Charlotte Flair is right but an all-women’s show would not be for her

There are a lot of interesting conversations going on within women’s professional wrestling, especially when it comes to how the WWE books the talented performers on the roster. One of those central debates is around whether the women need their own show. Charlotte Flair has some interesting comments that came to light on Thursday and in some ways, she is right, but there is another point that was not fully captured in her response.

While speaking with Graham Matthews of Bleacher Report and Daily DDT, Flair had some interesting thoughts about the need for a second iteration of Evolution, the all-women’s PPV event from 2018.

“Would an all-women’s show be great? Yes. Would another all-women’s pay-per-view be great? Yes. But I am in the mindset that I want to be on the card with men. I want to be on the card where there are eight matches and I want to be the best of the night no matter the gender,” Flair said during the interview. “I don’t need an all-women’s show or an all-women’s pay-per-view to highlight my performance or skill or being a lady wrestler. No. I want to prove, no matter man or woman, I am the best. I think it’s great, but I don’t need an all-women’s show to show I’m a great wrestler.”

That is a powerful and important statement. Flair is right. She is one of the best performers in the professional wrestling industry today, regardless of gender. She is the type of performer that a promotion can build its foundation around for years to come.

But there is a part of Flair’s statement that is not spot on. Flair does not need to be featured on an all-women’s show. But there are several women on the WWE roster that would benefit from the opportunity. Whether it is an annual all-women PPV or a weekly women’s wrestling show akin to 205 Live, there is an opportunity to present women’s wrestling through a show featuring just the ladies.

Let us take Flair’s comment and compare it to other professional sports that use a preseason to sort out roster spots. Players like Tom Brady or LeBron James tend to not play too often in the preseason because their roster slots are secure. As star athletes, it is a forgone conclusion that they will be a central part of whatever team they are on. Flair is in the same position in the WWE. Her spot on the roster is not up for debate, so she may not need time on a women’s show to be in front of the camera, building a presence and fans. But you know who could benefit? Names like Toni Storm, Zoey Stark, Zayda Ramier, and others would best benefit from the opportunity. These are the women that need a women’s only show under the WWE banner.

Imagine a show like NXT that focused just on the women, building their names before calling them up to the main roster shows of WWE SmackDown or WWE Monday Night Raw. The NXT women’s division is so deep, that ladies such as Gigi Dolin (Priscilla Kelly) cannot even get on television. This show can sit on either the WWE Network via Peacock or YouTube – culminating in an annual PPV on the same platform. And WWE benefits because it allows them to build the stars of the future while creating more valuable content that can be sold for additional content deals in the future.

Charlotte Flair is right. She does not need a women’s only show to show the world she is a great wrestler. Everyone who watches wrestling already knows that. But just like LeBron James or Tom Brady, who do not take part in the preseason, a women’s only WWE show would be an opportunity to feature the women that need time to reach Flair’s status. Just as she did while she was a part of the NXT brand years ago.