WWE: Beth Phoenix should get one more run at the top of the division

One of the major storylines heading into the 2022 edition of The Royal Rumble is the mixed tag team match between The Miz and Maryse against Edge and Beth Phoenix. Phoenix saved her husband during WWE Day 1 and stepped into the widely expected angle. It’s great to see her back on television, but Beth Phoenix should be positioned for one more run at a main roster women’s title.

Beth Phoenix could be considered a wrestler who was too early for the time she spent in the ring. As a three-time Women’s Champion and a one-time Diva’s Champion, she was a figure of dominance during her time in the WWE. She was a part of the promotion long before the “Women’s Revolution,” paving the way for some of the high points that the women’s division has experienced in recent years.

Now, she’s back and seems to be having fun heading into this match at the PPV. Since taking part in the 2018 Royal Rumble, Phoenix has been involved sparingly in the ring. That includes seven matches in 2019 and then the 2020 Royal Rumble. During the 2020 rumble, she continued battling after cutting open her head; her long blonde hair started to turn a shade of dark red, but the “Glamazon” kept going until she was eliminated.

The entire WWE women’s roster could use a name like Beth Phoenix heading into WrestleMania season. Outside of The Four Horsewomen, it’s clear that WWE leadership doesn’t have any plans of booking any other women as strong central figures. Bianca Belair had a moment, but that was quickly squashed by Becky Lynch. Charlotte Flair is in The Royal Rumble as the WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion and didn’t defend her title at WWE Day 1. Her last contender, Toni Storm, asked for her release shortly after losing to Flair.

Continued roster cuts and lackadaisical booking hinder the women’s division and there doesn’t seem to be a clear change visible for the future.

Edge, Bobby Lashley, Bill Goldberg, AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston, and Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) are just a few names of WWE performers that were granted established runs into their 40s. If those individuals are booked as believable threats to those belts, Phoenix could easily be a credible threat to any woman holding a title at WrestleMania. This isn’t a call for Phoenix to go on a year-long run and squash every competitor along the way. But give her the opportunity to get the praise that she didn’t during her prime when women’s wrestling was in a different place.

Beth Phoenix is a beloved member of the WWE roster, whether she’s in the ring or behind the commentary booth. Her tag match with Edge at the Royal Rumble is going to be a big moment, but she deserves one more run at the top of the division to remind wrestling fans what made her an attraction during her prime.