WWE NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament sets stage for new faces in the division

Women’s wrestling remains a hot topic for fans of professional wrestling. While tribalists battle over WWE and AEW, while organizations like STARDOM reign supreme when it comes to women’s wrestling, the point remains: women’s wrestling is professional wrestling and deserves to be treated well. WWE needs fresh faces for their women’s division as roster cuts and lackluster booking has damaged much of the roster, especially on WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown. NXT announced the first edition of the Women’s Breakout Tournament and this is a much-needed step in the right direction to build the future of the division.

As WWE continues to build its roster for the future, the NXT Breakout Tournament has helped in that quest. Past participants include Dexter Lumis, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, “Swerve” Strickland, Joe Gacy, Andre Chase, Carmelo Hayes, and others. Many of these names are continuing their rise within WWE NXT, while others like Swerve and Reed (now known as JONAH) are doing more in other promotions. The tournament successfully put the spotlight on talented performers fans should know, and it has the potential to do the same for the women’s division.

The names that are announced so far include Lash Legend, Arianna Grace, Kiana James, and Sloane Jacobs. While the WWE is going through its phase of name changes, these are performers that some fans will recognize. Grace is the daughter of Santino Marella and a name that many have kept their eye on as she initially trained in combat sports before taking up wrestling. James is new to the space and began her career in the Performance Center. Jacobs wrestled as Notorious Mimi and participated in a few matches on AEW Dark.

For this tournament to be a true success, WWE will need to get away from some of the ills that have become commonplace with how they book women’s matches. This tournament cannot consist of matches that run three to four minutes with the expectation that is enough time for these performers to connect to fans.

As Carmelo Hayes pushed toward his victory in 2021, it was clear that WWE saw something in him. His in-ring abilities were presented as strongly as his personality. The ladies should get the opportunity to do the same. WWE considers itself the home of sports entertainment, then give these ladies the time to do both during this tournament.

WWE NXT 2.0 is the promotion’s attempt to build its roster for the next generation. There are a few names that stand out with the potential to draw fans in for the long term. The NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament has the potential to add to that list if managed with care.