Let me preface this by saying I really like Charlotte Flair's work. I think she's a star, and should headline WrestleMania in the future, possibly multiple times.
This year should not be that year.
Not only is this year Becky Lynch's year -- this year is Ronda Rousey's year too. That's the match, that's the closer, and womano-a-womano (that's not a correct usage of the phrase or translation, but hey) is the way to go. Becky Lynch is the hottest full-time WWE star that the company has had in a long time and deserves her moment and spotlight without muddying the waters. Ronda Rousey is probably the smoothest transitioning part time star WWE has had in even longer, and has earned her way into that spot as well.
The faceoff that we saw on Monday Night Raw was nothing short of special. Rousey, with what I thought was poor subject matter at best, was still in a segment with some of the most significant heat in recent memory, and started to let some more of her personality shine through on social media of late. You know, the Ronda Rousey you heard about in UFC -- outspoken, chip on her shoulder, always unsatisfied even in victory.
The irony of the situation is everything that I've heard about Rousey and her attitude and demeanor since her WWE debut reflects that of the character that we see on screen that many claim isn't her. However, it's not the Rousey many people came to know in her five years atop MMA. Rousey, above all, is a smart businesswoman and saleswoman, and as genuinely kind and humble as she may be during her WWE run, she wouldn't let that get in the way of selling what is quite possibly the biggest women's wrestling match in history.
It's not often you can say that a celebrity from outside of wrestling who already made their pro wrestling debut at a WrestleMania has earned their spot atop the WrestleMania card, but it's hard to object to that for Rousey.
There will always be those ill and odd "how much does she REALLY move the needle?"-- her Youtube clips are always over 1 million, a feat only matched by Brock Lesnar, John Cena, The Undertaker and often Triple H. There's "she has to plan her matches!"-- to which, who cares? There's also the discussion of other people working harder and longer than her, which is one rooted in truth, but certainly not applicable in the situation present. She's a hot character, she has good matches, and she's the perfect person opposite of Becky Lynch.
I'm not sure that Becky Lynch's credentials need to be gone over. She's objectively the right person for the spot, and at this point even some of the most cynical women's wrestling haters are too embarrassed to publicly state otherwise. To the point where Charlotte Flair should be kept away from the body of this match.
Don't get me wrong, I think Charlotte Flair should be in AND win a women's championship match at WrestleMania 35, but it shouldn't be Lynch and Rousey's. I don't even doubt that the in-ring quality of the Raw Women's Title match would be better if Charlotte were involved. She's a fantastic performer. But there's a big, big reason for that in which contributes to the long term picture for both Flair and WWE
.
WWE is running out of part-time options to turn to. Many of their "break glass in case of" guys are going away. The Rock didn't even attend WrestleMania last year. John Cena passed on the Royal Rumble this year. Chris Jericho signed with AEW. The Undertaker and Kane are very clearly on their last legs, and it doesn't look like Sting, CM Punk or Stone Cold Steve Austin are walking through that door any time soon. Dave Batista is still there, but you can't imagine him giving you many more boosts, and when have WWE showed a real desire to have their finger anywhere near the pulse when it relates to him since 2014? WWE needs their current stars to headline their biggest shows, so people will associate them with the stardom they've earned.
Charlotte Flair should win that title match -- the Smackdown Women's Title Match. Asuka currently holds the title, and it may do more harm than good if Charlotte beats her for the second straight year on the grandest stage. Fortunately there are capable ingredients that could be integrated to prevent Asuka from taking another straight up loss to Charlotte and circumventing those issues. But Charlotte should walk out of WrestleMania 35 as Smackdown Women's Champion.
WWE needs her to anchor that division assuming Becky Lynch wins the Raw title and takes her talents there. More importantly, WWE needs a moment. We all know how they love building to moments. And hey, we love them too, especially when it's creatively satisfying, which brings up the next point. Bayley and Sasha Banks need to be the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions by the time the show ends, too.
A popular show closer, even after all the tragedy, is the finish of WrestleMania 20. The now-passed Eddie Guerrero embraced his friend (and inevitably disgraced) Chris Benoit in a moment that we no longer see on WWE television because of the latter's actions. It was a sign of overcoming. A sign of what WWE stands for at its core -- the story of good and evil, David and Goliath -- with WWE's very own standards of success being the Goliath and evil to overcome. In its own way, the biggest show of the year closed with a subtle but solid display of anti-establishment.
In WWE, the establishment of women's wrestling for decades was no secret. The issues are still used to build promos, feuds, and even full on pay-per-views. Women's Wrestling vs. WWE needs to be the lasting image for WWE that Guerrero and Benoit vs. the WWE establishment can no longer be. WWE WrestleMania 35 should go off the air with their Four Horsewomen quartet of Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bayley and Sasha Banks embracing, holding their championships high and celebrating a movement and a shift that they largely created with their work ethic and in-ring ability.
Remember when I went on about the lack of part time stars? Back to that. Wrestlers will get over, they'll have amazing runs and be WrestleMania ready. Options will arise. But there's always those matches WWE has in their back pockets. That "break glass in case of." A sure-fire one was wasted a couple of years ago when the company opted to rush a Shield triple threat match before the brand split, and furthermore alienated by the creative misdeeds that were Dean Ambrose. At this point, we may have seen Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in the ring together for the last time. It sure is a good thing that WWE has women's wrestling as hot as it is right now, and has the four full-time pillars of their brand all getting ring time with the crossover star that is Ronda Rousey.
Even without their moment at WrestleMania 35 as fodder for promos, video packages and creative storytelling, it's hard to imagine that Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bayley and Sasha Banks won't close a WrestleMania in a four-way match in future years. They should.
So before the Charlotte stans come at me (please don't), think long-term. I know it can be asking a lot considering WWE themselves don't do it. This is Becky Lynch's year. It's Ronda Rousey's year, too. Charlotte Flair will have her year, and possibly years.
