WWE NXT Women's Division Needs Strong Heels to Replace Sasha Banks

The Divas Revolution was a welcome development on the WWE main roster. Down in NXT, however, it has created a vacuum.

Bayley will have no problem leading the division as its top babyface, filling the role vacated by Charlotte and (in recent months) Becky Lynch.

But every face needs a heel to battle. That’s where things get murky for NXT.

For more than a year, Sasha Banks reigned supreme as the top heel, male or female, in NXT. Her combination of swagger and skill was unmatched on the roster and brought the best out of her competitors.

Wednesday night's episode of NXT proved that while a number of those contenders—Emma, Dana Brooke and Eva Marie—have some of the qualities needed to assume that mantle, each still has work to do to become NXT’s new boss.

Emma leading the charge

No one is better suited to be Bayley’s top rival than Emma. Remember that this is the same woman who, at 24 years old, challenged Paige for the NXT women’s title in a match that is still praised today.

Upon returning to NXT at the beginning of 2015 after a lackluster run on the main roster, Emma has shed her bubbly party-girl persona in favor of a darker character befitting her superior in-ring capabilities.

Her biggest holdup these past few months hasn’t been a lack of talent. Rather, NXT has slowly reworked her back into the roster while showcasing its "Four Horsewomen" (Banks, Charlotte, Lynch and Bayley).

That was the case Wednesday night during the Fatal 4-Way main event. The match appeared to be more of a swan song for Lynch and Charlotte than a showcase for the two women who would remain behind in NXT, Emma and Dana Brooke.

An apparently botched finish gave Emma the win, which, as Bleacher Report's Erik Beaston wrote, may have unexpectedly given the NXT creative team a surprise angle moving forward.

Between her experience in both NXT and WWE and her familiarity with Bayley, there’s no reason Emma can’t be the standard-bearer for heels in the women’s division.

Potential exists for Dana Brooke, Eva Marie

After Emma, there’s a huge drop-off. NXT has positioned Dana Brooke and Eva Marie to be the next big things, but each has a long way to go to realistically challenge for the promotion’s top spot.

But there’s potential in each of them, and the flaws both exhibit can be corrected.

Both women are so raw in the ring that they’re detrimental to their opponents. Their ceilings, however, appear to be much different.

Brooke’s athleticism is unquestioned. The former fitness competitor and bodybuilder has shown promise but has been inside the ropes for less than two years. Many of her contemporaries have honed their craft for years prior to even joining NXT, so the learning curve is steep.

Take Wednesday’s Fatal 4-Way match. As noted by Dave Meltzer at FW4Online, the end of the match was botched by “one of the heels.” Since Emma was the one to walk out with the victory, the finger points to Brooke. If a save was scripted and not executed, Brooke certainly won’t be winning praise from NXT officials.

At least Brooke continues to be booked against the promotion’s better wrestlers. The training Eva Marie has been putting in with Brian Kendrick hasn’t translated inside the ring, which apparently is affecting her booking.

Eva Marie was carried in her June 22 debut by her opponent, Cassie (now Peyton Royce). Her match on Wednesday against Carmella did neither performer any favors. That’s two televised matches since returning to NXT, and Eva Marie has looked terrible in both.

As noted by Beaston, she looks “clunky and nervous.” While additional training time might improve those aspects of her performance, her barriers appear to be more mental than physical.

If these two can overcome their performance hurdles, NXT will have well-rounded heels in place. No one on the NXT roster, male or female, generates more heat than these two women. Much of that is due to their lackluster performances inside the ring, but both have personalities to continue to generate hatred among fans.

Unknown commodities (including Nia Jax)

There are other performers on the NXT roster who could always surprise. Alexa Bliss’ character, alongside Blake and Murphy, is a classic heel, but she hasn’t performed enough in the ring to warrant strong consideration to contend.

The aforementioned Royce and Billy Kay will be given more time to develop and, based on their progressions, could receive more opportunities.

The biggest wild card could be Nia Jax, cousin of former WWE Superstar and Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Wrestling largely in house shows since signing in 2014, Jax's vignettes on NXT shows, which have aired since NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, appear to set her up as a heel.

With Banks on the main roster, someone needs to step up and fill the role of alpha heel in the women’s division. Otherwise, the promotion that started the Divas Revolution will too closely resemble the main roster it tried so hard to change.