Are We Ready For An All-Female WWE Event?

No, this seems a bit too soon…

Trust me, it was very difficult to actually admit that I had doubts about this events concept since I first heard about it all the way back to yesterday afternoon.

As a simple concept, I love the idea behind an all-female driven show but is there not the concern that this event might seem a bit rushed, since WWE has given women the opportunity to participate in essentially every match stipulation their male counterparts in under 2 years? These women are more than deserving of their opportunities, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve always had the feeling of it being a tad rushed when it came down to them ‘Making History’.

In 2016, Stephanie McMahon used the phrase ‘Making History’ so frequently when addressing the women’s division on RAW that its repetitiveness became almost comical. Every other week had something ‘historical’ occurring regarding the brands women, but isn’t the purpose of a ‘history making moment’ supposed to be one that occurs infrequently? One that happens when fans are clamouring for it, much like the initial women’s revolution in 2014? Or one that doesn’t instantly follow 17 different ‘historic’ events surrounding the same group of individuals under discussion before the one we’re about to witness happens?

The likes of Ronda Rousey coming to WWE felt genuine because it wasn’t just a glorious surprise, it was something fans had wanted for years and came at a point when women were in the centre of the spotlight in front of a rabid live audience. In contrast, the first women’s Hell in A Cell encounter was something fans had wanted for years, but this fact was crammed down the throats of the audience so deliberately and obnoxiously it lost almost all its impact when the actual match came to be and resulted in well, just a mediocre match that almost nobody talks about almost 2 years removed from the day.

Sure, some events such as the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble worked, as did the Triple Threat match at WrestleMania 32 between three of the Four Horsewomen but all these came with a sense of build-up & tension that wasn’t manufactured by a team of writers, instead coming directly from the demands of the audiences around the world. It’s the simple idea of a concept being organic instead of manufactured and instilled. Yes, there are countless more moments I can name that had the same positive impact but at the same time I can name numerous that have suffered because of the reasons just mentioned.

This is a key theme I’ve seen occur when dealing with the women in WWE these days and I do fear it’s something we may see being repeated down the line with a show much like this, which admittedly is historic for what it symbolises to modern-day fans, particularly females.

One final note I must make and the reason I doubt the actual impact of this potential show, should it occur in the near future, is the lack of storytelling that exists across not just the women but the vast majority of the WWE product. We’re currently in a period where storytelling has ultimately plateaued to rather painful levels in the WWE. Superstars turn out some pretty solid performances on a weekly basis but the lack of narrative behind the action makes the product quite hard to completely focus on if you tune in on a weekly basis, which I personally do not do and prefer to maintain my sleeping pattern.

While much like the men, the women are talented, they sadly hold a far smaller roster than their male counterparts which could struggle to fill up an entire show card, at least one that has emotional impact behind it. Being booked weekly without one truly standout storyline among them instantly exposes many of their weaknesses, rivalries this year such as Bliss/Nia or Carmella/Charlotte struggled not due to lack of talent but lack of attention to a gripping storyline that fans can engage with. Segments on certain shows receive a response but it’s never one on the level with the ones we saw with Asuka during her NXT days not too long ago, this is the fundamental difference that needs to be addressed and fixed to truly capture the magic of the women’s division.

Ronda Rousey has a chance to break this complaint of mine with her current path to battling Alexa Bliss in the near future, till then however I’m afraid I’ll stick to my criticism on this subject.

Without the presence of a truly superb set of storylines for fans to grasp onto, how will your event hold emotional resonance beyond solely being the ‘First All-Female WWE event’? History is obviously an important element here, it may be enough for die-hard wrestling fans, whether it is enough to attract the general audience into the arena is something I could see them having a little more difficulty in achieving.

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