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According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, ticket sales for WWE Evolution, the much-promoted first all women's pay per view in the company, have been slow.
It's not a surprise. With the exception of the Mae Young Classic final which features two of the best female wrestlers in the world, the rest of the announced and rumored card doesn't look appealing.
Rather, the event appears to give higher priority to WWE gloating about how great they are instead of actually putting on a show worth seeing. The company seems to have forgotten why women's wrestling was treated as a bathroom break affair until recent times and is doing its best to confirm that impression with this show.
WWE has lost touch with the impetus behind the ballyhooed "women's revolution" in the first place, which was to showcase women's wrestling which could blow the roof off of arenas. The company has the talent to do that. It just needs to give them the platform.
Here are five matches the company can book to turn the situation around and ensure the event won't be a flop.
#1 Interbrand match: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks
If the "women's revolution" was truly about putting on the highest quality matches, there are two names that stand out above all others. According to fan ratings on cagematch.net, of the top 25 women's matches of the past five years in WWE, Sasha Banks has been in 10 of them, while Asuka has been in 8. That's an astonishing 18 out of 25 between them. Their match from Raw in January still stands as the best women's match on non pay per view programming this year.
That match should be followed up with a proper pay per view match with no interruptions. There doesn't need to be a big angle involved. WWE should just give them 20 minutes and let them go. It would reinvigorate both of them, particularly with no reliable report of women's tag team titles.
That way, fans would be forced to take interest in the show, because there will be a match guaranteed to blow the roof off the building. At least the Mae Young Classic final would get some proper competition from the main roster.
#2 Ember Moon vs. Bayley
Surprisingly enough, these two former NXT Women's Champions still haven't had a match against each other. Instead, they've been in meaningless matches against the Riott Squad for about six months now. It's a criminal misuse of talent if there ever was some.
Bayley and Ember Moon deserve to show what they can do more often, and as a first time ever match, this would be a fine choice to at least ensure the card boasts some successful matches.
The two could use this match to boost their profiles, and this could potentially be Ember's breakout moment on the main roster to put her in title contention.
#3 SmackDown Women's Championship: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Becky Lynch - two out of three falls
To be fair, this is probably coming anyway, but there needs to be something new to maintain the buzz. By the time October 28th rolls around, SummerSlam will have been two months old. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair will need to ratchet up their rivalry even more to ensure fan investment at Evolution.
A two out of three falls match can ensure drama at just the right time it needs to be ensured. This should ultimately be Becky's crowning moment, and one which can set the stage for WrestleMania for both her and Charlotte, but that might not come to pass.
Either way, some kind of stipulation would at this point be warranted.
#4 Raw Women's Championship: Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Shayna Baszler
Let's be honest - the rumored main event for Evolution, Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella, has disaster written all over it. The Bella Twins were in many ways what the "women's revolution" was a direct reaction against, and it suspends disbelief to think that Nikki Bella stands any kind of chance against Rousey. The match feels like a pointless PR stunt at best and an insult at worst.
One person can believably challenge Rousey at Evolution, though.
Shayna Baszler is likely set to have her rematch for the NXT Women's Championship on October 28th, but it's a waste of both her and Kairi Sane's time. Shayna Baszler should move up to the main roster and begin her program with Ronda Rousey, who badly needs a strong rival right now. Baszler is the only one that's believable right now.
With a main roster call-up likely coming after the October 28th show, there's no reason to wait. This time, a rush job by WWE is the appropriate course.
The match might not be the most spectacular, but at least it would feel real.
