The AEW Women's Division finally has the depth of talent it always needed
When AEW first launched, it was lauded by wrestling fans as the alternative to WWE they had all been waiting for. With stars of the indie and international levels like Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, and The Young Bucks, they had a foundation of talent that had their loyal fanbase.
They supplemented that original group with major free agents like Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley, ex-WWE stars who had the WrestleMania rub. They had been to the biggest stage of them all and could spread their magic dust on the upstart promotion.
All the pieces were in place. Or so it seemed until you take a closer look at the women's division of All Elite Wrestling.
With all due respect to some of the performers on the female side of AEW's original ledger, the roster was seriously lacking in depth. While the men's singles group had intriguing names, and the tag team division was a who's who of worldwide talent, the females were working with a bit of a bare cupboard.
The early days of women's wrestling in Tony Khan's new company drew a lot of criticism from fans, and for good reason. There just weren't enough recognizable names to warrant a lot of excitement or attention.
Riho is a talented performer, but crowning her as the inaugural champion did nothing for the AEW audience back in 2019.
From Riho’s IG story
Riho is thinking back to 2019 when Britt showed respect towards her while she was AEW Women’s World Champion. https://t.co/rQPkbVZ5ir
The same went for the following reign by Nyla Rose. Despite her unique look and incredible power, she never appealed to the die-hard fans, either.
Hikaru Shida's run was certainly respectable, but non-descript as well. She's a skilled grappler but her inability to get over as a character made her 372-day reign seem longer than it was. She eventually began to grow stale in the role of fighting champion.
Current titleholder Britt Baker was the first of the AEW Women's Champions to breakthrough with an appealing persona. In many ways, she lifted the division from an afterthought to a major part of AEW's weekly storylines.
With the addition of the TBS title and numerous new names, the AEW Women's division is stronger than ever now.
Was this one of your favorite #AEW moments from 2021?
September 5, 2021; Chicago.
@realrubysoho debuts in #AEW at All Out. https://t.co/uX1lFAiCUp
The 2021 signings of Ruby Soho and Mercedes Martinez were huge for AEW. Add that in with the magnetic personality of Baker and the amazing appeal of Thunder Rosa, and you've got a great set of building blocks for 2022.
The future doesn't stop there as the continuing development of both Jade Cargill and Kris Statlander will be intriguing stories over the next few months.
Tay Conti, Nyla Rose, and Serena Deeb will likely factor into either the TBS or world title scenes at some point. Meanwhile, names like Red Velvet, Penelope Ford, The Bunny, and others round out the roll call for what has become a much-improved part of AEW.
When AEW first launched in 2019, most fans couldn't name more than five women in the promotion. Riho was a virtual unknown to North American fans, and the ladies were the most under-represented part of the card.
While AEW cannot compete with the incredible amount of talent that WWE currently possesses, they have done a much better job of fine-tuning one of the weaker parts of the engine.
The All Elite Wrestling Women's Division might end up being a sleeper story for the entire organization in the coming year.
With Dr. Britt Baker leading the way, a handful of new talent on board, and new storylines surrounding the TBS title, the ladies may take a step forward in places where they once played a background role.
What do you think of the improvements to the AEW Women's Division? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.