While SummerSlam was reported to be Vince McMahon’s last written show, Triple H made his mark with some tweaks and adjustments that gave us a hint in what creative direction the company will be going.
More than anything, Triple H revitalized the women’s division in a five minute segment following Bianca Belair defeating Becky Lynch to retain the Raw Women’s Championship.
Triple H Revitalized WWE Women’s Division at SummerSlam
As soon as their match was over, Lynch showed Belair respect and then turned face, which has been reported that it wouldn’t have happened had Vince remained in control of WWE Creative. It was beyond time as Lynch’s heel arch seemed to reach its end.
But it’s the moment where she cemented he turn that got fans excited and talking and turned the women’s division from a maligned part of the roster into an energized force it used to be.
"You thought you'd seen the last of me, huh?"@ImKingKota describes how she felt during her SHOCKING return at #SummerSlam! pic.twitter.com/N4U3FIcSYC
— WWE (@WWE) August 3, 2022
Creation of a faction
Following their match, a new faction consisting of Bayley returning from injury, IYO SKY (lo Shirai), and a returning Dakota Kai.
It was a faction that had been pitched to Vince a while back, and he nixed it each time. It’s been reported other pitches included Raquel Rodriguez and Kay Lee Ray, but those were also turned down.
With Bayley and Dakota returning, not to mention Dakota being added to the main roster, added a much needed infusion of talent and bodies, but they also added a burst of energy that was just as needed.
The women’s division has long been maligned and treated like a showcase for pageantry instead of talented wrestlers, with Kevin Dunn saying in 2016 he didn’t think Lynch was “good looking enough” to be the Smackdown Women’s Champion.
Jim Cornette has talked about Vince’s preference for statuesque blonde women like Sable, whether they could wrestle or not.
Dakota’s surprise
Seeing Dakota return was a fun surprise for us, and it was something we didn’t expect to see so soon after she was released in April after refusing to renew her contract and wanting to leave the company.
It’s something she talked about on WWE’s The Bump. Special thanks to Wrestlingnews.co for the transcript.
“You thought you’d seen the last of me, huh? It still feels like a whirlwind to me with everything that happened. It all happened so last minute too. To be talking with you guys right now is exciting. Everything that has happened since Saturday has been insane, it’s been crazy.”
She also explained that she’s wanted to work with Bayley and SKY for years, and her excitement was apparent when the trio appeared on August 1’s episode of Raw.
With reports that Sasha Banks and Naomi are in talks to return, there’s no denying the change in culture backstage and it’s making the future look very bright.
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