Rising Starlettes

Last night on NXT, the WWE's developmental program (think AHL vs NHL), I got a different sort of Divas action than I was expecting. See, when it comes to women's wrestling in the WWE, the best matches aren't on Raw or Smackdown, they're on the developmental show, NXT. In the PG era of pro-wrestling, where we are currently very much ensconced, the days of Bra and Panties matches are (sadly) gone, meaning if women's wrestling is to be entertaining, it now needs to actually be good. Fortunately there are some truly talented women on NXT, like...Paige (center), Summer Rae (left) and Emma (right).

Unfortunately we didn't get to see any of them in the ring last night.

What we did get was a tag-team bout in which Bayley, a childlike woman who loves hugging her opponents, and Charlotte, the daughter of WWE legend Ric Flair, took on Alicia Fox and Aksana, two women who used to be on the main roster but were bumped down to NXT. Overall the talent in the ring wasn't top-notched, but although the moves were sloppy, the action was slow, and the ending was yet another roll-up pin -- seriously, women finish more matches with roll-ups than finishers -- Bayley and Charlotte demonstrated why they may be future contenders.

Bayley has grown into her role as a naive, sickly-sweet dork, and her move-set is starting to reflect her character. In particular, she delivered a pretty impressive belly-to-belly suplex after -- what else -- hugging her opponent. So she's started using hugs as a weapon. Like a bear. Or a passive-aggressive ex. Bayley's mannerisms also aren't so jittery anymore, and she comes off as genuinely innocent and goofy -- which could lead into some good character-driven feuds.

Charlotte already has a big head-start. Being the daughter of Ric Flair would have been enough to give her an edge, but she's very athletic and utilizes her gymnastics background well, using those skills to perform her relatively complex maneuvers. It's too early to read her fortune, as she's only wrestled on-camera less than ten times, but she has the physical ability to be spectacular. Hopefully she works hard and doesn't just coast off of her father's fame.

So those are two Divas to watch out for in the coming months. Maybe I'll get into Paige, Summer Rae and Emma next week -- but regardless, the future of the Diva's division looks bright.

Have a nice day. And don't be a jabroni.

(Photo sources: wwe.com, diva-dirt.com, wrestlingrumors.net)