking to prolong the Banks versus Bayley storyline for as long as possible. That’s a turn and a match that fans have wanted to see for years, and there’s an understandable desire to put that in front of the fans; especially when considering how much they factored into the original matches back in NXT.

So, while the WWE continues to “save” the true Sasha versus Bayley storyline, Naomi should be elevated as a proper foil for the SmackDown champion. This starts with the win that she earned last week. This does not need to be a fully blown out feud that lasts months, as current WWE storylines tend to. Instead, Naomi needs to stake her claim to the number one contender’s position and demand a title shot once the tag team title defense is over. The hope would be that WWE would book her strongly in the meantime, avoiding its habit of non-finishes and shotty decision-making. One would hope.

Naomi’s victory over Bayley from last week should not be shoved under the ring as if it did not happen. This is an opportunity for WWE Creative to elevate Naomi in a way fans have pushed for, while giving a little misdirection to the true angle they want to see in the end.