Pros and Cons: Bianca Belair's Slow Burning Heel Turn

I've been a fan of Bianca Belair since she started in WWE, and it's hard to believe that she's actually been in WWE for seven years now! She started out in NXT as a villainess, proclaiming herself as the "EST of WWE," using every superlative to describe herself in the brash-EST (see what I did there?) of fashion. Though she never won the NXT Women's Championship, Bianca built one hell of a tenure on NXT before getting her call-up to the main roster. In her debut, Bianca became a babyface and came to the aid of the Street Profits, consisting of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford (the latter half being Bianca's real-life husband).

Bianca's been a babyface ever since then, and she received a well deserved elevation in her first year. 2021 saw her win the Women's Royal Rumble, and on the first night of WrestleMania, she defeated Sasha Banks in the main event to capture the SmackDown Women's Championship--the first time that a pair of Black women main evented WrestleMania. A championship rematch between Bianca and Sasha was supposed to take place at SummerSlam, but she ended losing that title to the returning Becky Lynch in less than half of a minute, which ended up beginning a long feud between the pair. Bianca would win the Raw Women's Championship from Becky Lynch at last year's WrestleMania, and the SummerSlam rematch saw Bianca victorious. Bianca's Raw Women's Championship run would go on to last 420 days, over a full year, but she would be dethroned by Asuka at Night of Champions.

Which brings us to the last few weeks. Bianca has been visibly upset over the fact that she has yet to receive an actual title rematch, as we've seen her vent her frustrations to WWE official Adam Pearce. Bianca was promised her rematch, but on the night that the Raw Women's Championship was rebranded as the WWE Women's Championship (with a new belt), Charlotte Flair returned and received a title match on the spot for Money In the Bank. The latest edition of SmackDown saw Bianca decide to do things her way, and she confronted Charlotte during her appearance on The Grayson Waller Effect, vowing to watch Asuka and Charlotte contest and saying that she'll face the winner.

The vibe that I and other fans received is a simple one: Bianca's turning heel. I've never read reports on this, but it's obvious. I do have some mixed feelings about this, and with that said, here are the pros and cons of this development:

Pros

We had long thought that Bianca left her evil side once she left NXT, but again, it appears to be coming back...slowly. The part of me who enjoys seeing a good and interesting villainess is excited for this, especially because of what Bianca could bring to her budding heel persona. As an NXT villainess, Bianca was brash and cocky and believed that she was, as the late, great Tina Turner put it, "simply the best." Regarding this go-around, this inevitable turn could be motivated by vengeance and bitterness, with an enhanced aura of arrogance.

Bianca could list her historic accolades to justify her conceit, and in a deliciously venomous bonus, the evil Bianca could accuse the fans of "turning their backs on her" in favor of others like Charlotte. A persona like that would be a huge boost over her NXT heel gimmick, and if utilized right, Bianca could be one of the most evil villainesses in recent history, and can be on the top of the proverbial heap on the heel side.

Cons

If there's one con I do have regarding the pending Bianca heel turn, it's that it's coming just a bit too soon for my liking. I'm willing to wait a bit longer for Bianca to turn heel, but that's a small drawback. It also seems like WWE is bent on cementing Charlotte as the top babyface, and if so, it's quite confusing. Charlotte still has that arrogant demeanor even as a babyface, and despite being the heroine in her WM match against Rhea Ripley, go back to Charlotte's look during her entrance--she looked like she was about to go after Snow White! Don't get me wrong, I do like seeing Charlotte as a babyface, but at this point, it seems a bit forced, and making Bianca a heel could be seen as forced by proxy.

The reason for my statement: it seems to be pretty clear that we will get Charlotte vs Bianca at SummerSlam, and based on what we've been seeing in recent weeks, Bianca will most likely be the villainess in that match. Charlotte isn't exactly that likeable even as a face, so that's more work on Creative to make Bianca appear evil and cruel. I harp on Creative for their inability to create characters, but that's only when it's easy to do so, yet they still screw up. In this case, they have a lot of work cut out for them.

Despite this, I do want to see evil Bianca back in action, I'm quite intrigued. Bianca has shine in WWE for seven years now; amazing in NXT, and outright legendary so far on the main roster. I just know that Bianca's heel turn, whenever that moment comes, I'll definitely enjoy every second of that moment, and will absolutely drink in Bianca's evil side in WWE.