WWE News: WWE Creative Team At Odds Over Direction Of Women’s Division
Sasha Banks and Charlotte have been feuding over the WWE RAW Women’s Championship since April when they first did battle on the main roster in a triple threat match with Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 32. Aside from a few injuries for Sasha and a couple of tag team matches, the two have been at the top of the food chain in the WWE Women’s Division ever since, battling numerous times for the title.
Both Sasha and Charlotte are now three-time WWE Women’s Champions after The Boss reclaimed the title this past Monday night in Flair’s hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina to close out RAW. It’s become a game of hot potato to some critics with Sasha winning whenever the belt was on the line on RAW and Charlotte emerging victorious on the pay-per-views.
The thinking behind that is that WWE officials have wanted to keep Charlotte’s pay-per-view winning streak intact; one in which she has never lost in a singles match or the two triple threat matches she’s been in.
We recently reported that the WWE has been in heavy pursuit of UFC mega-star, Ronda Rousey, with hopes that she’ll agree to a second WrestleMania appearance next April. Preliminary discussions centered around the idea of Rousey squaring off with Charlotte in what would amount to a monumental match and moment for women in sports. The Inquisitr followed that report up with another, pointing out that by Sasha winning back the title on Monday, it might be an indication that those plans are be moving forward.
So with Sasha’s injuries, Charlotte’s pay-per-view winning streak and the possibility of a Ronda Rousey WrestleMania appearance looming, it’s understandable that WWE officials have been at odds over the direction of the women’s division on RAW, as reported by Cageside Seats.
The WWE creative team on Monday nights has gone back and forth many times over the course of the last few months, trying to determine who will fortify their position at the top. Charlotte was originally going to retain, but another last-minute decision changed things. Ric Flair’s re-insertion into the program had been planned, but it wasn’t green-lit for this week until just before the show.
No surprise here, but the plan going forward is for Sasha to once again defend the WWE RAW Women’s Championship against Charlotte at the Roadblock pay-per-view on December 18. Including the triple threat match at WrestleMania, this will be the seventh title match between the two in the last eight months. And since they broke the imaginary glass ceiling by competing inside Hell in a Cell, it’s expected that the match at Roadblock will include a major stipulation.
But that’s where it gets interesting. As noted, Charlotte has never lost a singles match at a pay-per-view, and original plans had her maintaining that streak at least up until WrestleMania 33. But if the plan calls for her to eventually match up with Ronda Rousey, the belt will not be involved in that program.
Instead, Sasha will carry the belt in what would amount to be her longest reign to date, leading to a major feud with Bayley, a program that has long been in the works. In order for both of those plans to play out as WWE officials have drawn up, Charlotte will either have to lose at Roadblock, snapping her impressive streak, or win at the pay-per-view and drop the title yet again on an episode of RAW.
If the latter comes to fruition, look for their rivalry to finally come to an end in the form we’re watching now. There has been talk of turning both Sasha heel and Charlotte face at some point, but it would be a while before they engage again, considering this rivalry has lasted almost the entire year.
[Featured Image by WWE]
