Women’s wrestling has recently grown to levels of popularity that we have never seen. With the birth of WWE Women’s revolution, the division has excelled into a powerhouse group of high-quality women's athletes, competing at the same level as their male counterparts.
Names like Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Bayley and Becky Lynch have all helped usher in this new era of women's competition, where the ladies are no longer referred to as "Divas," but rather just simply known as the top-tier women wrestlers that that are.
Since the brand split, the women's division has been spread pretty thin and while both Raw and SmackDown's rosters appear to be doing just fine for themselves, it's becoming very clear that there will soon be a need for more women on each roster.
With that said, Asuka is one of the very few left on the NXT roster that could potentially make the quick jump to the main roster. Most of the other ladies of NXT still have a lot of work left to do before they're ready to even compete on NXT's programming, let alone the main roster.
It's currently being rumoured that WWE officials will soon be making an attempt to sign several top women's wrestlers from the independent scene and abroad. After taking a look at the potential names that could find themselves on WWE's radar in 2017, I've come up with the following list of women's stars that you could see on WWE television in the New Year.
#10 Mika Rotunda
Some who are reading this are scratching their heads in confusion right now. Some don't even know who this person is and some know exactly who she is, but they don't know why I would list her here. Mika Rotunda has never wrestled a single match in her life.
She's never cut a promo and she's never laced up a pair of wrestling boots. However, she's very knowledgeable about professional wrestling and knows all too well what it takes to become a WWE performer.
Mika is the daughter of Mike Rotunda and the sister of Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt. She has been around wrestlers and wrestling her entire life. Mika has also had a tryout with the WWE as well. She possesses the raw athleticism and inherited talent to become a professional wrestler.
If given the opportunity, I sincerely believe Mika Rotunda can one day become a member of the WWE family.
#9 Taeler Hendrix
Taeler is probably best known for her valet work with Ring of Honor. She recently began wrestling once again in the newly revamped ROH Women’s Division, now known as Women of Honor. Taeler is an extremely versatile talent, one who could potentially be a big asset to the WWE.
Over the course of her eight-year career, Hendrix has accumulated several achievements and title victories, including the Ohio Valley Wrestling women's championship, which she has won three times. Taeler may fit in best as a valet or manager with the WWE. But, she is also well qualified to be a singles competitor, as well as a ring announcer if needed.
#8 Marti Belle
This is one name that WWE fans are probably not too familiar with. However, you should be. Marti Belle is one of the fastest rising women's wrestlers in the world. She's travelled all over, trying to put herself out there and make a name for herself and eventually, she was picked up by TNA, which is where she is still today.
Marti would need to spend some time in NXT, to familiarise herself with the way things are done with the company. This is a process more commonly known as "learning the WWE way." But she could grow into a very valuable contributor for the company.
#7 Cherry Bomb
Cherry Bomb has been a very well known and respected part of women's wrestling for the past decade or so. She has travelled the world, making a name for herself with success in the States, as well as Japan. She is currently with TNA as Allie, but many feel she isn't being utilised very well, only being used sporadically.
Cherry Bomb has a long list of accolades to her credit, including Championship wins with Shine, Shimmer and even capturing the TNA Knockouts Championship back in August 2016, but she only held the title all of one day before losing to Maria during a set of Impact tapings the very next day.
In 2015, Cherry was named number 8 in the PWI top 50 women wrestlers of 2015.
#6 Candice LeRae
Candice is currently married to Johnny Gargano, who is one-half of the current NXT tag team champions, #DIY. For much of her career, she teamed with Joey Ryan in the inter-gender tag team, known as The Worlds Cutest Tag Team.
Don't let her 5'2", 110-pound frame fool you, Candice has grappled with the very best men's and women's wrestlers in the world. With success in top independent promotions such as CZW and PWG, she's battle tested against WWE-level talent and should adjust easily.
Candice has been in the ring, professionally, for nearly 15 years. Combine that experience with the fact that she's still only 31 years young, Candice has plenty of fuel in her tank to have a lengthy WWE tenure if the company shines their radar in her direction.
#5 Santana Garrett
In 2015, Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked Santana Garrett as the fourth best female wrestler in the world, ranked behind only Nikki Bella, Paige and Sasha Banks. Santana was trained by Scott Hall and the legendary Larry Zbszko, before making her in-ring debut in 2009 at the south Florida promotion Coastal Championship Wrestling, which is where she honed her skills for the following four years afterwards.
Eventually, Garrett would begin turning heads and gaining attention from promoters nationwide.
Since Santana got her breakthrough in the business, she's worked all over the map, competing against the very best talent in the world. Santana has won titles nearly everywhere she lands, including Shine, Shimmer and she has also captured the coveted NWA World Women's Championship.
Garrett has had a couple of stints with TNA and has even competed as a non-contracted talent in NXT.
#4 Rosemary
Rosemary is a 33-year-old Canadian star that has been competing since 2008. She had her most notable moments when she was known as Courtney Rush. Since her professional debut, Rosemary has excelled relatively easily. It seems as if she has been capable of adjusting with no problems whatsoever, with each promotion she's worked in.
It took very little time for her to start gaining the attention of the top women's promotions, such as Shimmer.
Now with TNA, Rosemary is one of the top names in the company, due largely in part to the massive success of the faction she is the leader of, which is known as Decay. Her character is one of mystery and relentless carnage. She is dangerous both physically, as well as physiologically, which would give her a great edge in a WWE move.
#3 Ivelisse
Ivelisse is one of the top free agents in wrestling today. She has been one of the major components to the success that Lucha Underground has enjoyed since the brand launched in 2014. Ivelisse is also one of the most experienced active women's wrestlers anywhere.
Since her 2002 debut, Ivelisse started out in the Chicago Indie scene before being selected as one of the contestants on WWE Tough Enough Season 5. Unfortunately, Ivelisse sustained a leg injury, which ended her time on the show abruptly.
However, she made such a profound impact on show producers and WWE officials, that she was signed to a developmental contract with the WWE and sent to Florida Championship Wrestling, which was the predecessor to NXT.
In 2012, Ivelisse was released from her WWE developmental contract, for reasons she claims stemmed from her bad relationship with former head coach Bill Demott. After her release, Ivelisse returned to the independent scene, then eventually TNA and of course, Lucha Underground.
Times are different now in the WWE. Ivelisse should not only be welcomed back but encouraged to have another go at it with the company.
#2 Leva Bates (Blue Pants)
Blue Pants became an NXT sensation in 2014, completely accidentally. Bates was brought in with the idea that she would provide NXT's young, up-and-coming talent with some much-needed enhancement talent to compete against. But, much to the surprise of everyone in Orlando, Blue Pants became a fan favourite phenomenon.
Each week she performed, the fanfare grew even greater, even to the point where WWE released an official Blue Pants t-shirt on WWE Shop.
Leva has made a name for herself outside of NXT, long before NXT, as the most well-known women's cosplay wrestlers in the industry, regularly performing as various characters from comics and film. At this point, Bates has accomplished all and more that anyone could dream of in her craft. Now it's time to make a permanent home with the WWE.
#1 Sexy Star
Debuting in 2006 in the Mexican promotion Federacion Internacional de Lucha Libre (FILL) as Dulce Poly, she dominated immediately. She actually won both the FILL Mixed-Tag Team Titles, as well as the FILL Women’s Championship, all in her first year as a professional wrestler.
She would soon get picked up by top Mexican promotion AAA and have great success there as well. AAA is also where she would get the name Sexy Star.
Throughout her career, Sexy Star has competed regularly in both mixed tag matches, as well as singles inter-gender bouts. This type of rigorous performing has made her one of the toughest women in all of wrestling today.
Her unique blend of high-flying risk-taking wrestling, combined with her pure grit and toughness, has turned Sexy Star into someone who should be a very attractive prospect for WWE officials.
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