I finally watched the full Bianca/Iyo/Rhea segment and I honestly hated it. It's annoying to watch Bianca, one of the most hard-working and principled talents on the roster, get booed while Rhea, who's been acting entitled, whiny, and like a spoiled brat for weeks, get cheered like a conquering hero. I get that she's over, but there's such a disconnect between how she's being booked and how the crowd is responding. It makes the whole build feel lopsided and weird.
As for the WrestleMania match, I'm really not feeling it. Iyo already pinned Rhea clean, so I highly doubt they'll have her take the fall at Mania. That pretty much telegraphs that Bianca is the one taking the fall. It lets Iyo retain while protecting Rhea, giving her a clear reason to demand a rematch, which sets the stage for her to win the title back at Backlash. It's predictable, but not in a satisfying way.
And if somehow Bianca wins? She's still in a lose-lose situation, because she just took the belt off of a fan-favorite who only held it for a few months. That will cause the crowd to completely turn on her. I hate that too, because she's out here consistently performing at a high level, but the creative direction has been stagnant. That's not on her. That's on the people writing the show. That's on HHH.
Under his leadership, it's become increasingly clear who his favorites are, and Bianca doesn't seem to be one of them. It's frustrating to watch someone with her level of talent and star power just be left out to dry. Iyo's in a similar spot too. She's killing it in the ring, and I'm glad she's finally getting cheered, but she deserves a lot more character depth and spotlight than she's been given. They both just seem like stepping stones for Rhea.
At the end of the day, this isn't about the talent. It's about the booking. And right now, it just feels lazy, predictable, and disrespectful to the work she's been putting in.
Whatever happens, she needs to just go on a rampage and start beating people's asses again.
Wild...