Opinion: The biggest conundrum of the women's division in the WWE and its possible solution
What has happened so far?
The entire landscape of the women's division in the WWE has changed exponentially in the last six months. Not only has it garnered a main event status on a consistent basis, but it is now overpowering the storylines that are currently being told in the men's division.
It began with the well-deserved push that was given to Becky Lynch and her heel turn at SummerSlam 2018. Eventually, she won the title from Charlotte Flair at Hell in a Cell 2018 with much fanfare.
Then came WWE Evolution, the historic first ever all-women's pay-per-view. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch locked horns in the first ever Last Women Standing match, which turned out to be one of most emotional and physical bouts in the history of women's wrestling and in the WWE as a whole.
Becky Lynch turned out victorious in this battle, becoming the Smackdown Live Women's Champion for the second time in her career.
This victory made her 'The Man' and the biggest attraction of the entire WWE universe. On the other hand, we saw a story wherein Charlotte had lost her self-confidence after her loss at Evolution.
Things took a decisive turn in the build up to Survivor Series 2018 which brought the former UFC Bantamweight Champion and the current Raw Women's Champion into the whole picture.
In the build-up to what was just a battle of supremacy between Raw and Smackdown Live, things got extremely personal between the women's champions of the two brands.
On the go-home show of Monday Night Raw to Survivor Series, we became witness to what was one of the iconic images of Monday Night Raw's history.
Due to a freak punch, Becky Lynch's face got busted open. However, as the show went off air, Becky, with her bloodied face, stood tall in the crowd as Ronda Rousey looked ferociously at her in pain.
The anticipation for their match at Survivor Series became sky-high. Unfortunately, due to the damage done to her face, Becky had to opt out of the match. In her place, came in 'The Queen' Charlotte Flair.
At Survivor Series, in the most unexpected turn of events, Charlotte Flair lost the match to Ronda Rousey via disqualification. But when all was said and done, Charlotte literally battered Ronda and gave her a beating that was unseen in the WWE before.
The conundrum
The problem that the WWE faces at the moment is to determine the woman who would go on to face Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania 35, possibly to main event the grandest stage of them all.
Would it be Becky Lynch, who is literally the most 'over' WWE superstar at the moment, or would it be Charlotte Flair, who is seen as someone the WWE upper management trusts the most to headline the women's division?
The match we ultimately got at Survivor Series stunned the entire wrestling community wherein Flair completely dominated Rousey.
The shocking finish of the match has made a rematch down the line a certainty. Furthermore, if rumors are to be believed, the original plan for Wrestlemania 35 has always been Ronda Rousey v/s Charlotte Flair.
If we know anything about the booking decisions of WWE, it is that WWE rarely changes the decisions under fan pressure.
The build-up for Rousey v/s Lynch at Survivor Series and its eventual cancellation left the fans longing for a match between the two down the line.
Becky Lynch being part of one of the biggest matches in WWE women's division would be truly rewarding for her fans, who have seen her "clutch and claw her way to the top". Not seeing this image could also enrage the fans to the point that they start rejecting the product altogether.
The solution, maybe?
I propose that the main event for Wrestlemania 35 should be as follows:
Ronda Rousey v/s Becky Lynch v/s Charlotte Flair in a non-title Triple Threat Match
The only way to avoid any disappointments among the fans, without disrupting the seemingly original plan, is to pit these three brilliant athletes against each other in what would a culmination of one of the most intriguing stories to be told by WWE.
The reason this match should be without a title on the line is three fold:
First, the primary motivating factor for these women in this rivalry has not been about the title. It is simply about who is the best. It is about who can hit the hardest blow.
Second, this story has overshadowed every other storyline in the WWE and every other wrestler in the women's division. We currently have a situation wherein the women's division is being overly dominated by three individuals.
Thus, other well-deserving wrestlers like Sasha Banks, Bayley, Naomi and Asuka are finding it difficult to get over with the fans. Fans need to care about the entire roster, not just three women. A way to ensure this is to give these wrestlers the opportunity to fight it out for the gold while three women lock horns in a grudge match.
We still want to see Asuka get back on top. We still want to see Banks and Bayley fight it out like they did back in 2015 at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.
Third, this would maintain the integrity of the "other" title. Currently, Ronda is a part of the Raw roster whereas Flair and Lynch are part of the Smackdown Live roster. If these wrestlers were to fight it out for a title (Raw or Smackdown Live Women's Championship) at Wrestlemania 35, this would translate into too much spotlight on that particular title.
The other title match would lose all its sheen and will be lost in the pack in a heavily stacked Wrestlemania card.
Conclusion
The women's revolution is at a crucial juncture and it is truly remarkable how WWE has reached this point. The booking so far has been truly engaging to say the least and it is an opportunity to make women's wrestling bigger than it has ever been in the WWE.
It remains to be seen whether the WWE can build on this and still fill in the fault lines that we see in the women's division at the moment.