WWE stable ‘Evolution’ was my ‘Four Horsemen’. It was a stable whose construction was so conceptually adept that it’s kind of unbelievable that it came from WWE. But 2002 was a different time. Evolution gave Triple H a new lease on life as a guy at the top of the card as its leader. It gave Ric Flair a credible reason to be his absolute most Ric Flair-iest as the legend. And of course it was an excellent vehicle to raise up two awesome new talents: Randy Orton, as the prodigy, and Batista, as the heater.
I’ve thought a lot about an AEW Women’s stable styled after ‘Evolution’. And while I’ve gone back and forth on who some of the members should be, there’s been one constant…
The Leader: Britt Baker
Unlike Evolution, it’s no mystery. This new stable has to centre around Dr. Britt Baker, DMD. Baker is a bit of a victim of her own success where she’s AEW’s biggest female star so another title reign should be imminent. However, doing that as a heel risks retreading old ground. You could turn her babyface but she’s such a compelling heel that I wouldn’t want to risk upsetting that dynamic just yet. In this new group, Britt would profess to be raising the future of women’s professional wrestling but in reality, as those new talents achieved more and more, it would become apparent that she only wanted them around to ensure that she would remain both the present and future of professional wrestling.
And yes, Britt would still have her trusty “Reba” (not Rebel) by her side.
The Legend: Mickie James
Mickie James has absolutely still got it! In the past year, she’s wrestled for Impact Wrestling (including being the Impact Knockouts Champion), NWA (which included producing the all women’s PPV Empowerrr), GCW, and of course she was in the Royal Rumble. I think it’d be fun, and do wonders for her legacy, to see her play an over-the-top braggadocios veteran touting not just all her past achievements and accolades but brag about what she’s done for women’s wrestling as a whole. This act of being a self-aggrandizing legend would act as one hand washing the other as in doing so, AEW would be provided a version of Mickie James who’d have more star power than when she walked in.
The (1st) Heater: Jamie Hayter…
…until the group turns on her.
With the ongoing teases of Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter breaking up, I feel like some distance is needed between this breakup and the MJF/Wardlow breakup. So while Jamie Hayter would immediately join the group, it would act as a vehicle to elevate her by having her leave and then feud with them. This would likely come about by having the stable cost her a big win such as a #1 contenders match or a TBS Title match.
The Prodigy: Ashley D’Amboise
Ashley D’Amboise’s addition would round out the original foursome in the group. I’ve been really impressed with “La crème de la crème” Ashley D’Amboise. Check out my review on her recent match against Willow Nightingale. Thanks in part to her background in bodybuilding, Ashley’s aesthetic is so damned polished. And with her background in Jiu-Jitsu, her movement is so fluid despite the fact she’s only been wrestling for about a year with a mere 56 career matches under her belt. In AEW, she’s the perfect blank slate to work with, almost like Randy Orton before he became The Legend Killer.
The NEW Heater: Megan Bayne
Megan Bayne aka The Megasus is an impressive physical specimen who’s impressed on the Indies and she’s even won some matches on AEW Dark, which is an indication that she may become #AllElite before long. Bayne suffered an ACL injury in February which means the storyline I’m suggesting whereby Bayne replaces Hayter would need to wait until mid-November at the earliest (based on initial prognostications). To differentiate Bayne from Hayter, you could have Britt Baker say that unlike Hayter, Bayne knows her roles, which are:
- Make Britt Baker look good
- Collect big fat pay checks
Megan Bayne would be introduced as a no nonsense mercenary. It’d be cool to see her ‘Ancient Athens’ aesthetic adapted to outfits for non-in-ring appearances and I’d absolutely keep her current look for matches.
So the initial foursome of Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, Mickie James and Ashley D’Amboise would see Hayter swapped out for Megan Bayne. The faction would serve to keep Britt Baker as a heel AEW World Champion act fresh, raise the profile of Mickie James in the role as an incorrigible self-aggrandizing legend, and elevate three young talents in Jamie Hayter, Ashley D’Amboise and Megan Bayne.
What do you think? Would you swap out someone different? What would you call this stable? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter! Thanks for reading and, as always, tell the women in your life how much you appreciate them!
