[dropcaps style=’2′]The day has arrived for the ‘Diva of Tomorrow’ and we at FNX are happy for it to have dawned.[/dropcaps]
With a climatic finish of the two most intense and exciting days in known WWE history, you would not usually expect a new, raven-haired woman to break the mould and make an impressive mark on said history. Sure we can expect it when 22 year streaks are broken, careers finished and the return of legends happens… but a newbie Diva? Surely not…
[image src=’http://fnx.network/fnxnetwork/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/paige_1_full_20130307.png’ width=’190′ title=’Source: WWE’ align=’right’]Surely so!
It happened, it happened fast, and we loved every moment. That moment was the introduction of Paige on Monday Night Raw. Debuts are rarely ever successful… I still cringe when I think of a younger Cena responding “Ruthless Aggression!”, or how badly Christians return was handled (“It’s Christian”).
But the debut of Paige was amazing, not just for her but the whole WWE Divas division. History was made in that one 5-minute fragment of the show, and alone it could be just a sample of Paige’s effect in WWE but with time I believe it to be a piece of a much bigger, far more amazing piece of a new movement in the field of Divas… the “Yes Movement” for a Diva if you will.
It is as clear to us as it is to Y2J and WWE Legend Jim Ross that the WWE is in a new era that no longer has to look at the Attitude era as the golden era. The best time is now. It was initiated by the “Yes Movement”… the fans and superstars are an up to date breed which doesn’t fall for the tradition of face versus heel but by the impact of one’s in-ring ability appreciated and respected. With this perspective it is no surprise that Paige is so beloved by the crowd, she’s not just a pretty face, instead she is a refreshing change for the Divas division.
Daniel Bryan, The Shield, Antonio Cesaro and Bray Wyatt with The Wyatt Family are the options you hear when you think of who reinforces the respect of in ring ability. It makes the timing for Paige’s climb into the big ranks even more appropriate in this era of extraordinary talent.
It’s not to say there have not been talented Divas, the former Divas Champion AJ Lee has remained as the golden orb of talented women in the company of a terribly squandered WWE Divas division. Emma has been reduced to comedy skits instead of having her skills enhanced, we lost Kaitlyn to “pursuits outside of sports entertainment” which was a shock and a great loss for the Divas division.
[image src=’http://fnx.network/fnxnetwork/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/14_RAW_04072014cm_3144.jpg’ width=’190′ title=’Source: WWE’ align=’left’]But now it seems the new breed of Divas is reminiscent of the ‘performers first’ era where women want to show athletic skill, not just using WWE as a springboard into Playboy.
There is no doubt why the WWE have chosen Paige to be the torch holder in this defining moment in the history of female wrestling, we are immensely excited to see the future of Paige as she has sustained a performance of a cutting edge level for a blooming women’s division in NXT. The WWE Network is giving more of the public an introduction to the various in-ring abilities of the female fighters, maybe WWE is at long last realising what we have known for a long time. The fans want to see the women wrestle and the Divas division to succeed as a showcase of talent – not gags or time filler.
The thing that separates Paige from previous attempts to revamp the Divas division is not just talent, which Paige has much of, but a passion for the art of wrestling and hunger to perform well. With that, I think she can only succeed.