The climate of women’s wrestling has been slowly, yet surely, entering an exciting era. They’re itching, scratching, and taking the stage.
From the American companies to the independent and international promotions, they fight more than just matches. Through comedy, blood, and pure athletic marvels, women are cultivating a future that continues, despite the sluggish ascent to where it should be.
Unfortunately, facets of the industry are still hesitant to work on. It’s hard enough to get television time, and they work even harder to maintain it.
In male-dominated programs, sticking out even as a champion is a slog. Yet, they lace up and go out there with the understanding that this is worth it.
It’s easy to say what one would change, but actually implementing them can be a chore. In this, I hope to highlight the highs and lows of the current state of how women wrestlers are booked.
Trust Your Roster
For some reason, despite having a well-built story and/or reputation as incredible in-ring acumen, promotions hesitate to pull the trigger. As a result, women in their divisions will work to exceed expectations just to prove their worth in good spots on the card. One such example is Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair on Night One of WrestleMania 39, where they were the penultimate match on the card.
While it’s hard to top Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs The Usos on a build that special, they made a strong case for themselves. This is a hot take, but you could have switched these matches, and fans would have had the same excitement.
Most recently, however, is the case of Toni Storm and Mariah May’s Hollywood Ending Match for Storm’s AEW Women’s World Championship at Revolution 2025. It was an emotional match built on betrayal, rage, love, and hatred.
The blood, debris, and carnage wrought by these two women etched chaos across the arena with several visual moments that lasted long after the show. Turning the wrestling social media trend of “cinema” on its head, Storm and May put on a spectacle; these women poured buckets of their soul and blood to put on this match. And it wasn’t the main event.
If situations like these prevent you from taking risks, reconsider. Have faith in them and the work they are putting in. Look at how excited fans are for WWE’s mere “thinking about” holding another Evolution event.
Even now, Mercedes Mone has extended her post-Sasha Banks career to turn heads and draw new fans to whomever she steps in the ring with. Spend enough time on the internet or among other people, and you’ll find non-watchers aware of who Rhea Ripley is.
The people know. The people care. More than you’d think.
More and Better Non-Title Matches
On most television and event cards in the two biggest United States promotions, there’s a litany of men’s grudge matches, with no title on the line among the many title matches. That isn’t always the case on the women’s side.
Presenting my research, I’ve only included singles, tag, and multi-woman matches. No gimmicks, contenderships, or tournaments.
Counting 2019 to early 2020, AEW currently has 8 non-title women’s matches. WWE, meanwhile, is a different story. Counting from Hell in a Cell 2020 onward, the company has had 18 matches.
Therefore, it’s one thing to feature women in matches away from gimmicks, tournaments, and titles. It’s another to give them more than just gold to fight over.
Let Women Be Weird
There’s been an influx of women who go beyond being the standard wrestler. These are the women who portray exaggerated versions of themselves. “Timeless” Toni Storm is no stranger to this.
She speaks with various innuendos and in-depth vulgar descriptions. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Adding this to her aesthetic of a “Golden Age of Hollywood” actress persona, she’s unpredictable and hilarious.
Also, in AEW, Harley Cameron’s goofball antics have seen her involve her puppetry and singing, alongside her feral wrath. She’s unique, standing out in late 2024 and maintaining it well into 2025.
On a lesser scale, Thunder Rosa herself has surprisingly reached for innuendo. On the March 15 episode of AEW Collision, she insulted opposing force Megan Bayne, stating that she has “bigger ovaries than you do brain cells.”
Of course, Asuka in WWE has been unafraid to be weird herself. She dances and wears clown makeup from her Kana days in Japan. NXT’s Thea Hail is a hyperactive ball of energy who has built her character off of and around her quirks.
Women in wrestling don’t always have to be badass or mean girls. They can be the most absurd thing possible. Spooky, goofy, or plain odd, let them express themselves.
Nasty, Bloody Women’s Wrestling
Violence isn’t just a man’s game. Women have participated in deathmatch wrestling and haven’t shied away from gritty, bloody spots.
AEW is the perfect case for it. Despite the pleas otherwise, ever since Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker mutilated each other at St. Patrick’s Day Slam 2021, the company has employed the use of hyperviolence. Chicago Street Fights on AEW programming and events typically draw blood, which is ideal for feud-enders.
Similarly, Toni Storm and Mariah May recently capped their rivalry with the Hollywood Ending. They bled in a match laden with memorable imagery.
Not all women are built the same, but restricting them to the same level of art men are more allowed to is objectively bad optics. These are trained professionals. They don’t need protection when they know what they’re doing.
Focus on Women’s Stories Too
Simply adding more matches to a card isn’t enough. A more pertinent focus is to create a means for the match to grip viewers. Make them excited, wow them, and justify the places on the card.
A match’s place on the card just for having a quota to fill on a card is cursory. Give fans reasons to care. More importantly, understand their specific spot on a card; if the build is so strong, give it the main event.
Give fans meat to chew on. Toni Storm and Mariah May’s feud works because AEW and fans invested time in the two women’s hard work. Their characters are explored to their depths.
The matches feature new things that keep them from getting stale. Twists and turns and violence so spiteful…how can one NOT be invested?
It held itself unapologetically as an over-the-top satirical soap opera, leaving the palms of their hands. When Storm and May locked in beyond the silliness, that’s where the best television they produced came in.
Wrestling is not an ordinary story. On the surface, the idea of people competing in the ring for glory or loathing seems straightforward. Like most stories, it isn’t down to just one person; several cogs operate the wheel in the machine of professional wrestling.
Listen, take risks, and turn it into whatever the public may find palatable. It may not be perfect, but all things blossom from any water that feeds it.
Conclusion
I want to end on this: the status of women’s wrestling is going to fluctuate forever. Even the men’s side of things will go through it. These things come in cycles, as do perceived increases/decreases in popularity.
This does not mitigate the importance of how to book a women’s division. It certainly shouldn’t detract from the impressive strides, some beyond the ones I’ve highlighted in this article.
No one promoter is going to get it right consistently. They’re running a business as much as they are being creative.
That’s the nature of the beast. Things may fall by the wayside. Things don’t stay hot forever, so the heating of fresher material will always win out.
Examine what makes female characters in fiction successful. There are loads of things to do to stay on top.
To the point of this article, women’s wrestling is heading to a better, more exciting place. I’m not the one sitting in the production meetings, but I know if this side of the product is maintained as it has been, more people will thrive. The more you hand your players the ball, the more chance they have of doing something incredible.
Signed,
A fan of women’s professional wrestling.
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