WWE Network's 'Monday Night War' unwittingly highlights problems with the current state of 'Divas' division, Let me start off by saying I love the Monday Night War series. Likely due to the fact that the timeframe it encompasses coincides with my preteen/early teen years and, to be honest, it was probably the most transformative time for wrestling.
Of course, by today's standards a lot of what did go down will likely never happen again, between the high number of scantily clad women, extremely violent matches with massive amounts of blood and injuries, and storylines that you won't even see in the last hour of Raw or "PPV" matches.
But this past Monday's episode, 'Divas Gone Wild', excited me for its potential to highlight a wonderful point of women's wrestling, but as the episode continued on it saddened me to compare the apogee of the female talent to the current state of women in the 'E.
"Women in professional wrestling weren't really doing much. You see them maybe five minutes on the show and it's like 'Oh okay great.'" These words spoken by Miz within the first two minutes of the episode may describe how women's wrestling was leading up to the 90s, but how telling is it that this can just as easily describe the current state of the Divas Division?
They go on to talk about Alundra Blayze and Sunny but I really want to focus on Chyna.
A strong woman who could compete with the men of the company. How exciting was it to see her out there and know that she wasn't relegated to the role of valet? So much so in fact that she was a focal point in a storyline between the Undertaker, Steve Austin, and Triple H leading up to a SummerSlam refereed by Jesse Ventura.
Really - read that sentence. Take all of that in. A big four show. Three future and one current hall of famer.
Yes, she would later be played out of the storyline but nonetheless it went for weeks and you believed that not only could she compete but she had every possibility of winning. The only woman to hold the Intercontinental championship in an era where it still meant something, first woman to enter the Royal Rumble matc, the accolades go on and on but the message is driven home by CM Punk himself: "Chyna was the first woman to win the IC title and that's something I don't think a woman's ever going to do again."
Why should that be the case?
If the world is increasingly open to more roles for women in many areas that were deemed unsuitable, why couldn't we see another woman be the IC champ or US champ or even challenging for the top strap itself?
In the episode, it was stated that society dictated the direction WWE went, but can that be an accurate statement given how the Divas are treated in today's product?
Between 'reality stars' and three minute Championship matches the likes of which garner the common reaction in the live threads of "bathroom break", it's a sad fact that the present day division is not an evolution but rather a few steps back. And the final few minutes of this particular episode is a glaring indicator of where "creative" and VKM currently view the Divas role in the product.
Trish vs Lita. An epic rivalry that had riveting storytelling and equally appealing talent in ring. And on December 6, 2004, history was made as they had earned the main event spot on the Raw. A moment in time that shook the very foundation of the business at the time yet could not even be recognized in the E's top 100 greatest matches. This is the current state of affairs and shows precisely how little women's wrestling matters to those with the power to elevate it yet again to a place of prominence.
So where do we go from here? I have every bit of faith that there can be a rebirth in the women's division. And it's currently for the most part residing at Full Sail University.
Triple H's pet project not only has strong, capable women wrestlers but highlights them to such an extent that they are often the focal point of the shows despite not being scantily clad, paired with a male, nor trying to incorporate reality show storylines into their matches.
I firmly believe that as H and Steph take the reins of the main components of the WWE that we may once again see a rise in quality in the women's division to such an extent that we may actually be compelled to watch the product rather than hopping away for a quick bite or bathroom break. And with any luck one day we may see a show headlining the talent that lay dormant in NXT and the few beacons of light in the current WWE Diva's division.
