AEW Double or Nothing shows lack of momentum for women’s division

AEW Double or Nothing 2023 shows all the signs that the women’s division is lacking momentum heading into the PPV.

All Elite Wrestling is riding a wave of anticipation and success into the summer of 2023. From All In being an immediate ticket-selling success to the announcement of AEW Collision, there’s a lot to look forward to within the company. But there’s still one glaring issue with the promotion’s booking of the women’s division. Double or Nothing is up next with a major card of 10 scheduled matches, but two rematches for the women’s division show that the group isn’t getting the same type of consistent booking meant to maintain momentum.

At Double or Nothing 2023, Jamie Hayter will defend her AEW Women’s World Championship against Toni Storm, while Jade Cargill will defend her AEW TBS Championship against Taya Valkyrie. These are both two rematches, with Hayter versus Storm happening at Full Gear back in November and Cargill defeating Valkyrie back on the April 26 edition of AEW Dynamite.

Hayter versus Storm presents itself as concern grows around an apparent injury to Hayter. If she’s going to be out of action for an extended period, it makes sense to move the championship to another individual. The feud between the Homegrown talent versus the Outcasts has long overstayed its welcome. Storm’s performance during that feud remains good, which is not shocking to one of the top performers on the roster. However, if the title is taken off Hayter due to injury, perhaps that opportunity should go to the one with the most to gain, Ruby Soho.

Soho’s inclusion in this angle has been one of the lone bright spots. It looked like she was finally getting the opportunity to stand out within AEW after playing second fiddle too often. Putting the belt on her would have opened several doors for the totality of this feud both in the immediate and long term.

Then there’s the situation with Cargill and the TBS Women’s Championship. Cargill exudes stardom in everything that she does, but AEW has failed to truly capitalize on that during the second half of her run. She continues to squash opponents with only one lasting longer than 10 minutes. Rather than build credible opponents for Cargill, AEW has kept her in a holding position that isn’t doing any involved any favors.

Running this match back can be seen as a needed step to get her on the show, but what does that say about all the booking that came before it? It only points toward the conclusion that the women’s division, and especially this championship, isn’t getting the long-term booking needed to keep things hot.

The booking of the AEW men’s divisions shows that when the opportunity presents itself, this company can book stories and matches that keep fans engaged week-to-week. The women’s division has yet to get that same type of treatment long-term, and two rematches heading into Double or Nothing furthers that complaint.