This week’s Battleground pay-per-view will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on the whole of the WWE.
The Undertaker rose again to strike fear into Brock Lesnar; John Cena took the ‘rubber’ match with Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt called on an old friend to inspire victory over Roman Reigns.
All were memorable and each will play a huge part in forging key storylines and establishing some exciting rivalries going forward.
The real legacy left, however, came in the form of a Divas triple threat match that finally put the women on the map.
The Stephanie McMahon coined ‘revolution’ match, should spark exactly that.
Long have we campaigned in this column for the WWE to give its NXT wrestlers a run on the main stage and ever since Sasha Banks and her counterparts took to RAW last week, they have seized their opportunities with both hands.
In that go-home show, Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte were brought in by McMahon to give the Bellas a thing or two to think about.
They were ably supported by Paige, Alicia Fox & co and they quickly turned from supporting cast to lead roles.
In the end, Battleground became their proving ground.
NXT champion Banks was joined by Charlotte in the triple threat match that played out in the middle of the card, taking on the less successful Brie of the Bella clan in a fight that was only trumped in terms of excitement and innovation by the three match-ups mentioned above.
– WWE TLC: Intercontinental title crying out to be restored to former glory
– WWE TLC: Wrestling’s greatest mic man Paul Heyman
– RELIVE WWE Battleground: Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar
It has left the Divas division in its rudest health with Banks and Charlotte, in particular, proving to be the most entertaining female wrestlers in the WWE since Trish Stratus and Lita.
McMahon must take credit for giving these women the opportunity they have rightly earned.
Just months ago, the longest reigning Divas champion and star of the division, AJ Lee, left in acrimonious circumstances, claiming that she and her fellow females were not being given the opportunity or respect they both craved and deserved.
As Lee exited the locker room, so it seemed did the hopes of the Divas division in earning a spot in the limelight. For anyone with a keen eye trained on NXT, however, they knew the future was bright.
Thank You @PattyArquette for having the courage to fight for #WomensRights on such a grand platform. #UseYourVoice pic.twitter.com/q71acxMExU
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) February 23, 2015
@StephMcMahon Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise & have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times,
— A.J. (@WWEAJLee) February 25, 2015
With Nikki Bella just 59 days shy of Lee’s record for the longest reigning champion, we have some time for the division to build momentum on the back of this past week’s sterling work.
There are 33 days until SummerSlam so don’t expect a title change there but do anticipate yet more development in the storyline.
It is in 61 days’ time, when Bella would be the longest reigning champion and celebrating her 300th day with the title that we could see someone take on the mantle.
It will be Night of Champions and the prospect of the WWE NXT champion taking on the Divas champion to unite the belts should be enough to tempt the WWE into making the match.
For the time being, sit back and enjoy the mastery of these fine wrestlers.
