When it comes to booking WrestleMania, WWE’s premiere pay-per-view, it’s painfully apparent WWE has no long-term plan in place for anything below the main event. It appears the company will seemingly throw the undercard of the event together at the last minute, expecting the marquee matches to be the show’s central attractions.As if that isn’t bad enough, WWE hasn’t cared enough to put together a meaningful women’s match at WrestleMania in years; in fact, there wasn’t one match on the WrestleMania 29 card in 2013 that featured a Diva.
For the first time since the title’s inception in 2008, the Divas Championship was defended in a match at WrestleMania 30 featuring every active member of the women’s roster. Even that felt like it was inconsequential, especially given that it was confirmed for the card only days before The Show of Shows.
All that said, it’s time for that to change this year. Nothing we’ve seen from the Divas division as of late has given me much hope that this will finally be the year the bookers give the ladies of WWE a prominent spot at WrestleMania. It’s merely wishful thinking to assume otherswise.
There is no bigger women’s match WWE can do at WrestleMania 31 than AJ Lee vs. Stephanie McMahon.
Granted, Stephanie is no “Diva,” but she proved in her SummerSlam outing against Brie Bella last August that she can bring it in the squared circle, and that was a match against a Bella twin. Imagine what she could do in a match against AJ?
Since turning heel in the summer of 2013, Stephanie has prided herself on being a bully. She is so fantastic in her role that she often gets more heat than most of the male Superstars. She’s that good.
Stephanie towers over the petite AJ if they stand side by side. This was evident during the two times they encountered each other in the ring on the June 17, 2013 edition of Raw and the episode that aired on September 1, 2014.
On both occasions, Stephanie and AJ had instant chemistry on the microphone when they traded verbal jabs face to face. It felt like a match you would desperately want to see, something that hasn’t been said about a Divas rivalry in several years.
Of course, the match we are likely to see happen at WrestleMania 31 is Nikki Bella vs. Brie Bella for the Divas Championship. Not only does it have history that dates back to the summer, but Nikki won’t have many credible challengers left once she knocks off Natalya and Paige.
But honestly, how well is that going to fare in front of a WrestleMania crowd?
Brie Bella has been heavily damaged since SummerSlam; she and Nikki were embroiled in a terrible feud that had an atrocious pay-off of them getting back together. They’ve been unbearable ever since.
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Stephanie McMahon vs. AJ Lee – Fantasy Matchup
I’m no so sure Brie would be over enough as a fan favorite for her to warrant a spot in a singles match at WrestleMania. To her credit, Nikki has been doing an exceptional job as a heel, but she hasn’t had enough storyline support for people to care about her.
Despite how badly booked she’s been as a babyface since the summer, AJ still has a strong connection with the crowd. She is the only true babyface the division has at the moment but is currently off TV with an injury.
It’s unknown when AJ is due back, but it should be sooner rather than later. There’s more than enough time to begin building toward this match at WrestleMania if it were to come to fruition.
What would be the reasoning behind it? AJ—much like her real-life husband, CM Punk—has always been anti-authority, and she may look to be the one who puts an end to Stephanie’s vindictive ways once and for all.
The match would surely be something special and would give the women a better spot on the card than in recent years. I wouldn’t expect it to take place as the second-to-last bout like Brie vs. Stephanie at SummerSlam, but if promoted properly, it’d be a perfect fit for the middle of the card.
They’re two of the most compelling characters in the Divas division today, so for them to not clash at some point would be criminal. It’d be best to hold it on the big stage at WrestleMania 31 instead of saving it for the summer.
AJ has even expressed in past interviews, such as this one with IGN, that Stephanie has been a dream opponent of hers for quite some time. Having them finally go head-to-head at the Showcase of the Immortals would not only mark a career highlight for the former Divas champion but for the entire women’s locker room.
