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I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and know I'm not the only one. It just feels like there's something missing from AEW programming.
Overall AEW has done a great job building it's roster. They have a solid main event scene with the likes of Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes, and Kenny Omega. The company has also done a wonderful job of building up younger talent like Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, and Marco Stunt.
The AEW Tag Team Division is absolutely on fire right now. Establishing teams and showcasing that style of wrestling is an obvious priority for the company and they get major kudos for that. One thing that hasn't really seemed to be a priority so far, however, is the Women's Division.
In the brief time that Dynamite has been on TNT, the women have been given a single match every week to show what they can do. They haven't been given many behind the scenes segments either, which makes it difficult for the casual fan to get invested in them. Granted it has only been a month since Dynamite debuted and maybe things will change. Then again, a new infusion of talent could force a change.
Here are five female wrestlers that could give the AEW Women's Division a boost, and also help get the current females on AEW's roster see more screen time.
#5 Kelly Klein
'The Gatekeeper' has been the class of the Ring of Honor Women's Division since 2015. She went undefeated her first 18 months in the promotion and eventually won her first Women of Honor Championship in late 2018. Klein has now held the title a record three times.
Klein has strength and solid technical skills. She's shown the ability to put on great matches with just about anyone. Her match against 'Crazy' Mary Dobson (Sarah Logan) in ROH back in 2016 is one of my favorites.
Klein did re-sign with ROH back in January. While details of her contract are presently unknown, wrestling fans would love to see what she can do on a bigger stage, if the opportunity ever comes up.
#4 Rosemary
Spoiler alert: I'm going to be targeting the Impact Women's Division in this article and for good reason. The Knockouts are absolutely stacked with talent. Let's start with 'The Demon Assassin.'
Rosemary cut her teeth in the independent scene for 8 years before signing with (then) TNA in 2016. She debuted alongside Crazzy Steve and Abyss, as part of the heel faction Decay. She went on to have a successful singles run that included a 9 month reign as Knockouts Champion. While Rosemary missed most of 2018 after tearing her ACL, she returned to the ring in January.
Rosemary's commitment to her character is unmatched by anyone else in the Knockouts Division. In fact she's comparable to Bray Wyatt, a dark character with destructive tendencies. As my Sportskeeda colleague Tom Colohue said to me recently, "She is Sister Abigail."
Rosemary could bring a spark to an AEW Women's Division that is lacking standout characters. She is the entire package with the look, energy, and in-ring skills.
In February, Rosemary signed a new two year contract with Impact, meaning she won't be eligible to make the jump to another promotion until early 2021.
#3 Celeste Bonin (Kaitlyn)
It was a big weekend for Celeste Bonin. The former WWE Divas Champion won her first title since leaving the company in 2014. Bonin won a Triple Threat Match against Black Widow and Katie Forbes to claim the Slamforce Africa Women's Championship.
It was one of a handful of appearances for Bonin since returning to the ring last year. She took part in the 2018 Mae Young Classic, where she advanced to the 2nd round before losing to Mia Yim. Many fans hoped that Bonin would sign with NXT or the WWE main roster shortly afterward, but that was not the case.
Last month, Bonin told Sportskeeda that she's looking forward to being an integral part of the Slamforce Africa roster. She wants to compete, but still be able to run the business she launched after her initial retirement from wrestling.
That would seem to rule out a return to WWE, but the schedule is significantly lighter in AEW. When she wrestled as Kaitlyn, Bonin was one of the most popular Divas in WWE. She would add a big name to an AEW Women's Division that needs a little notoriety.
#2 Tenille Dashwood (Emma)
There's no doubt about it: Tenille Dashwood is a star. She just needs a chance to prove it. For a myriad of reasons, stardom never happened for her in WWE. Whether it was an injury, a behind the scenes issue, or a questionable character change, Emma failed to reach her full potential.
Emma can arguably be viewed as the one that was left behind in WWE's Women's Evolution. Shortly before her WWE departure, she would tell anyone who would listen that she started the Evolution, and there is some truth to that. Her feud with Paige in NXT was absolutely one of the catalysts. Paige would win the NXT and Divas Championships. Emma is still looking for her first championship in wrestling since 2009.
Now wrestling under her real name, Tenille Dashwood, she is doing quite well for herself. She's wrestled at a number of indie events, for Ring of Honor, and currently for Impact. We even saw her briefly in AEW when she made an appearance at All Out's Casino Battle Royale.
According to Fightful, Tenille's contract with Impact runs out at the end of the month. There are high hopes that AEW might just bring her in as a full time competitor. Dashwood deserves the opportunity to be the rock solid anchor the AEW Women's Division needs.
#1 Tessa Blanchard
No offense to 'The Man' Becky Lynch, but Tessa Blanchard is the best women's wrestler on the planet.
The daughter of Tully Blanchard has set the wrestling industry on fire this year. Not just with her excellent work against the Knockouts, but also for going toe to toe with Sami Callahan. Their match at Slammiversary was one of the best I've ever seen, and they followed that up with another solid performance at Unbreakable.
It was genuinely surprising when Blanchard didn't win the X Division Title at Bound for Glory, but regardless, Impact has spent the last few months building her up as the top star in the company.
Her contract with Impact runs through next summer. Which ever company ends up with her services afterwards is getting a home run hire. Maybe she'll go All Elite Wrestling like her father, or maybe she wants a crack at 'The Man' herself.
The above tweet sure does seem like a shot at Becky Lynch, doesn't it? If Blanchard signs with WWE, there are numerous dream match ups awaiting her. Becky Lynch, Charlotte, Ronda Rousey, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Asuka, and the list goes on.
If AEW wants to truly compete, they have to improve the one area where other promotions have a clear and obvious advantage.
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