Looking Back AT Team PCB, WWE’s Short-Lived Women’s Stable
Though the seeds of change were planted years ahead of time, in 2015 WWE formally announced its Women’s Revolution. It started with a promo segment that saw Stephanie McMahon introduce main roster fans to the latest call-ups from NXT, and organize them and a number of established talents into three small factions. Team Bella made sense enough with the eponymous Bella Twins, plus Alicia Fox playing snobby heels. Then there was Team BAD (Beautiful And Dangerous) starring newcomer Sasha Banks alongside better established Naomi and Tamina. The third trio was made of former Divas Champion Paige, and fresh faces Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. That final group that would ultimately be known as Team PCB.
A Misstep When Team PCB Was Originally Called The Submission Sorority
Fans may worry they’re suffering from the Mandela Effect when they remember Paige, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair originally being introduced to the main roster audience as The Submission Sorority. This actually was the case, though, upon the factions first appearance together. The name made some sense as the trio were portrayed as having a sisterly bond, and they were each women with an impressive finisher that happened to be a submission hold—the PTO scorpion crosslock for Paige, Disarmher modified armbar for Lynch, and Figure Eight bridging figure four leglock variation for Flair.
WWE promptly hit a road block, however, on discovering that The Submission Sorority was already existing intellectual property—the branding for adult content fans were likely to find quite quickly if they Googled the faction name. Fortunately, WWE caught this issue quickly and rebranded them as Team PCB--simply using the first initial of each stable member--very early in their run together.
The Babyfaces Of The WWE Women’s Revolution
It’s noteworthy that while Team Bella and Team BAD were heels, Team PCB were set up as the lone babyface squad in the Women’s Revolution. The casting made sense given Paige was one of the most organically popular women on the main roster, and arguably ahead of her time for getting the Women's Revolution started early with her stiff and technically sound style in the ring. There was a good bit of excitement around the arrival of Ric Flair’s daughter, Charlotte on the main roster, too, and that's not to mention Lynch’s considerable talent that shone through immediately.
As babyfaces, Team PCB was most organically set up to have its members wrestle members of other teams, and thus to have their ring work featured out of the gate. Accordingly, it made sense that the first title change of this new era would see Flair unseat Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship in a changing of the guard.
Team PCB Was The First To Fracture
Despite the popularity of the three component members, as well as the faction, Team PCB would be the first of the new women’s factions to breakup. After Charlotte Flair won the Divas Championship, it wasn’t long before Paige turned heel against her, jealously pursuing the title for herself.
Related: Paige's Career Told In Photos, Through The YearsWithout the “P” in Team PCB, one could argue the group was done in the build to Survivor Series 2015. They fragmented further when Flair, in turn, turned heel on Becky Lynch at the turn of the year. By WrestleMania 32 that spring, the faction era of the Women’s Revolution was all but forgotten, with Flair, Lynch, and Sasha Banks each her own woman in a featured Triple Threat for the rebranded WWE Women’s Championship.
The Legacy Of Team PCB
Team PCB, as a unit, has become a relatively forgettable part of each participant’s legacy. Paige reached greater heights on her own, before the launch of the group, and would be forced into retirement due to injury issues before she could accomplish much more. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair would each go on to much bigger things on their own.
Nonetheless, the group does carry a sense of importance. The established credibility of Paige as a talented in-ring performer and popular personality immediately introduced Flair and Lynch to WWE main roster fans as legitimate stars. From there, Lynch and Charlotte’s place in history as the first women to main event WrestleMania (alongside Ronda Rousey) and their iconic rivalry across the years has made them each of them clear-cut future Hall of Famers.
Despite it’s short and tumultuous history, Team PCB was at the forefront of WWE taking women’s wrestling more seriously and was a vehicle to introduce the audience to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. As such, there’s a case to be made they’re the most important all-female faction in WWE history.
