The Women’s Revolution has taken the WWE by storm over the past year plus and has given women unique opportunities that they have never gotten before in the industry of sports entertainment.
Women’s wrestling had been an afterthought for several years and struggled to find any significant relevance, and the WWE did not help matters with its lack of effort put into expanding the division. All of that began to change at WrestleMania 32 when the Divas Championship was rebranded the Women’s Championship.
While this move seems minuscule, it had great meaning that signified a change of direction in women’s wrestling. The days of being branded as nothing more than divas were over and the days of women being thrust into more significance and being respected for athleticism were on the uprising.
Both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live boast supremely talented women’s divisions and offer the WWE universe the best of both worlds. While the Women’s Revolution has not been quite on the level it was over the past year or so, there are still many positives going for it on both Raw and SmackDown.
But which show’s women’s division reigns supreme? It’s an interesting debate with both brands having a claim at the prize of best women’s division. Raw boasts a stout women’s division that has been flourishing over the past year.
And since the most recent superstar shakeup following WrestleMania 33, several top women have led the pack on the red brand. Raw’s women’s division has been paced by the likes of Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Sasha Banks with others such as Nia Jax and Emma in the fold as well. Bliss has been arguably the best of the division since the superstar shakeup in April and has carried over her previous momentum on SmackDown to Raw.
While Banks has not been on the same level she was when she was tearing the house down with Charlotte, she has been a prominent force on Raw over the past few months and has had a solid feud with Bliss in recent memory. Jax has been the bully of the Raw women’s division over the past few months and has emerged as a true Raw Women’s Championship threat. Every division of the WWE needs a dominant force and Jax is that force for the Raw women’s division.
Bayley made a big splash after joining the Raw women’s division over the past year or so and has already tasted championship gold. And while she has dealt with questionable booking decisions and injury as of late, she is still a major factor on Raw and should remain that in the future. And Raw’s women’s division will receive a big addition sometime in the near future when former NXT standout Asuka makes her debut.
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SmackDown counters Raw with a stellar women’s division as well led by a nice blend of veteran and fresh, new talent. SmackDown has been led by the likes of Naomi, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Natalya and others over the past several months.
The SmackDown Women’s Championship picture has been led by Naomi and Natalya in recent memory with both having stints as champion. Naomi’s “Feel the Glow” persona has literally and figuratively lit up SmackDown and added a new dimension to the division after finally receiving a well-deserved push.
Natalya has been a mainstay of the WWE women’s division over the past number of years and has finally received a career resurgence and a SmackDown Women’s Championship reign. She continues to be a consistent factor in the WWE and looks to remain that.
Lynch and Charlotte are arguably the two biggest driving forces of the initial Women’s Revolution. And while Lynch has not been in the championship picture lately, she is still as talented as any women on the roster and will remain a major factor on SmackDown.
Charlotte’s return to SmackDown was a pleasant sight following her brief hiatus during her father, and two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair’s health scare and she will challenge Natalya at Hell in a Cell for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Carmella has been a welcomed addition to the Smackdown women’s roster since debuting in 2016 and has emerged as arguably the top heel in the entire women’s division. She has also benefited from another cutting-edge move to give women’s wrestling a chance.
Fans have seen a women’s Hell in a Cell match, Falls Count Anywhere match and Ironman match over the past year and SmackDown treated the WWE universe to the first ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match earlier this year.
While many believe the WWE ruined the prestige of the match with poor booking which resulted in a second identical match, Carmella emerged victorious and is the holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase. She can cash in her contract for a title match at any time and has even had a humorous, and sometimes weird, on-screen relationship with James Ellsworth.
Another storyline in the works for the SmackDown women’s division is Lana and Tamina’s relationship in Lana’s quest to help Tamina capture the SmackDown Women’s Championship. While this has yet to take shape, it could lead to some interesting developments in the future.
All in all, both Raw and SmackDown feature women’s divisions that offer something different and unique. And while both divisions have had marquee moments, SmackDown’s women’s division has been the more impressive women’s division in recent memory.
Ever since the superstar shakeup in April, SmackDown has been gaining more and more momentum with its women’s division while Raw’s division has gotten a bit stale in recent memory. SmackDown offers a slightly deeper women’s roster that has featured more unique content over the past several months.
The Welcoming Committee, the first ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match featuring the interference of Ellsworth, the Lana and Tamina duo, and more have stood out over Raw’s women’s scene and SmackDown has undoubtedly seen more storylines and character development lately.
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No matter which division you prefer, let’s just be glad we’re finally back to the point where women’s wrestling matters again and a debate like this can happen.