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What's the story?
According to DirtySheets.net, WWE creative is planning to have another major title change before the Survivor Series PPV at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on the 19th of November.
Apparently, WWE wants to have Charlotte Flair defeat SmackDown Live Women's Champion Natalya on the go-home show of SmackDown Live before Survivor Series.
This would mean Charlotte would be the person who faces RAW Women's Champion at the PPV, instead of The Queen of Harts.
Charlotte was not meant to beat Natalya for the Title until the WWE Starrcade Live Event in Greensboro on the 25th of November, due to her dad Ric Flair, the WWE legend, being scheduled for an appearance at the show.
Keep reading below to find out WWE's reasons for these decisions.
In case you didn't know..
WWE has had two big title changes this week, with AJ Styles defeating Jinder Mahal on Tuesday's SmackDown Live for the WWE Championship, and with The Bar beating Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins on RAW the night before that. Both of these shows were taped in Manchester, England.
This has meant the Survivor Series card has changed hugely, with new SD Live WWE Champion AJ Styles now taking Mahal's place in the Champion vs. Champion main event against RAW Universal Champion.
New RAW Tag Team Champions Sheamus and Cesaro are now set to face SD Live Champs The Usos at the PPV instead of Ambrose and Rollins. The two Shield members are rumoured to be now facing off against The New Day at Survivor Series with the returning Roman Reigns.
However, it seems like WWE is not finished changing titleholders and the Survivor Series line-up.
On that SD Live episode, WWE Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that on the next edition of SmackDown Live this upcoming Tuesday, Natalya would have to defend her title against Charlotte.
The heart of the matter
DirtySheets.net are going with the story that WWE has 'booked themselves into a corner' by having Asuka in the Survivor Series 5-on-5 Raw vs. SmackDown Women's Elimination match, because although they wanted to have Team SmackDown win (considering last year saw the RAW Women's team won), they want Asuka to continue her unbeaten steak.
Therefore, Team RAW can't lose in this bout, and WWE knows that because of that, SmackDown's Women Division would look terrible if they lost the Champion vs. Champion match as well.
However, WWE would rather Charlotte Flair to get the win for the SmackDown Brand against Bliss than Natalya.
The company also don't want Charlotte to be in the RAW vs. SmackDown Women's match, preferring to hold off on her and Asuka going at until the future.
They see it as a big-money matchup that deserves major build-up to it, i.e, not something that should be wasted by them pointlessly 'crossing paths' on November 19th.
So allegedly, WWE's solutions to these problems is to have Charlotte defeat Natalya for the SmackDown Live Women's Champion next week.
This would mean Charlotte will take on RAW Women's champion Alexa Bliss Survivor Series instead of being in the multi-women match.
WWE would then evidently have Charlotte go over Bliss, hence, a win for the women on SmackDown Live, and then, in the RAW vs SmackDown Women's Elimination match, RAW's team would go over, i.e a victory for RAW's women, and Asuka stays undefeated.
This booking would do a much better job at making neither Women's Division look weaker than the other.
What's next?
Charlotte will go up against the titleholder Natalya for the SmackDown Live Women's Championship on the November 14th SmackDown Live. We will see then if the speculation is true.
The Survivor Series PPV then takes place on Sunday, November 19th, and no matter who faces who, there will be a 5-on-5 RAW vs. SmackDowen Women's Elimination match, and there will be a RAW vs. SmackDown Women's Champion vs. Champion bout too.
It's exciting to see what happens.
Author's take
Considering Natalya is a heel, it makes more sense for someone who is not a villain, like Charlotte, to take on Alexa Bliss (who is a heel too).
I think if this report from DirtySheets.net is correct, then it is good news because I don't want SmackDown Live's Women Division to be made look very poor by losing both of the Women's matches at Survivor Series. I, like most other fans, also want to see Asuka continue her unbeaten record and not lose at Survivor Series.
It is cool that WWE sees how much potential an Asuka and Charlotte rivalry has too.
Despite this, I think Natalya deserves more time as SmackDown Live Women's Champion. The veteran has been very trustworthy, determined, passionate and dedicated throughout her WWE career and she has, therefore, earned the right to be shown gratitude back from the company in my opinion.
Hopefully, Nattie can win it back from Charlotte pretty soon. Charlotte does not need a Championship to have a meaning feud with anyone. However, it is logical for her to be champ heading into this PPV.
