The time has never been better for WWE to start moving toward a Bianca Belair heel turn.
The EST has been just that since she started in NXT in 2016. There have been a few wrinkles here and there but the character has basically been the same.
It led her to great heights, including a victory in a historic main event at WrestleMania 37 against then-Sasha Banks and a tremendous year-long feud with Becky Lynch from 2021-22 that spanned two SummerSlams and included a match for the Raw Women’s championship at WrestleMania 38.
But new stars have emerged and Belair hasn’t held a singles championship since Iyo Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank on her at SummerSlam in 2023.
Since that loss, she has been stuck in the mid-card as a two‐time WWE Women’s tag team champion with Jade Cargill and now Naomi with her original partner coming back from an injury both in real life and in storyline.
A change up to Belair’s character shouldn’t feel out of the question as WWE still need to reveal who attacked Cargill (if that’s even still a thing at this point) when it’s time for her return.
Belair should be able to garner plenty of heat turning on both Cargill and Naomi if it’s revealed her jealousy led to her taking out the former AEW star.
Babyface WWE Women’s champion Tiffany Stratton is going to need believable heel opponents once she is done with Charlotte Flair.
Also, a long awaited high-profile match with Women’s World champion Rhea Ripley, down the road since both are on different brands, might need Belair as the heel given Mami’s bayface popularity.
Add to that having husband Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins are at the beginning for their first true heel turn and it feels like the perfect to time to finally put the three together on screen and potentially mimic the success of the The Judgement Day.
There is, however, one scenario you could convince me not to do it and that if WWE begins a Belair‐Charlotte Flair storyline centered around The EST having never beaten the queen — the last Four Horsewoman to check off.
Other than that, it is time to begin bringing out the other side of Belair. And given the audience’s continued admiration for her it should get her immediate heel heat.
Ricochet is doing some of the best work of his career with his new AEW heel gimmick as he and Swerve Strickland are hitting all the right notes big and small. The former WWE star stealing Prince Nana’s robe was a more dastardly move than any pair of scissors he could hold by someone’s neck to those who know — or like me — learned the backstory.
This is real History we fighting for here????????????????@swerveconfident and the Late Great Jimmy Rave‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/CRzeZrBppu
— Prince Nana (@PrinceKingNana) February 8, 2025
The robe belonged to Jimmy Rave. He was one of the founding members of The Embassy faction with Nana in Ring of Honor back in the early 2000s. Rave was called the “Crown Jewel” of the group.
It’s also a callback to fans at Hammerstein Ballroom throwing toilet paper — handed out by Nana — at Ricochet to spark his full heel turn. Throwing toilet paper instead of streamers in Ring of Honor began with Rave — who died in 2021 from an MSRA infection that led to him having to a double leg amputation.
It’s a story AEW should tell more specifically on TV instead of only saying the robe has a very special meaning to Nana.
Ricochet was still wearing the robe at the Defy Wrestling show over the weekend where he was attacked by Strickland and on Collision.
It should spark an even more vengeful Stickland and get us to a stipulation for a more physical and bloody match than we got on Dynamite at Revolution.
Ricky Starks sure wasted no time making his WWE debut in NXT, just a day after his AEW release was announced. Starks being off AEW TV for as long as he has and the drama around it only makes his debut feel that much bigger. It will be hard for people not to be happy for him. Starks’ first promos will be a must-watch now, too.
THE GAME JUST CHANGED!!! ????#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/458shk5zXo
— WWE (@WWE) February 12, 2025
Harley Cameron nailed her babyface promo, building sympathy for herself and played into the online chatter that her puppet is more interesting than Mercedes Mone after her Collision guitar concert.
The crowd was chanting “Harley!” before Mone agreed to a TBS championship match at Grand Slam. AEW needs to figure out how to make that connection undeniable and showing heart and resilience in a loss in her home country — where maybe Mone has to cheat to beat her — might do it.
Maybe MJF vs. Dustin Rhodes instead of Jeff Jarrett was the feud we needed in AEW. Rhodes’ promos usually have the same grizzled veteran foundation, but The Natural showed he can still bring his fastball in a way Jarrett hasn’t shown by going toe-to-toe with MJF on the mic on Dynamite.
Raw this week was one of its best wire-to-wire pure wrestling shows that I can remember, especially the women’s tag team match. Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan have unlimited potential as a team.
Toni Storm’s portrayal of Mariah May was hilariously spot-on. Playing the role of her opponents in major feuds should absolutely be something she should keep doing to fans something to look forward to.
Why have the Creed Brothers use the titles to get DQ’d in a championship match? I get it’s going to get the Creeds some heat, but logically makes no sense. At least have a cheating attempt go wrong and then let the beatdown begin.
As someone who has played every WWE 2K game, you have to love the ambition of this year’s version, adding chain grappling back, intergender matches, underground matches, moves off the barricade, The Bloodline Showcase and a whole lot more ways to play online.
TNA may have just laid the first brick for a Nemeth brother’s feud. It may not be something fans are particularly clamoring for but I’m sure it means a ton to Nic and is big opportunity for Ryan.
It took 603 days for Bandido to return to an AEW ring for a televised match thanks first to a broken wrist and then a concussion. His clash with Bryan Keith on Collision didn’t disappoint in reminding everyone just how special a talent Bandido is.
There was something Shakespearian about the Miz cautioning Cody Rhodes that Jey Uso facing him at WrestleMania would mean he would have to lose another friend — especially with Miz’s connection to Heel Harbinger Karion Kross. Then Rhodes checks with Uso about his WrestleMania decision before their tag match so he knows how he should play things.
Extra: Did anyone else notice Lilly is double the size of the original doll? WWE had to sell that new merchandise, didn’t they?
Hirooki Goto can finally call himself IWGP World Heavyweight championship after 21 years in New Japan. The 45-year-old veteran defeated Zack Sabre Jr in the main event of The New Beginning in Osaka over the weekend and got to celebrate with his children in the ring. After being a multiple-times tag team champion with YOSH‐HASI the big belt is finally his.
???? pic.twitter.com/GsaZH7HWwq
— Lexi (Kaufman) Cabrera (@AlexaBliss_WWE) February 8, 2025
Mariah May vs. Toni Storm for the AEW women’s championship (Grand Slam, Feb. 15, TNT, After All-Star Saturday Night)
The nuances of this story really haven’t missed beat by beat, including the return of Storm’s butler Luther on Collision with the bloody white shoe May used to turn on Storm. AEW should put a cap on things in Storm’s home country of Australia. Will it be a Golden Age of cinema quality bow?