Seven Days in Women’s Wrestling – April 21 to 27, 2024

This week, the world of women’s wrestling had a lot of gold on the line. Two belts were up for grabs on AEW’s Dynasty and the WWE Women’s World Title found a new champion in a battle royal. Let’s see what happened in WWE, AEW and TNA this week.

Sunday – AEW Dynasty / Dynasty Zero Hour

Matches: 2 women / 10 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 21:00 min women / 181:25 men

Representation: 4 women / 32 men

Willow Nightingale d. Julia Hart in a AEW TBS Title House Rules Match in 6:01

Toni Storm d. Thunder Rosa in a AEW Women’s World Title Match in 15:08

It’s the first AEW Dynasty, and if you expect the dynasty to have nine times the men’s action as women, you’re a regular viewer here. The ups: both women’s titles made the show, which is not always the case, and had decent build to the matches. The down, of course, is that god forbid we have more representation.

Our first of two matches was Willow Nightingale successfully defeated Julia Hart to win the AEW TBS Title. It was a shorter match, said by many due to an injury to Julia, but it was a good spotlight for Willow. Mercedes Mone showed up after the win to have the stare down with Willow, setting her up as challenger.

Second was Toni Storm defeating Thunder Rosa in a successful defense of her title. This match featured appearances for Deonna Purrazzo and Mariah May, setting up future things. As much as Rosa felt like an afterthought in a lot of the build, the match was very good.

As usual, what we got was enjoyable. However, one day we’ll have a world where we don’t have multiple six-man tag matches because we decided to let two more women wrestle instead. Maybe. C.

Monday- WWE Monday Night Raw

Matches: 1 women / 4 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 21:45 min women / 52:00 men

Representation: 14 women / 14 men

Becky Lynch wins a 14-woman WWE Women’s World Title battle royal in 21:45

This week’s big story is the crowning of a new Women’s World Champion. Rhea Ripley had to vacate the title due to injury last week. It’s not the best way to find a new champ to me, but it’ll do for now.

We don’t get much backstage stuff before the main event battle royal, but we do get a cool 2024 WWE Production Team Classic Shot. It starts with Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell talking about their new evil side, segues into a Liv Morgan/Nia Jax brawl and transforms into a Becky Lynch “walking to the ring” promo.

As far as the actual battle royal, the fourteen women include Lynch, LeRae, Hartwell, Jax, Morgan, Chelsea Green, Ivy Nile, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Maxxine Dupri, Natalya, Piper Niven, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. They had a lot of time and a hot crowd. The highlight for me was Chelsea’s false elimination. Becky wins, last dumping Liv Morgan. There were multiple possibilities here, but Becky is the safe choice.

It’s a one-match show, as it’ll be with every woman in one match, but it works. Especially being in the main event spot with a lot of time, I’m not mad at it. B.

Tuesday – WWE NXT Spring Breakin’ Week One

Matches: 3 women / 3 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 27:00 min women / 27:30 men

Representation: 6 women / 10 men

Roxanne Perez d. Lyla Valkyria and Tatum Paxley in a NXT Women’s Title Triple Threat match in 12:04

Jaida Parker d. Fallon Henley in 6:30

Sol Ruca d. Blair Davenport in a Beach Brawl in 10:29

I say this seemingly on a weekly basis, but NXT is the show where the women excel. This week was no exception.

The show started with a hell of a a match between Roxanne, Lyra and Tatum. It felt a lot like a showcase for Tatum and she showed out. With Lyra being drafted elsewhere, it shoved Tatum right into the spotlight where she was. I highly recommend this match.

Speaking of people I recommend, Jaida Parker! Jaida’s presence is felt through the screen, and Fallon Henley was a good foil for her. Sol and Blair’s wacky weapons Beach Brawl was a blast (maybe a Beach Blast?) as well. NXT having women doing brawls in weird settings always works.

Elsewhere on the show, Lola Vice and Natalya have a contract signing for their NXT Underground match next week. With Karmen Petrovic already announced as being in Nattie’s corner, Lola introduces Shayna Baszler as her second. NXT Shayna is superior to all.

Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne set up their match next week.

Even if you took away Trick Williams winning the title at the end, the women would have carried this episode to being one of NXT’s best in a while. The women rocked it. A.

Wednesday – AEW Dynamite

Matches: 1 women / 3 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 9:00 min women / 44:00 men

Representation: 2 women / 12 men

Mina Shirakawa d. Anna Jay in 8:59

A lot of stuff happened on this episode, but does anyone remember it after the way the show ended?

Our ten minutes or less women’s match of the week is Mina defeating Anna, which is mostly just setting up future shenanigans with Mina’s friend Mariah May. Jay attacks both Mariah and Toni Storm after match. Serena Deeb makes the save and then, I think, a challenge to Toni.

Better for me was Willow Nightingale’s championship celebration. The Daily’s Place asthetic really made this segment, as graphics for Willow were everywhere and it looked amazing. This was Willow’s best promo in AEW, which featured Mercedes Mone appearing and cutting her best AEW promo. The bitch side of Mercedes is peeking out and it’s going to rule.

Thunder Rosa has some thoughts on her loss at Dynasty, while Deonna Purrazzo has some problems with her.

There is more women’s stuff happening on the show and that helps a lot. We can’t get two matches because that would be crazy, but at least we get celebrations. B-.

Wednesday – WWE Speed

Matches: 0 women / 1 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 0:00 min women / 2:00 men

Representation: 0 women / 2 men

The road to the Speed Championship continues to include zero women. F.

Thursday – ROH on HonorClub

Matches: 4 women / 7 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 14:00 min women / 40:00 men

Representation: 8 women / 31 men

Anna Jay d. Allysin Kay in 3:43

Yuka Sakazuki d. Leila Gray in 4:44

Taya Valkyrie d. Laynie Luck in 3:24

Abadon d. Nova in 1:38

Here we are, classic ROH on HonorClub: numerous men’s six-man matches and some women’s matches that are also there. Most of what happened this week has no real consequences on the title scenes. We do get a Queen Aminata video package, followed by a backstage segment with Athena and minions preparing for the challenge of both Aminata and Red Velvet. We get another later in the show from Aminata and Velvet, setting up a tag match.

The four matches all happen in five minutes or less. Will you be lost next week if you didn’t see them? Nope. Nova, for the record, was making her big-company debut and was not the dude from ECW.

The representation is kinda there and that’s cool, I just wish any of it mattered. C-

Thursday – TNA Impact

Matches: 1 women / 4 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 7:00 min women / 38:50 men

Representation: 2 women / 9 men

Xia Brookside d. Ash by Elegance in 6:58

Our big story this week is the Knockouts World Title. After successfully defending it last week in a match that also had PCO/Sami Callihan involvement (why, save me), she’s set to defend next week against Miyu Yamashita. That’ll be a good one. Grace and PCO are also challenged by Steph De Lander and Kon for a match at Under Siege because why not.

In-ring, Xia Brookside gets a surprise win over Ash by Elegance. It was pretty good, but I’m not sure why Ash is losing.

It was your typical Impact nowadays, which isn’t fantastic for the women but it happened! C.

Thursday – WWE Main Event

Matches: 0 women / 2 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 0:00 min women / 12:00 men

Representation: 0 women / 6 men

With all of the women in the Raw battle royal, it was a foregone conclusion none of them would be on Main Event. It sucks and there are definitely women who could compete (the practice of NXT talent on Main Event is not new), but it is what it is. F.

Friday – NXT Level Up

Matches: 2 women / 1 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 11:00 min women / 5:30 men

Representation: 4 women / 4 men

Jakara Jackson d. Arianna Grace in 5:46

Jaida Parker d. Carlee Bright in 4:52

This week the Level Up formula gets a switchup. Instead of two men’s matches and one women’s, we get two for the women.

Jakara and Arianna was a battle between two women getting character spotlights on NXT, while Jaida gets the spotlight again as well. These were two enjoyable basic matches. A.

Friday – TNA Xplosion

Matches: 0 women / 1 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 0:00 min women / 7:30 men

Representation: 0 women / 2 men

That’s right, it’s Xplosion and women rarely exist here. F.

Friday – WWE SmackDown – Draft Night One

Matches: 1 women / 4 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 6:30 min women / 14:30 men

Representation: 2 women / 8 men

Naomi and Tiffany Stratton had a no-contest in a #1 Contender’s Match in 6:13.

It’s night one of the Draft, which brings the action to the backseat. That’s not new for SmackDown, which has taken the backseat to the Bloodline segments, but it was more evident than usual this year despite the Draft mostly just being talent staying put.

On the women’s side, Bianca Belair was the number one pick overall and stays on SmackDown. Nia Jax and Liv Morgan were drafted in the second rough, with Liv staying Raw and Nia moving to SmackDown for the first time in her career.

In the fourth round, Alpha Academy stays on Raw which means Maxxine stays on Raw. Also in the fourth, NXT’s Kiana James is called up and drafted to Raw. She’ll do well there.

In supplemental picks after the show, we see Shayna & Zoey stay on Raw, Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre move to Raw, and Michin staying with the O.C. on SmackDown.

In-ring, Tiffany and Naomi go to a no-contest which isn’t shocking with Bayley at ringside. It isn’t Bayley’s fault though, as Nia appears to attack everyone. Nick Aldis announces that it’ll be Bayley, Naomi and Tiffany in a triple threat at Backlash.

We get a bonus appearance by Torrie Wilson and Michelle McCool to make draft pick announcements. Bianca Belair comes out to talk about her match with Jade Cargill against Damage CTRL at Backlash, which somehow is already coming up.

Not a bad show, but the draft kinda sucks the air out of the room. C-

Saturday – AEW Collision

Matches: 1 women / 5 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 9:30 min women / 62:00 men

Representation: 2 women / 16 men

Toni Storm d. Anna Jay in 9:22

It’s another night of Collision and Rampage being back to back, giving us three hours of AEW. As is tradition, the women are buried compared to the amount of men or amount of time they get on Collision. Sigh.

Our match of the week follows up what happened on Dynamite, with Toni Storm getting her turn against Anna Jay. It’s a good match and Toni is getting to show more in-ring skills again.

Elsewhere, Serena Deeb has some words for Toni. She wants a title shot.

It’s a fairly inconsequential episode for the women again, but the match they had was fun. If only they had any of the 50 more minutes the men get. D.

Saturday – AEW Rampage

Matches: 1 women / 3 men

Approx. In-Ring Time: 11:00 min women / 26:30 men

Representation: 2 women / 8 men

Thunder Rosa d. Deonna Purrazzo in 11:05

The other third of the Saturday night block, this hour gives us followup on Deonna/Rosa as they face-off. Props to AEW, they’ve been running through the facets of this angle this week. It’s a good match with Rosa winning. They brawl after as we’re not done with this yet.

That’s all we get for the women on Rampage. A third of the show isn’t bad. B.

Overall Stats:

WWE – 2 matches, 28:15 combined in-ring time, 16 different women in action

NXT – 5 matches, 38:00 combined in-ring time, 10 different women in action (Jaida Parker competed twice)

AEW – 5 matches, 49:30 combined in-ring time, 7 different women in action (Anna Jay competed three times including ROH with Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa competing twice)

ROH – 4 matches, 14:00 combined in-ring time, 8 different women in action

TNA – 1 match, 7:00 combined in-ring time, 2 different women in action