Although their tenure hasn’t been long just yet, The Baddies are already proving to be a much-needed shot in the arm to AEW’s often-maligned women’s division. Made up of Jade Cargill, Kiera Hogan, Red Velvet, and Stokely Hathaway the group have quickly become a central part of the division as its top (well only) heel faction.
The Baddies Are Perfect Foils in AEW
Protecting Jade
At the core of the group is its leader Jade Cargill. The unbeaten TBS Champion has been one of the hottest names in the AEW women’s division despite her lack of experience. What Cargill has been able to do in her short career is impressive but it is clear that she’s far from the finished product as a wrestler. Building a faction around Cargill is only going to enhance her abilities as her weaknesses can be hidden and her strengths accentuated. We’ve already seen it work out with Cargill having to talk and wrestle less to progress storylines as she has lackies and a built-in numbers advantage to do the leg work for her.
In addition, Cargill has managed to look like an even bigger star next to her current group. Velvet and Hogan are obviously charismatic wrestlers, but they’re no Jade Cargill. There’s just something about the image of Cargill, title in hand, being flocked by her crew that makes her feel larger than life in a way that nobody else in this division does.
The Perfect Hype Man
Smart Mark Sterling played his role well, he was Jade’s hand-chosen lackey who did the work for her and shut up when told to shut up. However, Cargill’s character moved past the need for such a manager almost as soon as she won the TBS Championship. Enter Stokely Hathaway. Unlike Sterling, Hathaway is a hype man with a calm head on his shoulders. While sterling felt like a tagalong part of the act, Hathaway feels like a part of the crew and one that plays off Cargill and her Baddies with ease. Hathaway’s overall presentation and cadence feel major league as compared to the more cartoonish lawyer and that’s the kind of supporting act that The Baddies need.
His tenure with the group has been short, but Stokely Hathaway has already proven to be an invaluable addition to The Baddies.
Elevating Velvet & Hogan
One thing that has stood out about The Baddies is how much it helped Red Velvet and Kiera Hogan already. Not only is it great to see them get important roles on TV but they come across as bigger stars just by associating with Cargill. Both women have a confidence and direction that they’ve never really had before which has helped both immeasurably.
The faction should also allow both Velvet and Hogan to get more matches and segments on television which will go a long way to helping them get over with the crowd. For someone like Hogan, who was absent from TV for months the faction has provided her with an opportunity to show her worth, and for Velvet, it’s reinvigorated someone who felt aimless towards the end of her time as a babyface. Both women now have something to sink their teeth into that live crowds are interested in and its already showing in their performances.
Stories & More Women on TV
One of the best things about having a strong heel faction in the division is the ease with which stories can be told. Since their formation The Baddies have already been at odds with a number of the division’s babyfaces and helped get those women on TV. Through angles and tag matches, The Baddies are able to feud with at least 3 women at any one time which has already given names like Kris Statlander, Athena, and Anna Jay time on TV.
The question of “Who can beat Jade Cargill” was already up in the air. Beating the unbeatable TBS Champion was already going to be a major moment for someone in AEW’s women’s division but now that she’s protected by The Baddies AEW can stretch that story for all its worth. Having babyfaces overcome her minions only to fall to Jade is wrestling 101 and when someone inevitably DOES overcome all the odds, they will be a made woman. Heel faction stories are a staple of pro wrestling and it’s refreshing to see a good one make its way to AEW’s women’s division thanks to The Baddies.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night.
