Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte: Title Change Represents Evolution of Divas Revolution

When Charlotte locked in the Figure Eight submission hold and forced Nikki Bella to tap out, she not only brought an end to her opponent's historic Divas Championship reign but also provided the next logical step in the evolution of the Divas Revolution.

Nikki Bella may have spent the last year of her career developing her skills and improving to levels few could have imagined the twin reaching, but the so-called Divas Revolution could not progress with her as champion. She symbolized everything that fans thought as wrong with women's wrestling, the last link to the days of criminally short matches and undefined stories.

That is not a condemnation of the performer as much as it is of the writing staff, which so misused and mistreated the Divas division for so long.

Charlotte's championship victory at Night of Champions marks the true genesis of the Divas Revolution, a term that everyone from Stephanie McMahon to Michael Cole has bashed fans over the head with since it was coined three months back.

The second-generation star and daughter of the legendary, two-time Hall of Famer Ric Flair, Charlotte represents the athleticism and traditional in-ring skill that Triple H has helped institute on NXT's women's roster. She is a solid worker who understands storytelling and psychology and does not simply do moves for the sake of doing them.

For far too long, women's wrestling at World Wrestling Entertainment has consisted of talented and beautiful women putting together a series of moves rather than actually partaking in the art of the sport. A great deal of that can be blamed on the limited ring time they've received, but it has been a major detriment nonetheless.

As the new face of the Divas division, Charlotte represents the change in philosophy concerning the treatment of women in the company. She is strong and has a wealth of outstanding matches under her belt this early in her career.

And now, she will be tasked with championing the change that will allow the Divas Revolution to evolve past a buzzy, trendy label slapped on by WWE Creative and become a legitimate movement within the company.

Nikki Bella will have her opportunities to battle for the title, maybe even win it again, but her time is over. To properly convince the audience that change has arrived, she needed to give up the championship and allow someone else to run with it.

Charlotte can be an industry-changer in the same way her father was. She can bring legitimacy and credibility to the Divas Championship by holding the title with pride and respect. Like those of her dad, who lived the life of a champion and thus elevated the title, her character and devotion to her craft will forever change perceptions of the Divas title and division.

But none of that would be possible without the absolutely necessary title change that unfolded on Sunday night.

The Divas Revolution is upon us, or so WWE says.

Now it will actually stand a chance, thanks to a fresh new champion poised for great things.