Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Has Ample Talent for New Dawn in Women's Wrestling

1. NXT Women's Division Thriving, a Revolution Brewing 

As Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch tore at each other's arms at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, as two warriors left each other drained and in need of ice packs, it was hard not to start thinking about the future.

Will this kind of compelling match be the norm in WWE's women's division? Are we witnessing a revolution in progress?

It won't be a lack of talent that prevents that from happening, but instead a mindset. WWE has so often resisted making its women much more than a means to add sex appeal. They are relegated to short, hurried matches with little story. They often play a stereotype rather than a character.

If Vince McMahon and the folks spitting ideas at him want to change that, there's no better time than now.

The rosters at both WWE and NXT are flush with talented women. All the makings of a deep, compelling division are there.

Tamina Snuka can serve as the enforcer, Natalya can be the technical wizard and Bayley can be the lovable fan favorite. As for cornerstones of the division, Paige, Banks, Lynch and Charlotte have all shown themselves capable of handling that role.

Turn on any of NXT's live specials and note how alive the crowd is when these women go at it.

Tally up all the standout matches that they have piled up in that last year-plus. Compiling a list of five great recent women's matches from WWE used to be an exercise in futility. Now it's difficult because it's hard to narrow down the list to just five.

Transferring that success to the main roster takes a change in philosophy from the higher-ups. It takes a welcoming of change.

The amount of talent the women's division boasts now demands that change. 

If you have a baseball team full of speedy guys, the wise move is to start stealing more bases and trying to bunt for hits more often. If a basketball team finds that it has a surplus of big men, the coach has to move away from fast breaks and focus more on half-court offense. Personnel inspires adaptation; that's what's needs to happen at WWE.

The fix to the women's division's woes used to be about adding talent from the outside. The solution now is to simply take advantage of the talent sweating, soaring and battling in the ring right now.

2. Pushing Cena

The narrative of John Cena's open challenges for United States Championship have largely been the same. A plucky, emerging star makes a surprise entrance, makes Cena work to retain and ultimately falls just short.

Some challengers, though, have made that a longer story than others.

Zack Ryder's recent crack at the gold puts him at the bottom of the list in terms of how long challengers have lasted against Cena. A rookie can brag about delaying defeat the longest:

• Neville (14:43)
• Dean Ambrose (14:21)
• Stardust (13:10)
• Sami Zayn (10:45)
• Bad News Barrett (9:51)
• Kane (6:26)
• Zack Ryder (4:05)

The fact that Neville had this long of a match and was the only one of this group to win—albeit by disqualification—is a testament to how much WWE thinks of him. As for Ryder, his title bout was a bone thrown to the hometown boy. His quick loss is a reminder that the company views him as fodder, not a contender.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Bull Nakano

When WWE fans reflect on when the women's division was at it best, they often think back to when Trish Stratus and Lita led the way.

The '90s, though, had its share of talented women. A Hall of Famer from Japan briefly invaded WWE. She and Alundra Blayze (now a Hall of Famer herself) put on a high-quality match at SummerSlam 1994.

To see Nakano in action is to see WWE willing to showcase a woman who wasn't a model. She was presented as a wrestling character, not eye candy. 

It's also refreshing to see a women's match receive some pageantry, as flower girls presented both competitors with bouquets. That's an idea worth going to again, a minor detail that works to give the bout a big-fight feel.

4. Lucha Libre World Cup

In Mexico City, a tournament filled with former WWE stars should have McMahon and Company thinking of how to adapt the concept for themselves.

Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio and the original Sin Cara were among the three-man teams that competed at the event. Seeing those three men join forces was mighty fun in itself.

The other teams vying for victory in the tournament that Mexico's Asistencia Asesoria y Administracion hosted represented different wrestling promotions. WWE is not likely to want to work with other companies, but forming teams based on nationality or some other connection would work.

The New Day would be obvious entrants. Perhaps The Wyatt Family could reform for the tourney, while King Barrett, Sheamus and Neville could come together as Team Europe. That trio's distrust of each other makes for one of many possible subplots to play with.

5. Samoa Joe Will Boost NXT

With Joe now in the NXT fold, things are going to get mighty interesting over the next few months.

It's not clear whether WWE plans to eventually bring The Samoan Submission Machine to the main roster. The company doesn't need to do that, though. Joe can thrive at Full Sail University, furthering the must-see feeling that NXT already has.

Credit: WWE.com

Thinking of who Joe will face is enough to leave a fan salivating. Joe vs. Owens will be tremendous. Joe's going up against Finn Balor, Baron Corbin or Sami Zayn has great potential as well. 

He comes in with pre-existing star power. His submission-heavy style makes for a great contrast with some of the high-flyers on the roster. 

As fun as it has been to welcome Rhyno into NXT, it's going to be doubly thrilling to watch Joe tangle with the roster.

6. Remembering Owen Hart

With The Rocket's birthday passing on May 23, memories of the late star are forcing their way to the surface of many a fan's brain. Hart would have been 50 this year.

Rather than focus on the tragic way his life ended, it's better to look back at his best work and savor what he accomplished in the ring. For fans not familiar with Hart's career, these bouts are a great place to start:

• Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart—WrestleMania X
• Owen Hart vs. Razor Ramon—Raw, Jan. 9, 1995
• Owen Hart vs. Shawn Michaels—In Your House 6: Rage in the Cage 
• Owen Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith—Raw, Feb. 26, 1997
• Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith—Raw, Nov. 20, 1995 

He and Michaels put on a stirring show with a world title shot at WrestleMania XII on the line. That was an underrated match that showed off the wrestlers' ability to whip the crowd into a frenzy. 

Any of his matches with his brother Bret are well worth watching. Their clash at WrestleMania, though, stands out with a great blend of mat wrestling and in-ring drama. 

7. David Letterman Talks Wrestling 

Letterman's leaving the airwaves after so many years has wrestling fans reflecting on his part in the Andy Kaufman-Jerry Lawler feud.

He wasn't just a bystander, though; he was a fan. In an interview with Bob Costas, he talks about watching a young Bobby Heenan in the ring and offers his reflections on Dick the Bruiser.

8. Retaining Inside the Chamber

The New Day can take solace in the fact that despite being outnumbered in the Elimination Chamber, history says that the group has a reasonable chance to retain.

Of the 12 Elimination Chamber bouts for a championship (not counting a vacant one), six of the champions kept their titles, and six of them lost. That's not bad odds considering that the gimmick offers WWE a logical time to change champs.

Recently, things have looked especially good for titleholders. In four out of the last five title matches, the champion has won. The New Day now wait to see if that pattern continues with the very first tag team Elimination Chamber match.

That contest will look a lot different than the previous, less crowded editions.

9. Potential Sleeper Feud 

Bo Dallas vs. Neville isn't getting much hype. It's the thrown-in battle to fill out the Elimination Chamber card.

Their previous history promises to make this rivalry more than that, though. Dallas' best work has come against Neville, when the two collided at NXT.

So far, this continuation of their story has brought out glimpses of excellence from Dallas again. He looks rejuvenated. He's suddenly an opportunist looking to hurt an old foe.

The former NXT champ gave one of his better interviews on last week's SmackDown:

This delusional version of Dallas is far better than the stripped-down character we saw early on. With a bit of focus and some solid ring time when they meet, these two will soon have the audience locked in, regardless of their spot on the card.

10. Novelist on NXT/WWE Women's Wrestling 

Paul O'Brien, known for his series of crime novels that are set in the underground of the wrestling world, recently offered his thoughts on what is happening and what is possible with the women's division at NXT and WWE.

He offers a mantra for the company to best allow the women of the squared circle to succeed. In an article he wrote for F4WOnline, he said, "Give them time, give them a spotlight, give them issues of substance, and get out of their way."

It's not a complicated formula, but it's one that will work. WWE just has to start feeling generous enough toward its women to start following O'Brien's advice.

All match statistics and ring times courtesy of CageMatch.net.