Lynch’s technique brought out the best in Charlotte and the others from several standpoints. Though she may not have catalyzed their development, it was Lynch’s progression of character and role that helped Charlotte’s subtleties shine brighter, Bayley’s move-set to round-out, and Sasha’s character to grow into a presence befitting of her suddenly prolific in-ring performances.
In seemingly no time at all, the women of NXT were taking over. Each one challenged each other through legitimately friendly competition disguised on-screen as a power struggle reminiscent of some of WWE’s finest eras of wrestling. In them, I saw the Smackdown Six, the ECW cruiserweights, the crowded tag-team division of the early 2000’s. In them, a revolution was rising without years of kayfabe legitimacy, athletic innovation, or TLC matches as a crutch. These ladies were wrestling matches, their hearts on their sleeves, with only the NXT Women’s Championship and the subsequent pecking order as their motivation. In doing so, they were displaying the bite, influence, and intensity required to make a difference – and the WWE Universe was catching on.
The stage was set for the four women to settle that pecking order at NXT TakeOver: Rival on February 11, 2015. My friends and I were tuning in once again, but though on that night we were captivated primarily by Finn Bálor, Hideo Itami, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens, we would be talking about the battle between the four leading ladies of NXT long after the night’s festivities concluded.
On that night, Sasha Banks successfully wrestled the NXT Women’s Championship away from her three rivals – but not before all four women had a chance to shine. Charlotte’s championship pedigree, Lynch’s deceptive power, and Bayley’s undeniable heart were all on full display in the contest before Sasha’s “Bank Statement” submission hold facilitated the pin-fall victory over her old friend Charlotte. One enduring image from the event was of all four competitors prone on the floor outside the ring, selling a leap over the top rope by Charlotte just seconds after Sasha had dove through the second rope herself to take out Lynch and Bayley. The camaraderie amongst the performers was palpable, and the awkwardly emotional stare-down shared between the new champion and the former felt all-too appropriate in its reality.
There was no looking back for the four performers; their completion had inspired a legion of fans excited to see their excellence propel them to success. I was among that legion, to say the least.
In the months that ensued, Charlotte’s aura of superiority cemented naturally, while Banks worked her aura into that same level of potency and Becky emerged into an edgier incarnation of the underdog darling role that Bayley previously occupied. Bayley, however, alternated between enhancing her fellow female performers in between nursing knee and hand injuries. Had that not been the case, her destiny may have been realized as quickly as her three rivals’ was.
Fast forward one more time to last month on July 13th, 2015. The stage was Monday Night Raw. The Divas of the main roster were enduring what was arguably an all-time low for the division. A.J. Lee had recently departed the company with little notice to the fans and the ranks were dominated by the cast of WWE’s “E!” reality series “Total Divas”. Chief among them from an in-ring standpoint was former NXT standout Paige, who was finding herself perpetually bludgeoned by the likes of Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, and her WWE Divas Champion sister Nikki. Likewise to Paige, upstarts Naomi and Tamina Snuka were equally subdued by the Bella clan. The fans were generally frustrated with watching the same cast flounder through matches that were mediocre at best and full of pre-planned foul-play. Furthermore, where the women of NXT were wrestling for up to fifteen minutes and gaining tremendous exposure, the ladies of the main roster were feeling the ill effects of having just two minutes per broadcast of allotted time. With a change glaringly and painfully necessary, fans rejoiced when Stephanie McMahon turned down the “vile” on her authoritative persona long enough to call for a “Divas Revolution”. She went on to introduce Charlotte, Lynch, and Banks in a moment that set the entire promotion ablaze with intrigue. In the one month since that night, the three NXT standouts have galvanized and performed under a spotlight that is new to the entire division.
Bayley, due back any day from injury, was noticeably absent. When she finally did return, however, it was with more direction and dedication than ever before. With the lines between reality and story blurred, Bayley explained her sadness and motivation that came with her peers’ elevation to the main roster. She described a reinvigorated determination to be the best woman wrestler that NXT has to offer. The fans felt the winds of change in NXT with Sasha’s departure, and anticipation for Bayley’s own coming-of-age was organic in its development. After all, if Bayley’s comrades were to pioneer new ceilings for women’s wrestling alongside WWE’s finest female athletes, than SOMEONE had to continue that tradition in the place where those ceilings were raised.
In beautiful fashion, the minds of WWE wrote the book of Bayley’s ultimate retribution. First, she overcame the woman whom she had most recently elevated, Emma (whose own story of resurgence I personally await). Bayley then challenged “the best of the best”, the former champion Charlotte in a match that challenged her resourcefulness and surfacing maturity. In a gutsy performance, Bayley defeated Charlotte with a variation of her Bayley-to-Belly finishing maneuver from the second rope. This set up a number-one-contenders contest with Lynch.
Becky’s technical mastery would be Bayley’s toughest challenge yet. Could she overcome a competitor who boasted a considerable advantage in strength and experience? One who she had encountered far less often in her professional career than Charlotte? The contest proved to be gritty, cerebral, and trying for the newly-recovered ambassador of the “Hug Life”, but it was her ability to adapt and capitalize on opportunity that pushed her to defeat the Irish born submission specialist.
