The 2023 WWE Draft took steps to rebuild the main roster women’s divisions

The 2023 WWE Draft took the right steps to rebuild the main roster women’s divisions.

The WWE Draft is complete. The SmackDown and Monday Night Raw rosters have shifted, with some key changes and interesting omissions from the draft. While fans look forward to what is to come, it was clear that this was an opportunity to rebuild the main roster women’s divisions. At first glance, WWE achieved that goal with important moves from each show, but especially the inclusion of talent from WWE NXT.

Monday Night Raw ended with the following women on its show: Becky Lynch, Candice LeRae, Sonya Deville, Chelsea Green, Natalya, Maxxine Dupri, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Trish Stratus, Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Emma, Dana Brooke, Nikki Cross, Piper Niven, Tegan Nox, and Xia Li.

SmackDown selected the following women: Bianca Belair, Bayley, IYO Sky, Dakota Kai, B-Fab, Lacey Evans, Charlotte Flair, Zelina Vega, Asuka, Scarlett, Shotzi, and Tamina.

While those are two solid groups, the key additions came in the form of the women that were called up from WWE NXT. NXT consistently puts on some of the best women’s wrestling content in North American professional wrestling. The women are featured in multiple segments and matches each week. They have angles both within the title picture and feuds throughout the mid-card. Are there angles that make fans cringe and shake their heads? Yes, but even those are happening less each week.

Indi Hartwell, Zoey Stark, Katana Chance, and Kayden Carter are heading to Raw, while Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are going to SmackDown. Those are six talented women that immediately boost the women’s divisions on both shows. There’s youth that comes in the form of Hartwell and Chance, while individuals like Fyre, Stark, and Carter carry the experience that can see them inserted into needed spaces on the show. Even with these selections in the draft, the cupboards in WWE NXT are far from bare, as ladies like Gigi Dolin, Jacey Jayne, Cora Jade, Roxanne Perez, Lyra Valkyria, Amari Miller, Sol Ruca, and others are ready to step up.

Should fans be excited for the immediate future of the WWE Women’s Division? Slightly. There’s still the big shadow in the room that WWE fails to book the division well, even with the wealth of talent available. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction because the women on both shows are ready for their chance to shine.