Charlotte vs. Brie Bella: Preview, Odds and Predictions for WWE Fastlane 2016

Charlotte and Brie Bella are on a collision course at WWE Fastlane, and it’s all for gold.

Charlotte will defend her WWE Divas title against Bella this Sunday in Cleveland, while Bella aims to become champion once more.

Bella earned her title shot by beating Charlotte on the February 1 episode of Raw. She reversed the champion’s figure-eight leglock into an inside cradle. Charlotte was none too pleased, knowing Bella would be next in line for her Divas title.

You’d think the volatile feud would be simple, but recent weeks have seen a surprising development.

The February 8 episode of Raw saw Daniel Bryan, Bella’s husband, retire from WWE. On Good Morning America this past Tuesday, Bella stated she plans to announce her retirement this coming summer.

If this is true, then how can Bella win the title if she has one foot out the door?

It wouldn’t be the first time a WWE Diva won gold on her way out. Trish Stratus set the precedent by defeating Lita at 2006’s WWE Unforgiven. It was Stratus’s last solo bout for the women’s title and her last match at the time.

Trish Stratus left WWE on top. Brie Bella has the chance to do the same.

Combatans	Odds
Charlotte	-530
Brie Bella	+350

Charlotte will have her father, Ric Flair in her corner. Bella might have Alicia Fox in hers. Regardless, Flair holds the advantage at ringside. The wealth of experience quadruples the knowledge Bella, Fox and Charlotte have combined.

The level of competition also goes to Charlotte. The Divas champion has been battle-tested, turning back the threats of Paige, Becky Lynch and Brie’s sister, Nikki, who was the champion prior to Charlotte.

Bella is no pushover but is outmatched by Charlotte’s track record.

The psychological advantage might be Charlotte’s as well. Not only did she take credit for putting Nikki on the shelf, but she also mocked Bryan’s retirement and the thought of their starting a family.

The mind games can be stressful for Bella. In fact, this past Monday night, she was angry enough to attack Charlotte.

Then again, in this bout, maybe rage is the answer for Brie Bella.

She’s clearly outmatched in those factors above. Charlotte is also the better wrestler of the two, using her height as an advantage. Her spear cuts down her opponents with ease. The figure-eight leglock could be even deadlier than the figure-four, considering her bridge makes it virtually impossible to move to the bottom rope.

Bella is a true underdog in this match, which is exactly what she needs.

Bella needs to leave everything out there to win. She must be the resilient fighter who never quits regardless of what’s thrown at her.

It’s actually poetic, considering her husband was the underdog in nearly every situation he was in. Bryan always fought the bigger man and became someone better. Now it’s Brie’s turn to do the same.

For it to go Bella’s way, she needs to be quick, to take down Charlotte at the knees and ground her. She should use the same kicks Bryan used to fluster the champion, which should set her up for the Bella Buster, the face-crusher where she takes her opponent by the head and plants it on the mat. Brie Mode must be in full effect for Bella.

However, momentum can only go so far.

Charlotte should retain in this bout. She can overpower Bella and has a wild card in her corner in the form of The Nature Boy.

Though the aggressive Bella may put up a fight, she’ll clearly be outclassed by the Divas champion.