WRITTEN BY SEAN BROWN
With the Diva's Division well and truly rejuvenated, but not exactly perfect, I take a look at five women who can take it to the next level...
There's a mix of different women here, including some on the roster, some "free agents" and who are already under WWE contracts.
Who are they? Let's find out!
5. Natalya
Natalya is one of the most underutilized talents in WWE, now and forever.
Natalya is easily one of the best female wrestlers the WWE has on their books. It's honestly baffles me how she isn't one of the focal points of the current Diva's Division.
You can't learn experience. Experience is Natalya's middle name. She's been learning and doing it since she was a kid. She was learning and doing it from the best. I could type more 200 words about Natalya's great background and preparation, or I can just summarize it in one statement—she's a member of the Hart wrestling family.
Paige comes from a great family in England. Charlotte is the daughter of Ric Flair. A.J. Lee (albeit retired last April) paid her dues through the ranks of the independent wrestling scene. All respectable upbringings, but it's a far cry from the discipline, knowledge, styles clash and the credibility of the entire Hart family tree carries with its training and reputation.
Natalya embodies a classic female wrestler combined with today's standards. She has an old-school in-ring command. She has the charm of a Miss Elizabeth. She has the sex appeal of Trish Stratus. She has a blend of all those characteristic, eras and roles.
Whatever the future for Natalya, her positive outlook on professional wrestling and her infectious charisma makes her a fan favorite. Now she just needs the chance to display her talent technically against the brand new crop of Divas.
Despite her increased television time, more could always be done with her. She had one title run in WWE in 2010. One is better than none but nowhere near adequate for probably the best and most under-appreciated female wrestler in WWE.
Natalya is totally underrated and under-utilized. She's a fantastic wrestler. If fans are truly going to appreciate the new breed of Divas on the main roster, Nattie needs to be one of the women at the forefront.
4. Emma
WWE has a potential cornerstone in Emma, but has decided to instead use her as a paperweight.
The company has inexplicably failed to showcase her talent on television, hasn't given her storylines that would elevate her and has seemingly forgotten how fantastic she was at NXT.
During her years in NXT, Emma blended an eccentric character and charisma to create a persona that rapidly become one of the most popular on the developmental roster. She was bubbly—quirky and occasionally clumsy—but once the bell sounded, she was as capable of wrestling the NXT Women's title away from her opponents.
Her bouts with Paige laid the groundwork for the phenomenal women's wrestling that would occur in developmental in the years that followed. They wrestled contests that looked every bit as impressive as the men's and proved that a pair of women with time and an interesting story can deliver in front of a rapid fanbase eager to inhale the action.
But by the time she was prompted to the main roster, Emma was left to wallow in lightweight, the on-screen love interest of midcard comedy act Santino Marella. Their rivalry with Fandango and Summer Rae was painfully bad and hardly allowed the talented Australian to showcase her skills.
By the time Santino's serious neck injury forced the Italian into premature retirement, Emma suffered most, seemingly falling off the grid and into obscurity. Upon returning to NXT at the beginning of 2015 after a lackluster run on the main roster, Emma has shed her bubbly party-girl persona in favor of a darker character befitting her superior in-ring capabilities.
She's much better like that.
Nobody can deny her sheer talent. Grounded in her recent gimmick, she's entertainingly vicious. She's an artist inside the squared-circle. Emma blends technical prowess and charisma to create the ideal in-ring concoction.
There is still hope for Emma, hope that she will be part of a future storyline that brings her to the forefront of the Diva's Division and showcases her considerable in-ring prowess.
3. Lita
Most female wrestlers don't have tattoos or piercings but than in itself brings an appeal to Lita. She doesn't look your "typical" Diva.
She looks like a rock/punk (no, not the wrestlers!) chick with the tattoos, the flame-red hair and the way her personality comes across.
The Hall Of Famer endeared herself to the audience because she was basically just herself, and she did things to make herself stand out from the rest.
I haven't seen any female wrestler/Diva do what Lita could do.
Moonsaults, huracanranas, you name it, she pioneered it all.
She seems to have left WWE on good terms, but whether she'd like to make a return inside the squared-circle, I don't know.
One things for sure, though, I'd have Lita based down in developmental, training the girls to make sure they're all-but ready for the main roster.
2. Bayley
Cuteness and being warrior-like are usually separate traits, but not in the case of NXT Women's Champion Bayley.
The lovable-women child, big-grinned prospect has embraced and maximized her character, a wrestler poised to thrive as the next women's titleholder.
NXT has packaged her as one of the most irresistible characters at WWE developmental. Still just 26, Bayley hasn't reached her full potential.
She's far from the prototypical Diva that WWE has preferred in the past, but she's an asset to the company—a future Champion and the kind of wrestler who inspires people.
She'll fit in perfectly on Raw and SmackDown among all the silliness and comedy acts of the current era. Kids will like her goofiness. Some young girls will definitely see themselves in her.
Bayley's not just a goofball gimmick, though.
She's a well-rounded wrestler whose indy experience is clear when she goes to battle. Her speed, strength and technical prowess are better than many of the Divas on the main platform.
The American also sells extremely well. She writhes in pain with just the right level of theatrics. She moves smoothly inside the squared-circle and can pull moves like a flying elbow or a modified exploder suplex in impressive fashion.
Given a fair opportunity—count on her being extremely popular with WWE fans. She's too much fun. Bayley's gimmick is ready for the main roster, and she has supreme ring skills and heartfelt delivery that would immediately push her past many of the Divas already employed.
Her character lends itself to a story along the lines of when Mickie James grew obsessed with Trish Stratus, leading to the pair battling at WrestleMania.
She's a much sillier version of Mickie James' crazy fan character and a bubblier version of Emma.
That being said, she would be perfect for WWE's PG environment. Unlike most WWE Superstars, her attempts at comedy are more adorable than they are pathetic (Santino Marella, I'm looking at you) and would help her get over the children demographic.
Good luck trying to fight off Bayley's charms, because you'll need it.
1. Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus is probably the greatest WWE Diva of all time.
If you were looking for someone to personify everything that you wished a WWE Diva could be, Trish would be it.
Beautiful, marketable, athletic and someone who worked her tail off to become widely the best of her generation, if not all-time.
If I were in charge, I'd have Trish as a backstage agent, solely responsible for delivering creative ideas and storylines for the Divas.
Whether she'd be comfortable booking bouts or not, I'm not sure, but if there's one women who could bring total Stratus-faction back to the Divas Division, it's Trish.
 |
| Image: WWE.com |
There's a mix of different women here, including some on the roster, some "free agents" and who are already under WWE contracts.
Who are they? Let's find out!
5. Natalya
Natalya is one of the most underutilized talents in WWE, now and forever.
Natalya is easily one of the best female wrestlers the WWE has on their books. It's honestly baffles me how she isn't one of the focal points of the current Diva's Division.
You can't learn experience. Experience is Natalya's middle name. She's been learning and doing it since she was a kid. She was learning and doing it from the best. I could type more 200 words about Natalya's great background and preparation, or I can just summarize it in one statement—she's a member of the Hart wrestling family.
Paige comes from a great family in England. Charlotte is the daughter of Ric Flair. A.J. Lee (albeit retired last April) paid her dues through the ranks of the independent wrestling scene. All respectable upbringings, but it's a far cry from the discipline, knowledge, styles clash and the credibility of the entire Hart family tree carries with its training and reputation.
Natalya embodies a classic female wrestler combined with today's standards. She has an old-school in-ring command. She has the charm of a Miss Elizabeth. She has the sex appeal of Trish Stratus. She has a blend of all those characteristic, eras and roles.
 |
| Image: WWE.com |
Despite her increased television time, more could always be done with her. She had one title run in WWE in 2010. One is better than none but nowhere near adequate for probably the best and most under-appreciated female wrestler in WWE.
Natalya is totally underrated and under-utilized. She's a fantastic wrestler. If fans are truly going to appreciate the new breed of Divas on the main roster, Nattie needs to be one of the women at the forefront.
4. Emma
WWE has a potential cornerstone in Emma, but has decided to instead use her as a paperweight.
The company has inexplicably failed to showcase her talent on television, hasn't given her storylines that would elevate her and has seemingly forgotten how fantastic she was at NXT.
During her years in NXT, Emma blended an eccentric character and charisma to create a persona that rapidly become one of the most popular on the developmental roster. She was bubbly—quirky and occasionally clumsy—but once the bell sounded, she was as capable of wrestling the NXT Women's title away from her opponents.
Her bouts with Paige laid the groundwork for the phenomenal women's wrestling that would occur in developmental in the years that followed. They wrestled contests that looked every bit as impressive as the men's and proved that a pair of women with time and an interesting story can deliver in front of a rapid fanbase eager to inhale the action.
 |
| Image: Getty Images |
By the time Santino's serious neck injury forced the Italian into premature retirement, Emma suffered most, seemingly falling off the grid and into obscurity. Upon returning to NXT at the beginning of 2015 after a lackluster run on the main roster, Emma has shed her bubbly party-girl persona in favor of a darker character befitting her superior in-ring capabilities.
She's much better like that.
Nobody can deny her sheer talent. Grounded in her recent gimmick, she's entertainingly vicious. She's an artist inside the squared-circle. Emma blends technical prowess and charisma to create the ideal in-ring concoction.
There is still hope for Emma, hope that she will be part of a future storyline that brings her to the forefront of the Diva's Division and showcases her considerable in-ring prowess.
3. Lita
Most female wrestlers don't have tattoos or piercings but than in itself brings an appeal to Lita. She doesn't look your "typical" Diva.
She looks like a rock/punk (no, not the wrestlers!) chick with the tattoos, the flame-red hair and the way her personality comes across.
The Hall Of Famer endeared herself to the audience because she was basically just herself, and she did things to make herself stand out from the rest.
I haven't seen any female wrestler/Diva do what Lita could do.
Moonsaults, huracanranas, you name it, she pioneered it all.
 |
| Image: WWE.com |
One things for sure, though, I'd have Lita based down in developmental, training the girls to make sure they're all-but ready for the main roster.
2. Bayley
Cuteness and being warrior-like are usually separate traits, but not in the case of NXT Women's Champion Bayley.
The lovable-women child, big-grinned prospect has embraced and maximized her character, a wrestler poised to thrive as the next women's titleholder.
NXT has packaged her as one of the most irresistible characters at WWE developmental. Still just 26, Bayley hasn't reached her full potential.
She's far from the prototypical Diva that WWE has preferred in the past, but she's an asset to the company—a future Champion and the kind of wrestler who inspires people.
She'll fit in perfectly on Raw and SmackDown among all the silliness and comedy acts of the current era. Kids will like her goofiness. Some young girls will definitely see themselves in her.
Bayley's not just a goofball gimmick, though.
 |
The American also sells extremely well. She writhes in pain with just the right level of theatrics. She moves smoothly inside the squared-circle and can pull moves like a flying elbow or a modified exploder suplex in impressive fashion.
Given a fair opportunity—count on her being extremely popular with WWE fans. She's too much fun. Bayley's gimmick is ready for the main roster, and she has supreme ring skills and heartfelt delivery that would immediately push her past many of the Divas already employed.
Her character lends itself to a story along the lines of when Mickie James grew obsessed with Trish Stratus, leading to the pair battling at WrestleMania.
She's a much sillier version of Mickie James' crazy fan character and a bubblier version of Emma.
That being said, she would be perfect for WWE's PG environment. Unlike most WWE Superstars, her attempts at comedy are more adorable than they are pathetic (Santino Marella, I'm looking at you) and would help her get over the children demographic.
Good luck trying to fight off Bayley's charms, because you'll need it.
1. Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus is probably the greatest WWE Diva of all time.
If you were looking for someone to personify everything that you wished a WWE Diva could be, Trish would be it.
Beautiful, marketable, athletic and someone who worked her tail off to become widely the best of her generation, if not all-time.
 |
Whether she'd be comfortable booking bouts or not, I'm not sure, but if there's one women who could bring total Stratus-faction back to the Divas Division, it's Trish.
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