Winning the Big One it’s a storyline that has been used throughout wrestling. A down-on-their-luck wrestler is struggling to get a win. They’re given chance after chance but just can’t seem to win. They face impossible odds, and when it seems least likely, bang, that is when they finally win the Big One.
Sometimes the Big One is fabricated. Chris Jericho’s first Heavyweight championship reign in 2001 was built on that notion. It was a moment that came full circle this year when Jericho used the exact same point on Eddie Kingston.
Then there are the statements that come with a grain of truth. The wrestlers we all know would have made excellent champions but were never given the opportunity for some reason. There is a list a mile long. Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Scott Hall, wrestlers who had that little bit of everything needed, except for the full unadulterated backing of whoever was in charge. Sometimes these people came close, sometimes not within a frog’s hair of a world championship. One modern instance of this is Ruby Soho, whose story from WWE to now AEW is being defined by not winning the Big One.
From WWE To AEW
Ruby’s main roster run in WWE can be defined by one thing. Getting over younger talent. Debuting as the leader of the Riott squad alongside Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan, Riott’s lot in WWE was to get over less experienced talent. Riott, with years of experience wrestling, fit the role well, but we all knew that she could be more. When that role was done, Ruby spent most of her time in WWE stuck in catering, waiting for an opportunity. The only opportunity that came was freedom in the form of her release on June 2nd, 2021.
After her release, Ruby quickly found a new home. Appearing at All Out 2021 as the Joker during the Women’s Casino Battle Royal. Ruby received a standing ovation as she bounced down the ring to the iconic Rancid song that now bears her name.
Nothing’s Changed
Nine months on, and it feels like little has changed since the first time I heard the gruff voice of Lars Frederiksen. In fact, it feels that she has been slotted into the same position she held in WWE, that of a veteran talent who is always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Which has been made all the starker by Soho’s relatively short time in AEW.
Over her nine months at AEW, Ruby has been a contender for the AEW Women’s Championship and the TBS Championships. Both times she came up short, helping to cement the title runs of both Britt Baker and Jade Cargill, bringing them further legitimacy.
Most recently, Ruby reached the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Championship. As Soho moved further and further up the brackets, one defining motive propelled her forward. Never winning the Big One. In heartfelt promos tinged with an overt sprinkle of reality, Soho acknowledged her shortcomings since her arrival and proclaimed this time would be different. This time she would win the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.
But as we all now know; this is not the case. Once again, Ruby Soho came up short, losing to Britt Baker again, which begs to question, why make this a storyline in the first place? It seems counterintuitive. The only way this Big One storyline really works is if the person in question does indeed with the Big One. Not win a tag match a week later. A failure to do so can lead to dire consequences.
Ruby Soho Position on The Card
Playing this fast and loose with this kind of storytelling is a dangerous game. There are only so many times you can take someone to the top of the ladder only to push them off. Do it one time too many, and get Dolph Ziggler, someone fans have grown ambivalent towards after countless defeats has drained them of any credibility. You can reheat someone before the flavor starts to go. Having three significant losses in the past nine months, Ruby is not too far off falling into that category. A day may come soon when the cheers for Ruby, the singing along to Rancid, are a little quieter. Then what? Lose some more? Eventually, there will be a tipping point where Ruby putting over newer talent no longer has the impact it once did. In essence, Ruby would be back where she started.
Should Ruby Soho Win the Big One?
The short answer is a definite yes. In all honesty, the golden opportunity was a few weeks ago at Double or Nothing. The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament is a one-off that could have boosted Ruby Soho’s cred. It’s not a permanent championship spot that she is taking away from someone AEW wants to build in the future. It would have been a pretty sweet crowning moment for Ruby, a woman who, throughout her whole run from NXT to the main roster, never had the chance to hold championship gold.
But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen somewhere down the line. Ruby Soho would make a great TBS Champion, where she could continue to fulfil the role of putting over younger talent. Whether she should be the person to unseat Jade Cargill remains to be seen. But sometime soon, a belt should be around Ruby’s waist. Till then, the destination of Ruby’s future remains unknown.
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