Examining Dana Brooke's Direction, Upside and Long-Term Potential

While Dana Brooke has the raw materials to be a WWE star, her limitations will hinder the manufacturing process.

Championship gold is not in the flexing, brash powerhouse's future. Her acting ability will get in the way of her athleticism, and her rushed development will lower her ceiling. 

Brooke debuted on the main roster as Emma's sidekick in early May. That allowed their alliance from NXT to continue in a new landscape. But The Total Diva wouldn't be able to stay under her mentor's wing for long.

Emma underwent back surgery, as WWE.com noted, just days after Brooke's arrival.

The newcomer from NXT shifted her allegiance to women's champ Charlotte. Brooke now plays the titleholder's protege and enforcer.

In theory, that's a good spot for her. But WWE hasn't used the role to bring her along slowly as it should have.

The company has instead put Brooke in the ring and on center stage on a regular basis. That has highlighted her flaws and forced her to do too much too quickly.

Strengths

Physically, Brooke has plenty to like. She's among the most powerful women on the roster. And as one can see every time she does a standing flip during her entrance, she's plenty athletic.

She's a gymnast and a tank in the ring. 

All that adds up to a good foundation to build on. Brooke is blessed genetically, something that has given her quite the head start.

Brooke also looks the part of a wrestler. Thanks to her bodybuilding background, she has a gladiator's frame.

That's an asset Vince McMahon has long coveted with male wrestlers, but given the speed of her rise, it's obvious that bulging muscles aid a female grappler's career, too.

Obstacles

Brooke is an unfinished product put on the market too soon.

After just two years of experience in wrestling, she's performing on Raw and SmackDown each week. That puts heavy pressure on someone who should still be in student mode.

When Brooke debuted on the main roster and proceeded to be a big part of the women's division, many, like the folks at WrestleZone.com, rightly questioned the move:

She is raw and awkward in the ring. At times, she looks unsure of herself in there. Brooke is wildly inconsistent when hitting the Michinoku Driver, which makes the move more dangerous as a result.

After the tag match that pit Brooke and Charlotte against Lynch and Natalya at Money in the Bank, Kevin Berge of Questionable Critics pointed out Brooke's failings in the bout:

And she will struggle to hang with a division that boasts the best collection of female talent WWE has ever seen.

Brooke's mic skills are further evidence that her call-up came too quickly. She is stilted on promos. It often sounds like she is rehearsing a play rather than speaking from the gut.

She shows enough flashes of charisma and presence that lead one to believe she can improve as a talker, but it's far harder to develop under the heat of the spotlight.

Long-Term Potential

Brooke is talented and an impressive physical specimen. It's easy to see why WWE is high on her.

As Cageside Seats pointed out, she has potential to grow:

Simply put: She is a rookie who has been asked to start too soon. That will increase the steepness of her climb, threatening to have fans sour on her as she stumbles in the process.

Brooke will do well after breaking away from Charlotte, but her limitations will keep her from winning the Women's Championship. Expect her to be in the title hunt here and there, but she's bound to be more of a role player for the division.

She's sure to have one memorable feud before her run ends. Just don't bet on her having Natalya's longevity or Charlotte's prominence.

The competition around her will just be too tough, even with the WWE machine behind her. 

Be sure to check out previous editions of this ongoing series:

• Xavier Woods
• Apollo Crews
• Rusev
• Sami Zayn