Women in professional wrestling are finding their own path to success

Despite WWE’s refusal to follow up on the success of 2018’s PPV Evolution, women’s wrestling is going through a great flourishing thanks to pioneers in the business like Mickie James. 

On Oct. 28, 2018, WWE put on the PPV known as Evolution. The show was the first-ever all-women’s PPV, a historic event for women’s wrestling in and out of the WWE. It featured Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey, and Nikki Bella, among other superstars from the past and present.

As the name suggests, Evolution was meant to showcase the development and years of dedication put into women’s wrestling. Women weren’t limited to the hyper-sexual role of the diva anymore; they could perform the same high-flying stunts and put on hard-hitting bouts like their male colleagues. The more that time goes on, however, the more it seems the women’s Evolution was a one-time event. A marketing ploy. Evolution has not been added to the annual PPV list, nor has it even seen a sequel since 2018. Despite the hard work, talent, and love poured into the PPV, it appears that Evolution and the notion of all-women’s PPVs were brief explorations for the WWE.

Women in professional wrestling are finding their own way

Times are changing, though. If people want to see good pro wrestling, they don’t have to wait for Raw or Smackdown to come on. Fans have plenty of options to tune into, within the US and abroad.

The most popular alternative to the WWE is undoubtedly AEW. Though they aren’t given proper TV time, the women’s division in AEW is full of vibrant, diverse characters that are an absolute joy to watch. They’re led by the current women’s champion, Britt Baker. Additionally, the NWA and IMPACT feature very talented women such as Deonna Purazzo, Lady Frost, Kylie Rae, and Jordynne Grace, among others. Outstanding leadership from wrestling veteran Mickie James has brought a fresh spotlight to the women of IMPACT and NWA, and they’re proving their worth more and more with each passing week.

The value of James cannot be understated in all this talk of a Renaissance. Her NWA PPV Empowerrr is one of the most momentous shows in wrestling this year. It was the first all-women’s wrestling PPV since Evolution, and this one had the advantage of a wide-open Forbidden Door. The show featured talent like Kylie Rae, Lady Frost, Sienna, and Marti Belle. AEW also sent Leyla Hirsch, Red Velvet, and KiLynn King, and IMPACT champion Deonna Purrazzo made a surprise appearance as well.

Overall, this show represented that women don’t need to wait for men to give them opportunities. They now have the avenues to create those opportunities for themselves.

Even within WWE, there is a blossoming of women’s wrestling. Much of this is being ushered in by big names like Bayley, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, and the Man, Becky Lynch. In particular, Becky’s return has revitalized the women’s division in the WWE.

The return of Lynch, despite the disappointing robbery of Bianca’s title at Summerslam, has rebooted WWE’s women division. Becky returned to Smackdown and seemingly brought Naomi and Liv Morgan, both of whom had been absent for the last few weeks, back to TV. Naomi and Liv are both fan favorites in their own right, and they were sorely missed. Having all three of them back has given the division a much-needed shot in the arm.

Naomi’s future seems of particular interest, since there’s a strong chance she’ll be turning heel and joining her husband Jimmy Uso in Roman Reigns’ Bloodline faction. While I’m not sure how a natural babyface like Naomi will fair as a heel, any storyline that gives her a spotlight is a good storyline in my book.

Lynch is a real star and provides a strong anchor for the division to build around. Hopefully, her title reign will help to elevate Bianca Belair’s star power even more as the younger athlete chases down the Smackdown title. Their feud would ideally end with Becky losing the title to a reinvigorated EST.

The DMD Era

Britt Baker has secured her spot as one of AEW’s biggest stars, regardless of gender. Her reign is only hampered by AEW’s continuous refusal to give their women sufficient airtime. Yes, Britt has two television main events under her belt, but a champion isn’t much without worthy challengers. Kris Statlander is a fan favorite, but she and Britt hadn’t gotten a proper feud leading up to their title match at All Out.

Booking issues aside, Baker’s title reign has ushered in a new era for the women of AEW. A strong heel champion will provide a good avenue in building up babyface challengers, such as Kris Statlander, Hikaru Shida, Big Swole, etc. Perhaps Britt’s popularity will cause her to turn face herself, which would make Jade Cargill a perfect opponent for the DMD.

All in all, the women’s division of AEW is oozing with potential. It’s up to Tony Khan to wise up and capitalize.

Women’s wrestling is a draw

Whether the bookers want to admit it or not, women’s wrestling is a draw. It has a devoted following and a strong talent pool. Wrestling promotions would be smart to capitalize on this and give women the airtime they deserve.

Independent projects are amazing and deserve support, but I’d love for women’s wrestling to be showcased alongside their male counterparts as well. As happy as I am to see it done, women shouldn’t have to make their own stages. Male promoters should be welcoming women into the main event just as often as male wrestlers.

Whether male promoters want to book women on their shows or not, though, what 2021 has shown us is that women will find a way to shine. We are incredibly lucky as fans to be able to witness it.