No, they weren't at all necessary.
I'm sure that I'm in the minority when I say she DID need buffs. I honestly find her to be one of the weaker characters in the cast... and it's purely because of the PW/Val matchup.
So let's compare.
I mean, PW has better pressure on block, reliable cast-wide combos (for ease of use), she deals more damage, has a superior zoning game, a safe/combo-able DHC and stronger normals (in my opinion). I'd even argue that PWs reset options are just as good if not better than Valentine's. Both characters have the same weaknesses. Their assists are pretty bad and their defensive game is poor. That said PW has armor to bait reversals, punish jump ins and can fly/thresher option select to avoid cross unders and air resets (which is practically safe on block) that can lead to full combos. Meanwhile Val has her back dash which can be used to avoid lows and throws... While great it is hardly ever used effectively and that's about it. Also, I can't say I see where Val has a distinct advantage over PW against anyone in the cast. For the most part they both have 5/5 or 6/4 matchups.
So... that makes me wonder based on what's above (though totally my own opinion) why Val is regarded so highly and PW so low?
Which brings me to the player factor. I've been told plenty of times that PW is only good because of the way I play her. Or that it's my team composition that makes her good. To that I say---
We need more
@Duckator 's.
Seriously. I need more evidence to convince me otherwise on Val at this point in the game. Don't get me wrong. I still lose to Valentine players. That said I feel Val got a name (mostly) for hiding behind (good?) DP assists calls. That aspect of the game while not gone, doesn't hold up as well as it used to. Most players either have ways to deal with assist DP turtling or respect it enough not to go ham at every given opportunity. I haven't seen ANYONE playing Valentine in recent memory that makes me afraid of her like I once was. (I mean no disrespect to all the Valentine players! Love you guys! Keep it up!)
So after all my ranting here we go. LIST TIME. I've got no feelings on Beowulf as of yet so he isn't in the list.
S
Peacock : With proper assist calls and garbage patterns she can totally prevent you from doing ANYTHING. Rightfully poor defensive options.
Bella : Has an answer to everything... DYNAMO!!! Amongst other options. High damage. Great reset potential. Only truly bad match up in my opinion can be ^ .
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A+
Fukua : Great zoning. Easy and damaging confirms. J.hk is one of the most abusable and rewarding normals in the game. Has no severely bad matchups. Safe DHC. Great Chip. Fantastic burst baits. Throw able.
Painwheel : Superb neutral control bested only by Peacock. Read my spiel up above
Eliza : Fantastic normals. Can confirm off of practically any stray hit with c.mk and c.hp both vacuuming. Tons of multi overhead options. Horus frame traps off of EVERYTHING. Sekhmet shenanigans. RESETS
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A
Fortune : Extremely high damage and great reset potential. Fastest s.lp in the game. Full combo's from DP. Be Headed is STILL hit invincible and SAFE. Never have to use OTG in combos.. Great for DHC continuations.
Parasoul : Great variety of normals and block string routes. Potential for zoning. Amazing air grab and reset options. Tear shot area control/explosions/frame traps. Tons of multi hitting burst bait setups. Low damage
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B+
Filia : Excellent reset game. Surprising array of mobility options. Safe-ish DP with meter. Good variety of useful assists. Great jump in pressure/mix up. Ground neutral is pretty poor. Most grounded blockstrings are unsafe.
Squigly : Decent damage/reset options. Weak mobility/reversal options. Jumps to A+ tier with stances charged. Can control neutral if she has meter. Best ground mix up in the game with stancels.
Val : Scary reset game. Good burst baits. Diverse and useful set of useful air normals. Decent projectiles. Needs weight class/character specific combos to get the most out of her tool set. Low damage.
Big Band : AMAZING specials/assists. Highest hit for hit damage. Nobody punishes assists like he can. Has to make reads and use appropriate specials to gain ground. Disappointing set of normals. Blockstring mix up is too predictable. TERRIBLE HURT BOXES.
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B
Double : Safe DHC. Decent assist options. Good air throw conversions. Low damage for required effort. Meter hungry. No overhead leads to poor ground mixup. Very predictable attack and neutral options... J.hp anyone? She seriously needs level 1 catheads again.