WWE’s women are climbing the ladder
A controversial end to the first ever women’s Money In The Bank match has left many feeling sour, but it has shed a greater light on its female stars.
‘Stealing the show’ is the objective of any under-card talent performing on a WWE event, as superstars try to connect with the audience and elevate themselves to the next level. The build to last Sunday’s ‘Money In The Bank’ pay-per-view largely focused on five females who competed in the first ever Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, meaning that for Charlotte Flair, Natalya, Carmella, Tamina Snuka & Dublin-born Becky Lynch, this was very much THEIR show to steal.
In the eyes of many fans, the moment was stolen from all of them by a male lackey named James Ellsworth, who interfered to help Carmella win the coveted briefcase containing a contract for a future championship match. Outside interference and unjust finishes are nothing new in the scripted world of WWE, but the social media frenzy provoked by this controversy has propelled the Smackdown women’s division into the spotlight in a way that few expected leading up to the event.
The disappointment and outrage among some fans stems from the high expectations leading into the first ladder match of its kind. This ‘first ever’ was just the latest milestone that the women of WWE have reached since Stephanie McMahon announced a ‘women’s revolution’ in the summer of 2015, sparking a new approach to how women’s wrestling would be presented on TV. For many years, women — previously branded as ‘divas’ — had been merely a sideshow on WWE programming, playing supporting roles in storylines and providing little more than ‘eye candy’ to a largely male audience. Matches involving the divas were usually short and were seen as ‘filler’, offering the live audience (and TV viewers at home) the chance to take a bathroom break without missing anything important.
Their hard work behind the scenes and dedication to an unforgiving lifestyle was scarcely rewarded with more than a few on-screen minutes each week, prompting a backlash among fans who began to call for more opportunities for women using the #givedivasachance trend on Twitter to get the attention of WWE management.
Touting an increase in the number of female viewers brought about by the mainstream success of the spin-off reality series ‘Total Divas’ on the E! Network, along with the growth of women’s sport in the US off the back of a successful soccer team and UFC’s then undefeated Ronda Rousey, WWE quickly capitalized on the attention it was getting by re-branding its women’s division with a more serious, athletic focus, removing the term divas and positioning their talents as a ‘must-see’ attraction.
This new direction has relied on the athletic ability and skill levels of the current crop of female wrestlers, which has improved significantly with the emergence of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Sasha Banks among others. Flair (daughter of wrestling icon Ric) is arguably the standout performer from this group, with many placing her in the top bracket of talents (male or female) in the entire company. Having only taken up wrestling in 2012 and first appearing on television the following year, she is already on course to become the greatest female star in the history of the company. Her feud with Sasha Banks in 2016 included a number of critically acclaimed main event matches, such as the first ever women’s ‘Hell in a Cell’ match — the industry’s most violent type of match normally reserved for the men.
Women are now being given the freedom, and perhaps most importantly, the time on-screen to tell compelling stories in the ring. So far they have delivered in terms of in-ring performance, producing some contenders for ‘match of the year’ over the last two years.
The main criticisms lie around the use of character development, particularly on the Raw brand in recent months where the likes of Bayley & Sasha Banks have been hamstrung by poor writing from the creative team and ill-judged scripting such as the cringe-inducing ‘This Is Your Life’ segment featuring Bayley & Alexa Blyss. Seeing talents being spoiled by poor creative is a frustration that WWE fans have become well accustomed to in recent years, not just with the women.
Despite these struggles the feeling is that this female division is talented enough to endure and overcome any script-failings by delivering a level of match-quality that can rival the men. The ultimate end goal for this group is to one day have an all-female main event at the annual showpiece Wrestlemania, and while they still have some way to go before that is likely to happen, it is no longer ridiculous to suggest that it may become a reality at some point in the future.
The ending of Sunday’s ladder match was seen by many as a slap in the face to the women’s division and the progress they have made over the last two years. But while the creative decision makers in WWE can often disappoint, the move to upset fans by having a male ruin this historic moment for the women may yet prove to be inspired, as the fallout to Sunday’s event has become the dominant story-line on this week’s Smackdown Live. WWE were smart enough to read how their audience would respond, and the execution of this angle has opened up a number of possibilities for the likes of Carmella & Becky Lynch in particular to develop their characters, as both delivered career-best promos on Tuesday night.
The angle looks set to continue as a re-match has been set for next week’s show, while the wider debate among fans as to whether or not this controversy benefits the women’s division rages on. Either way, WWE has people talking, and most importantly watching, with all eyes on the women rather than the men.
