Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Dallas Allsopp, Bodeen Green and Ben Williams will be discussing if women’s wrestling is on the rise in WWE.

Women's wrestling in WWE has come a long way over the last 10 years, however it is possible the quality of wrestling has plateaued in 2020. But is this true? Who is the current star of women's wrestling in WWE? And has there been an improvement or decline over the past 12 months?


ALLSOPP: My preference is to always have meaningful matches rather than short and pointless contests. Wrestling matches are only as exciting as the storylines they’re a part of, therefore I am not a fan of WWE’s recent trend of stuffing as many women’s matches onto shows. Just look at how much of a train wreck this week’s triple threat match between Nia Jax, Asuka and Shayna Baszler was.

GREEN: Short and competitive matches do very little for the people involved. Even if someone wins, they don't look strong unless it's a squash match. Even if WWE have to put these names on television due to the current circumstances, there are still better ways to do it, such as promos. The worst thing about this is WWE don't have plans for a lot of the women involved in these short matches, meaning what little momentum is gained is then shortly lost. Longer matches allow for all the women involved to look strong and competitive. Whilst there is still the disadvantage of doing this with the empty arena situation, it is still better then what is currently happening.

WILLIAMS: Whilst it has been a nice change to see the women’s division featured so heavily on WWE television post WrestleMania 36, the standard of the wrestling that is being featured is not a good representation of the talent WWE currently possesses. Squash matches with random local talent or virtually unknown NXT competitors does nothing to make people care more about women who should be long established at this point, such as Charlotte Flair or Nia Jax. WWE has a wealth of talent on their roster who are capable of putting on excellent matches that could certainly increase viewership, especially during this unusual time in wrestling, therefore they should start by capitalising on it.


GREEN: Without a doubt, it would have to be either Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair. Whilst one can easily argue that both women have been overused recently, there is no denying both women's ability to perform in the ring. Whilst she hasn't won a title for over a year, Sasha Banks is also another name to be considered when talking about standard bearers in the women's division. When it comes to potential, there are so many names to be considered, especially when you look at the NXT roster. For me however, the biggest names to look out for are Shayna Baszler and Rhea Ripley. Whilst both women lost their title matches at WrestleMania 36, they can easily bounce back from their losses. Ripley is only 23 years old and still has plenty of time to go in the business, whilst WWE have already made Baszler a huge favourite heading into Money in the Bank.

WILLIAMS: The standard bearer in WWE’s women division is Sasha Banks. Point blank, she is the best women’s wrestler on any of the 3 brands, however she is the most poorly utilised performer WWE currently has on its roster. Go back to the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble and elimination chamber matches, as Sasha Banks was chosen to help book both of those matches because WWE knows she has the knowledge and ability to make other performers look amazing. Just look how great both of those matches turned out. In terms of future stars, I'd keep your eye on Sonya Deville who will, given the opportunity, become a real breakout star in 2020.

ALLSOPP: I genuinely believe Shayna Baszler is the standard bearer of the women’s division, purely because she represents the evolution of women’s wrestling perfectly. Yes, she can utilize her MMA experience to take anyone out with ease, but she can also wrestle with the best women on the roster with no issues whatsoever. She has untapped potential to be the face of the division for the next 5 years, but it is Bianca Belair who is the future of WWE for the next 15 years. She is everything WWE will need to gain fans and keep them, as she can wrestle with ease whilst carrying herself as the true star she undoubtedly is.


WILLIAMS: Whilst WWE are certainly featuring women’s wrestling far more often, with talent also being promoted as equal to their male counterparts, WWE is still using a revolving door of sorts with the talent they’re choosing to push on Raw and SmackDown. Currently in WWE, all 3 women’s titles are being held by members of the Four Horsewomen, with the Women's Tag Team Championship on the shoulders of Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. All of the women currently holding titles have also held titles almost every year of their main roster careers. WWE has a backlog of talented women on their roster ready and waiting to show what they have to give, and I hope at some point we start to see the tides change and some different stars that aren't Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss become prominent on television.

ALLSOPP: I dare say it has become stagnant, because Becky Lynch should not be the focal point of the division. Shayna Baszler should have won at WrestleMania 36, whilst I suspect Rhea Ripley would have also won, had her supposed work visa issues not surfaced. The issue is the lack of strong wrestlers being pushed, as Asuka, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss and even Bayley have been poorly booked over the last 12 months. Remember when Bayley was the afterthought at Survivor Series? That should never happen to a Women’s Champion. It is easy to remedy, but I have no faith it will be.

GREEN: With women's wrestling being held in such high regard in recent years, it's almost hard to see the constant changes that are still happening. Whilst last year was arguably the biggest year in wrestling for women with the WrestleMania 35 main event, there are still improvements that have been made since then. One of these improvements is the controversial decision to feature the women's roster on WWE's Saudi Arabia shows. Whilst there has been criticism surrounding the decision, the fact that the women's roster is now inspiring women all over the world is incredible, and has helped improve the overall position of women's wrestling.