Asuka vs. Paige at Survivor Series?
[Blockierte Grafik: http://up.picr.de/30876259mm.jpg]
Asuka's debut on the main roster has been literally, "fine". She's beaten Emma on two occasions (Emma has since been released) and she looked good in the ring, but the matches with Emma didn't really paint Asuka as the kind of wrestler that would maintain a 510-day title reign.
The Japanese superstar needs something great before the fan goodwill dries up. If only there was a female superstar waiting in the wings to make a long-promised return; a superstar who can bring similar levels of aggression, an outsider akin to Asuka but different enough that the two won't cancel each other out....
Paige has had a difficult year or two between injuries and various "other" issues that aren't connected to wrestling. She recently started to prepare for her in-ring return, and that return needs to matter and remind the fans of why she's still great. Paige and Asuka are both in need of a match that really stands out.
Survivor Series is the obvious battleground, and at the time of this writing, Asuka is not on the card. It would seem a waste to put her into the women's elimination match, even as the last woman standing. There are already two women's matches on the card, but there's no reason why one of WWE's top PPVs can't have three.
From now, we have three episodes of Raw and three episodes of Smackdown Live before the Survivor Series in Houston. Paige's return shouldn't happen on either October 30 or October 31 and here's why:
Raw will broadcast from Manchester, England, on November 6. England is, of course, Paige's home country, with her hometown of Norwich only a four-hour drive away (or one hour if you're Michael Cole). Even if Paige doesn't face Asuka, You can bet all the money that Paige will return on WWE's flagship show in her home country. The pop will be enormous.
It makes sense for Paige to join the SmackDown brand. Having a match with Asuka would be a great jump-start, but joining the same brand as her could mean that Paige's impact could lessen very quickly.
Additionally, if you have Paige debut on Raw while making it clear that she is, in fact, a member of the blue brand, then you can have Paige on Raw in Manchester on the first night, and followed by her arrival at SmackDown which will also be filmed in Manchester. Two home-town pops for Paige, which sells the idea that she's still a big deal (short-term gain) and adding some more star-power to Smackdown Live (long-term gain).
.
