Bianca Belair on dropping the title: ‘It was my turn to give back’
SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.
Bianca Belair fulfilled a critical part of her wrestling legacy this past May at Night of Champions.
After an otherworldly run that included WrestleMania classics against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, the time came for Belair to drop her the WWE women’s championship. She did so in spectacular fashion, ensuring that new champ Asuka would begin her reign in the best position possible.
“Look at the women who I’ve been in the ring with and what they’ve done for me,” says Belair. “It was my turn to give back.”
Belair was honored to accumulate so many victories as champion, yet she also took extra pride in doing the honors of losing the title.
“I want to elevate people, I want to do for others what they’ve done for me,” says Belair. “A star like Asuka is propelling the whole division forward. I hope my accomplishments helped that move in the right direction. She is extremely talented and has been doing this a lot longer than me, and I was honored to wrestle her in that match.”
Belair’s next challenge is a triple threat match this Saturday at SummerSlam for the women’s championship against Asuka and Charlotte Flair. She shares genuine chemistry in the ring with Asuka, and this is a chance to explore a longer, more in-depth feud with Flair.
“My goal has always been to take down all of the Four Horsewomen,” says Belair. “They’re so accomplished, all so incredible. To have my name in the same conversation as them, that would be remarkable. Charlotte is the last one. She is Ric Flair’s daughter and wrestling royalty, but we also have a lot in common. She was a college athlete, just like me. She didn’t wrestle in the indies, and neither did I. And Asuka is one of the best in the world. I’m in a very good place competing against those two.”
The match at SummerSlam is only a piece of Belair’s upcoming schedule. Another exciting opportunity for Belair is her new role as a WWE spokesperson in their partnership with C4 Energy.
C4 teamed up with WWE to create the C4 Ultimate Energy-WWE collection, which marks the beginning of a three-year collaboration. The collection launched last week, and it includes two Ultimate Energy drinks and three Ultimate Pre-Workout Powders.
“I’m excited to be partnered with C4,” says Belair. “I’m always careful about what I attach my name to, but I’ve used C4 for a very long time dating back to my CrossFit days. Now being in WWE, it’s just perfect. I’m always working out, and this partnership feels organic because I’m always using it. There’s no sugar, no artificial flavors, so I’m very proud to champion it.”
Charismatic, hard-working, and overflowing with talent, this should only be the beginning of Belair’s time as a brand ambassador.
“I’m honored C4 wants me to be the face of their brand and this collaboration with WWE,” says Belair. “I’m always in the gym training, working on my wrestling, so it’s just a perfect fit.
“I’m in the middle of this incredible journey in WWE, but it’s not just me. I’m with my husband Montez Ford. We travel and work out together with Angelo Hawkins, and we’re sharing this with everyone who wants to be part of this family.”
Now an eight-year wrestling veteran, the quality of Belair’s matches is superb. She brings a versatility and athleticism to her work, as well as an emphasis on crafting the best story possible.
Belair’s excellence was also prominent at Backlash in May, when she opened the show with a victory against Iyo Sky. Despite playing the role of the villain, Sky was backed loudly by the crowd, pushing even more of an edge out of Belair.
That match at Backlash was valuable for Sky. She went on to win the Money in the Bank ladder match in July, a signal that her first run as women’s champion in WWE should take place soon.
“Everyone in Puerto Rico saw what I saw years ago in NXT, and that’s that Iyo is a star,” says Belair. “Now that she’s won Money in the Bank, it made everything a whole lot more interesting. Whenever you see her with the briefcase, you have to watch. It’s another exciting part of the women’s division.”
For all the joy Belair brings to WWE, she did admit that it feels peculiar not to be one of the company’s champions.
“I got so used to being champion,” says Belair. “I was champion for over a year, and that title went everywhere with me. Instead of carrying a purse, my accessory was my title. I always feel like I’m forgetting something, and I am missing it. I’ll always be the EST of WWE with or without the title, but my goal is still to get it back.”
The (Online) Week in Wrestling
- Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and “Hangman” Adam Page have all signed multi-year deals with AEW.
- Perhaps in an attempt to stay ahead of the story, WWE revealed that Vince McMahon was served with a grand jury subpoena on July 17.
- CM Punk bringing Ricky Steamboat to ref his match against Ricky Starks this Saturday on Collision is a great addition to a significant match. Will it be able to take viewers away from SummerSlam?
- FTR defeated MJF and Adam Cole in a fantastic match this past Saturday on Collision, and MJF did not turn on Cole during the aftermath. The Summer of the Double Clothesline continues.
RIP, Adrian Street.
- SummerSlam marks a major opportunity for Ronda Rousey, who will attempt to elevate Shayna Baszler to a place she already should be (though some horrible comedy booking significantly set her back).
- If you’re not down with that, he’s got two words for ya…
- An unfiltered Paul Heyman.
- RIP, Adrian Street.
- Yes, that is Hiromu Takahashi attempting to wrestle a dinosaur.
Logan Paul and Ricochet taking two very different approaches to SummerSlam
Logan Paul wants to open SummerSlam with his match against Ricochet.
In wrestling, the old adage goes, if you’re not last, then be first. So if you’re not wrestling in the main event, then the ideal spot is to open the show and wrestle for a rabid, passionate crowd, which will undoubtedly be in the house this Saturday night in Detroit at Ford Field.
But that’s not the reason Paul is eager to open the card. His brother Jake is fighting MMA great Nate Diaz in a pay-per-view boxing bout the same night, and he can make it in time if he hustles out of SummerSlam and flies directly to Dallas, which is where the boxing event is taking place.
The decision highlights a major difference between Ricochet and Paul.
Ricochet is not in a hurry to leave SummerSlam. A wrestler only two months shy of his twentieth year in the industry, Ricochet–whose real name is Trevor Mann–has built his life and livelihood around pro wrestling. Unlike Paul, this isn’t a side gig or something he wants to do sporadically for a few years. This is the life he chose to pursue.
All signs point to Paul winning on Saturday. He lost his last two programs, understandable given that his opponents were Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Paul is a candidate discussed internally to win the world heavyweight championship, which would certainly be buzzworthy for WWE and bring added exposure to Monday Night Raw. But another interesting angle is that it is a chance for Ricochet to prove why he belongs on the top of the card.
Entering this bout, Paul is the attraction and Ricochet is the opponent. In order to change that, Ricochet will need to deliver a career-altering performance on Saturday. Knowing that, it will be fascinating to see what Ricochet has in store for SummerSlam.
Tweet of the Week
Hindsight is 20/20, but the move back then should have been to turn Luger heel.
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
