The Four Horsewomen
Meanwhile, NXT was experiencing a second wave of revolution with their female Superstars. With the call up of both Paige and Emma, NXT had lost two of its biggest female Superstars, but with the arrival of more and more talent and the reputation of the brand as a great way to showcase wrestling skill, more talented females were not far behind.
Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte and Becky Lynch, were all taking NXT by storm. They were selling tonnes of merchandise, having amazing matches and building what was to be the true foundation of the women’s revolution in WWE. They referred to themselves as the Four Horsewomen and that title was well deserved.
In the summer of 2015, three of the Four Horsewomen debuted on the main roster as Stephanie McMahon called for a women’s revolution, following heavy backlash from fans on the 23rd February 2015 episode of Raw.
It all started with a Divas tag team match which pitted Paige and Emma against the Bella Twins. The match lasted approximately two minutes and it was at this point that the WWE Universe decided to voice their discontent with the short matches on weekly television.
The audience wanted to see more from the Divas. Because of NXT, everyone knew that these women could put on a show and it was time to give them the big stage to prove it.
The WWE Universe created the hashtag #GiveDivasAChance and it became viral. Vince McMahon confirmed over a tweet that they (WWE) had heard the calls and were to set about making improvements to the division. When the audience kicks up enough of a stink, WWE listens. It happens time and time again.
Though people may criticise the company and let’s face it, it’s hard not to, they do what they feel is best for the audience at times.
The debut of the Horsewomen was the perfect way to kick-start the women’s revolution and the woman that was to become the leader, Charlotte, would capture the Divas Championship from Nikki Bella at Night of Champions 2015. She was to be the final Divas Champion.
Over in NXT, towards the end of 2015, Sasha Banks went back to finish her rivalry with Bayley in a 30-minute iron man match at NXT TakeOver: Respect. This match set several records. It was the longest women’s match in WWE history and the first ever female iron man match.
It was absolutely amazing.
It was fantastic to see women in the main event and to see them captivate an audience for such a long time. The match was critically acclaimed and showed that women were finally ready for the main event. NXT had done all it could do to progress women in the WWE and in the wrestling business as a whole.
It was time for the WWE to take all it had learnt from its developmental programme and run with it.
