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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Nov 27, 2022 5:03:16 GMT -5
Also if rumors are to believed freaking Eva Marie was supposed to be the first SD Champion and Becky only got it after she got suspended and subsequently released. Then Becky was booked like a weak champion for three months playing second fiddle to Nikki Bella who was captain of their Survivor Series team even though Becky was champion and eating pins in tag matches. No champion who was supposed to be the top face of the division ever booked so weakly. Then they jobbed her out to their new favorite toy Alexa Bliss which by that point kind of just came off like a mercy killing if anything. It's why I've never been upset with the strong booking. After all the crap girl had to go through she deserves it. I could believe that Eva rumour, given the division's first few weeks were built around her wacky BEGUILING gimmick.The interesting thing about Becky's 2016 title run is that you're right, but she was also booked quite strongly in the 2016 Survivor Series match. She was the first person to tap out Nia on the main roster, and nearly beat Charlotte before Bayley saved her.
Apparently name plates were made for her. Doesn't surprise me as like you said if you watch those first few Smackdown's after the draft everything was centered around her. They definitely seemed to have bigger plans for her then they did Alexa for instance. However after she was gone they pivoted to Alexa and to her credit took full advantage of the opportunity and did well. I know she's very so so in the ring but Alexa is still ten times more talented then Eva was. I can't even imagine how much of a train wreck it would be with Eva as the lead heel and centerpiece of the division. I guess they eventually would've realized it wasn't going to work and aborted. Becky being booked as strong as she was in that Survivor Series was surprising. Especially tapping out Nia who was still real new and being pushed as an unstoppable monster. You would think they would've did a count out or a DQ elimination with her. I guess Becky being the last one on her team wasn't surprising as with Nikki Bella being taken out before the match with an injury angle where she was attacked backstage (later revealed to be by Natalya who took her spot in the match) she was by default the highest person on the pecking order for that team.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Nov 27, 2022 5:14:06 GMT -5
I don't think Becky was ever booked as badly as Damage CTRL has been. Underutilized definitely but I don't think she ever felt like a useless speedbump who couldn't win a three-on-one fight even at her lowest. Damage CTRL though regardless of how strong they are booked are still a big focus in the Raw women's division as far as TV time goes and even when losing at least they are really only losing to main event faces who are always booked strong. Becky was a complete afterthought for decent stretches and jobbing to the likes of Emma, Dana Brooke, and Tamina while being booked as the third wheel fall girl of babyface alliances (with Charlotte and Paige, with Charlotte and Naomi). On top of that Becky was a babyface. It's a lot easier to recover from crap booking as a heel then it is to as face. Becky was booked way worse. It's really not even close.
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4real
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Post by 4real on Nov 27, 2022 5:50:38 GMT -5
I feel like Bayley is done as a heel now after this. I don’t know where she goes now. A feud with Becky I guess but who is taking her seriously against Becky?
I’d have Dakota & Io turn on her maybe after losing to Becky.
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Post by theironyuppie on Nov 27, 2022 6:19:29 GMT -5
I don't think Becky was ever booked as badly as Damage CTRL has been. Underutilized definitely but I don't think she ever felt like a useless speedbump who couldn't win a three-on-one fight even at her lowest. Damage CTRL though regardless of how strong they are booked are still a big focus in the Raw women's division as far as TV time goes and even when losing at least they are really only losing to main event faces who are always booked strong. Becky was a complete afterthought for decent stretches and jobbing to the likes of Emma, Dana Brooke, and Tamina while being booked as the third wheel fall girl of babyface alliances (with Charlotte and Paige, with Charlotte and Naomi). On top of that Becky was a babyface. It's a lot easier to recover from crap booking as a heel then it is to as face. Becky was booked way worse. It's really not even close.
Becky's booking in that time was interestingly mixed. You're right on those losses, but she also beat Charlotte clean twice, was the runner-up in the first three MITB matches, and at the very least got consistent TV time (including a rare non-title feud with James Ellsworth), though she heightened its effectiveness by her use of social media. Still, it's hard to think of a bigger leap in one year than losing the WM 34 pre-show battle royal to winning both belts in the WM 35 main event. Although neither won the NXT title, it's very different to Bianca's push where she basically just always won and won even before her big push started.
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Nov 27, 2022 6:32:42 GMT -5
I found this thread to be fascinating to look back on: officialfan.proboards.com/thread/596721/bianca-belairThis was a thread posted after the 2020 Royal Rumble, where she got the Iron Woman AND the most eliminations while still in NXT at the time. “Push her to the moon”… Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it, like. Three years later and someone who was the young rookie on the rise is now someone who is being demanded to start returning the favour to the young rookies herself.
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mistery
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Post by mistery on Nov 27, 2022 6:47:41 GMT -5
I found this thread to be fascinating to look back on: officialfan.proboards.com/thread/596721/bianca-belairThis was a thread posted after the 2020 Royal Rumble, where she got the Iron Woman AND the most eliminations while still in NXT at the time. “Push her to the moon”… Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it, like. Three years later and someone who was the young rookie on the rise is now someone who is being demanded to start returning the favour to the young rookies herself. I feel like something people are overlooking is that WWE massively overcorrected after the 26 second thing at Summerslam. Yes Bianca losing that quickly was a bad decision and WWE did the right thing by making good with Bianca. However, they took it a step too far with Bianca now being basically superhuman and every other woman on RAW not even being remotely on her level, booking wise. And now with Becky back, RAW's Women's division is going to be swimming uphill just to find credible heels, because now we have TWO overly dominant babyfaces running over the heels. Something HAS to give. Because right now, there is zero reason to be invested in anything women’s related on RAW because the babyfaces never face any meaningful adversity. There's a saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. Not in the RAW Women's division though where the rising tide (Bianca and Becky) are primed to just sink all the boats instead.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Nov 27, 2022 6:52:34 GMT -5
Damage CTRL though regardless of how strong they are booked are still a big focus in the Raw women's division as far as TV time goes and even when losing at least they are really only losing to main event faces who are always booked strong. Becky was a complete afterthought for decent stretches and jobbing to the likes of Emma, Dana Brooke, and Tamina while being booked as the third wheel fall girl of babyface alliances (with Charlotte and Paige, with Charlotte and Naomi). On top of that Becky was a babyface. It's a lot easier to recover from crap booking as a heel then it is to as face. Becky was booked way worse. It's really not even close. Becky's booking in that time was interestingly mixed. You're right on those losses, but she also beat Charlotte clean twice, was the runner-up in the first three MITB matches, and at the very least got consistent TV time (including a rare non-title feud with James Ellsworth), though she heightened its effectiveness by her use of social media. Still, it's hard to think of a bigger leap in one year than losing the WM 34 pre-show battle royal to winning both belts in the WM 35 main event. Although neither won the NXT title, it's very different to Bianca's push where she basically just always won and won even before her big push started.
Is finishing runner up in a MITB even such a thing? Or even supposed to be some sort of accomplishment kayfabe speaking? I know what you are saying but it's not like a Royal Rumble where you are dealing with eliminations where making it to the last two would be an accomplishment. Finishing "runner up" in a MITB just means she just happened to be the person the winner pushed or knocked off the ladder before they won. I mean reality speaking it was probably a feather in her cap in that it means the office was aware of her being over and that her getting the rug pulled out from under her at the end would get the reaction they wanted. However kayfabe it didn't make her look strong in any way and even in reality it wasn't designed to put her over in any way it was just a way to get heat on Carmella/Ellsworth or Alexa.
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Post by theironyuppie on Nov 27, 2022 6:56:48 GMT -5
Becky's booking in that time was interestingly mixed. You're right on those losses, but she also beat Charlotte clean twice, was the runner-up in the first three MITB matches, and at the very least got consistent TV time (including a rare non-title feud with James Ellsworth), though she heightened its effectiveness by her use of social media. Still, it's hard to think of a bigger leap in one year than losing the WM 34 pre-show battle royal to winning both belts in the WM 35 main event. Although neither won the NXT title, it's very different to Bianca's push where she basically just always won and won even before her big push started.
Is finishing runner up in a MITB even such a thing? Or even supposed to be some sort of accomplishment kayfabe speaking? I know what you are saying but it's not like a Royal Rumble where you are dealing with eliminations where making it to the last two would be an accomplishment. Finishing "runner up" in a MITB just means she just happened to be the person the winner pushed or knocked off the ladder before they won. I mean reality speaking it was probably a feather in her cap in that it means the office was aware of her being over and that her getting the rug pulled out from under her at the end would get the reaction they wanted. However kayfabe it didn't make her look strong in any way and even in reality it wasn't designed to put her over in any way it was just a way to get heat on Carmella/Ellsworth or Alexa.
It's not a kayfabe 'achievement', but it's a good spot for connecting to audiences as an underdog, and gave Becky an opportunity she wouldn't have had if she was just in those matches to make up the numbers. After all, she's credited the crowd's response to her at MITB 2018 as an important factor in her subsequent push. It's also very interesting in hindsight to see the way the crowd treats Charlotte in that match, enthusiastic for her except when facing Becky.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Nov 27, 2022 6:59:31 GMT -5
I found this thread to be fascinating to look back on: officialfan.proboards.com/thread/596721/bianca-belairThis was a thread posted after the 2020 Royal Rumble, where she got the Iron Woman AND the most eliminations while still in NXT at the time. “Push her to the moon”… Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it, like. Three years later and someone who was the young rookie on the rise is now someone who is being demanded to start returning the favour to the young rookies herself. I feel like something people are overlooking is that WWE massively overcorrected after the 26 second thing at Summerslam. Yes Bianca losing that quickly was a bad decision and WWE did the right thing by making good with Bianca. However, they took it a step too far with Bianca now being basically superhuman and every other woman on RAW not even being remotely on her level, booking wise. And now with Becky back, RAW's Women's division is going to be swimming uphill just to find credible heels, because now we have TWO overly dominant babyfaces running over the heels. Something HAS to give. Because right now, there is zero reason to be invested in anything women’s related on RAW because the babyfaces never face any meaningful adversity. There's a saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. Not in the RAW Women's division though where the rising tide (Bianca and Becky) are primed to just sink all the boats instead. They're definitely behind Rhea right now and it seems like they are pushing to be on Bianca and Becky's level. So that's one credible heel who can match up with either one of them. After that though it's really slim pickings. I know they just don't fall out of the sky but they really lack physically imposing heels that are good who if booked right can be physically threatening to these strongly booked babyfaces. Everyone is either small or has been on roster for years and has been through the ringer too much.
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Nov 27, 2022 7:08:01 GMT -5
I feel like something people are overlooking is that WWE massively overcorrected after the 26 second thing at Summerslam. Yes Bianca losing that quickly was a bad decision and WWE did the right thing by making good with Bianca. However, they took it a step too far with Bianca now being basically superhuman and every other woman on RAW not even being remotely on her level, booking wise. And now with Becky back, RAW's Women's division is going to be swimming uphill just to find credible heels, because now we have TWO overly dominant babyfaces running over the heels. Something HAS to give. Because right now, there is zero reason to be invested in anything women’s related on RAW because the babyfaces never face any meaningful adversity. There's a saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. Not in the RAW Women's division though where the rising tide (Bianca and Becky) are primed to just sink all the boats instead. They're definitely behind Rhea right now and it seems like they are pushing to be on Bianca and Becky's level. So that's one credible heel who can match up with either one of them. After that though it's really slim pickings. I know they just don't fall out of the sky but they really lack physically imposing heels that are good who if booked right can be physically threatening to these strongly booked babyfaces. Everyone is either small or has been on roster for years and has been through the ringer too much. I believe she’s injured (haven’t heard anything), so it might not be intentional, but it could be a blessing in disguise that Doudrop is off TV at the moment. If they’re not on TV winning all the time, the next best thing for someone who has lost a lot recently is to not be on TV to continue losing. Because it wouldn’t be illogical in kayfabe for someone to take time out, get their training in order and come back with a fresh approach (and hopefully a different name) and get some wins on the board with it. It’s a lot of words for “Doudrop could be that physically imposing worker you need”, and I know Belair’s beaten her a heap of times, but in terms of “physically imposing”, there ain’t much in the territory other than Rhea Ripley and maybe Raquel Rodriguez.
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Post by theironyuppie on Nov 27, 2022 7:12:41 GMT -5
They're definitely behind Rhea right now and it seems like they are pushing to be on Bianca and Becky's level. So that's one credible heel who can match up with either one of them. After that though it's really slim pickings. I know they just don't fall out of the sky but they really lack physically imposing heels that are good who if booked right can be physically threatening to these strongly booked babyfaces. Everyone is either small or has been on roster for years and has been through the ringer too much. I believe she’s injured (haven’t heard anything), so it might not be intentional, but it could be a blessing in disguise that Doudrop is off TV at the moment. If they’re not on TV winning all the time, the next best thing for someone who has lost a lot recently is to not be on TV to continue losing. Because it wouldn’t be illogical in kayfabe for someone to take time out, get their training in order and come back with a fresh approach (and hopefully a different name) and get some wins on the board with it. It’s a lot of words for “Doudrop could be that physically imposing worker you need”, and I know Belair’s beaten her a heap of times, but in terms of “physically imposing”, there ain’t much in the territory other than Rhea Ripley and maybe Raquel Rodriguez.
It's a shame they already had Bianca run through her so many times. As for Raquel, it feels like a heel run might do her some good like it did in NXT, but it's hard to say when the best time for it is.
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mistery
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Post by mistery on Nov 27, 2022 7:15:08 GMT -5
I mean height shouldn't really be a factor either. Becky isn't exactly physically intimidating. But she is still booked like a world beater.
This should be the time that WWE is building up the next crop of women so they don't have to rely on the horsewomen and Bianca so much. And they had a chance with Damage CTRL to do that. But now in the case of Dakota and Iyo, both are damaged goods and it would take at least the better part of a year to rebuild them. All because they couldn't resist feeding them to Bianca who absolutely did not need all of this. And now Becky is going to finish off what is left.
As for Damage CTRL itself, I feel like once Becky is done running over them, it would be best if they just took Iyo and Dakota off of TV until after Wrestlemania at this point. The damage has been done (no pun intended), and nothing short of a full on reboot for both women will save them. And even then I am not sure, because its not like the women's division is going to be in a decent state after Mania either. Because it feels like WWE is just going to be shuffling the title between the same five women for the foreseeable future.
The irony here is that this could have all been avoided if WWE actually had Bianca face some adversity and build up Damage CTRL as an actual threat. But they are too afraid that they would get backlash similar to what they got from the 26 second thing to actually pull the trigger. And now they are facing backlash among fans of other women because of how awful everyone but Bianca and Bayley are portrayed.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Nov 27, 2022 7:15:35 GMT -5
They're definitely behind Rhea right now and it seems like they are pushing to be on Bianca and Becky's level. So that's one credible heel who can match up with either one of them. After that though it's really slim pickings. I know they just don't fall out of the sky but they really lack physically imposing heels that are good who if booked right can be physically threatening to these strongly booked babyfaces. Everyone is either small or has been on roster for years and has been through the ringer too much. I believe she’s injured (haven’t heard anything), so it might not be intentional, but it could be a blessing in disguise that Doudrop is off TV at the moment. If they’re not on TV winning all the time, the next best thing for someone who has lost a lot recently is to not be on TV to continue losing. Because it wouldn’t be illogical in kayfabe for someone to take time out, get their training in order and come back with a fresh approach (and hopefully a different name) and get some wins on the board with it. It’s a lot of words for “Doudrop could be that physically imposing worker you need”, and I know Belair’s beaten her a heap of times, but in terms of “physically imposing”, there ain’t much in the territory other than Rhea Ripley and maybe Raquel Rodriguez. I haven't seen anything reported but I'm pretty sure Doudrop is injured. Hasn't wrestled since September when her and Nikki fought during Toxic Attraction. During the match she got her nose busted open. So I guess concussion? Or maybe she's been cleared and they've decided to hold off on bringing her back due to repacking purposes. She would be someone who would be perfect as that imposing heel but problem is like you said they've beaten her so much. Including to the two super strong faces we are talking about. Becky and Bianca with the latter in particular beating her so many times that it became a joke on here.
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asuka007
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Post by asuka007 on Nov 27, 2022 7:48:17 GMT -5
They just need to disband at this point.
Or Dakota and Iyo need to kick Bayley out as leader at least.
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J is Justice
Patti Mayonnaise
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Post by J is Justice on Nov 27, 2022 7:56:32 GMT -5
It was brought up in the Nikki thread but I feel like Dakota's been the best/most consistent part of the group.
IYO's definitely done some cool stuff but has been quite botchy, too. I preferred her old look, too, to be honest.
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mistery
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Post by mistery on Nov 27, 2022 8:02:28 GMT -5
It was brought up in the Nikki thread but I feel like Dakota's been the best/most consistent part of the group. IYO's definitely done some cool stuff but has been quite botchy, too. I preferred her old look, too, to be honest. I feel like Iyo has mostly been fine for awhile, but people are getting hung up on her stuff from last night. Otherwise more often than not, she has looked great when she isn't dealing with Bianca. They just have no chemistry at all. And that was the case even in NXT. Because Iyo did some insane stuff last night and after her initial offense, was perfectly fine. She was sloppy at points but that was pretty much everyone at some point.
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Post by theironyuppie on Nov 27, 2022 8:31:46 GMT -5
They just need to disband at this point. Or Dakota and Iyo need to kick Bayley out as leader at least.
It's possible, though that would be an interesting story given part of Dakota's current character is her loyalty to Bayley for seeing something in her.
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gl83
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Post by gl83 on Nov 27, 2022 8:47:50 GMT -5
They just need to disband at this point. Or Dakota and Iyo need to kick Bayley out as leader at least. It's possible, though that would be an interesting story given part of Dakota's current character is her loyalty to Bayley for seeing something in her.
It would be a interesting take, especially if you have Dakota & IYO wanting to elevate the tag titles and themselves in the process, but are constantly being roped into fighting Bayley’s battles and doing Bayley’s bidding. Heck if they’re going to be feuding with Becky, why not have Becky mess with them on the mic about how following Bayley around and playing second-fiddle to her will get them nowhere(playing off of her own history when she was in the same boat as them with Charlotte)
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XIII
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Post by XIII on Nov 27, 2022 8:56:03 GMT -5
I feel like they were only ever a thing because H thought that Sasha was a lock to return and it doesn’t appear to be the case anymore so they’ve become an afterthought. Even more so now that Becky is back.
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Post by Jindrak Mark on Nov 27, 2022 10:26:59 GMT -5
And now they are facing backlash among fans of other women because of how awful everyone but Bianca and Bayley are portrayed. You could find people complaining about literally anything online. The actual ticket paying audience are not showing any backlash at all. It's the exact same thing with The Bloodline. Reading certain sections of Twitter you'd think this is depressing and fans are tired then you actually watch the shows and fans are having the time of their lives during those war games matches and loved both winning teams.
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