With the announcement of the first all-women’s PPV in WWE history, it’s time to take a quick trip down memory lane and see how we made it to this point in women’s wrestling history.
THEN
It’s amazing how women’s wrestling has changed and evolved over just the past year. So many firsts for the WWE women’s division have come over just this year. Matches like a Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and a Survivor Series match all happened within the last year. All these firsts started somewhere, and we need to acknowledge these legendary stars. The first big name in women’s wrestling, and the first ever women’s Hall of Famer, was The Fabulous Moolah.
She was the one who was part of many firsts in the division and is a hero to many of the women in the division today. If there was not a Moolah, there may not be a women’s division today. Moolah and Mae Young in the 1980s showed women can do more than just be managers and pretty faces, but in fact they can wrestle in the ring. These two would be on the Mount Rushmore of women’s wrestling.
The Attitude Era really helped spark interest with the likes of Chyna, Lita, and Trish Stratus. The matches between Trish and Lita were the first I saw that a rivalry can be made with the division. Both were skilled and athletic to put on a show for the universe to be in awe. The willingness to put it all on the line made me think that women’s wrestling can evolve and be as strong as the mens.
The women’s division has come a long way over the past five years. A simple, yet big, change for me was when they legitimized the division by calling it the Women’s Championship instead of the Divas Championship. I did not mention a lot of other legends in the division, but as a group, they all made a difference. The abundance of women’s legends that have come through the years are all recognized with their selection in the Hall of Fame.
NOW
Currently, women’s wrestling has become a strong division, with the rosters of both brands filled with women’s wrestlers that contribute on a weekly basis. Every show has at least two segments dedicated to the division, with very good storylines to go with them. There is a good blend of the past, present, and future of the division on both brands. These women can put on a show in and out of the ring, showing that they can create good storylines that are just as good as their counterparts.
The present rise of the division, in my opinion, are because of three women. Although very different, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss are creating opportunities for the future of the division. Alexa Bliss is the wrestler that most women can relate to because she’s the 5-foot, 150-pound former cheerleader that you would not expect to be a wrestler. Sasha Banks is the athletic superstar who made her way through the independent circuits to get to where she’s at. Charlotte Flair is the tall, athletic, physical specimen that has all the history in the wrestling world.
Not to discount the rest of the division for their accomplishments, but these three really are the top guns in the division. Another big difference between today and the past is simply the size of the women’s division is now so large on both rosters. Instead of having just a couple women’s wrestlers, we now have 20-25 women’s wrestlers on air every week. Simply put, this is the company acknowledging that they were missing out on a big opportunity and now they are taking full advantage of it.
FOREVER
Saying that the future is bright for women’s wrestling is a understatement. The division is being put on the big stage because of RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, and it is paying off. This women’s revolution has made its mark and it should be around to stay for a long long time. The talent that the WWE has groomed and gotten over the years is starting to show its star power. The division went from pretty faces to athletic young stars that can really wrestle and entertain.
The announcement of the pay-per-view, Evolution, being an all-women’s event is what they wanted from the start. Now they get to show all the talent they have and not have to worry about the men’s division to under cut the great matches they can have. We also will get a peak at the future with the NXT Women’s Championship and the Mae Young Classic tournament final being feature matches on the card.
Prediction for Evolution
My prediction is we will have at least one new title introduced on the card to add more excitement to the show. I feel the division needs either a tag team belt or a Intercontinental-type belt so that we have more champions. With the talent pool this big, I feel that WWE can put more belts on more women to reward them for their hard work. Like I said, the future is bright and the women’s wrestling division is stronger than ever and is here to stay.