There’s no question the likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch sparked the Divas Revolution last summer. Along with Paige, they represented the future of the division against the old guard represented by the likes of the Bella Twins, among others. Superstars like Natalya, Naomi, and Summer Rae were floating around on the periphery of this renaissance, and fans are impatiently waiting for the inevitable debut of Bayley and the impact she’ll surely make. But what about Emma?
Emma made her main-roster debut in January of 2014. She began her WWE career with a similar feud she had in NXT, against Summer Rae. However, it was used primarily as a set-up to form a partnership between Emma and Santino Marella. The duo formed what eventually amounted to nothing more than a comedy pairing. Santino (who was recently in the news as one of the eight superstars the WWE released last week) would be forced to retire from in-ring competition in July of 2014, ending their short-lived alliance that didn’t have a very long shelf-life to begin with.
A month prior to Santino’s retirement, Emma found herself in trouble with the law when she was caught shoplifting at a Connecticut Wal-Mart. In one of the more bizarre moves by WWE, the company released her shortly after charges were filed, only to reverse that decision mere hours later. Emma received a second chance but ultimately would not be seen on the main roster again for nearly two years.
Yes, the Divas Revolution sparked change, which eventually led to a re-branding. The Divas Division is now the WWE Women’s Division, and the focus has returned to wrestling rather than everything but. Despite a renewed commitment to the women, there still remains just one major angle per pay-per-view, so where Emma fits into the big picture remains to be seen. However, according to the Daily Wrestling News , WWE officials are thrilled with her improvement ever since the shoplifting incident and how she’s totally revamped her image in and out of the ring.
Those officials give Emma all the credit as it pertains to her change in on-screen character. Once a fun-loving sidekick to a comedy act, Emma is now a serious heel who claims it’s all about her. A cocky swagger, lipstick, and sunglasses accompany her bad-girl entrance, reinforcing her more serious role in WWE. She even has those within the company pushing for her to become WWE Women’s Champion.
Unfortunately for Emma fans, there doesn’t appear to be such plans for her. Not yet, anyway. However, if she continues to improve and evolve her character, those plans may be forced to change. As of now, it appears the creative team plans to keep the championship around Charlotte until SummerSlam , where Sasha Banks would be crowned the new champ and leader of the division. As noted, there’s generally only been room for one women’s angle with WrestleMania serving as an exception. The division is as talented maybe as it’s ever been, but there’s still only room for one champion.
Paige became the champion on her first night on RAW , and many expected her to run the division for years to come. But she’s fallen victim to some fresher faces and the “one-feud division” as well. Sasha Banks might be the hottest babyface among the ladies, but she has to sit on the sidelines and wait for the Charlotte/Natalya angle to play out. Becky Lynch is caught somewhere in the middle, but at least she and Emma have had somewhat of a program even though most of it has transpired backstage or on WWE.com.
Regardless how you feel about WWE’s booking of the Women’s Division, adding a vastly-improved Emma to a stacked group can only be seen as a positive and may force the company into re-thinking the time they allot them.
[Image via WWE]