What’s the story?
One of the great beneficiaries of this week’s WWE Superstar shake-up was undoubtedly the respective women’s divisions of RAW and SmackDown Live. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James moved to the red brand as Charlotte Flair and Tamina Snuka headed to Tuesday nights, and all of a sudden the two divisions have a relatively fresh look to them.
Cageside Seats is speculating that the forthcoming RAW-exclusive pay-per-view Payback may include two women’s matches as a result.
In case you didn’t know...
Alexa Bliss and Mickie James immediately inserted themselves into the WWE RAW Women’s Championship picture this past Monday night, but it was Nia Jax who made the biggest statement.
After defeating Charlotte Flair earlier in the evening, Jax stormed the ring during Bliss and James’ debut segment, taking out Mickie, Sasha Banks and Bayley before staring down Bliss on her way to the back. Bayley is now faced with four serious contenders for her Championship, and the RAW women’s division is alive once again.
The heart of the matter
Immediate reports following RAW suggested that WWE were looking at booking a fatal 5-way match for the championship at Payback, but Cageside Seats is suggesting that Bayley may defend her title at the pay-per-view against Nia Jax alone.
Jax left Monday night Raw last week looking like the major obstacle in Bayley’s path, and a one-on-one match for the title is surely going to happen sooner rather than later.
If Bayley vs. Jax does happen at Payback, this leaves Sasha Banks, Mickie James and Alexa Bliss on the sidelines somewhat. The rumour suggests that the three former Champions would do battle in a triple threat match in order to decide a new number one contender for the RAW Women’s Championship.
The WWE women’s revolution looks set to continue at Payback in the shape of multiple matches of importance.
What’s next?
The direction of the RAW Women’s Championship could be cleared up as soon as Monday night, as the fallout from Bliss and James’ arrival on RAW continues. Payback is just over two weeks away, and as of right now Bayley does not have a challenger.
It is possible that RAW could feature a fatal 4-way number one contender’s match, in which Jax would surely be the favourite or the story could continue with all five women involved next to each other. Whatever happens, RAW’s women’s division has plenty of options and plenty of talent at its disposal.
Author’s take
Whilst not entirely sold on Nia Jax inside the ring, the desire for a one-on-one championship match is visible here. The days of throwing all of the women into one match need to be consigned to the bin of history, and booking two or more women’s matches on pay-per-view should be the norm already, not a cause for celebration.
Here’s hoping Cageside Seats are accurate here.
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