AJ Lee becomes General Manager; Former WWE Superstar signs - 6 Ways AEW can make its Women's division great again!
AEW's Women's division has suffered due to minimal investment in storylines and TV time for the women of the company. It's such a shame, given the amount of spectacular female talent involved in the promotion.
Despite having two titles in the division, the champions – Toni Storm and Kris Statlander – rarely get a chance to defend their belts on either Dynamite, Rampage, or Collision. Even when they do, there is usually only one Women’s match on the entire program.
AEW President Tony Khan should rethink his booking of the Women's division and see how he can improve it. Here are six things that he should consider in the meantime.
#6. Turn Britt Baker heel
Britt Baker has been the centerpiece of the AEW Women's division since the very beginning. However, the former champion did her best work as a heel.
Currently, she is treading water as a babyface. And without Jamie Hayter, for whom she was playing second fiddle, DMD feels directionless.
AEW needs to portray her as a villainous character once again, with All In at Wembley Stadium on the horizon. Hopefully, Hayter is cleared by then so that Baker can turn on the former champ and ignited a feud between the duo.
AEW desperately needs that weekly Women’s headliner, and the doctor could use some new patients.
#5. Stop booking random matches
Kiera Hogan and Mercedes Martinez are getting after it tonight!
Watch #AEWCollision LIVE on TNT!
@RealMMartinez | @HoganKnowsBest3 pic.twitter.com/IXmDcZ8oIF
It's quite clear that not a lot of thought has been put into booking the AEW Women's division. Tony Khan frequently books random matches between women who have no history or storylines with another just to fill time on television.
Case in point: a few weeks ago on the Blood & Guts episode of Dynamite, Britt Baker had a random squash match and defeated Kayla Sparks in 66 seconds. Mercedes Martinez then faced Kiera Hogan on Collision this past weekend after not appearing on television for months.
Perhaps most egregious, former TBS Champion Jade Cargill held the title for over a year with no clear plan in sight for what would happen when she dropped it.
Sometimes, it looks as if it's building toward a proper rivalry, but there is no follow-up. Other times, ongoing feuds end without any clear explanation. Tony Khan needs to put more thought into planning the long-term future of his division if he wants to spotlight it in any meaningful way.
#4. Bring back Thunder Rosa
The last time fans saw Thunder Rosa compete on television was nearly a year ago when she won the AEW Women's Championship. However, she would relinquish the title shortly after due to injury and disappear from TV.
Fast forward to the start of the summer this year, Thunder Rosa randomly appeared during a backstage segment to request to speak with Tony Khan. Fans hoped that this could be a tease for her return on Collision, but she has failed to show up thus far.
During a recent interview with Bleacher Report, La Mera Mera commented on her potential return:
“Now I’m able to train without pain, with compound training, as well as I’ve been jumping in the ring in the last three weeks. So, I’m excited about the advancements that we have, and now I’m excited about the possibility of returning to the ring. Again, it’s just been giving me a perspective about the opportunity to wrestle, because it’s a privilege if I get to come back,” Thunder Rosa said. [H/T WrestleTalk]
Despite her apparent issues backstage, Thunder Rosa was an integral part of the All Elite Wrestling Women's division and one of the genuine homegrown stars they have.
She needs to be back on TV to inject some star power into the roster, especially with All In and All Out coming up.
#3. Bring in AJ Lee as AEW Women's General Manager
AJ Lee joined WWE back in 2009 and became one the company's most popular female performers at the start of the decade. She regularly featured in main event storylines with Kane, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk.
She was also one the longest-reigning Divas Champions and would go on to win it a record three times. Lee left WWE in 2015 and has remained retired from in-ring action since, devoting her time to her writing career.
One of the more memorable moments of her career was when AJ became the Raw General Manager in 2012. She injected freshness as the female authority figure, and All Elite Wrestling could benefit from the same idea.
With her real-life husband CM Punk now the face of Collision, it would be cool to bring Lee back into the fold as General Manager in charge of the women in the company.
#2. Introduce the AEW Women's Tag Titles
Saraya Hints at Being Unhappy With AEW's Booking of The Outcasts #WWE wrestlingnews.co/wwe-news/saray… pic.twitter.com/jlyEFDMXeq
It's clear that the women of All Elite Wrestling are lacking in TV time. There are only so many that can compete for the Women's Championship or TBS title. The rest of the talent are left without a storyline or aimlessly wrestling in matches with no stakes.
Perhaps Tony Khan can introduce a Women's Tag Team Championship. This could bring the spotlight to less-featured talents on the program. There are also built-in stories as wrestlers start to form alliances in the chase for gold.
It will help to legitimize the division, and it puts these faces on our TV screens more. There is enough talent to do this, and they could let the title be a roving belt that can be defended on all three shows and even on ROH.
Imagine what it could do for the likes of Tay Conti, Anna Jay, Skye Blue, and others.
#1. Sign Mercedes Mone
Former WWE Women's Champion Mercedes Mone (fka Sasha Banks) was one of the biggest free agents around after she walked out of WWE.
Despite signing with New Japan and Stardom, there was speculation that she considered a move to AEW as well. While she is currently recovering from an injury, it seems like Tony Khan is still pursuing the former IWGP Women's Champion.
With the All In event in Wembley being less than a month away, it seems like he is planning a potential match involving the Blueprint and the AEW women's roster.
Per the latest report by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there have been tentative plans to book a Women's Blood and Guts match for the Wembley show, and Mercedes Mone was figured to play a prominent role in it.
"Although Tony Khan was very negative about a women’s Blood & Guts match, the idea of The Outcasts, largely to get Saraya on the show in a match, in a major gimmick match like that, would make the show special. The Outcasts would need two partners and Mercedes Mone would fit but she was still on crutches last week so may not be able to make it. That match would be a bigger deal than a title match," the report stated.
Per the report, it all depends on if Mone can recover in time for the grueling stipulation contest.