Ever since the start of AEW, the Women’s division has the focus of attention and criticism. Many people have found it lacking compared to WWE, ROH, or TNA. While it is true that the women’s division has gotten off to a slow start and hasn’t gotten as much air time as the Men’s and Tag Divisions, it’s by no means a weak or lackluster part of the AEW package. In fact, I say that it’s one of the best parts. Let’s talk about it.

I think the most important thing to keep in mind about AEW’s Women’s Division is that they were starting from scratch and a lot of top talent they might’ve signed had already been snatched up by WWE. That’s not to say that they got the leftovers, but it should be remembered that Kenny Omega, who is the booker for the Women’s Division, was starting from scratch. Also, the woman who seemed slated to be the top name of the division, Awesome Kong, had to step back due to injury issues. This left the division without a top name and with a lot of women who might not have lacked in ring experience but lacked experience working on TV. Which might not sound like a big deal, but makes a huge difference in presentation.

One of the biggest problems the women faced was not being quite ready for Primetime. A prime example was the tag match at Fyter Fest or Fight for the Fallen (I forget which one). A lot was made of the fact that Britt Baker, whom everyone assumed was being groomed to be the full-time top babyface star of the division, trying to tag the wrong corner, and how it proved that not only was Baker not very good, but how bad the Women’s Division was. It should be pointed out, however, that not only was Baker suffering from a concussion because of a Bea Priestley botch, but that that concussion left her temporarily blind in one eye, which would’ve made successful navigation of the ring next to impossible. The fact that she was able to finish the match at all is commendable.

That being said, it became quite clear that the Women’s Division needed work, and to AEW’s credit, they pulled all but the performers that were more accustomed to working on TV and/or didn’t need a ton of training, and set Dustin Rhodes to the task of getting the Women’s Division in shape so that by the end of 2019, the Women’s Division was ready to move off of AEW Dark. The women started getting more time on Dynamite, not a lot, let’s be real, but they were getting some. The biggest issue then was finding a spot for them in a two hour program, which isn’t easy to do, but they were starting to make waves, especially when Nyla Rose beat Riho to become the first Transgender Champion of any promotion.

Then Covid-19 hit.

The Women’s and Tag Divisions took a big hit during this time, but the women who were able to be at the TV tapings took the opportunity to not only keep the Women’s Division in the spotlight, but to reveal their star power, namely Hikaru Shida, Penelope Ford, and Britt Baker, who flourished in her heel turn, including a star turning match with Hikaru Shida that resulted in a broken nose and bloody image that would’ve made Becky Lynch proud. A far cry from the previous summer.

Does that mean that everything is rainbows and unicorns in the Women’s Division? No, there’s still a lot of work to do, but AEW is clearly making strides with the Women’s Division, and with AEW Dark going to become the second show on TNT, it’s becoming clear that the Women’s Division is going to be a staple of the show, which will give the women a chance to truly shine and show just how far they’ve come since AEW’s launch.