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The views of this author do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda.
I'm going to start off by saying something you probably have already realized on your own: The WWE Women's Division is absolutely crushing it right now. If you haven't noticed that, I'm sorry, but you just aren't paying attention.
As of this writing, the WWE is missing (arguably) it's three biggest female stars in Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey. Depending on which report you believe, Flair is expected back sometime between SummerSlam and the 2021 Royal Rumble. Lynch isn't expected to return until after WrestleMania 37 at the earliest and God only knows when Rousey will decide to come back.
Here's the thing though. The WWE Women's Division hasn't skipped a beat. Not only have the women not taken a step back, they are dang near carrying the entire company through this pandemic era. Which is a testament to the talent in that locker room.
It's really easy to point out the great work Bayley and Sasha Banks are doing right now. The Women's Tag Team Champions have been heavily featured across all three brands in recent weeks, and for good reason. Both women are at the top of their game on the mic and inside the ring, and people are tuning in to see them.
Sasha Banks vs. Io Shirai pulled in an impressive 900,000 viewers in the main event of night one of The Great American Bash. Which beat the main event of rival AEW Fyter Fest by close to a quarter-million people.
Sasha and Bayley may be the ratings draw right now, but if wasn't for their equally talented foes they might not be. RAW Women's Champion Asuka has been the MVP of WWE during the pandemic. She doesn't need a live audience to perform as her charisma just oozes through your television screen. She's incredibly entertaining, no matter what language she's speaking, and oh... she just happens to be one of the best in-ring performers on the planet, regardless of gender.
On the SmackDown side of things, you have an emerging star in Nikki Cross who is set to challenge for Bayley's Women's Championship at Extreme Rules. I had my reservations about her partnership with Alexa Bliss when they first paired up, but they've really grown on me over time. They've worked really well with one another during their time together, and in that time, Cross has really come into her own. Her promos come off incredibly strong and genuine, and she's hilarious when she stops by the commentary table.
Also, not that this has much to about anything, but that "Momma bear mode" Cross goes into whenever someone messes with Alexa is absolutely adorable. Overall I've been incredibly impressed with her growth as a performer and I'll be rooting for her against Bayley. I'd love to see what The "Scottish Sexpot" could do as SmackDown Women's Champion.
Regardless if she's successful or not, Cross is clearly on her way up along with several others. Speaking from a creative standpoint, it's a great time to be in the Women's Division right now - as long as you're getting TV time.
WWE needs to create even more opportunities for other women to shine
If there's one thing the COVID-19 era of WWE programming has given the viewers, its a bigger spotlight for the Women's Division. Fans are being treated to two or three matches per show with multiple storylines stretching across all three brands. However, it's still not enough for the amount of talent they have.
If you look beyond the main event scene, you'll see several women waiting for their chance to move up the card. Sonya Deville is someone I could not have more faith in to be the next big break out star. Her story arc with Mandy Rose has given her a real opportunity to show what she can do on a somewhat regular basis. However, with SmackDown only being a two-hour show, it's no guarantee she'll be on TV every Friday. In fact, we haven't seen Deville or Rose in over two weeks.
Several other women that call the Blue Brand home are currently stuck in limbo. You have former Women's Champions Naomi and Carmella basically riding the bench right now, and Lacey Evans is another talented performer who's struggling to find a regular role.
Over on RAW, the IIconics have been shining bright recently. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay are getting regular screen time following a lengthy TV hiatus and they are making the most of it. The company is finally giving them an opportunity to show off their in ring ability a bit more, alongside their well established promo chops. A couple of weeks ago Peyton debuted one of the best finishers in the entire Women's Division.
The Women's Tag Division as a whole right now is on fire. Kairi Sane's return from injury has allowed the Kabuki Warriors to get back in the title picture once again. Plus it appears as though the company is setting up a mini Riott Squad reunion with Ruby and Liv Morgan, which should add another competitive team into the mix. Maybe Natalya and Lana could join that fray as well.
Putting the Women's Tag Team Championships on Bayley and Sasha Banks has given WWE free reign to use them where ever they see fit. Which is literally everywhere because, as mentioned before, they are a big ratings draw. As much as I love watching Bayley and Banks do their thing, there is a drawback. The likes of Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, and Liv Morgan have disappeared.
After dominating NXT for years and decimating the RAW Women's Division leading up to WrestleMania 36, Baszler has now seen her push completely come to a stop. Belair, meanwhile, showed up on RAW the Monday after Mania and proclaimed, "I go here now". We'll since then she's pretty much been playing hooky. Nia Jax received a strong push post WrestleMania but has also been M.I.A in recent weeks. I understand the company wanting to maximize the draw of Sasha and Bayley during a time when ratings are suffering, but I can't help but notice the amount of stars seemingly stuck in purgatory.
By the way, I haven't even dived into the bevy of talented women that wrestle on Wednesdays. Io Shirai, Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai, Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart, Toni Storm, Kay Lee Ray... the list goes on and on. Oh, and not to mention... what happens when Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey all return?
Give the women their own platform
I have no idea if the logistics of adding another show could be worked out. I don't know if it would be cost-effective, and figuring out how to do it once travel resumes may prove to be impossible. I'd be happy to come up with a plan if someone wants to hire me to do that. What I do know for sure right now, is that the women have earned their own program.
And, no, Total Divas doesn't count.
Even at a time when the women have been getting more screen time than I can ever remember, I'm not satisfied. I keep wanting to see more. I find myself getting more amped-up and more likely to tune into a show if there's a big women's match as opposed to a marquee men's contest. Judging by the ratings breakdown in recent weeks, I don't think I'm the only one with that mind set.
I'm not saying the men deserve less screen time either. The talent pool is deep there as well, and it's only going to get deeper when Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Edge, Sami Zayn and the like return to TV.
This isn't about taking opportunities away from the men. It's about giving more chances to the women of WWE who just aren't getting the screen time they deserve at the moment. A new show could also lead to the creation of a secondary singles title that the division badly needs.
With the drawing power the Women's Division has, I'm sure some network out there would be willing to take a chance on it. Say on a Tuesday or Saturday night in a spot where they could use a ratings boost. Maybe FS1 could air it as a replacement for WWE Backstage - just please give it a better time slot that 11pm EST.
At the very least WWE would have another show to promote on it's network that I guarantee people would tune in to see. If it's not feasible to add another show, that's fine. It should definitely be looked into though. In the meantime, let's start with the long overdue Evolution 2. That should be an annual event and should return this year, even if it takes place at the WWE Performance Center.
In closing ladies, if you're reading this, you rock. Keep up the great work and continue knocking the cover off the ball when you get a chance to step up to the plate.
