5 Things that the Women's revolution needs

The WWE has not had a stellar record of doing justice to its female performers. Whether it is featuring them prominently during the show, building character arcs or even feuds, for the most part of its history, the Women's division has been overlooked.

However, that seems to have changed over the last 4-5 years. Starting with stellar performances by AJ Lee and Paige, WWE slowly but surely started making the Women more and more relevant. The Women's revolution, although a damp squib, to begin with, has slowly but surely made an impact in the way women wrestlers are both perceived as well as the slots they occupy on the show.

There have been a lot of firsts lately -- the first Hell in a Cell match, the first Money in the Bank winner, first main event slot and countless other monumental moments. With Asuka, Absolution and the Riot Squad making their debuts on the main roster, WWE now has a problem of plenty. But the WWE creative needs to make sure they have enough depth to take the women's revolution to the next level.

Here are 5 things that can help.

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#5 Specialized gimmicks

Kane at a WWE Smackdown Live Tour in Durban

While the Women's division has its share of gimmicks, nothing comes close to the characters their male counterparts portray. Whether it's Kane, Bray Wyatt, Demon Finn Balor, Woken Matt Hardy or the Legendary Undertaker, the Women never really have anything remotely close to these kinds of gimmicks.

When executed correctly, such characters raise not only the profile of the wrestler but also of the storylines and other wrestlers involved in the feud. The Women's revolution has done well to showcase their in-ring skills and it's now time to showcase their versatility to build characters and engage the audience.

#4 Intergender competitions

The Late Chyna at the 2008 ESPY Awards - Arrivals

Longtime wrestling fans would remember the time Chyna would step into the ring against the likes of Chris Jericho and Jeff Jarett and was the first women to win the Intercontinental championship. In case you forgot, Lita challenged Dean Malenko for the Light Heavy Weight title while the Hardcore title was held by multiple women as well.

We currently have no avenue for such interaction between the sexes in the WWE. The Women's revolution pales in comparison to what the other promotions are doing. Lucha Underground has shown that inter-gender wrestling matches are very much a marketable idea in the current world. This could help the likes of Tamina, Nia Jaxx and even Charlotte stand out among their peers.

WWE have realized the potential and recently announced the Mixed Match Challenge (MMC) series that will air on Facebook and will be a 12-part series featuring mixed tag teams. The teams will feature all the top stars such as Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Sasha Banks, Nai Jax and the rest in mixed tag action.

A brilliant decision we say.

#3 Mid-card title

Granted, the Women's division does not have as much depth as the Men's roster but the Women's revolution has improved the situation drastically.

However, promising women wrestlers have time and again failed to go beyond meaningless bouts. A very handful of them are involved in any storyline feud or in the race for the title that matters the most. The Money in the Bank may have kind of filled the gap a bit but it does nothing for the one holding it until it is cashed in successfully.

A mid-card championship would help fill in this void and could help utilize the unused bunch.

#2 Tag team titles

The TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.

The Men's division has shown over the years that tag team specialists can help add value to a show. Apart from a brief period in the early 80s, the WWE has never promoted the women as tag team specialists. The current phase in female wrestling could be a perfect time.

This will also give WWE an opportunity to give credibility to stables that have a meaning to stay together. While this is similar to the mid-card title, it can be used to protect and elevate new stars who may be too green to carry a singles match but would thrive in a tag team environment.

#1 Own WWE Network special

WWE Smackdown - Sydney

Men of the WWE have the Royal Rumble, King of the Ring and Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but nothing even remotely comes close for the women. Winning these are an accomplishment for wrestlers over and above the titles they win.

Just like WWE converted the King of the Ring into a network special, a network exclusive consisting of the women's division could do wonders for the talents involved. It also gives an opportunity to throw in women of both brands, NXT and possibly even some wrestlers from the Indies together. This could provide an impetus not only to the current batch of women but for the future of the so-called revolution itself.

The five things on the list can significantly enhance the stature of Women's wrestling in the WWE. With rumors of a women's tag title going around sometime back, one can only hope that we see more prominence given to the extremely talented yet underappreciated performers.