Ariane Andrew On Why She Believes WWE Is Not Pushing Naomi Right Now
WWE veteran star Ariane Andrew was on a recent episode of The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Andrew's former Funkadactyl tag partner Naomi is currently in a storyline with Sonya Deville where she was recently fined for asking for a match on SmackDown. Naomi's last match on WWE TV or PPV was at Money in the Bank back in July, and Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman asked Andrew her thoughts on Naomi's lack of in-ring and TV time.
"It's always something, that's the truth," Andrew pointed out. "Whenever we talk, there is always 'what's happening with Naomi,' and I don't know what's going to take to finally have that moment that she deserves before she decides to wrap it up and be like, 'I'm done.' We're not getting any younger.
"We're getting older, so it makes me upset, but I'm a person that likes to look at the glass half full instead of half empty, and maybe there's an opportunity that's around the corner. And I do feel like timing is everything, and to be quite frank, with Bianca [Belair] having that moment, and WWE kind of expanding themselves and now kind of seeing talent of color have their place, like with Big E getting the title and these type of things.
"I feel like having two women of color at the moment would be too much, based on just how the progression has been with WWE because, think about it, the first person who had that moment for being a Black woman was Sasha [Banks], but she's also half white. I think now with having Bianca being in the forefront, that has to play its course before they would bring Naomi to have a moment."
Hausman pointed out that there is no uproar or controversy when a white woman challenges another white woman for the title.
"It's the truth," Andrew stated. "WWE is still in that process of trying to figure it out. I feel like for them, it would be probably too much, but again, things are changing, and I feel like the world is evolving, and things have come so far, not even with WWE but with the world in general. I always say never say never because I think actually having a feud with Bianca and Naomi would be pretty f*cking dope because those women are so f*cking athletic."
Big E recently cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to defeat Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship. The moment was a big milestone for Big E and was historic. It was the first time the WWE Title changed hands from one Black wrestler to another Black wrestler.
"I do think that that's crazy that we even have to have that conversation, but I will say again, I'm looking at the glass half full and saying, you know what, we're evolving, and at the end of the day, we are just humans," Andrew said. "We all eat the same. We all sh*t the same. We all do the same stuff, so at the end of the day, it's just a skin color, and I feel like as we continue to evolve, there's endless opportunity."
Paul Heyman has been asked about the idea of adding Naomi to The Bloodline. Naomi's husband is Jimmy Uso, and the last time they were paired together on TV was in 2019 in a storyline with Mandy Rose where Rose had flirted with Uso in an attempt to "ruin Naomi's life." Andrew discussed the idea of adding Naomi to The Bloodline.
"Her and her husband, they had a small moment before when they were together, but I think that could be dope for her," Andrew said. "I see Naomi as her own entity, though, and she deserves to have that before her time is up but maybe having something with being a part of The Bloodline will then get her to the point of having something by herself if she were to join them because Roman [Reigns] has been at the top for so long, and now with The Usos being a part of that, it's only just going to increase her fanbase. If she weren't, then she can go do her own thing."
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