Grading the AEW Women's Eliminator Submitted by Damn Fine Wrestling on 03/02/2021 at 02:19 PM
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How the hell can you issue a grade for a tournament that hasn't even concluded yet, you ask? It's quite simple, actually...
We know that Nyla Rose will take on Ryo Mizunami for the chance to meet Hikaru Shida at AEW Revolution. The result of this match doesn't change the grade, nor the analysis behind the tournament as a whole. My instinct is to pick Ryo Mizunami to go over Nyla Rose, not only because it makes a great success story for Ryo (she was about to retire in 2019 before a match with AEW changed her mind), but because the obvious result of this tournament was to never take the title off of Hikaru Shida anyway. Besides, why fly here from Japan for just one match?
Nyla Rose is a beast (as advertised), and is a great wrestler. She deserves this spot -- and while many wanted Britt Baker or Thunder Rosa in her spot instead, we need to quell this idea that simply not getting the winner we wanted means the booking was bad. The booking of this tournament wasn't bad at all -- but it's telling of the current state of the women's division.
The matches were good! Riho and Serena Deeb pulled in high ratings for their match, Maki Itoh is becoming a fan favorite amongst AEW fans, and this tournament proved that Thunder Rosa can have a great match with literally anyone and make it network television worthy.
...but this isn't so much about the matches...
What the booking of the AEW Women's Eliminator really says
Fact: Out of the 16 participants in the women's tournament, only 8 are actually signed to AEW. Until I see it on the official AEW roster page, No, Thunder Rosa isn't signed to AEW -- even if the working relationship is quite strong. Leyla Hirsch is not officially signed, either, even if she already has her own theme on the recent AEW album "We Got This" (Women's Themes). Then again, KiLynn King, Diamante and Reba also have their own songs on that album, so it's hard to read too much into that.
If these women ARE signed, can you maybe update the official roster page? I digress...
Main Point: The AEW Women's Eliminator was booked exactly as it should have been, because they (Khan/Omega/TNT) don't believe they have any other reliable pillars to carry the division.
If the goal was always to have Shida go over the winner, OF COURSE it makes sense for Nyla Rose and Ryo Mizunami in the finals. If Tony Khan and Kenny Omega really don't have faith in any women's athlete on the roster to become a flagship of the division not named Britt Baker, then it makes sense exactly how the tournament played out. When it comes to Big Swole, Penelope Ford, Leva Bates, Shanna, Abadon, Allie, and even "unofficial" regulars like KiLynn King, Ivelisse, Diamante, Madi Wrenkowski, and more that I'm likely missing -- "creative simply doesn't have anything for them right now"
...and there are TWO reasons for this...
Reason #1 - TNT
A while back Kenny Omega posted a direct, yet cryptic tweet stating that if fans want to see more women's wrestling on Dynamite, that they should voice their opinions to the TNT Network. While it's true that Serena Deeb vs. Riho out-performed any segment on Dynamite (both in ratings and quality) weeks ago, most of the tournament was seen only on YouTube and B/R Live.
Simply put -- it doesn't seem like there's any room for these ladies on Dynamite, according to TNT. Will the promised second TNT weekly show help alleviate these concerns? Quite possibly, but it's hard for me to make any assumptions until I see the pudding in which the proof is contained. What many fans do not realize is that network executives DO have a say in what does or doesn't get booked in a purely data-driven sense. If ratings are higher for certain wrestlers and segments, network executives want to see this repeated. More ratings -- especially in the 18-49 demo -- equals more money.
Right now, there is a distinct chance that TNT just doesn't see the women's division as a top draw, and when compared to the well-known competitor's flagships (Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch), even names that are dear to us like Britt Baker, Serena Deeb, and Thunder Rosa may seem like small potatoes to TNT.
But this isn't all on TNT...
Reason #2 - A Severe Lack of Storytelling
We have seen the evolution of Kenny Omega from EVP to "The Cleaner", the Inner Circle evolve into adopting MJF, and now descending into their current inner turmoil, "Hangman" Adam Page drifting from loner to potential Dark Order initiate, and even the rise of Eddie Kingston on network television (something I thought I would never see). These are the long-term storylines and character development which makes AEW great.
This hasn't existed for the women's division with the exception of Britt Baker's heel turn over a year ago.
In fact, if you compared, side-by-side, the women's division from what it was a year ago to what it is now and you'll find zero difference. Big Swole, Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, Tay Conti, Leva Bates, -- pick your poison -- none of these deserving athletes have evolved over the past year in a character/storytelling sense. Even Hikaru Shida -- who is a gifted wrestler who deserves her top spot -- has evolved very little over her title reign aside from a brief period of time where Abadon gave her the spooks (and is now occasionally back on Dark).
Without character development, there can be no long-term storytelling, and without long-term storytelling, there will always be minimal, if any momentum for this division. However, there are solutions...
Solution #1 - Ditch the EVPs
I do not work for AEW, so I do not know how shows are booked. However, I am fairly certain the EVP's (Omega/Cody/Bucks), Tony Khan, and likely even Chris Jericho have a large say in what happens from week to week. When the focus is on storylines they are specifically in, or within that division, they do very well. The men's divisions are, and have been, booked very well over 2020 and 2021.
But something tells me either they don't care about booking the women's division to the same levels, or that they are simply incapable of doing so. So let's bring in someone NEW to help book this division -- someone that isn't in the EVP circle.
Now would I volunteer myself as someone who is an established author in my personal life and career, holds a writing degree, is involved in media and production for a living, and is a capable life-long wrestling fan? OF COURSE! -- But I am not privy to the exclusive "wrestling bubble" that the industry keeps itself in. But hit my column name at the top to email me to get to my professional profile. ;)
If it's not me, hiring or placing someone in a position to specifically focus on character building and storytelling within the division is critical to future success. Simply booking matches is easy -- it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Riho vs. Serena Deeb would be a wrestling clinic, or that Thunder Rosa can work well with literally anyone on the roster and make it a MOTN contender. This division NEEDS STORIES, not just random bookings.
Solution #2 - Patience and Grievances
The second solution is to wait. Wait for AEW to announce a second weekly show, and wait and see if the women get more exposure due to the second show. But you're going to receive a lot of grief from women's wrestling fans like myself in the meantime. You're going to sully the waters that an eventual successful division could one day sail on because the EVPs failed to act sooner.
These women are talented and capable, and all they need is the ability to hone their character progression on a continual weekly basis. All the pieces are right in front of our faces for a successful and exciting AEW women's division. However, nobody seems to care to put the pieces together to make it fit.
Final grade for this tournament:A checkmark for completed work. It doesn't really qualify for a letter grade, does it?
Addendum: UPDATE YOUR WOMEN'S ROSTER PAGE. Please. Even if names like Thunder Rosa or Diamante aren't officially signed, they can still exist in that category as "freelancers".
SECOND ADDENDUM: Have you voted in the Wrestling March Madness tournament yet? 68 women's wrestlers will be narrowed down by the week. CLICK HERE TO VOTE
