Who should dethrone Nikki Bella as champion?

[MartialHorror]

Many people think that the end of her reign is near, but the arrival of Paige has made it difficult to tell who is next?

Actually, ugh, I think it's pretty obvious that Naomi is probably going to be the girl to do it...and I think that's a terrible choice. Then again, turning Nikki face was a terrible choice. If Naomi won the belt as the babyface of the feud, I actually think it would've been fitting for the darkhorse of the Diva Division to dethrone the groomed champion. As a heel...I don't know, nothing about it feels right.

Paige seems like she would be an easier choice, but I'd rather her not have the belt in the immediate future. The feud with AJ Lee both rebuilt my faith in the Diva Division, while completely burning me out on both AJ and Paige. There are other divas in the roster I'd like to see in the spotlight, if only temporary.

I'm also not sure I care for the idea of an NXT performer rising to the task, like Charlotte- as awesome as she is. When Paige did that to AJ, I felt it was an annoyingly anti-climactic end to AJ's super reign and no one seemed all that interested in Paige despite the victory. Paige didn't really start getting over on the main roster until she turned heel and showed more personality.

I think Natalya would be the best choice. She can either be a tweener and take down Nikki herself and be used more as a competitor than as a valet. I'd rather her not turn heel to challenge Nikki, as that would probably require her to leave Tyson Kidd...and...would anybody really feel bad for Tyson Kidd? I still find it awkward that we're supposed to forget that only a few months prior, Kidd was emotionally neglectful and arguably abusive towards his wife.

I hope Nikki doesn't lose as Elimination Chamber, nor do I want to see her lose in a three way match or battle royale. For a reign this long, it can only benefit anybody if it is a '1 vs 1' match. But what do you guys think?

Side Note: Because I have to rant about this every time I get, having Stephanie bully Nikki makes absolutely no F'ing sense and is driving me insane!

 

[GeminiGarlord]

Charlotte. But I'm a hopeless Charlotte fanboy so not sure how much rational can I be on the matter.

Naomi is less boring a heel then she was a face, but it's still super-awkward on the mic, and seriously, I will never take seriously anyone who uses that "rear view" as a finisher #LetsGiveDivasAChancheButLetsAlsoCharacterizeThemInATrulyBizarrelySexualManner

Natalya might be a good option, especially now that the BRC is face and quite over.

Currently the most probable option sounds like Paige, which is ok, but I really can't se where could they go from there.

Turning the bellas face still baffles me honestly.

 

[The Real Deal Nevielle]

Without my favorite leading lady AJ here any longer im still leading towards Paige until some NXT talent comes up. Except for Paige I would honestly trade the entire nxt womens roster for the entire main roster. Naomi would be my last choice to put the title on.

Im still hopeful Sasha Banks hurries up and put the entire Divas division out of their misery.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I'm hoping nobody dethrones Nikki for a LONG time. Nikki is doing a phenomenal job as champion and I hope they let her hold the title longer than anyone else has. Let her make it for one full year and drop the title to Paige at Survivor Series.

 

[Burritocover]

I think it's time to bring up Charlotte and really shake the division up and start trying to build it to NXT level. I'd turn Paige heel and put it in her then have Charlotte go after it. I don't like the idea of her going right after it though and the way Raw is now is if you are a diva you only get a match if you are champion or working with the champion. I think they should give them 2 matches a week so you can have a secondary feud going on to build divas before they get to the champion. So I'd have her run through the division starting with Natalya because they would have awesome matches. Then I'd have her go through Naomi and then the Bellas. Paige would hold the belt until maybe survivor series and drop it to Charlotte. Around that time I'd bring in Sasha and basically have her run through the roster the same way to get a title shot at Wrestlemania. Of course I'd have her win because she's fucking awesome. I'm glad that the divas are getting longer matches on raw but there's zero character development still because most of them are never on TV. In a three hour Raw I don't see any reason to not have a second divas match or at the very least some sort of backstage or in ring promo type segment.

 

[wwe fan2009]

Charlotte for sure, then maybe turn Paige heel to feud with?

 

[Navi]

Would love to see Charlotte make her debut, but not win the title right away. She needs to get her feet wet first. So let Nikki hold the title for now.

Naomi is beginning to grate of me more each week. That laugh of her's is hideous, and the only redeeming factor is the fact that her shoes light up. She's so athletic that it sometimes seems to get away from her, and she botches a lot. Plus her finisher is the worst on the roster. Might be hard to jump up and hit someone with your ass, but it's ******ed.

So hoping to see Charlotte. God only knows what they're waiting for. Becky Lynch impressed me the other night as well.

 

[MartialHorror]

I think it's time to bring up Charlotte and really shake the division up and start trying to build it to NXT level. I'd turn Paige heel and put it in her then have Charlotte go after it. I don't like the idea of her going right after it though and the way Raw is now is if you are a diva you only get a match if you are champion or working with the champion. I think they should give them 2 matches a week so you can have a secondary feud going on to build divas before they get to the champion. So I'd have her run through the division starting with Natalya because they would have awesome matches. Then I'd have her go through Naomi and then the Bellas. Paige would hold the belt until maybe survivor series and drop it to Charlotte. Around that time I'd bring in Sasha and basically have her run through the roster the same way to get a title shot at Wrestlemania. Of course I'd have her win because she's fucking awesome. I'm glad that the divas are getting longer matches on raw but there's zero character development still because most of them are never on TV. In a three hour Raw I don't see any reason to not have a second divas match or at the very least some sort of backstage or in ring promo type segment.

I think Paige turning heel would be a mistake. It's never good to keep flip flopping like this and the diva division's erratic face and heel turns has made a shitty place even shittier.

Summer Rae turned face and heel within like...a week. Naomi, the Bella's, Paige and Alicia Fox also made abrupt switches. I'd rather Charlotte take the belt from Nikki as a heel and then defend against Paige.

 

[ColeMc]

If Nikki Bella loses her title to a fat arse to the face I think #givedivasachance will die right there.

If anyone it should be Paige, easily the most talented Diva on the roster now Mrs Punk has followed her husband out the exit door. Her range of moves equals anyone on the roster male or female, and she is so over that the smarky crowd would have no complaints.

 

[OYDK]

Everybody wants Paige. This would be her, what... 3rd reign in about a year? It was the same nonsense with AJ that made me loathe the Divas division in the first place. It completely saturated the division until there were only 2 *legitimate options left... Paige and AJ. Not saying that I don't like Paige, I would just rather see her feud with somebody like a debuting Charlotte instead of holding the Divas title again in such a short time span.

As for your question, I'd like to see Naomi win it. She's a new face and WWE has to go through with this push. If not, she'll probably be deemed a failure and drop into obscurity, hurting the division even more. Have Naomi win it, have her hold it for a while and THAN Paige could take it from her.

 

[TJ Matics]

Brie.

Kidding! Dear God I'm kidding.

There are however three good directions they could go with taking the strap off Nikki:

1. Natalya - I've always found her to be extremely boring, but her hubby and his tag partner on the other hand, not so much. If Kidd & Cesaro were to win the tag team championships from New Day, it'd be fun to have Natalya as Divas Champion as well. She can obviously wrestler and T&C could hopefully give her the big face push.

2. Naomi - No her heel turn hasn't been spectacular, but it's watchable. Yes her athleticism was a problem because she would botch spots, but working the match as a heel slowed her down and that's helped a lot. With Tamina as her enforcer I feel that she cold have a good heel reign.

3. Paige - Oi. Like OYDK said, the hot potato she played with AJ has me wanting to see some fresher faces hold the belt first before she has a nice reign. She did come into herself a lot with her feud with AJ and how well she can wrestle isn't an issue. She should really enter into a mini feud with Naomi since she's the one that took her out in the first place. All the while Nikki is trying, and failing, to win her belt back from Natalya.

I also agree with an above poster that Charlotte should get her feet wet as supposed to busting in and taking the belt right away. Not because she necessarily needs it, but they did that with Paige and her first run was a little less than lackluster. Maybe have her feud with Alicia Fox first to introduce her to the crowd and what not.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Had Paige not paved the way in having a diva brought up from NXT and immediately installing her as champion, I believe they'd do it with Charlotte, as much for her relation to a famous wrestler as her performing abilities.......because if they're not going to have a NXT gal take the belt, I'm not particularly excited about anyone already on the main roster winning it.

Paige just turned bad again. Does that mean she should beat Nikki Bella in the next few weeks? Given the doings in Diva-land, I suppose she could, but I would keep her in a troublemaker role for awhile since she's good at that.

I wouldn't mind Natalya getting a run as diva champion. It wouldn't last long, but at least we'd get to see some genuine wrestling.

Naomi? I guess she'll be the one to take down Nikki. The timing is right since Nikki has been champ long enough (for a diva) and Naomi seems to be in the right place, although the idea of a finisher amounting to a butt in the face leaves me cold.

 

[Messiah]

It can be anyone at this point.. Without that troll AJ ruining the divas division, there's more stars being built now. Naomi could take it, Paige, even Brie if they wanted to go that rout. An NXT diva might be the best option, Charlotte or Sasha Banks.

 

[Burritocover]

I think Paige turning heel would be a mistake. It's never good to keep flip flopping like this and the diva division's erratic face and heel turns has made a shitty place even shittier.

Summer Rae turned face and heel within like...a week. Naomi, the Bella's, Paige and Alicia Fox also made abrupt switches. I'd rather Charlotte take the belt from Nikki as a heel and then defend against Paige.

That's a good point about flip flopping too much. I hadn't thought about heel Charlotte. That's a good idea.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Paige. On Smackdown she proved she is the perfect choice to take over AJ's spot as the top diva when she cut an amazing promo against Naomi. We already know Paige is top tier in the ring as well. She's really the only option given the current booking of the divas. Natalya is stuck managing her husband's tag team. Summer Rae for whatever reason still hasn't gotten her chance. Emma is back on NXT. I would be ok with Tamina getting a shot after Naomi's done feuding with Nikki, but Paige is definitely the better option. Pretty much all the others suck. As long as it's not Cameron or Brie. Goodness knows the division is dead if we ever have to sit through Brie VS Nikki for the belt, let alone a Brie Bella face run as Divas Champion. They need to promote Charlotte NOW. She's the only other option that makes sense besides Paige, although that's assuming the creative team doesn't mess up her debut and initial run.

 

[GeTiTT]

Naomi should be the first and only option. They took big strides turning her heel and i think she is doing amazing! It brings a really exciting feel to her with her more technical and less acrobatic moveset. For Naomi the partnering with Tamina also really makes her look stronger in all aspects (Like HBK & Diesel). Naomi has to win at EC to really solidify herself in the division. She has all the potential in the world and this is her time to win it. After this she needs to continue her feud with Paige throughout the summer and come out on top. After it will be nice to see a feud with Natalya to bring some freshness to the division.

Paige needs to stay away from the Divas title after her hopeful summer feud with Naomi. She has peaked to early where i fear this can hurt her in the long run with being bland and running out of things to do. They should really try to use her in storylines involving the male superstars to make her career more versatile but still relevant. This is where AJ, Trish, Lita really broke out into their superstardome.

Charolette should debut sometime soon but not head for the Divas title immediately. She needs to build up steam on the main roster before she goes to the top. It would be a repeat of last year with Paige and i think Charolette deserves more than being a copy of what we saw the year before. Lets see how she fares with the veteran divas like Nattie, Alicia, Tamina. The towards the end of the year have her compete for the Divas title. I would even say hold off till next wrestlemania to win the title. Give her a WrestleMania moment.

 

[MCMG]

I thought the logical story was Charlotte taking the belt of Nikki at Summerslam but they have gone and turned her face.

I'm kind of 50/50 on Paige. She is definitely a step above the rest but I'm not sure she is definitively better than what they have on NXT. That makes it difficult to put her as the top women and she clearly doesn't have the look the WWE would want from their top diva.

The Bellas as babyfaces bores the shit out of me. At least as heels they were entertaining - it was natural. The reality is that the Bellas are bigger stars then the rest so taking the belt of them probably isn't desired. I'd put the belt on Naomi for a bit and see how she does. The WWE are very close to having an interesting division but they just need to put the pieces together.

I think it should be Namoi who can then drop it to Charlotte at some point. It will probably be Paige.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

It changes hands this Sunday. Naomi will steal the win from Paige, likely with Tamina's help. I've enjoyed Naomi's heel run thoroughly. She's come along way as a wrestler and this match will be the beginning of Paige chasing the title through Summerslam. Not sure what happens next for the Bellas, not to worried to be honest as they've been the centre of the diva's division for far too long.

Charlotte is ready for the main roster, but debuting with a title win is too close to Paige's debut. Although, later in the year I could see it working. I think they're waiting on a Charlotte debut. The diva's division on the main roster has the least depth of any division right now. There are a lot of wonderful developmental divas we can look forward to debuting.

I really hope the main roster can find a way to capture the magic on the NXT women's division. The passion and match quality coming out of there bodes well for the future. For now, Naomi vs Paige will be the top feud going forward, and the face chasing the title is the best way to go.

By the way, what was with Paige saving Nikki just to attack her? Isn't Nikki a face now? Even if she wasn't, it's kind of a heel thing to do. Am I supposed to cheer Paige over that? Or are women just a bunch of emotional bitches that fight and make no sense? Main roster needs to take some serious cues from developmental here.

 

[MartialHorror]

By the way, what was with Paige saving Nikki just to attack her? Isn't Nikki a face now? Even if she wasn't, it's kind of a heel thing to do. Am I supposed to cheer Paige over that? Or are women just a bunch of emotional bitches that fight and make no sense? Main roster needs to take some serious cues from developmental here.

I don't get the confusion. Paige is a tweener/wild card/anti-hero. They'll likely focus their energies on the heel, but occasionally will target a face if they get in the way. Sort of like how Reigns, Orton and Ambrose would attack each-other. It's to add tension/make a statement.

 

[Paige's Side Piece]

Paige made her character clear on that interview she had with Michael Cole. She's a inbetweener. Rogue. She will fight whoever is put in front of her. Only reason Nikki and Brie are face, with no explanation of it, is because AJ leaving and Paige being taken out, left the Divas roster with all heels. Since the Bellas have a huge following with fans who watch Total Divas, they were magically made face after doing commetary.

I don't see Paige winning even though it makes sense, whereas if they bring Charlotte up, she could be the one to break her into the main roster. But her having a third title reign wouldn't make sense and will only kill her feud she has with Naomi. I wouldn't be surprised if Nikki won. She and her sister are the favorites in the company cause of their ties to Cena and Bryan. But honestly, I can't buy Nikki getting a believable clean win over both Paige and Naomi, who are more gifted in the ring then she is, Naomi being athletic and a high flyer and Paige being a brawler with a automatic tap out submission move in the PTO. Nikki lacks a move set which isn't her fault. Plus since she's had Brie in her corner the whole time she's been champion, helping her win while they were heels, and being protected by being featured in tag matches and not defending her title since i forgot, how can she pull off this win by herself?

I want Naomi to win. Alot people aren't feeling her heel turn, but I like it. It's just in the ring, she shouldn't be taunting and acting immature like they usually have the divas do when they turn heel. She should be kicking ass, performing dirty moves and pins. It's time for someone new and different to be champion because it helps the division grow, with another formidable contender for the title. And you can continue the fued with Paige where Naomi wins, by cheating and using Tamina to keep the title all for Charlotte to come up and challenge Naomi for the title. I'm not saying this way is the best way, I'm just looking for some sort of hope that they can give us some effort to give a damn about the Divas Division like how Triple H does with NXT.

 

[Bagpipes]

If there are creative plans to bring up any of the Big 4 NXT women to the main roster soon, and they are even considering changing the landscape of how the Divas division is portrayed, Nattie or Paige are really the only two options to take the belt.

Having a gifted in-ring performer as champion, or even as a top contender (which Nattie isn't right now-- can't say I remember her last singles match on television), I think is key to establish one or two meaningful feuds for any of Charlotte, Sasha, Bayley, Becky Lynch when they are called up.

If everyone's chasing the Bellas, believability that the champion is also currently the best performer pretty much goes out the window.

 

[RedRegan1005]

WOOOOOOOO! I'm going with Charlotte. I've become a huge fan of her watching how she's come along in NXT. Being the daughter of the Nature Boy is blessing cause it gets peoples attention, but its a curse because you have very high expectations to live up to. I think she has been living up to those expectations and then some. Her in ring work has become great, and she's gotten her mic skills up to par. I was livid a few months back when she randomly wrestled on raw and lost in a short throwaway match. Just pointless. But, no serious damage as that was a while ago and people wont really think about that when she gets pulled up.

P.S. A back up option I would be fine with is the Boss Sasha Banks, another NXT star.

 

[Hakushi]

I wouldn't doubt that Brie takes it from her. There is "unfinished business" in that relationship.