WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Review: What we learned, takeaways, future projections

RAW Women’s Championship Match

Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair (c)

What we learned: The biggest thing we learned from this match, if we didn’t know it already, is that Bayley just isn’t on the same level as Charlotte … and that’s not just storyline talk either. I don’t know if they’re building towards a big coronation for Bayley at WrestleMania, but I really don’t thing she’s ready for this. The promos over the last few weeks leading up to this match were just dreadful and I really think her in-ring work has regressed since getting called up to the main roster. It’s not that she’s terrible by any means but she’s nowhere near Charlotte’s level. But maybe that’s just because Charlotte is so much better than everyone else. Her athleticism and the way she plays the crowd is so fun to watch and she is truly her father’s daughter.

While this match was still decent, it was nowhere near the level that we got from Sasha and Charlotte. Bayley made a lot of mistakes in this match and while the crowd being behind her was able to overshadow some of them, there were still too many to not notice. I don’t want it to sound like I’m completely done with Bayley because that’s simply not the case. I saw so many flashes of brilliance from her in NXT and the upside is there. She just needs some more time and some more matches on the main roster to be a big-time player and I really am hoping that she gets better. But for now, there’s nobody other than Charlotte that should be holding that title.

What’s next: As I mentioned, I think that they’re building towards a four-woman match with Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha and Nia Jax for WrestleMania 33. It wouldn’t surprise me if we get a tag match at Fastlane with these four to help set things up.