WWE: Eva Marie The Next NXT Women’s Champion? Here’s Why It Makes Sense
Eva Marie gets a lot of flak from the WWE Universe for being unpolished in the ring, and a recent in-ring mishap that left Carmella injured didn’t help that perception.
But this is one case where the WWE/NXT Universe is completely off-base. Eva Marie, in fact, is the only choice for the next NXT Women’s Champion. Here’s why.
1. She has built-in fan heat.
There isn’t a single male or female wrestler on the NXT roster with more real heat than Eva Marie. One unfortunate thing about WWE’s developmental territory is that fans don’t react the way they are supposed to toward the characters. Guys like Tyler Breeze and Kevin Owens, who’s actually more a part of the WWE main roster now, go out every night and play heel with the hopes that audiences will embrace them as such. Unfortunately, fans don’t play to the beat of wrestling tradition, and they end up cheering villains without realizing how disrespectful it is to what the performers are trying to do. With Eva Marie, there is no concern for that whatsoever. You put the belt on her waist, and you’ve got a true heel champ that Asuka and Bayley and some of the other “face” talents can chase.
2. Like it or not, she’s improving every single match.
Eva Marie is certainly not a polished wrestler in the ring, but she’s a long way from where she was on that mortifying episode of Total Divas alongside Summer Rae. She has a cool finishing move, and she’s shown improvement with ring psychology. Work with her a bit more on her move set, and you’ve got a believable women’s wrestler.
3. She has ‘the look’ down.
Watching Eva Marie walk to ring and parade around inside before and after the match is reminiscent of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair at his most subdued when he was basking in his glory instead of losing his marbles on the mic. Like her or not, Eva Marie has a certain charisma that you just don’t see in the other heel women wrestlers within the NXT Universe. She is someone they could rally around as a heel stable, a reverse Four Horsewomen to Bayley, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks. With Dana Brooke, Emma, and someone like Alexa Bliss, she could be a force for some time to come, and together, the women could create the next Bayley or Charlotte on the sheer hatred they would inspire from fans. Besides, Brooke and Emma sort of need the boost after how they’ve been slumming it lately.
4. NXT needs Eva Marie… at least the Women’s Division does.
Since arriving in NXT, Eva Marie has been able to go with the flow and maintain her composure even while fans were booing her out of the building, almost to the point that she couldn’t deliver her promos. She has been able to go into as hostile of an environment as you could imagine and work it to her advantage with or without fan support. Fans do not need to think they run the product. As much as they would like to book every little thing, WWE/NXT knows good booking better than they do, and at least with NXT, they’ve been able to see the long game. Eva Marie is a character they can use to strip fans of their self-entitlement and build compelling storylines. And no matter how great the wrestling is, you need good stories or you might as well be watching MMA.
What do you think about the Eva Marie situation, readers? Do you think that she’s the next NXT Women’s Champion? Do you think she SHOULD be the next NXT Women’s Champion? Sound off in the comments section!
[Image via WWE]
