The Problem With The Announcement of WWE’s Women’s Royal Rumble

WWE Women's Royal Rumble

WWE finally came clean last Monday about something rumored to be in the works for some time. At the end of RAW, the first ever Royal Rumble composed entirely of female superstars was made official. The news comes as no shock but everyone was excited to the point of surprise, and rightly so.

This a first of many firsts for women WWE has booked in recent years — among them, the first match with female competitors from RAW in Abu Dhabi and the first women’s Hell In A Cell match. WWE deserves some credit surely for blazing a few trails. They are monumental accomplishments, some of which would not have happened outside the company, especially in terms of scale and publicity.

But, here’s the thing: the evolution of women’s wrestling began outside their territory. It is an organic, inevitable process brought about by a gradual historical shift in the business. Mexico and Japan broke ground at a time when women’s divisions in the USA were small or nonexistent (ECW cared more about catfights and salacious angles).

There were shows like GLOW and WOW but nobody would compare their quality to what is getting over today. When you take into account the indies, the international scene, SHIMMER, and TNA’s Knockouts, WWE (who a mere few years ago retired the term “Diva”) is embarrassingly late to the party. Yet no indication is given that they really care to acknowledge history in some way.

Nope, on Monday the same chain of events came to pass that always does. Stephanie McMahon shows up in a limo, she walks to the ring smirking, commercial, we are back, Steph comes to the ring, the entire roster is present, they stop what they’re doing (even Absolution, which is unusual), she announces the match, she’s in the center of the ring leading the “YES” chants, fade to black.

Not only are they acting like the true pioneers of female competition, they put their self-designated dominant female upfront as an essential actor in the pivotal Women’s Revolution. Her face was also plastered all over the dirt sheets this week as the story broke, in fact.

Who is she trying to kid? Aside from playing some role in booking or strategizing for the occasion, does Stephanie deserve heaps of praise for the way the business has changed? No, not quite.

Anyone who has followed her path to prominence knows her contributions as a wrestler are nominal at best, cringe-worthy at worst. Her reign as Women’s Champion was a footnote memorable only because she dropped the title to Lita. And all her heel runs as an authority figure were boring and repetitive.

It wasn’t her that made women’s wrestling what it is today. It was the hard work of exceptional athletes and personalities over the years who busted their asses and raised their game. Stephanie is strictly a businesswoman who’s riding another wave.

Her presence is worn out and she should step aside to let the real stars of the women’s roster shine. If this Royal Rumble match is going to be at its best, the real workhorses must lead the way with as little meddling from The Authority as possible. It should feel special, not like another disappointing angle.

As for the promotion as a whole, acknowledging the course of history and the change wrought by the toil of others elsewhere wouldn’t kill them. If they can’t help themselves and think they know best, make it part of the hype, work it into a storyline.

Address the facts, put a spin on them, just don’t overplay your hand. Trying to add sizzle but scripting it perfectly is an impossibility so don’t do too much writing.

The McMahons aren’t so ignorant, but they aren’t the architects of everything, either. The movement didn’t start on social media. Stephanie and her dad are all in on this match because they ultimately see money in it. They didn’t create the Women’s Revolution any more than they created women’s wrestling. Both existed before a hashtag and they are alive and ever-changing, more dynamic than trending topics and pixels. The real work put into them is done and will be done in the ring.

Assemble the finest workers you have and let them call things. Charlotte, Sasha, and the rest proved time and again the risks they will take to make their generation of female wrestlers everything it can be. They understand, better than anyone, what a critical moment this will be to draw and get people talking.

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