If anyone had a great first year on the main roster in 2019, there is no question Lacey Evans is in that conversation. The Sassy Southern Belle started off her year with a 25 plus minute showcase as the #1 entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble; and over the course of the year the staccato moments continued.
Most fans were introduced to Evans just two years earlier in the inaugural Mae Young Classic as well as NXT. Evans was a standout with a classic bold look and a military background to match that. While it’s a cliché gimmick, Evans lives it and that’s why it works. Vintage is always in style which the statement rings just as true in the squared circle.
Evans clearly wasted no time when she was drafted to Raw in the spring by immediately setting her sights on The Man Becky Lynch. Lynch is one of the most popular Superstars, especially winning both the Smackdown and Raw Women’s Championships of being a part of WrestleMania 35’s main event.
Her feud with Lynch was smart and strategic, placing her in Raw’s most important storyline at the time. The alliance with Baron Corbin worked as WWE focused on the relationship of Lynch and Rollins. The fact that Lynch had two belts undoubtedly worked in Evans’ favor, which she was the cause of Lynch losing the Smackdown Championship to Charlotte Flair at Money in the Bank.
The feud lasted well into the summer, where Evans was unsuccessful in capturing the Raw Women’s Championship. However, the feud established Evans as a future top player in the WWE Women’s Division. After entering in a feud with Natalya, the rivalry had the rookie and the veteran going to battle in a Last Woman Standing Match on Raw just before Crown Jewel.
Natalya won the match in a great story told by both her and Evans. Evans did such a great job playing the heel role and taking Natalya to her limits. Those efforts took the ladies to the controversial event Saudi Arabia, where history was made as the two were the first women to wrestle there.
It is almost as if Evans was at the right place at the right time so far. With her move to Smackdown, she turned babyface as she courses through the feud with Sasha Banks. Banks’ 2019 has had its ups and downs, but the current feud with Evans is a hot story for the brand. That helps all parties involved, including Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley and Dana Brooke.
Evans has showed up to the challenge of standing out in the WWE Women’s Division. Her talent in and out of the ring has improved as well as her presence. Fans know Evans is a driving force. 2019 is coming to a close, but 2020 and beyond is ready for takeoff for the Sassy Southern Belle. Don’t be surprised if she’s one of the top players of this coming decade.
