{"id":113820,"date":"2022-06-01T14:00:45","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T18:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=113820"},"modified":"2022-06-01T11:47:56","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T15:47:56","slug":"the-women-of-nxt-2-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/06\/01\/the-women-of-nxt-2-0\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Count: The Women of NXT"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Since the rebranding of the former black and gold brand, it seems like the identity of NXT 2.0 is straying away from the old indie wrestling hub to a more developmental hub for their next breakout squad.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Throughout the years prior we\u2019ve seen the brand carried by the likes of the <strong>Undisputed<\/strong> <strong>Era<\/strong>, <strong>Johnny<\/strong> <strong>Gargano<\/strong>, <strong>Tommaso<\/strong> <strong>Ciampa<\/strong>, <strong>Bobby<\/strong> <strong>Roode<\/strong>, <strong>Andrade Almas<\/strong>, <strong>Kevin<\/strong> <strong>Owens<\/strong>, and <strong>Finn<\/strong> <strong>Balor<\/strong> to name a few. A lot of the primary stories and main events were headlined by the men. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Nothing against the <strong>Horsewomen<\/strong>, <strong>Paige<\/strong>, <strong>Shayna<\/strong> <strong>Baszler<\/strong>, and <strong>Asuka<\/strong>, they did get their time to shine on the main stage, but those individuals would be more elevated (to a lesser extent Baszler) onto the main roster with most main eventing premium live events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Currently, with the way NXT 2.0 is currently at, it seems to the consensus that the multi-colored brand is being carried by the women.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Here\u2019s a special edition of the three count, with NXT 2.0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cora Jade steals Toxic Attraction&#039;s championships: WWE NXT, March 15, 2022\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gfWvWqG66PM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>The Women of NXT 2.0<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">1.) The Most Compelling NXT 2.0 Stories are by Women<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Over the past several months, we\u2019ve seen the likes of the rise of <strong>Cora<\/strong> <strong>Jade<\/strong>, as the plucky, punk rocker climbing in the ranks as the next challenger poised to go against NXT Women\u2019s Champion, <strong>Mandy Rose<\/strong> and her empire that is <strong>Toxic Attraction.<\/strong> Starting with War Games 2021 alongside <strong>Raquel<\/strong> <strong>Rodriguez<\/strong> (<strong>Gonzales<\/strong>), <strong>Io Shirai<\/strong> &amp; <strong>Alva<\/strong> <strong>Fyre<\/strong> (<strong>Kay Lee Ray<\/strong>), Jade has been trying to prove themselves as a viable opponent, with moments of respect being shown by her peers and as recent shown by future WWE Hall of Fame inductee, <strong>Nattie<\/strong> <strong>Neidhart<\/strong>. In a similar vein to main roster star <strong>Liv<\/strong> <strong>Morgan<\/strong>, despite their failures, Jade is still endearing to the audience for their never give up attitude and consistency in getting better in the ring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It also helps that the breakout tournament for NXT this time around is more focused on the women\u2019s side. Plus with the ladies in Toxic Attraction, <strong>Jacy<\/strong> <strong>Jayne,<\/strong> and <strong>Gigi<\/strong> <strong>Dolan<\/strong> (the former <strong>Priscilla<\/strong> <strong>Kelly<\/strong>) as the Tag Team Champions, the titles are treated more valuable than the main roster tag titles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In addition to more men\/women being integrated into roster storylines, the <strong>Dexter<\/strong> <strong>Lumis<\/strong>\/ <strong>Indie<\/strong> <strong>Hartwell<\/strong> love angle, <strong>Legado Del Fantasma<\/strong> &amp; <strong>Diamond<\/strong> <strong>Mine<\/strong> having a strong female presence in their respective factions, it seems like the women do have more of a bigger presence in the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">2.) The Focus on a Female Fatale Faction<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">WWE for the first time in a very long time has a faction of all women who have been the primary focus of NXT television. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">One of the first notable NXT Women Stables was the <strong>Beautiful<\/strong> <strong>Fierce<\/strong> <strong>Females<\/strong>, consisting of <strong>Summer<\/strong> <strong>Rae<\/strong>, <strong>Charlotte<\/strong> <strong>Flair<\/strong> and <strong>Sasha Banks,<\/strong> which was rather short-lived but they were a prominent fixture for the 1st real era of NXT.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Now, during the 2.0 Era, the Mandy Rose led Toxic Attraction is indeed one of them. I\u2019d note the primary draw of the multicolored brand with their combined \u201cappeal\u201d and look. Toxic Attraction has two things working for it. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">1.) Mandy is a natural heel<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">To many, Mandy defeating Raquel for the NXT Women\u2019s Title seemed like a fluke due to the <strong>Dakota<\/strong> <strong>Kai<\/strong>\/Raquel rivalry. There seems to be resentment for someone who made it through WWE in a nontraditional way. It called back to the Diva era that some may say plagued the mid-aughts into the mid-10s of the decade. It goes double due to the fact that she was a member of the ill-fated Tough Enough cast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The resentment of Rose for her being a nontraditionalist wrestler, and the vain nature of her character as the unobtainable eleven out of ten that\u2019s a femme fatale that makes her easy to root against.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">2.) The \u201cSex Sells\u201d Theory <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Let\u2019s be honest, despite the times drastically changing in society and what WWE was able to get away back in the late 90s to the mid-aughts, the \u201csex sells\u201d theory is still prevalent in Wrestling, and the vain nature of Toxic Attraction and their combined appeal to cater to the more male audience makes it work ten times more. Although we\u2019ve seen the IMPACT Wrestling faction of<strong> The Beautiful People<\/strong> do it and succeed with it, fifteen years ago, Toxic Attractions shows it still works.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">How does it appeal to being a good heel group? It\u2019s simple? Vanity, narcissism, and mean girl&#8217;s aesthetic you basically have a group likely to dominate.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">3.) The Continuing of Creating New Stars<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The one thing that the men have a great disadvantage with on the NXT roster, is that for every main roster potential guy like a <strong>Bron<\/strong> <strong>Breakker<\/strong>, <strong>Solo<\/strong> <strong>Sikoa<\/strong>, and possibly <strong>Carmelo<\/strong> <strong>Hayes<\/strong> or <strong>Santos<\/strong> <strong>Escobar<\/strong>. There are plenty of guys on the men\u2019s side of the roster folks can easily see getting released. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Most of the men on the roster are rather, bland or they are really good but may not fit the current vision of WWE. Some are really connecting with the crowd like a Breakker, Sikoa, Hayes, <strong>Andre<\/strong> <strong>Chase<\/strong>, and <strong>Cameron<\/strong> <strong>Grimes.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">There are others who are really not cutting it or not compelling enough to keep interest or we\u2019ve seen a better version of their characters done by someone in the past (I.E. <strong>Grayson<\/strong> <strong>Waller<\/strong>, <strong>Joe<\/strong> <strong>Gacy<\/strong> &amp; <strong>Tony<\/strong> <strong>D\u2019Angelo<\/strong>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rise of Toxic Attraction: WWE Playlist\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/liTZsXepYd0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>The Woman of NXT 2.0 in Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">With NXT. The women have characters and surprisingly a focus and being highlighted better. Jade as mentioned before, is the underdog, Toxic Attraction being the stable establishing their dominance through underhanded tactics as well as securing the gold, <strong>Wendy<\/strong> <strong>Choo<\/strong> being more so a child in an adult\u2019s body, but can seriously go in the ring. <strong>Ivy Nile<\/strong> being the workhorse and hard worker, being the only woman in a male-dominated faction of Diamond Mine. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Then there are the likes of <strong>Nikkita<\/strong> <strong>Lyons<\/strong> who\u2019s a renaissance woman with talents inside and outside the ring, <strong>Sarray<\/strong> &amp; <strong>Io Shirai<\/strong> who are Joshi Royalty. <strong>Tiffany<\/strong> <strong>Stratton<\/strong>, the ultra-athletic talent with the \u201cI\u2019m better than you, and you know it\u201d attitude, <strong>Lash<\/strong> <strong>Legend<\/strong> who is showing consistent promise and continues to get better in the ring, and the aforementioned highlighting of newer wrestlers in the Women\u2019s Breakout Tournament. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Sure a lot of the stars may be months away from really setting their feet as workers but there\u2019s identity, investment, and giving folks a reason to care, which unfortunately two-thirds of the men don\u2019t have enough interest in the overall picture of the product.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WWE Network<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Peacock<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"heateor_sss_sharing_container heateor_sss_vertical_sharing heateor_sss_bottom_sharing\" data-heateor-sss-href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/05\/17\/nxt-returns-to-live-events\/\">\n<div class=\"heateorSssClear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since the rebranding of the former black and gold brand, it seems like the identity of NXT 2.0 is straying away from the old indie wrestling hub to a more developmental hub for their next breakout squad. Throughout the years prior we\u2019ve seen the brand carried by the likes of the Undisputed Era, Johnny Gargano, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2484,"featured_media":103280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,320],"tags":[7299,8061],"class_list":["post-113820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwe","category-nxt","category-wwe-women","tag-cora-jade","tag-toxic-attraction"],"modified_by":"Dominic Padula","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2484"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}