I am quite open both on my podcast ‘It’s Our House’ and in any discussions I have online about my thoughts of AEW’s women division. I understand that at the moment we’re in a pandemic, I also understand that injuries etc can play a huge part in giving certain people the push they need.
Recently, Britt Baker took a little shot at the AEW fans, stating that if they watched the product when the women matches occurred, we might get more of them. This took some fans by surprise on social media, as they felt it was a targeted shot. Now if this is her heel character talking, I understand; but if it isn’t, there is truly something not right in the company.
I understand that AEW’s current focus is on the ratings, especially when you’ve got people on Twitter doing nothing but talk about it, but the product is what matters. Let’s look at what you’d call the top women of AEW,
- Current AEW Champion Hiakru Shida – What a fantastic wrestler and a worthy champion. She won the title from Nyla Rose in a solid match. She’s easily one of the best talents in the business, and she’s good on the mic. She definitely needs more ring time, and needs a solid story to work on.
- Nyla Rose – Absolute game changer in the business and definitely worthy winner. She’s now been paired with Vicky Guerrero, but again we need to see more of this pair on screen.
- Britt Baker – Britt is one of the best wrestlers on the roster. From her outstanding mic work, to her in ring ability, she’s constantly proving she deserves to be on the show weekly. Her recent feud with Big Swole was brilliant, but since ending we haven’t really heard from Swole.
- Abadon – Considering she has only had a short time on the main show, she’s been phenomenal on AEW Dark. So much so that the main talents have been publicly open with their belief she can hit the top of the division.
- Big Swole – She’s had a fantastic first year with the company, and her feud with Britt Baker really helped put her on the map. She can really help develop a feud, and she’s getting better and better as time goes on.
That is only a snippet of the division. I didn’t want to list everyone who is worthy of being mentioned, but I must give a nod to the following: Brandi Rhodes, Allie, Anna Jay, Kris Statlander, Leva Bates, Penelope Ford and Tay Conti.
So why isn’t the division getting the love it deserves? There is so much talent there and yet we’re only seeing one match per Dynamite, and around two on average per Dark. Well let’s look at what I think can improve the division.
The first thing that AEW needs to do is give the talent more screen time. There is no point having a match on Dark, or a segment on BTE that doesn’t translate over to the main show. I’ve heard that you may not be a true fan if you don’t watch everything the show puts on YouTube, but does the casual fan have that amount of spare time? I know I don’t. AEW needs to talk about these women on the main show, even if they just show snippets of the Dark matches on the main show. I firmly believe it will go a long way to get the names out there.
The next thing I would do is build sustainable storylines that can go the distance. If you’re worried about the “ability” of some of the talent, and you believe they’re green in the ring; do something about it. Surely within a year, and a company of this size, AEW should be able to train these fantastic talents to put on a fifteen minutes solid match. The five women I mentioned above are on the show weekly, but does anyone remember a match that makes your jaw drop in the last 12 months, I’m not sure they do.
The last thing I would do is look at the women the division has and truly ask, do you fit? I don’t mean in the way of do they fit the image of AEW, but do they fit with the stories you’re trying to tell. AEW has some incredible talents, but the one thing I’ve seen is that they like to get a name for the pop. They have brought in talents since inception that I didn’t really understand. Talents like Jake Hager, Miro, Brett Cardona, and even Vickie Guerrero. These people have been brought in but what have they achieved? What was the aim of bringing them in other than the pull of the casual fan?
This is what AEW need to work on, not just with the women’s division, but their whole show. I truly want people who read this to know that I love the women’s division of all companies. WWE and IMPACT Wrestling currently have a plethora of talents and also incredible storylines. With Bayley and Sasha, the whole wrestle house storyline, and many, many more.
If AEW showed just a tiny development in that division, you would see more fans switch on to view. Until they do, I don’t think we’ll ever get to the point that the women are looked at as good as the rest of the roster.
Let me know what you think?
You can find me on Twitter @fazzasthoughts
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