Why Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair could be the new Stone Cold vs The Rock saga
The pro wrestling world is all about developing stories and building characters which can influence people. These characters are meant to tell stories which are not only engrossing, but also realistic.
The fans should feel related to these characters, something they can understand and feel connected to.
There have been countless characters and stories which came and mesmerised different generation of wrestling fans, but there is nothing like a man against the world, against all the odds, and against the megalomaniac authorities.
This story well reflects on our lives where most of us feel like being bound and oppressed by our bosses and the workplace. So when we see someone raising their voice against these powerful figures, we feel related and attached.
So, there’s always a story run time and again, of people being oppressed by authorities, but are standing against all odds. This storyline has been done countless times, in countless eras, whether it be the People Power or the Team Cena vs The Authority, it always gets people standing behind the rebels, cheering their hearts out.
The best among these stories was in the Attitude Era where Vince decided to cast himself as the greatest heel in the business. This changed the whole game, and led to the birth of the greatest rivalry - McMahon vs Austin.
Steve Austin turned out to be the greatest face at that age, and McMahon put forward The Rock as the Corporate Champion. This led to some great fights and an awesome rivalry which boosted WWE’s rating in the Monday Night Wars.
The current situation on SmackDown is slowly turning out to be on the same path. Charlotte Flair is a great wrestler, she has defined this generation of women's wrestling, but she also belongs to royalty.
She is Rick Flair’s daughter, and this can’t be removed from her resume. She has far moved herself from Ric Flair's shadow, but there were instances where she had been gifted opportunities as rightly played by WWE.
On the other hand, we have The Man, the champion - Becky Lynch, who was not supposed to headline main events, but recreated herself and fought for her position at the top of the mountain.
Her aura is such that she has become more congruent towards people. She is riding on waves of huge fan support, owing to her character being the underdog, being the one who must fight against all odds.
It has become the chosen one versus the deserving one fighting for the ultimate glory. WWE has played it all right up to this point, and have placed these titans in their respective characters.
This rivalry has been played well in the past, but still has much left in the tank. WWE could turn Charlotte into a complete heel as the favourite of the authorities, owing to her legacy and family.
Becky has already started putting word out there that Charlotte has been gifted everything from the beginning. This could culminate into a great epic.
The Rock vs Austin saga was great, and nothing could be ever built like it. But the WWE could very much develop this story along similar lines, turning it into an epic in its own rights.