NXT Continues to Be Hallmark for Women's Wrestling in WWE

Over the past six months or so, NXT has grown to be much more than a developmental brand for the main roster in WWE.

That has perhaps been proved more than ever by the signing of Samoa Joe to the brand, but there are plenty of other reasons why NXT is a standalone wrestling entity, including its women's division.

On the main roster, Divas wrestling hasn't really lit up too many television screens in recent years. The likes of AJ Lee and Paige have been superb for the division, but the exposure women's wrestling gets on the main roster makes it very uninspiring.

"

#NXT has the best women's wrestling in the world. Sasha Banks is the women's champ. @SashaBanksWWE is the best female wrestler in the world.

— The Ultimate Sawyer (@SFulton_WWE) May 21, 2015"

Yet in NXT, that is anything but the case. The women who wrestle on NXT, the so-called developmental brand of WWE, are now the leading lights in female wrestling for the company.

The matches are more physical and entertaining, and it appears the storylines have been given a lot more care and thought.

The recent NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable pay-per-view proved just how good it is, if you didn't believe it was already. Two matches on a pay-per-view involving female stars is unheard of on the main roster, yet there is so much talent and class in NXT that it's impossible to have just one match.

The championship match between Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks was everything a Divas Championship storyline should be. 

There was a compelling buildup with Lynch's story of her coming from Ireland just to become NXT women's champion, which instantly endears her to fans and gives her a background that few women on the main roster seem to have.

Then there's the champion, Sasha Banks. She's grown and matured into a phenomenal competitor, and her  match with Lynch at Unstoppable was arguably the standout match of the entire evening.

It was magnificently brutal and aggressive, a trait that too often can be missing from women's wrestling, especially when you watch the main roster go at it. There were some great spots, and it was hard not to be invested in the match from the first bell to the last.

But it isn't just that match that proves NXT has become the primary source for quality women's wrestling. You can go way back to find prime examples of it. On Feb. 26, 2014, an amazing title match at NXT Arrival took place between Paige and Emma, two women who have since made the leap to the main roster (albeit with differing degrees of success). 

The Fatal 4-Way between Charlotte, Banks, Lynch and Bayley and TakeOver: Rival is another stellar match, one that emphasises just how hot women's wrestling is in NXT.

Charlotte is a superb example of how much better women's wrestling is in NXT. Glance back over the best matches involving female wrestlers in WWE over the last 12 months, and you'll often find her name amongst the competitors. She epitomises the high-energy, high-velocity attitude of women's wrestling in NXT.

The brand also seems to give an appropriate amount of time to its feuds and storylines, which just helps the overall chemistry and energy each match brings. 

When it comes to NXT, there's still an expectation that all these fantastic competitors in the women's division will head to the main roster eventually. And while that is not a bad thing, it's important that the likes of Banks and Charlotte are allowed to bring their energy, aggression and physicality with them.

If they are booked in the manner the likes of Naomi and The Bella Twins are at the moment—with more of an interest in what happens on Total Divas—they may as well stay in NXT. Emma, a solid competitor who was a standout performer in her first run on NXT, is a prime example of that. 

WWE made an appalling booking decision by aligning her with Santino Marella upon her arrival to the main roster. She is starting to thrive in NXT once again with some proper booking that involves her actually wrestling in matches.

NXT is a brand that clearly cares about women's wrestling, and it shows in what goes on in the ring at Full Sail University every week. Those booking the main roster action would do well to tune in on Wednesdays and see exactly what goes on—because they could certainly learn a lot.