WWE superstar Bianca Belair is recovering from finger surgery — another procedure done on her left hand, which was injured during last year’s WrestleMania curtain jerker classic, along with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky. Reportedly, having issues with healing properly, another procedure was needed. It was my hope that we’d have Belair back for WrestleMania, but it’s looking like that won’t be the case. However, I had a whole plot line planned for her return. I planned to share it with you all, so damn it, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
The Big 3 landscape since Bianca Belair’s leave
A lot has happened in the year since Belair was last seen on WWE television. Most notably, within her former sisterhood of the “Big 3,” Naomi became WWE Women’s World Champion. But she also took leave after learning about her pregnancy! So, as she has been readying herself for motherhood, the final Big 3 sister realized her greater potential as well.
Jade Cargill has also won gold and she became the WWE Women’s Champion. She still holds that title at the time of this writing. I expect her to walk into WrestleMania as champion in April. That said, it set the table for a perfect Belair return.
With the Elimination Chamber premium live event fast approaching, its namesake match would’ve been the perfect stage for the “EST” to make her way back from injury. The match takes place inside a steel structure that houses four pods. At five-minute intervals, one of each pod opens at random. But the match already starts with two people, and those in the pods simply add to the bedlam. It’s an elimination-style match where the element of surprise is present throughout.
Here’s the build
How I envisioned this going is that somehow there would be one surprise entrant into the match. The night of, you hear Belair’s music begin to blare into the arena, much to everyone’s surprise. The crowd pops, and she goes on to win the entire match! That win earns her the opportunity to face the WWE Women’s Champion at WrestleMania. It just so happens that the champion is Cargill, her former stablemate.
Between the two ladies, they never truly hashed out the weirdness that existed with Naomi attacking Cargill. The details behind who knew what were never dissected. On the same token, there didn’t seem to be a distinct rift between the two after last year’s WrestleMania. What is different now, though, is Cargill’s attitude. She’s no longer a fan favorite but an antagonist. So, for a match with Belair to really carry some heat, there needs to be a conflict between the two women.
Their conflict should be a product of jealousy and betrayal. In what should be expected to be a bout that celebrates sisterhood, and excellence, and sportsmanship, it becomes none of that. Instead, Cargill viciously beats down Belair for choosing to come back at the time she did, to pose a threat to her championship reign. She then goes on about how she’s tired of seeing Belair in the spotlight, so on and so forth. This helps do the work of having us as the audience, build empathy for Belair. As textbook as it seems, this begins an even bigger groundswell for Belair to win at the year’s biggest show.
I think the general makeup of this idea is money. And honestly, I thought this was exactly where we were headed. But it seemingly isn’t meant to be, and what’s most important is Belair’s health. But man, what a grudge match we can have on our hands once the EST is ready to do her thing once again in the squared circle. Of course, time will tell. But when that time comes, just remember that you read this. You may see some parallels.
The post What Bianca Belair’s Road To WrestleMania Should’ve Looked Like appeared first on Blavity.
