Not to be overly dramatic here, but let’s be honest: when your top babyface on RAW can use the horrible product and ratings in his own promo, your show has a problem. Fortunately, the problem is not entirely pervasive through all that WWE produces-yet. SmackDown Live seems to be getting along well enough, and NXT continues to be the black and yellow brand that can. But, give it time, and WWE could doom those brands too. Right? I mean, something has to give, doesn’t it? And that is when this hit me: can women save WWE from itself?
Well, can they?
Now, that is sort of a loaded question. On one hand, I could mean women executives-most notably Stephanie McMahon. I don’t really, but Stephanie isn’t one to ignore, and she certainly has a hand in navigating the company through whatever ratings and product issues it has right now. On the other hand, I mean the talent. Specifically, the women’s divisions of both RAW and SmackDown. These divisions have almost been criminally under-rated, and it’s beginning to feel to me as though WWE needs to unleash the women and see how awesome things can be.
Strong Locker Rooms Provide Hope
Of the two brands, I honestly think the strongest women’s locker room belongs to the blue brand at the moment. I feel this way in large part because of Becky Lynch, but also the women around her. They’ve all worked hard and earned it. This is taking nothing away from the RAW women, but I am still one who is mindful of just how new Ronda Rousey is…so I can’t elevate her above Becky in this discussion. Regardless of whether the red brand is better than the blue brand, here’s something that many never thought we’d say: the women’s divisions are the best WWE has to offer right now.
2018 Was Great…But The Best Is Yet To Come
So, if they are so good, how can they save WWE from itself? By continuing to do what they’ve been doing. By having WWE Creative stay out of their way, so to speak. The women have done many great things in 2018 alone. Surely they’ve been afforded a number of excellent opporunities-Evolution being perhaps the big moment of the year. Now we are hearing there’s a strong chance that they will finally get the main event on the Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania. It’s an honor that is long overdue, that much is certain. But it will also give us a match that we’ve never seen on that stage. In a day and age where we have an entire network dedicated to providing constant wrestling coverage, along with the many hours on cable television, fans crave something new and fresh. Giving the women a real opportunity to be as good or better than their male counterparts is just what WWE needs right now.
While WWE gives us a tired and poorly received RAW, it blows us away with a sizzling SmackDown Live. The main event segment featured, what else, three of the best women…three of the best Superstars…they have. WWE needs to ponder that reality for a moment: we want less of the same tired scripts and more real and passionate action. Yes, it does not HAVE to be from the women, but the fact of the matter is, the women on both RAW and SmackDown are the ones bringing the passion night in and night out more than any other set of Superstars on the roster. Give fans what we want to see-great wrestling. It’s not our fault if that happens to include a heavy dose of the women’s roster.
