Nikki Bella's Injury an Opportunity for WWE to Further Flesh Out Divas Division

With Nikki Bella on the sidelines, the WWE Divas division is without one if its pillars. To avoid having the whole thing collapse as a result, the company is facing pressure to find someone else to lean on.

WWE is poised to have the division grow stronger in her absence. 

The company must work to develop Becky Lynch's character, give Charlotte ample space to work with and find the ideal way to showcase Sasha Banks' skill. Nikki's injury forces WWE's hands, making the company try to accomplish all that in an attempt to fill the void that she left behind.

After last wrestling in early November, Nikki has stepped off to the side to recover. That process promises to stretch on for a lot longer.

According to F4WOnline (h/t Wrestling Inc), she will find out in January whether she needs surgery on the bulging discs in her neck. Seemingly confirming that, Nikki tweeted about finding out her "destiny" at the end of next month:

Neck surgery would leave her unable to compete for months, likely taking her out of the plans for WrestleMania 32. That forces a shift in the division. 

The Bellas have dominated in recent years. Both Nikki and Brie Bella have long been the faces of the women's division. They are the centerpieces of the Total Divas show, the most recognizable female stars on the roster and the women WWE most often chooses as its representatives for red carpet events.

And beginning with Brie's pursuit of the gold in 2011, the sisters have constantly been at the heart of the Divas title hunt. Nikki just came off a historic run as champ, her 301-day reign the longest in Divas Championship history.

Nikki's neck issues have not only moved her away from the title scene, but it's inspired WWE to cut back on how much it spotlights Brie. 

That leaves the floor open for newer faces. That means that WWE must roll with less established stars in an effort to look for the division's next cornerstones.

Banks, Lynch and Charlotte all have potential to be just that. And all three women stand to get a crack at proving themselves worthy of the top spot while Nikki is away. As Kenny Herzog put it for Rolling Stone, "All the NXT grads are on deck."

Credit: WWE.com

Charlotte has already benefited greatly as WWE has focused on her shift toward villainy. The story has had its issues, but her slow acceptance of the dark side is the No. 1 story in the division. 

It's not certain that would be the case with Nikki around. Perhaps then WWE would have Charlotte still struggle to be the plucky babyface. Perhaps Nikki would have already snatched back the title and forced Charlotte into a chasing role again. 

But the champ doesn't have to worry about that for now.

She can remain on the top of the division's food chain. She will have a plethora of opportunities to prove that she belongs there.

With no Nikki around and less Brie as a result, that opens the door for Lynch and Banks to have more spotlight. In the case of the former, WWE will be forced to add depth to her character as she moves from sidekick in the shadows to central figure in Charlotte's tale.

ProWrestling.net's Jake Barnett wrote of the one-dimensional nature of Lynch's character, "Becky is in a similar situation where they have a basic frame built for a character, but we really don't know enough detail about her or her motivation to really connect." 

Nikki being out of the picture makes fixing that issue more likely. Lynch has already had far more screen time since the Divas queen stepped away.

The results have been solid thus far. Lynch has shown herself to be a righteous and loyal warrior who is conflicted about what's happening with her friend. 

On last week's SmackDown, she sat in on commentary and had a chance to talk about her background, how she left home early to pursue her dreams in the ring.

This is the direction WWE must continue to go with her. She can best generate pathos as an underdog and a hard worker. She suffered a knife to the back courtesy of Charlotte and has to fight her way to revenge against her.

That's easier to accomplish when WWE is not also busy showcasing Nikki.

And with Nikki not working her way back up to title contention, that frees up Banks to fill that contender-in-waiting spot. Banks has sort of been that person, but the company could certainly make it clearer.

Perhaps she breaks away from Team B.A.D. as a babyface. Perhaps she goes on a long winning streak. However it unfolds, there's a chance here to fully tap into Banks' special talent.

The goal should be to move toward a Charlotte-Banks WrestleMania match, working to build up Charlotte as a top-tier heel and Banks as the crowd favorite.

To maximize that bout, Banks' character must be developed more. WWE must spend time letting the audience know who she is, tapping into the fierce predator she was at NXT. 

That could come in the form of a sit-down interview with Michael Cole. She could also go on a rant on Raw, laying out her plans to be Divas champ.

With as much as WWE struggles with multiple narratives within the women's division at once, it's hard to imagine Lynch, Banks and Charlotte all getting a sufficient chunk of the Creative team's energy or nearly as much airtime were Nikki still eyeing her throne. 

When she returns from injury, she stands to step into a fortified division, one where the NXT transplants have become just as key to its success as Nikki.