It seems as if WWE’s plans for its women at WrestleMania 42 are set in stone.
On Tuesday morning, BodySlam+ reported that Nia Jax and Lash Legend would be defending the Women’s Tag Team Championships in a Fatal Four-way match. Their opponents will be Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and the Bella Twins.
That is the third women’s match rumored for the main card and completes the quota of six that WWE has been said to be targeting fpr the event. Three have already been confirmed, while another two are heavily rumored (in italics):
That being said, how will these matches go?
The quality of this feud has been criticized by fans and analysts, and not without good reason: this was meant to be Bianca Belair’s. She had the history with Cargill, and it could have delivered on the emotions of seeing her former friend turn evil.
Indeed, last week’s episode of SmackDown showed creative’s desperation to generate interest in the feud. They had Cargill depict the championship – and wrestling in general – as beneath her, which is not a good look. As if that was not enough, however, they also had B-Fab and Michin turn heel and join forces with their erstwhile foe, which was baffling at the very least.
Nevertheless, the agenda is clear here: Cargill’s new “Baddies” will help her defeat Ripley and retain the title. Perhaps they also win the women’s tag titles along the way to assert their dominance. When Belair returns, she will have to be Superwoman against this clique, and that makes the feud even more interesting.
Vaquer’s reign has been a mixed bag, to say the least. While there is no doubt to her in-ring abilities, the storytelling behind her feuds has left much to be desired.
That includes her current feud with Liv Morgan. There is not much than be said about it. It feels bland, not helped by the two women’s lack of size. Even Dominik Mysterio’s tangential involvement is hurting the feud further.
As for predictions, Vaquer has been champion for long enough. Morgan regains the title, then the Judgment Day can start splintering as Raquel Rodriquez and Roxanne Perez (upon her return) start giving sideways looks.
By the time Lynch and Lee have their WrestleMania match, their feud will have lasted seven months. It has involved multiple title changes, interference, and insults, and it has to end soon.
No qualms about this. Lee finally wrestled on a televised non-PLE match last week, and she should continue this commitment. “The Black Widow” retains, while a humiliated Lynch goes on hiatus.
In an alternate world, the Bella Twins are not wrestling in the 2020s. Each of them now has a family, and many fans still do not have the best memories of their tenure in WWE.
Alas, it is actually happening. There is a strong chance that Nikki and Brie Bella will win this match as “nostalgia bait” for the Divas era. For normality’s sake, however, Bayley and Valkyria should get a proper reign a year after they were robbed of it.
Despite being a two-time Women’s United States champion, Giulia has always felt lost in the shuffle. A lack of character development and some unwarranted losses have served to sour her creative stock.
Recently, it has become very telling that Stratton is dominating their feud – at least going by the general narrative pattern. She is a definite lock to win the title, but there will be a twist: Kiana James will betray Giulia.
It just makes too much sense. Giulia and James just feel mismatched, while James and Stratton have the makings of a fantastically snobby “glamorous” tandem not unlike LayCool.
Now, Sky still has Rodriguez to contend with, but once that is done, this will be her program.
Asuka has been some sort of abusive spouse to Sane for weeks, berating her for losses. The latest episode of Raw, however, really drove the point home, as Sky walked up to Sane and said something to the tune of “You deserve better”.
There are three ways this goes: Asuka vs. Sane, Asuka vs. Sky (with Sane as referee), or a triple-threat match. Whichever way this goes, one outcome may be certain: “The Empress” is losing. Her nastiness is becoming too much, and she needs to be taken down a peg.
There is another past match that has gone unmentioned here: the Women’s WrestleMania Battle Royale.
Lasting just two years, it has not returned even as the men’s counterpart did. With mid-card titles now a thing in the women’s division, however, it should. The stakes are simple: winner gets a shot at a mid-card title of her choosing. Maybe she can also choose to go for the tag titles with someone of her choice.
That match can go to whichever brand does not get the men’s one, allowing the women to do something other than “sit in catering”. They, and WWE in general, will be better for it.
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