WWE Need To Bring Back the Women’s Title

I respect and adore women’s wrestling; I’ll just put that out there. Being a female myself, seeing a minority of women step up in an industry that is completely dominated by males fills me with joy and pride. What men can do, women can do 10x better, right?

Well, in the wrestling world and in the year 2014, I hate to say it, but that is now arguable. Since it’s inception in 2008, the Divas title, unfortunately, has represented femininity and prettiness (don’t get me wrong, I’m all for being pink and girly, but that’s not what I want for them in the wrestling world). I also understand that WWE want to brand everything, therefore they can sell everything but naturally it seems as if the respect of women’s wrestling as a whole was lost with the unification of the Women’s and Diva’s title in 2010, hence retiring the WWE Women’s Championship.

Visually, the butterfly belt in itself is tacky, embarrassing and well, ugly. The women’s title was timeless; it represented female empowerment and the fact that they could kick ass hard, as hard as any man could. How many people genuinely believe that the butterfly belt suit Paige or AJ’s style? The women’s title complemented any female who carried it.

If you go back in history and look at all of the names who have held the women’s strap, from Lita to Moolah to Ivory to Chyna and the list goes on, undeniably these women were respected and proved it in the ring as to why they were. Trish Stratus went on to be a record-setting 7x Women’s Champion, but records to me, are made in order to be broken and if you look at the Undertaker’s streak, I’m sure we can all agree on that. Now, there is no one to step up to that and there is nothing for these women to beat or aim for, in order to be the best. Indeed AJ is the longest reigning Divas champ but in all seriousness, is the Divas title even taken seriously nowadays?

Total Divas has only advanced the marketing of the term “Diva”, it is no longer about the in-ring skills, more about how you present yourself and what you do outside of the ring. Brining back the Women’s title, would bring back respect to the division, it would show that it is not simply about being pretty or looking good but about kicking ass for the gold and fighting to be at the top.

This may be a minor detail, but the fact that there is zero gold on the belt says it all. A champion NEEDS to hold gold imo, not pink and silver simply because they’re women. It’s disrespectful.

Am I ranting? Possibly. But am I passionate about women’s wrestling being respected? I damn sure am. Bring back the Women’s Title WWE and let all these women fight to be the no.1 woman on the roster and prove that they can still kick ass, and compete on the level that a man can.

Yet, despite all of this, it can still be argued that bringing the women’s title back would not necessarily improve the quality of wrestling that these women in 2014 bring. It’s no secret, women’s wrestling in WWE today is heavily lacking, they just do not have the ability to GO, in the way that those prior to them could, e.g. in The Attitude Era. However, that burden can be put on the back of the WWE; for they are the ones that have chosen to push female wrestling to the bottom and now, promote Total Divas.

NXT is where you will find the real deal, which is partially why I love it so much. The respect for women and what they can bring is 100% there. A few days ago, Charlotte and Bayley were provided with the opportunity to main-event an NXT live event, which instantly shows you the difference in the treatment of women there and on the main roster. I have read a whole load of comments from guys who do not watch “Diva” matches, they change the channel or use it as a bathroom-break, I would tell all of those guys to watch Charlotte Vs. Natalya at NXT Takeover and Paige Vs. Emma at NXT Arrival. The main roster may be lacking, but the NXT roster sure as hell is not. They are legitimately female WRESTLERS, not Divas. When these women get called up, they could bring prestige back to the division. Although, then again, look at Paige… she can wrestle, she has the look and she had a character down in NXT (the anti-diva) but she hasn’t been able to transcend that on the main roster and fully shine in the way that she was able to on NXT.

Being a female who grew up watching and loving such incredible women wrestle their way to respect, I guess I am possibly too attached to what the women’s title symbolises and maybe, just maybe it’s time for me to move on with the times and let it go…

- Zara

Is Total Divas Destroying the Credibility of the Divas Division?

Being a female wrestling fan myself, I am very passionate when it comes to women’s wrestling (I absolutely hate the term “Diva” but that’s another story), I want them to have TV time and to be provided with opportunities within which they can shine and prove themselves. However, with the introduction of the reality show “Total Divas”, it can be asked - is it taking credibility away from the in-ring product? Is it now all about what happens outside of the ring? Is that what is important and what we want to know about the world of wrestling? Are they ultimately slowly destroying what women years before them such as Moolah, Mae Young, Lita, Chyna, Trish spent years building, which everyone came to love and respect?

It’s not a surprise that women’s wrestling is not at the level it once was…well, its nowhere near what it once used to be, it spiraled down hill after the Attitude Era, even a few years post, it was still going strong with the addition of Mickie James, Beth Phoenix and others. I grew up watching ladies such as Lita, Trish, Chyna, Ivory, Jacqeuline, Molly Holly, Victoria etc. kill it in the ring; they could legitimately GO. Lita and Trish in 2004 were even provided the massive opportunity of main-eventing Monday Night Raw in a women’s title match, NO males were involved, it was simply the two of them going at it for the women’s title and they left it all out in the ring. That is big... they were trusted to close the show with a match, not with a segment involving the boss (which is what we were presented with a few weeks ago) and I as a female am very proud of that. They proved why women DESERVE to have TV time and deserve to be in a wrestling ring, that they can kill it, just as hard as the men. Yet, in my opinion, I don’t ever see that happening again…not unless things change. They along with a group of other great female talents, put female wrestling on the map…but where did it all go so wrong?

Female matches now, last a maximum of 5 minutes, involving very weak content, characters we aren’t invested in and don’t care about. In 2013 with Total Divas coming along, the Divas Division was put back on the map. They have matches nearly every week (weak, pointless matches nevertheless) with at, least one of the cast being featured on a WWE show all the time.  Other female wrestlers have been pushed to the side in order for show to thrive. This Bella storyline imo, is to elevate Total Divas, they want it to gain more publicity and popularity and is one of the biggest stories going in WWE today, putting the feud for the Divas Title second in relation (which is absolutely ridiculous) – you will hear Total Divas being mentioned more than the Divas Title on a WWE show, which may seem like a minor aspect, but that says it all imo.

It has become more about outside drama, petty arguments, sneakiness than about wrestling ability and simply being a badass female who can wrestle. I have watched the show and once you watch it you will realise it is 10% wrestling related – they could have shown a different aspect of what goes on outside the ring and included training, all the hard work that it takes to be at the best of your game but nope, they decided to focus on all the drama. Wrestling comes right at the bottom of the totem pole on the show (baring in mind this show branches off from a wrestling company), but I guess drama sells, right?

The quality of female wrestling is pretty appalling in this day and age, and this show has just made that much clearer – the ability is lacking and making the division seem as weak as it has ever been. When I read comments about how a certain Total Diva is improving in the ring because she performed a suplex or added one move to her arsenal, I find it hilarious and ridiculous. You can call me a hater but being a female myself, I want to see women go out and kill it like men can, and it has been possible in the past so why cant it be done now? Yes, my expectations of female wrestling are high, because I want it to be respected.

But is that the fault of WWE?  They have focused completely on Total Divas and pushed these ladies to the forefront in botch-fest matches. There are some talented women who don’t get to shine – AJ and Paige (two great female wrestlers) have been provided with an opportunity but imo, the storyline and character development is heavily lacking, WWE could use this feud to show why the division should be respected but it is simply not being utilised properly. Now that the show is back, get ready for a lot of Total Divas plugs and well, Nikki Bella has already been added to the Divas Title match at NoC, pulling attention away from the AJ/Paige feud and pushing publicity towards Total Divas. To me, it is frustrating because AJ Vs. Paige has such great potential. However, you could argue that the show has provided women with more TV time and opportunities, which I do agree with, but imo, it is the fault of WWE, they should be the ones putting time into female wrestling and helping it to evolve and improve rather than a reality show.

The way I see it is, yes Total Divas is destroying the credibility of the Divas Division but at the same time it is worthwhile to ask, does the Divas Division even have any credibility?Total Divas has just shown how weak the division actually is. There are a few great talents who, if given the right storylines and opportunities, they can shine. The women down in NXT have some fantastic talent and matches, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Sasha Banks are all incredible but once they get called up to the main roster, it is worrying, knowing that they will most likely be brushed to the side in order to publicise a reality show.

I’ll leave you with this quote from one of the most popular, talented female wrestlers of all time – Lita.  She hit the nail on the head. Do new viewers of that show actually translate in to wrestling fans? I think not.

"Sure, you get wrestling fans, but they're already watching the programming anyways. Then you get the people who watch the Kardashians. I feel like that is the type of person that would watch 'Total Divas' as opposed to a wrestling fan who is already watching anyways….I have several friends now at this point that have zero concept of my life when I was doing that. Their questions and perception are just completely different than a fan or somebody in the know. I think it's a different market that people are watching 'Total Divas,' but I don't know if it translates to more viewership or interest in women's wrestling. It's more about being curious about these people who do this thing that they maybe weren't interested in before."

- Zara @WrestlingMenu