Charlotte Flair Wins the SmackDown Women’s Championship, But What Does This Mean for WrestleMania 35?

Charlotte Flair’s win over Asuka on the March 26 edition of SmackDown Live is the talk of the pro wrestling world. The Queen took down The Empress of Tomorrow and now Flair is the new SmackDown Women’s champion.

Fans are in shock and rightfully so. This came from out of nowhere, as no one expected Charlotte to suddenly win gold just two weeks before her main event match at WrestleMania 35 on April 7. So what does all of this mean?

WrestleMania is the real story here. Flair won the title just one day removed from the company announcing the Raw Women’s Championship as the main event on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Flair versus Becky Lynch versus Ronda Rousey is finally going to become a reality and it’s going on last.

Yes, it’s a history making moment. There is no denying that. It’s important obviously because women have never worked the main event of WrestleMania. It’s a long time coming for a division that was once nonexistent. The women of WWE have fought hard to get this spot and now they have it. 

But it’s also a big deal because this match will be competed for a championship. The Raw Women’s title was important before. But now it’s becoming a top prize. The overall impact that this historic match will have on the championship cannot be overstated. It’s more than just a trophy and it’s much more than an afterthought. These women are going to war for the title and that should not be forgotten.

Watch Charlotte beat Asuka on SmackDown Live!

Of course there’s enough heat between the three of them that a title wasn’t even necessary. Fans would still be invested and WWE would surely still have booked it as the last match. But the belt is definitely a factor. 

It’s a welcome reminder of what titles can mean when they’re the focus of a storyline. When Rousey walks down the ramp at WrestleMania, the Raw Women’s Championship will be around her waist. It has become the most important feature of this angle so far. WWE should receive proper credit for elevating that title and thus building it to a phenomenally respectable level. 

However WWE’s motives in regard to the SmackDown Women’s Championship are highly suspect indeed. Did Charlotte’s win over Asuka actually decrease the importance of the WrestleMania main event? Suddenly, The Queen doesn’t really have a reason to be in that match. But is that the point?

Is it possible that Flair will now be removed from the main event of WrestleMania? Asuka now has nothing to do and Charlotte has a title heading into a title match. Why not book Flair against Asuka with the winner getting a shot the winner of Lynch versus Rousey? It’s surely what many fans would love to see. They believe “The Man” should get a crack at The Baddest Woman on the Planet in a one-on-one match. Why not make it happen?

But the chances of WWE actually making a change this late in the game are probably slim to none. Of course, the WWE Championship match wasn’t even officially booked until the same SmackDown Live that saw Charlotte beat Asuka. So maybe changing Mania’s last match is possible after all.

Watch Charlotte backstage after SmackDown Live!

However while fans try to make sense of it all, Asuka actually risks becoming an afterthought herself. The Empress of Tomorrow is one of the best overall performers in WWE, not just the women’s division. But she has become an underused Superstar, as all of the focus has gone to Rousey, Lynch and Flair. As a result, Asuka was left out of the spotlight. 

So why take the belt off of Asuka when it means also taking away her WrestleMania moment? Is it possible that she has an injury and cannot compete on April 7? Is all of this happening because WWE wanted the Mania main event to have something extra on top? Or did Asuka lose the title because the WrestleMania card is already so full that there’s just no room for her? Do any of those reasons matter to fans that have supported her from day one?

Ronda Rousey holds a title that is indeed receiving more spotlight than any other championship in WWE but now one of her challengers has her own belt. So does that mean the Raw Women’s Championship isn’t as important as the company lead everyone to believe? The entire dynamic of the WrestleMania main event is now off and there doesn’t seem to be a good reason for it.

If Charlotte pins Rousey, does she become a double champion? If Becky pins Charlotte instead of Ronda, does the SmackDown Women’s Championship change hands? If Rousey pins Charlotte, does she take both titles home when she’s supposedly on her way out of WWE? 

The fact is that WWE has yet to announce what the next move is. But what if WWE doesn’t even know? That’s the part that many fans are stressing over and it’s understandable. Despite what common sense says, it does seem as though the company is operating on a day-to-day basis. The historic WrestleMania main event was supposed to be a straightforward Triple Threat Match but now it’s become something much more. Whether or not all of this will negatively impact that match is anyone’s guess.

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live