User blog:CEDJunior/Charlotte: Face or Heel?

With Hell In A Cell closing in, I've decided that the latest "Face or Heel?" blog will feature the current reigning WWE Divas Champion, as well as a former NXT Women's Champion, the "Nature Girl" herself:  Charlotte.

Face Charlotte:  Charlotte started off her stint in NXT as a babyface, but she was turned heel within months. It was during her NXT Women's Championship feud with challenger Bayley that Charlotte's heroic side began to slowly resurface. She went from originally mocking Bayley to respecting her after she defeated her, and it was when she saved Bayley from being attacked by Sasha Banks that Charlotte officially turned face. As a redeemed heroine, Charlotte aligned with Bayley against not only Sasha, but also Becky Lynch, who turned against Bayley and aligned with Sasha. Charlotte would lose the NXT Women's Championship to Sasha in a four way match at NXT Takeover:  Rival, but she would continue to serve as NXT's top babyface Diva as well as her alliance with Bayley as both women feuded with the newly villainous Emma and her partner-in-crime, Dana Brooke.

Of course, it was just a few months ago that Charlotte was finally called up to the main roster as part of the Divas Revolution, along with Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. Charlotte and Becky aligned with Paige to form Team PCB, the only babyface triumvirate dealing with heel trios Team Bella and Team B.A.D.; the latter featuring Sasha. Charlotte picked up what was her biggest win in her WWE career at Battleground, when she defeated Brie Bella and Sasha Banks in an impromptu three-way match. After PCB won the three team elimination match at SummerSlam, the three members participated in a Beat The Clock Challenge to determine the #1 Contender for Nikki Bella's Divas Championship. Charlotte won the challenge, and she went on to capture the Divas Championship at Night of Champions. Unfortunately for the new champion, she has spent a good bit of her title reign having to deal with Paige, who turned into a villainess on the following evening and berated all of the Divas, including Becky and saving Charlotte for last.

Heel Charlotte: While Charlotte is currently a golden heroine in the main roster, she had an early run as a villainess on NXT. Charlotte's heel turn took place just months after her debut, and it began, in my view, with a backstage segment on November 6, 2013. Charlotte defended her makeshift tag team partner, Bayley, from being bullied by Summer Rae and Sasha Banks, but it was very clear that Bayley's upbeat personality was getting on Charlotte's nerves. The segment had Charlotte challenging Summer and Sasha to a tag team match, which took place on the following week. I definitely expected Charlotte to turn heel during the match, and I was correct. After Bayley fought off Sasha Banks, she was looking to tag out to Charlotte, who appeared to motion her partner closer to her. But at that moment, the evil Charlotte delivered a slap to Bayley and attacked her, and later stood idly by as Sasha pinned her. Charlotte's villainous turn was cemented when she left with Summer and Sasha and officially aligned with them. Unfortunately, I and many other fans wouldn't see much of Heel Charlotte from the start because she was injured for a few months. She reappeared early in 2014 and only appeared at ringside cheering on Summer and Sasha before defeating Emma in her first match in months.

After Paige won the Divas Championship and was ordered to vacate her NXT Women's Championship, Charlotte participated in an eight woman tournament to crown a new champion. She would reach the finals and face off against Natalya at the first NXT Takeover special. To this day, I still consider their match as the best Divas match that WWE has had in a long time, if not ever! Both women went all out, and that is an understatement! Plus Ric Flair and Bret Hart being involved provided an emotional factor, which rose exponentially after the match. Though Charlotte was the villainess in the match, face/heel roles were basically thrown out due to the match's emotional factor, as they should have been. Charlotte went on to defeat Natalya to become WWE's second-ever NXT Women's Champion, and she would hold the title for 258 days. Despite turning face by the fall of 2014, Charlotte portrayed an arrogant heel when she faced off against Natalya on Raw in December of last year.

So regarding the $1,000,000 question of "Face or Heel?", it's pretty tough. After careful thought, I'd have to say that I prefer Heel Charlotte by a slight hair over Face Charlotte. Charlotte is a terrific babyface, and she has proven that in the last year. As a babyface, Charlotte is portrayed as fearless, strong, and quite empowering. But being a villain seems to suit Charlotte just a bit more. With her physique and the right amount of swagger, Charlotte was golden as an arrogant heel in her early years in NXT. I am anxiously hoping that Charlotte turns heel some time in 2016; in fact, I'm predicting it.

Face Charlotte or Heel Charlotte? Which do you prefer?