wrestling / Columns

411 Fact or Fiction Wrestling: Should Sasha vs. Charlotte Main Event Road Block?

December 9, 2016 | Posted by Larry Csonka
WWE Image Credit: WWE

Welcome back to the latest edition of 411 Fact or Fiction, Wrestling Edition! Stuff happened, people loved/hated it and let everyone else know. I pick through the interesting/not so interesting tidbits and then make 411 staff members discuss them for your pleasure. Battling this week are 411’s Mike Chin and Shawn Lealos!

  • Questions were sent out Monday.
  • Participants were told to expect wrestling-related content, as well as possible statements on quantum physics, homemade pharmaceuticals, the Turtle Total Trip Theorem, pizza and hydroponics.

    1. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks has been one of the best feuds of 2016.

    Mike Chin: FACT – While I understand the arguments that Charlotte-Banks would benefit from more storytelling outside the ring, I actually love that it has been a feud that feels more like a professional rivalry, which has consequently blossomed into a personal issue. It’s pretty wild to think that this feud launched in January when Banks confronted Charlotte at The Royal Rumble and has continued for essentially the entire year with the two of them trading victories and the Women’s Championship. They were two-thirds of a great Triple Threat at WrestleMania, they did well at SummerSlam, and they were truly excelled in their two Raw main events. Add into that breaking boundaries with the first women’s Hell in a Cell Match and first women’s (main roster) Iron Man Match coming up, and you have the female rivalry I would argue has conclusively surpassed Trish Stratus vs. Lita for best main roster women’s rivalry of all time. I’m reticent to call this the WWE feud of the year, but for sheer longevity and sustained match quality, it does have to make the short list.

    Shawn Lealos: FACT – Since the question reads “one of the,” I would have to say yes. I mean, I think AJ Styles vs. John Cena was better, but Sasha vs. Charlotte has been great. I know a lot of people hate long feuds because they want the next thing NOW but I like it when two people really start to develop an old-school blood feud that stretches out over a year. If anything has held this feud back it is that Charlotte is undefeated at PPV events and that has really limited Sasha Banks’ title reigns. I get that the money is in the face chasing the title but when they catch it and lose it almost immediately and then catch it and then quickly lose it again, you start to wonder if they deserve to keep challenging for it. Sasha needs to be the person to end Charlotte’s PPV winning streak and go on a run with the title herself. But, the matches have all been entertaining (that fall’s count anywhere match was great), they are changing women’s wrestling for the better, and it has been a great feud.

    2. Alexa Bliss winning the Smackdown Women’s Title at TLC was the right call.

    Mike Chin: FICTION – I’m on the fence about this one. Bliss has improved dramatically, and it is good to see her rewarded for the effort. Just the same, she’s not a performer of Becky Lynch’s caliber. If WWE is truly going to argue that the Raw and Smackdown’s Women’s Championships are on equal footing, they need to have comparable champions. Sasha Banks and Charlotte have traded the Raw title and it has worked because they’re both so good and can make legit claims to being the best. Lynch is the only woman from Smackdown who can really match up with them (maybe Nikki Bella from a kayfabe credibility standpoint; maybe Natalya with some serious kayfabe rehabilitation). Sometimes championships get heat from changing hands, but they can also gain build reputations for long reigns. Lynch had plenty of mileage left with the Smackdown Women’s Championship, and I was looking forward to seeing a face-face rivalry between her and Bella before Asuka showed up or someone defected from Raw to take the title around ‘Mania or maybe next summer. Granted, a Tables Match loss is all but designed to protect Lynch and she very well might win back the title sooner than later, but I think WWE missed an opportunity for her to have a meaningful, long, uninterrupted run on top.

    Shawn Lealos: FACT – Now, I get the argument that Becky Lynch chased the title for so long that it seemed she deserved a nice long title run as a reward for her hard work and determination. However, something has really been lacking in the SmackDown women’s division and Alexa Bliss is hugely entertaining as a villain. Hell, I think she might be a better heel champion – when it comes to her character – than Charlotte was. They put on a great match at TLC and Alexa Bliss proved she can hang in the main event scene for the women. Now, I don’t think Alexa Bliss will be a long-term champion because all I see are really Becky Lynch and Nikki Bella as legitimate contenders. The champion needs to be a face on SmackDown because the real contenders are heels (Carmella, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Eva Marie – yes, even Eva Marie because as much as she sucks in the ring, people REALLY hate her). Plus, Nikki Bella needs to be a heel because she SUCKS as a face. But, for now, I am really happy for Alexa Bliss, especially after watching Talking Smack. I think she deserves this title reign.

    3. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt are way more interesting together than they were apart.

    Mike Chin: FACT – Full disclosure–as those who read the 411 Round Table Preview of TLC will know, I actually picked Slater and Rhyno to retain at TLC, in favor of Orton and Wyatt imploding back into a feud before they won gold. As it stands, however, this combo looks to get the best out of each man. It’s a fresh direction for both of them, and allows each of them to look dominant and regain some top-guy credibility before heading back into singles competition ready to be taken seriously as a main eventer again. In order for me to say this experiment worked in the long-term, however, I really hope these two are in for a lengthy reign. If they drop the titles and split before February, I’m inclined to dismiss this whole thing as WWE playing fast and loose with the tag titles in favor of pushing a singles angle. There are too many good tag teams active in WWE today to justify doing that.

    Shawn Lealos: FACT – The Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton feud was not good, and that hurt both men. Wyatt needed to stop losing and Randy Orton couldn’t afford to lose after Brock Lesnar made him his bitch. Now, together, Bray Wyatt finally won his first WWE title – and it’s about time. Wyatt needed to be a champion to make his promises a reality. For too long, he was just drifting along, making threats and then losing. Randy Orton is a good choice for a tag team wrestler at this stage in his career. Plus, I love the dynamic between Randy Orton, Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt. This has been great storytelling, with them slowly learning they can trust in each other. The look on Luke Harper’s face when Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton put their titles on his shoulder was some of the best acting I have seen in the WWE in a long time. These guys are gonna be huge on SmackDown.

    SWITCH!

    4. Tamina should be added to the Smackdown roster

    Shawn Lealos: FICTION – I was just looking and it seems there are a lot more heels than faces on both rosters. I think Tamina is a better heel than a face, so that leads to just another heel which sucks. On Raw, the only faces are Bayley and Sasha Banks (I assume Emma will be a heel). On SmackDown, there is Becky Lynch and Nikki Bella (ugh). So, if Tamina shows up as another heel, there is nothing for her to do anyway because she is buried below others who are waiting for their shots. If she comes back as a face, who will she feud with? I think she is a good person to put against Nia Jax because she won’t get thrown around as easily as others and might make Nia Jax look even stronger in the win. I don’t like Tamina in the ring, so use her to put someone else over. Nia Jax needs it more than others, so put her on Raw

    Mike Chin: FACT – Between Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Bayley on top, with Nia Jax lurking just behind them, and and acts like Dana Brooks and Alicia Fox filling in the middle to lower women’s card, I just don’t see where Tamina fits into the Raw women’s division, unless she’s there solely to job. The playing field over on Smackdown is a lot more level and fluid, and I could see Tamina–particularly by virtue of her size–making an immediate impact over there, and even working as short-term title contender. So, yes, Smackdown for sure for her.

    5. You don’t care that Ric Flair is back as an on screen character for WWE.

    Shawn Lealos: FICTION – I feel there is always a place for legends who want to be part of the WWE main roster in roles OTHER than wrestling. Ric Flair can be a great manager, and while he is incoherent at times when giving promos, if he just slows down and acts the heel without the bluster, I think he can be a solid on-screen character. However, I don’t want to see him managing Charlotte again. I also don’t know if I want to see him manager Sasha Banks, although that would be a better choice than Charlotte at this time. I remember when Flair wanted to manage Dolph Ziggler and that would have been great. Flair can take the manager flops that classic managers did and would be solid in that role. I wish he would stop crying every time I see him but I like having Flair back on my TV as a character.

    Mike Chin: FICTION – Here’s the funny thing–I may have very easily said fact from a more objective standpoint, but last week, when Raw was in Charlotte and Flair made his return to TV, I was there in the live audience and marked the hell out with everyone around me. I understand that Flair only has so much to offer the Charlotte-Sasha Banks rivalry, and I fear, like some others, that he’s going to pull a swerve and cost Banks the final fall of the Iron Man Match at Road Block. But if he only sticks around for a little while, and if the active wrestlers can stay front and center, I think he’s a perfectly fine accoutrement to a great feud, and a great nostalgic presence for live crowds and casual fans.

    6. The Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks iron woman match should main event the Road Block PPV.

    Shawn Lealos: FICTION – I liked the Hell in a Cell match. That Falls Counts Anywhere match was fantastic. I DO NOT want to see the Iron Woman match. I don’t want to see it. I hope they keep it at 30 minutes like more recent ones because Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks for one hour would be terrible. They know how to keep people invested in a 10-20 minute match, but longer than that is really pushing things, and the way they wrestle, Sasha Banks could end up paralyzed by the end. Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns should be the main event and there should be no other option.

    Mike Chin: FACT – Boy, did I go back and forth on this one. On one hand, in the likely event that Roman Reigns does win the Universal Championship at this show (and I think he probably should, because this Owens championship run isn’t really working at this point), it feels only fitting that that match for Raw’s top prize should get the main event spot. Just the same, we’ve all seen what happens when an undercard match severely outshines the main event, and it ain’t pretty. Banks and Charlotte have proven themselves capable of solid four-star outings, and given the Iron Man Match stipulation, if the match is booked wisely, I fully expect they’ll meet or exceed that level again. Moreover, given how long this rivalry has gone across 2016, I can only assume this is the true blow-off match–that, at minimum, WWE is putting it on pause until WrestleMania. Can Owens-Reigns match this one? Maybe, because their previous efforts have been solid three-star plus affairs, that could get better with some big spots and PPV time. Just the same, I’d say the safer call is to go with the women, and like the idea all the better for Banks and Charlotte getting the last PPV main event spot of 2016.