Divas Division Deserves an Attitude Era

Okay I know women were part of the original Attitude Era, but they weren’t at the forefront, the driving force. The current phase of the Divas’ evolution sees a genuine contrast of styles and characters vying for recognition as the division’s best. I’ve said before, the reason current WWE programming seems tepid is down to a lack of competition. The Monday Night Wars were so enthralling because WWE and WCW pushed the standards higher and higher. The main roster has no rival now. This isn’t true for the Divas.

The Divas Division has utilised the different branding (main roster and NXT) and created a mini-war of their own. With it the women have seemingly been given greater creative freedom – just like Vince McMahon afforded his chosen stars back when WCW took the upper-hand. It’s no coincidence that Triple H – the King of chosen Kings – is the force behind NXT. It has its own voice and continues to make its own stamp.

What we’re seeing now is an Invasion of sorts. Unlike the disappointing WCW Invasion angle that presented the outsiders as inferior, this one has inverted the rules. The NXT crew appear more dominant, better equipped. It’d have been a hard sell to do it any other way. Anyone watching the WWE Network will know women’s matches there have a higher degree of technical application and last for more than three minutes. They actually wrestle – and dare I say it – sometimes it’s better than their male counterparts.

Within this micro Monday Night War the NXT edgier attitude has seeped through. Suddenly it’s not all so vanilla. Paige – the division’s outstanding performer – has slotted in perfectly. She was never going to be the next Bella twin. This future Hall of Famer was always going to redefine the term “Diva” for a new generation. It helps this transition that she now has wrestlers that can complement her ability on the show.

Sasha Banks and Charlotte have unique styles and personalities but contrasting personas are vital ingredients for the Diva Revolution – their Attitude Era – to work. Not to mention some recognised star power. WCW and WWE were flooded with big names, having the daughter of Ric Flair in the mix doesn’t harm things (Wooo!). In an Attitude Era pretty much anything goes but everyone needs to be different. Current WWE is too safe, too manufactured, too plastic. The new Divas are anything but.

The current roster has to step up to the challenge or face extinction. They must have been worried for some time, watching excellent NXT shows and wondering if they could cope with such energetic brutality. To be fair, so far they have taken the bull by the horns and added to the excitement. Brie Bella looks convincing grappling with the NXT additions. This is a testament to the desire to evolve and adapt the exiting ladies have.

Obviously the Divas Revolution can’t be a true Attitude Era. The WWE world is too PG for that. But it can alter the current tone. The happy music, cheery skips, and matches that look like two girls getting choreography wrong, can be scrapped. In NXT when a submission move gets locked in (like the Bank Statement) it’s hard not to wince. Attitude is one part that the fresh characters are bringing along with the damage their bodies are now absorbing.

Like an era there has to be an end goal. For the Attitude Era it was securing the win during the Monday Night Wars. For the Divas it will be ensuring that their division never returns to being an afterthought or the segment of a PPV where everyone takes a toilet break. As Charlotte said recently, she wants to headline WrestleMania. That sounds far-flung now but Ronda Rousey now headlines the male sport of MMA. Why can’t a Divas Championship one day close the greatest show on Earth?

There is no reason. If the women involved continue to make the strides forward at the pace they currently are the paying public will demand more Diva matches higher up the card.

Viva la Revolution.

Nothing New to Ce

WWE have managed to do the opposite of killing two birds with one stone, the old adage of eliminating problems, and reintroduced a bunch of old ones and lost the tools to fix them. Dolph Ziggler’s stand-out, coming-of-age, Survivor Series performance, the debut of the legendary Sting, and the removal of The Authority was all for nothing. The stipulation that only John Cena could bring them back had numerous angles that could have been played over time. Instead we didn’t get anything fresh. This is ironic because Cena himself has been stale for a long time. WWE should have killed two birds with one stone – they should have turned Cena heel.

The Superman Cena gimmick has run its course. Sure, kids still chant “Let’s go Cena!” and this shifts enough merchandise for WWE decision makers to ignore the “Cena sucks!” retorts. Undoubtedly there was good reason to squeeze every last bit of life from this set-up. But it’s done now. Not even the staunchest of Cena fans can really be looking forward to his next bout with Lesnar. Cena keeps getting these gigs because they clearly don’t trust any other stars to play the main babyface of the company. It’s time they took a leap of faith on one.

They can’t take a full leap while Cena is still the super powered hero that kids love to cheer. The Daniel Bryan Yes Movement had the potential to offer a healthy alternative, and may do again now he’s back from injury. Even a successful emergence from another star doesn’t address the main problem: Cena’s act is tired. Hulkamania had run its course after a pioneering period in the 80s. Our wrestling heroes eventually become the ones we’ve seen enough of. Hulk Hogan realised this and requested he became the third member of the nWo. The rest is history.

Hogan protected the Hulkamania gimmick by donning black and becoming Hollywood Hulk Hogan. The same could have been done with Cena. He could have stepped away from “Loyalty, Hustle, Respect” and freshened up his act. The best heels are the ones that are mighty and powerful, without the need for cheating. The nWo walked over everyone. They were dominant. Cena could have played that type of heel. Super Cena would be exciting again. Those booing adults would start to cheer.

The story to turn him would have been simple and believable enough. We know from Total Divas that he’s dating Nikki Bella, the heel female wrestler. He could have said he’d had enough of the woman he loves taking the brunt of hatred from the WWE Universe. That the place had become lawless since The Authority had been removed, that it was time to bring back some order. As a bonus you’d have a Shield 2.0 with Rollins and Cena, add another of your choice. You could even throw in a turned Hogan to endorse the new Cena’s mindset. It’d generate heat like we’ve never seen before. Cena would be relevant again.

Overtime the new Cena could slowly edge back toward face by way of the anti-hero angle. Those booing adults that were now cheering would see him as this generation’s Stone Cold Steve Austin. His eventual turn against The Authority would rehabilitate his character, one that’d never have to be so worn out ever again.

There’s some sense of perfect symmetry to this. Cena is often cited as the PG generation’s Hulk Hogan, it’d be good to see his gimmick give a nod to the man that replaced Hogan at the top of the mountain, Steve Austin. Instead we get more of the same. WWE retreading the same old paths, John Cena becoming more antiquated with every moment of TV time. A great opportunity lost.