Eva Marie is back. In saying that, a number of WWE fans aren't happy about that fact. When she left WWE the first time, she wasn't exactly a workhorse, popular only for her looks and likely unpopular with her fellow female Superstars because WWE was pushing her simply because of her look.
Others are willing to give Eva Marie a shot. Perhaps she's a better wrestler than people last saw? Maybe she's taken to her in-ring work in her time away and maybe she'll surprise a few people? Some might have even been disappointed when she left.
Whatever the situation, WWE has an opportunity here. It they play their cards right, Eva Marie could be the biggest heel in WWE, at least in the company's very impressive Women's Division.
She's Got Ready-Made Heat
That Eva Marie was brought back right around the same time names like Mickie James, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were let go, there's an opportunity for WWE to play that up and make people hate Eva Marie more than they did when she left.
Imagine if she comes out and rubs in the fact she was hired when three very deserving stars were released? Poking fun at the potential of The Iiconics or the Hall-of-Fame status of James, Marie can hint that she's well aware she doesn't have the wrestling background to be chosen over those three. All she has to say?: "Yeah, but just look at me."
If Marie has no bones with the fact she's got her spot because she looks like a million bucks, it will drive fans to immensely loathe her.
The Eva-Lution Could Poke Fun At the Women's Evolution
It took years for the women of WWE to be accepted in the type of wrestling matches men were having. If the Eva-Lution is all about setting the women back years in their continued struggle, imagine how well that would go over with the WWE Universe?
Better yet, what if Eva Marie can actually wrestle now? That's a big "if", but should she have improved in that regard, it only makes us hate her more if she doesn't want to be recognized for her in-ring skills. Fans want a reason to boo her. If she can't wrestle, it becomes very easy. But if she can? They'll need to find something else.
Eva Marie will be the full package of looks combined with in-ring skill and there are few things fans hate more than performers who are supposed to stink, but don't.
She's Got the "It" Factor
Think about why Eva Marie is back. She's stayed relevant when she could have easily left and not done much. Instead, she's created a brand, starred in a couple of movies and she obviously stayed on WWE's radar. That takes skill and she can use that skill to draw in eyeballs. At the end of the day, that's what WWE cares about.
It drives a huge contingent of the WWE Universe crazy when the company clearly steers towards pushing performers who draw but fans don't consider them deserving. Just look at how people respond to Goldberg, and how many have hated that Brock Lesnar is able to come in dominate, then leave. Ronda Rousey has her critics and there are always a handful of fans who publicly state they'll be happy enough if John Cena, The Rock or Batista never return.
Eva Marie is clearly not as big as any of those stars, but she's made good while away and she's got that "it" factor.
Find The Right Angle
The Eva Marie vignettes are one thing. They serve a purpose to set the stage that she's still a model at heart and maybe not a wrestler. The key will be how the company takes the next step. If they bring her in and she clearly has no regard for the wrestling part of her job description, pokes fun everything the women have worked so hard for and then actually beats a few of them, WWE has the makings of a massive female heel on their hands.
If you think about the Women's Division and how few true and despised heels there are, there's an opening here.