Women’s wrestling is constantly one of the most hotly debated topics in the professional wrestling fandom. We decided to take a look at the state of women’s wrestling with a series of articles dedicated to analyzing the women’s divisions of each company/brand in the United States currently. In this edition, we will focus on the major players in the U.S. outside the WWE, specifically All Elite Wrestling (AEW), IMPACT Wrestling, and Ring Of Honor with contributions from three separate LWOPW contributors. Check out part one where we took a detailed look at the women’s divisions in Raw, SmackDown, and NXT
Read More: 15 Rivalries That Shaped Women’s Wrestling
IMPACT Wrestling – Provided By Philip Lindsey
Women’s wrestling has improved leaps and bounds over the last few years. That change in presentation and match quality arguably started with IMPACT Wrestling. The Knockouts Division has been the highlight of the company’s programming for some time now and the roster is in a great position heading into the second half of 2021.
In 2019, Taya Valkyrie and Tessa Blanchard helped to push the company forward as two of its brightest stars. So, IMPACT has had an unenviable task as they attempt to rebuild in their absence. However, Deonna Purrazzo is an excellent champion to build around.
The Virtuosa debuted on the June 9, 2020 episode of IMPACT! and immediately staked her claim to the Knockouts Championship. In the months that followed, Purrazzo and Jordynne Grace had a spectacular feud beginning at Slammiversary, where the former NXT signee claimed the title via submission. The two also made history when they competed in the first-ever Knockouts 30 Minute Iron Man Match in the main event of Night 2 of Emergence.
Grace recently re-signed with IMPACT, keeping hold of the incredible young star to bolster the division. Thick Mama Pump is a fantastic in-ring competitor, who has wrestled all over the world. It would’ve been a colossal mistake to let her go somewhere else and succeed, especially when she seems so committed to improving the Knockout Division.
A Cavalcade of Interesting Characters
The Knockout Division’s greatest strength at the moment is its wide array of distinct characters. It’s what separates the company’s women’s roster from others in the U.S. One could argue that NXT has set a new standard for high-quality matches featuring women. But IMPACT does a better job of utilizing the division’s screentime to showcase each woman’s personality traits.
To that end, Purrazzo is possibly the most well-booked women’s champion in the country because her motives are clear. More importantly, she wins without an overreliance on distractions or outside interference. The Virtuosa is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world and although she uses heel tactics, the 26-year-old has proven she doesn’t need to on several occasions.
Nevertheless, Kimber Lee makes for a suitable lackey. The current Shimmer Champion is also an underrated in-ring competitor with a beautiful Swanton Bomb. Then, there’s Susan, who has been a pleasant surprise as Purrazzo’s second companion after her alter ego, Su Yung, returned at Bound for Glory.
Susan is the third persona Su Yung has taken on and they’re all drastically different. Susie is timid and non-threatening while Susan is somewhat of a curmudgeon dressed in business attire. It seems ludicrous on the surface but it works because Su commits to each persona with such conviction. Furthermore, it’s actually a brilliant way to use The Undead Bride as a special attraction.
Meanwhile, Tenille Dashwood is hysterical as a self-absorbed Instagram model and Rosemary has been a staple for the company since 2016. The Canadian wrestler could enter the title picture at any time and no one would bat an eye. Lastly, Taylor Wilde returned to the Impact Zone after 10 years and she hasn’t missed a beat. The former Knockouts Champion looks great and she seems poised to challenge Purrazzo soon.
The Return of the Tag Division
In January, IMPACT revived its Knockouts Tag Team Championship at Hard to Kill. At the event, Fire N Flava (Tasha Steelz & Kiera Hogan) defeated Havok and Neveah to become the first women to hold the titles since 2013.
This shouldn’t have come as a surprise because Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz have been wildly entertaining together. The duo has also delivered some great tag matches with Havok and Neveah, Team Sea Stars, and Grace and Rachael Ellering, who debuted on April 22.
The two-time champions are the perfect team to reintroduce women’s tag team wrestling because they have such great chemistry. There is loads of potential here for the company and it has already done a good job making the titles feel like an integral part of its programming. However, its roster is admittedly thin, which brings us to our next point.
A Lack of Believable Contenders
The only issue with the Knockout Division at the moment is that its champions have run through all of the credible contenders. This has exposed a lack of strong babyface characters to step and answer the challenge.
Purrazzo is a dominant heel champion but she desperately needs a proper foil. It seemed like Kylie Rae would fit the bill perfectly in the lead-in to Bound for Glory. Unfortunately, the Chicago native unexpectedly left the company and retired from pro wrestling. Her exit created a void that IMPACT has yet to fill and it’s a growing concern.
As noted, Hogan and Steelz have a similar problem because they don’t have enough teams to work with. Kimber Lee and Susan could conceivably challenge for the titles at some point but that’s not a long-term solution.
On the plus side, WWE’s recent releases could offer a fix to this conundrum as Chelsea Green, Mickey James, and The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) will be available in July. They all would make great additions to the Knockouts Division and they have the star power to become key components in both ailing title scenes
Read More: More Rivalries That Shaped Women’s Wrestling (2020)
All Elite Wrestling – Provided By Michael Sugue
The Women’s Division of All Elite Wrestling has come a long way since its inception. 2021 is set up to be the biggest year for the division yet. 2020 might not have been the best year as far as professional wrestling and the world goes but, it was the year to establish characters, introduce new faces as well as create opportunities that definitely improved the once struggling women’s ranks. Like with every beginning there are bound to be a few bumps in the road. But recently, AEW has treaded very much the right way to fix and showcase their division more.
There is no shortage of star power in that Women’s locker room and not to mention the women that will inevitably be the company’s faces in the years to come. As previously mentioned, the year 2021 will probably be the best year the Women of AEW will have to date if this keeps up. So let us take a look and analyze deeper the state of the division and how it got to this point. What were the struggles as well as the fairly recent triumphs that made the All Elite Wrestling Women’s division what it is today?
A Tumultuous but Hopeful 2020
The year 2020 was a rough year for professional wrestling. The global crisis has made it so no fans could be in attendance for some wrestling action for most of the year. The injury bug struck the AEW Women’s Division with injuries to big-time players like Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. devastating it’s already thin roster. Up-and-comers such as Kris Statlander would also be put on the shelf as she was rising to the cream of the crop AEW had to offer. Flight restrictions were also in effect so the Japanese Women of AEW were not able to compete for a division in need of such injection for much of the year.
But it was not all bad. 2020 might not have been a great year but it put things into perspective. It was a way to unveil new stars as well as rebuild the heavy-hitters of the division. Britt Baker discovered herself in all of this turmoil. Baker became a constant highlight while having a broken nose and a knee injury. Baker would do the best mic work of her career in 2020 as she established herself as the top heel of the division allowing room for the other pieces to fall into place.
The future of the Women’s division got even brighter with the entry of stars such as Anna Jay, Tay Conti, Serena Deeb, Leyla Hirsch, and, the amazing Thunder Rosa to name a few. With wrestling at a standstill, AEW had to think quickly on their feet. So they brought in stars from The Nightmare Factory such as Anna Jay. Jay was a natural right off the bat when she joined Dark Order. Not long after, a recently released Conti followed suit and in 2020 she did not disappoint. She proved that she belonged in this industry and is a future women’s champion.
The NWA’s halt paved the way for stars such as Deeb and Rosa to mix it up with the women of All Elite Wrestling. Deeb brought in the calming presence and experience a veteran is expected to bring to a very young division. While Thunder Rosa blew everyone away and became a bigger star than she already was. We would be remiss not to mention the anchor of the division., the woman who held the fort down as things were seemingly crumbling. And that woman is Hikaru Shida.
Shida constantly put up entertaining matches with anyone and everyone. Her contest with Thunder Rosa was one of the best this division has ever had in its short lineage. People don’t talk enough about how Shida was the glue that held this division for so long. She deserves so much credit for keeping it together this long in the midst of an injury crisis. Riho and Nyla Rose were great champions in their own right but once Shida captured the gold, it really set the division on the right track. 2020 was a terrible year but it was a great setup for 2021.
The Struggles
The AEW Women’s Division was rightly criticized early on. When Riho and Nyla Rose were the champion it seemed like it was just the two of them in the division getting any of the rare screen time. But as stated, 2020 was not particularly any better. It seemed like they didn’t know what to do with the women’s division. It truly felt aimless. They had great stars on paper but lacked the vision to execute and build up the division. Sure, the pandemic, as well as injuries, played a big part in that but it wasn’t the main reason. It was a lack of direction.
Take the “AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw” which was an all-women tag team tournament for example. It ultimately went nowhere, because the division didn’t have tag team titles and they still don’t. Worst of all, it was relegated to YouTube rather than actually showcasing it on Dynamite which did not benefit the division at all. They had less exposure and ultimately went through a tournament with no payoff. That’s always been the issue for the division, when the tournament final took place on Dynamite the fans were unfamiliar with the performers.
This wasn’t all the fault of the performers. It never was. It was just a lack of direction and plan for them. They had all the tools to back it up. But, One-off feuds and lack of builds will not further the progress of a division. So when 2021 rolled around, AEW finally took the leap of faith and finally put the pedal to the metal.
The Dawning of a New Era
The “AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament” was the catalyst for such a seismic shift. Competitors from both the USA and Japan showed everyone what this division truly could do. It also marked the return of the Joshi talents to AEW. Returning established names such as Aja Kong, Emi Sakura, and the eventual tournament winner Ryo Mizunami was a breath of fresh air. The tournament brought new faces which excited Western Japanese wrestling fans with names such as VENY, Mei Suruga, and, Maki Itoh making their mark in their debuts. Mizunami coming out on top eventually set up a showdown with Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s World Championship at Revolution. This was another step in the right direction for AEW as these two battered each other and put on a show for everyone with Shida narrowly escaping the powerhouse Mizunami.
The ball continued to roll for the division. “St. Patrick’s Day Slam” marked a hugely significant turning point for the Women of AEW. It was Thunder Rosa versus Dr. Britt Baker in an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match. These two women absolutely annihilated each other as if their life depended on it. Neither woman was willing to give up. This match was huge because it was the first Lights Out match in Dynamite history. Not to mention the first-ever All-Women’s main event in Dynamite history. After the dust had settled, everyone was talking about this match. It sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world and put the AEW Women’s division on the map.
The division finally has legs. And the Women of AEW finally have risen to the top after all the turmoil. The spotlight is shining so bright on these competitors and they’re not about to let up one bit. More names have emerged recently to shore up the emerging Women’s locker room with Jade Cargill, Red Velvet, and Legit Leyla Hirsch now in the fold. With Kris Statlander all healed up and ready to fight as well as the revival of Allie or more popularly known as The Bunny, AEW is firing on all cylinders as of late. In recent episodes of Dynamite, fans have witnessed amazing contests like Shida versus Conti and Red Velvet versus Serena Deeb. Further fueling the fire of a very much inspired division.
At the time of writing, Hikaru Shida and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. are about to have a showdown at the 2021 edition of Double or Nothing for the AEW Women’s World Championship. This is probably the biggest match this division will have. Fans may see this as a culmination but we beg to differ. This is just another step in the evolution of this burgeoning division. AEW has a long way to go still but, if we were to assess the state of this women’s division it’s absolutely on the right track as we speak. 2021 will bar-none be the best year that the AEW Women’s Division has ever experienced. So watch out because this division continues to prove why they are All Elite.
Ring Of Honor – Provided By Alex Richards
The most interesting division to look at is Ring Of Honor’s newly relaunched women’s division. Kelly Klein leaving the company while Women Of Honor Champion left the division in a state of limbo, and now the women of honor division is no more, instead, we have the ROH women’s division with a brand new title on the way. We’ve been her before, ROH has previously tried to take women’s wrestling seriously but usually falls short and throws in the towel. But this time, with Jonathan Gresham reportedly leading the division, things feel different.
Ever since debuting a women’s focused show Women’s Division Wednesday we have seen ROH showcasing some of the top unsigned women’s talents in the U.S. with names like Rok-C, Hyan, Trish Adora, Miranda Alize, and Max The Impaler making their mark on the division. If ROH can hold on to even a handful of these talents and bring back talents like Nicole Savoy then they will have the makings of a very goof division. What fills us with hope is that ROH has put effort into this rebuild, they have Maria Kanellis Bennett acting as the on-screen manager of the division putting together a star-studded tournament to crown a new champion, they’re also getting in exciting new talents and letting them get time to establish themselves rather than throwing them in the deep end.
With international talent still on the way like Session Moth Martina and Kellyanne to add to the already impressive-looking division ROH has all the makings of one of the top women’s divisions in the United States. That’s without even considering the possibility of the Stardom partnership rearing its head again which could bring some of the world’s best women’s wrestlers to ROH.
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