Bianca Belair and WWE Superstars Who Must Step Up in Absence of Charlotte, Lynch

Two of WWE's top female Superstars in Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch will be out of action for the foreseeable future, which could open the door others to step up and occupy a top spot.

While Lynch is pregnant and out on maternity leave, WWE ran an injury angle involving Charlotte on last week's Raw. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported that Charlotte is undergoing elective surgery and will miss six weeks.

In a subsequent interview with Sport Hiatus (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Robert Gunier), Flair said she will miss only "a few weeks." Even so, a few weeks is more than enough time for a new star to emerge in the women's division.

Here are three women who could benefit most from the absence of Charlotte and Becky in terms of developing into key players on WWE programming.

Bianca Belair

Charlotte and Becky became huge stars in WWE because they are the total package in terms of look, athleticism, in-ring ability and charisma, and there is no doubt that Bianca Belair possesses all of those attributes in spades.

Belair is a former track and CrossFit star and may be the best pound-for-pound athlete in WWE. She's fast, strong and can do things physically in the ring that most other women on the roster can't. That alone could make her a star, but she also has an undeniable "it" factor that is difficult to explain.

On top of that, she has a long braid that she uses as a weapon during her matches and even makes her own ring gear. If there is any woman in WWE who should be promoted as a role model to young girls, Belair fits the bill.

Belair was called up from NXT to the main roster at WrestleMania 36 when she saved The Street Profits from an attack at the hands of Angel Garza, Austin Theory and Zelina Vega. It initially looked like the plan was to pair her with The Street Profits since she is Montez Ford's wife.

She competed in one mixed tag team match with The Street Profits and had a couple of squash singles matches on Raw, but Belair hasn't competed on television since the end of April.

WWE may simply be biding its time and waiting for the right moment to put Belair back on TV and give her a big push, but there is no better time than now with both Flair and Lynch out of the fold on Raw.

Asuka is the Raw Women's champion, but there is room to build up another top babyface in the Raw women's division before ultimately having them face each other down the line. Belair has the potential to be one of WWE's biggest stars, and it is time to let the WWE viewing audience see what she can do.

Shayna Baszler

It has been widely assumed ever since Shayna Baszler signed with WWE in 2017 that she would be a huge star, but the success she enjoyed in NXT hasn't necessarily translated to the main roster thus far.

After winning the NXT Women's Championship twice, Baszler was called up to the main roster and finished as the runner-up to Charlotte in the 2020 women's Royal Rumble. Baszler then set her sights on Lynch and won an Elimination Chamber match to earn a Raw Women's Championship match against her at WrestleMania.

Baszler lost to Lynch at WrestleMania and then failed to come out on top in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match. Since then, The Queen of Spades has been used sparingly on Raw.

Although Baszler has lost a few big matches, it shouldn't be much of a challenge for WWE to build her back up. She dominated the women's division in NXT and is also a former UFC fighter, so she is as legitimate as any WWE Superstar could possibly be.

She is also great in the ring and possesses a unique, mat-based style that isn't seen that often. That helps set her apart from her peers, and she truly shines when she is able to show off her mean streak and pick apart her opponents.

Nia Jax is the top women's heel on Raw right now, while Sasha Banks has temporarily made the transition from SmackDown to challenge Asuka for the title. That suggests that WWE would benefit from another top female heel emerging on the red brand.

Baszler is the perfect candidate for that spot, and there is little doubt that a rivalry between her and Asuka would captivate the WWE Universe.

Sonya Deville

The biggest need for stars to emerge in the women's division is on Raw, but even if someone ascends on SmackDown, it could be a great thing for women's wrestling as a whole in WWE.

SmackDown's women's division has been dominated by Banks and Bayley over the past several months, and they have run through essentially everyone on the roster. One of the few exceptions to that is Sonya Deville.

Sonya has been making a great deal of headway as a heel since splitting up with Mandy Rose, and WWE would be wise to allow her to string together a bunch of wins in a row, much like Bayley and Sasha have recently.

Even though she will continue to be secondary to Bayley and Banks, they are going to break up eventually, and if The Boss emerges as the babyface SmackDown Women's champion, it would be ideal to have a ready-made heel like Deville waiting in the wings to challenge her.

It is also possible that WWE could move Sonya over to Raw if it wants to get her away from Mandy and put her in a different storyline. If that happens, then she could be a legitimate threat to Asuka in no time.

Like Baszler, Deville has an MMA background that gives her a level of legitimacy few others possess. When also taking into account her newfound confidence and excellence on the mic, Sonya is among the best talents in the entire women's division.

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