[media-credit name=”WWE” align=”alignnone” width=”620″]
[/media-credit]
The princess from Staten Island. The force to be reckoned with. The spiteful one.
Last night’s draft saw Carmella, Nia Jax, and Alexa Bliss get called up from NXT to join their respective brands. Carmella and Alexa will join SmackDown while Nia has been positioned to be a wildcard in the women’s division for Raw.
It’s been a pleasure watching each of these women grow. Let’s take a look back at their time in NXT and what’s to possibly come for them.
[media-credit name=”WWE” align=”alignnone” width=”620″]
[/media-credit]
Alexa Bliss proves that though she may be small, she is fierce. From her debut as a pixie princess to her evolution as the mean queen, she has become a ruthless competitor. One of my favorites, I was elated but also sad that she got called up. I believe she could have made a wonderful NXT Women’s Champion and was convinced she’d possibly be the one to sneakily dethrone Asuka.
It’s been fun watching Alexa channel her rage of being constantly underestimated. She outclasses even the best heels on the roster with her animated facial reactions, on point body language, and feisty dialogue.
After connecting with Blake and Murphy, she’s gained the confidence and in ring prowess to add to her ever evolving move set. A blend of arial maneuvers, strikes, and larger than life intimidation tactics, she should go far as one of the top heels in the SmackDown brand.
I’m excited to watch her work and learn from Becky Lynch, Natalya, and Naomi. I foresee her becoming more well rounded and quicker on her feet, which will further compliment her luchadora yet ground and pound style. All the women on SmackDown should be scared.
Not to mention, now that she’s on SmackDown, her feud with Carmella can evolve and continue.
[media-credit name=”WWE” align=”alignnone” width=”640″]
[/media-credit]
The most fabulous chick in NXT has also come a long way. She made her way on the scene as a hair dresser who meets Enzo and Big Cass, becoming their valet a few weeks later. Now a plucky babyface, her earlier incarnation tended to show heel-like tendencies with her Bye Felicias and pushy attitude.
She started her singles career never backing down from a fight while also managing the hottest tag team to come out of NXT in Enzo and Big Cass. She wears her NY pride and Italian side like a badge of honor.
I became a fan of hers a year ago after NXT Brooklyn, after she pulled off a top rope headscissor takedown, and believe she shows great promise. Though basic in her offense at first, Carmella has improved steadily over this year, picking up her pace, smoothing out her follow throughs, giving her finisher a name, and adding new moves to her arsenal.
Like many others, I was hopeful she’d be reunited with her boys but it looks like she joins Becky as our second babyface for the brand in a sea of heels and possible tweeners. She’s poised to learn from the best though and I think the last few matches she would have benefited from in NXT will translate to her new ones in SmackDown and she’ll become a more complete wrestler. She has the work ethic to succeed and as the second tier baby face, she’ll win the hearts of fans, no doubt.
[media-credit name=”WWE” align=”alignnone” width=”620″]
[/media-credit]
A force of greatness, she’s not like most girls and Nia is moving to Raw after a dominating year in NXT. Though in developmental the shortest time out of all the women, after facing Asuka at TakeOver: The End, she’s morphing into the powerhouse wrestler she’s meant to be.
Though some might say she isn’t ready for the big time, I stand by my opinion when I say that match against Asuka was her coming out party. She has dug deeper and added more devastating moves into her repertoire. Gone are the constant leg drops or simple shoulder blocks. Those five moves of doom weren’t doing anyone any favors.
Now she walks with an air of confidence and is showing she can lead a match, while also adding powerbombs, suplexs, and variations of mat slams to her moveset.
Narratively, there wasn’t much left to do in NXT after squashing most of the women. No one could withstand her strength except for Asuka and Bayley, even then they barely scratched the surface of what Nia could do.
Being drafted to Raw puts everyone on notice. Like Carmella she may have needed maybe a few more matches in NXT before being complete, but with the veterans she joins on Raw, along with Sasha Banks, she’ll produce some competitive matches while learning from some of the best.
She may even be involved in a high profile storyline quickly as Sasha’s partner at Battleground, offering an untapped equalizer to the pulverizing combination of Charlotte and Dana Brooke.
WWE needs someone like her, she shows everyone that you can be powerful while being yourself and variety in the women’s division will continue to attract all different kinds of fans who see themselves in these characters.
Welcome to the new era!
Congratulations to all three women, Diva-Dirt is so proud!
What do you think lies in store for Alexa, Carmella, and Nia? Are you happy with the outcome of the draft? Sound off in the comments below.
