There is no secret that there is criticism for the women’s division in AEW. It isn’t for a lack of talent or the quality of talent, because it is 100 percent there. The criticism is for the lack of booking and care of what could be an amazing division.
AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view event is tonight. There is only one women’s match on the main card and one on the pre-show. Both have been thrown together without any type of build but the AEW Women’s World Title match between Hikaru Shida and Nyla Rose was based on the “rankings.” The rankings which hardly ever change because they don’t allow the women to put on quality matches every week.
The other match is the NWA World Women’s Champion Serena Deeb (who is signed to AEW) facing Allysin Kay. Regardless of the little promotion on either match, all four of these women are going to leave their hearts out in the ring.
Executive Vice President of the company and in-ring talent, Cody, defended the build for the Shida vs. Rose match. He had the following to say to Wrestling Inc. Daily:
“I personally am not disappointed because my outlook on wrestling is there’s a wrestling ring, and we have wrestlers, and we have rankings, and there will be matches. I do understand that for the last 20 years, fans have been conditioned to think that every match is going to start with an invisible camera in a piece of cake in catering, and someone takes that last piece of cake and now there’s drama, now there is a ‘storyline’. In our case – sports-centric – we’re right back to it. I meant it when I said it.“
He continues:
“I hope folks aren’t disappointed when they get this actual wonderful match between two incredible female performers. Shida, there is no one better. No one better than Shida, and I’m talking about our women’s division/our men’s division. But I am aware that for 20 years, they’ve been conditioned to every match needs to have a warranted story connected to it. That will not be the case with AEW. We have wrestling matches because we’re a wrestling show. It’s in the title, and I hope if there will be no disappointment in the execution.”
Not every wrestling match needs to have some elaborate build or storyline. A great wrestling match can just be that, a great wrestling match. Shida and Rose do have history. They have perhaps one of the best matches from this year’s Double or Nothing for the women in AEW.
What is disconcerting, however, is with the amount of talent they have signed and even the ones who have not signed with the company they could do way better. It is the fact that the women never get the same opportunities, time, and effort that the men do in AEW. The proof is on our screens.
What are your thoughts on what Cody had to say? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Credit to Wrestling Inc. Daily for the interview and credit to 411Mania for the transcriptions.
