Spotlight On.. Women’s Wrestling
By: Rhys
WWE Women’s Division
The women’s division in WWE has definitely been a whirlwind for the last 40 years. From the controversial Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young, to the first Diva Sunny and Alundra Blayze, to the power houses Jaqueline and Sable, the 00s saw a downturn where the women were seen as “eye candy” with Trish Stratus and Lita being stand outs from the crowd, being the first pair to main event Raw. But all that changed in the latter half of the 2010s with the Women’s Revolution and the rise of such names as Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Bayley, veterans (some may not agree here) the Bella Twins, Natalya, Tamina, and now Ronda Rousey is in the mix with Shayna Baszler to give credibility, just to name a few. WWE held an all women’s PPV in 2018 called Evolution, which received high praise.
There’s been speculation that there will be a second Evolution, but it’s just that, speculation. Stephanie McMahon wants to hold another one, the Superstars want another one, HHH is on the fence, from what I understand. Should there be another Evolution? Maybe? If built properly, it could do well, the talent is there. But who knows? I don’t see it happening with Vince around.
AEW
AEW, I’m…. I’m just…. I’m just disappointed. The women’s division in AEW is just one big blunder. Which is a shame, because they have the talent, the potential, but it’s been poorly booked. Britt Baker got pushed to the moon and back before she was truly ready, Nyla Rose had been relegated to Dark and Elevation until those shows got cut, Riho hasn’t been seen. There’s rumours backstage that Thunder Rosa is hard to work with, a handful are involved in the Britt Baker vs Outcasts story, and Jade Cargill is still relatively green, but improving slowly. Speaking of Jade and poor booking, she defended the title 25 times before dropping the title to a returning Kris Statlander.
Of those 25 matches, a half of them were against jobbers, and her only meaningful storyline was against Taya Valkyrie, and even that was poor, as it was over a finishing move. I hope they follow through with the Jade vs Statlander rivalry, but I won’t hold my breath. Tony Khan needs someone who knows how to book the women, a female mind. But until then, the division will be a flop.
