On the AEW Women's Title

[Coco Brown]

The problem isn't that she's trans, the problem is she's trash in the ring.

For me, it's not so much that they need a huge name to legitimize and anchor the division, it's that they need someone with undeniable talent in that number one spot. Having their inaugural champion be someone who could legit get "You can't wrestle" chants and it wouldn't be a lie is a BAD look. It would be, perhaps, another story if what she lacked in ring she made up for with charisma and character work but...she doesn't.

The alternatives may not be optimal but Rose, at this point in her career, ain't nowhere near it. They'd be better served going w/Kong for the short term, building up the roster and making some solid signings in the interim (Taya, Tenille, maybe shoot their shot at Tessa). Going w/Nyla is low key sending the message that to succeed in the women's division you don't have to be elite at anything: Not mic skills, not character work, not ring work...and that's NOT a good look when the alternatives have women like Tessa and Becky in premiere spots in their women's divisions.

 

[rabbitfood]

Regardless of who won, that battle royale was laid out terribly. There was a bunch of solid chicks in there who didn't get to do anything of note.

You'd get excited because you peep an indie chick you like, then you'd feel like you're watching a movie from the year 2000 because she's gone in 60 seconds.

 

[The Girl From Innsmouth]

It wouldn't be a good look for AEW to crown Nyla as the first women's champ. They put themselves in this corner by neglecting the women's roster. They want the publicity that they're progressive, but I'm sure the locker room isn't going to perceive this positively.

I have to disagree. A babyface chasing A BEAST for the title is pro wrestling 101. And honestly, I wouldn't put a 100% squeaky babyface in that role. Sadie Gibbs or Mercedes Martinez (if they capitalize on her, which they should, because her moves look like they ACTUALLY hurt) could Austin Face their way into a great rivalry. Or even Hikaru Shida, who seems to have history working with larger women and still looking legit. And it would actually be a novelty, to me, to see a fundamental gender-neutral wrestling storyline go to women - who usually get "all women are crazy" and "all women hate each other" storylines on televised wrestling.

Treat Nyla like you would a Kong (Aja or Awesome, whichever!) and go from there. She's just another woman on the roster, one with a distinctive look and persona.

(And I don't see why her co-workers would have a problem with her being the inaugural champ. Out of character, everybody seems to support her.)

 

[stro]

I don't think it really matters either way. The joshi are treated as being on a completely different platform as the rest of the women, and I think in this case Nyla Rose is getting the nod for the title match because she's the biggest they have and it's going to be a showcase for Riho, not Nyla Rose.

Even if Nyla Rose gets the title (which is doubtful to me because she's not good in the ring at all) it will be in service of getting Riho over to conquer the Goliath of the division.

 

[MightyHealthy]

Awesome Kong would have been a better fit, plus you can have the eventual face turn with the Brandi connection. Then she can be usurped by a newer beast or devious heel.

 

[The Solid One]

I have to disagree. A babyface chasing A BEAST for the title is pro wrestling 101. And honestly, I wouldn't put a 100% squeaky babyface in that role. Sadie Gibbs or Mercedes Martinez (if they capitalize on her, which they should, because her moves look like they ACTUALLY hurt) could Austin Face their way into a great rivalry. Or even Hikaru Shida, who seems to have history working with larger women and still looking legit. And it would actually be a novelty, to me, to see a fundamental gender-neutral wrestling storyline go to women - who usually get "all women are crazy" and "all women hate each other" storylines on televised wrestling.

Treat Nyla like you would a Kong (Aja or Awesome, whichever!) and go from there. She's just another woman on the roster, one with a distinctive look and persona.

(And I don't see why her co-workers would have a problem with her being the inaugural champ. Out of character, everybody seems to support her.)

I'm gonna say this again! Nyla rose is not a WOMAN! That's a mentally disturb MAN!

 

[TRIPLE M]

Kenny fukked up this booking:hoganpoint:
Bea Priestly should be in the title match , she's been the most impressive imo

 

[Norrin Radd]

I'm gonna say this again! Nyla rose is not a WOMAN! That's a mentally disturb MAN!

 

[The Girl From Innsmouth]

I'm gonna say this again! Nyla rose is not a WOMAN! That's a mentally disturb MAN!

No legitimate American medical, psychiatric, psychological, or pediatric governing body considers trans identity to be a mental illness. Go read a book.

 

[Hoodoo Child]

AEW's women's division is pretty bad... they need a star or two in the worst way. Maybe try to sign Tessa Blanchard or something.

I wish Melina would stop being weird, and sign with AEW.

 

[Novembruh]

fukk it. Poach Kelly Klein and go all the way in on hiding her Corbin-belly like the E did. Dress her like a Chili's hostess and let her throw some sub-100lbs joshi into the sun for a couple months, then bring in a Candice LeRae type to knock her block off. Then you run that scrappy face into a Nyla Rose, let Nyla hold for a while and then dethrone her with one of the joshi that started off getting thrown into the sun with Kelly and has quietly been catching wins in the background on TV; lil jobber squashes slid into revenge on Kelly, then some good wins without drawing too much attention to her running through folk til it's time for that video package to stitch it all together.

Like... they have the opportunity to start from zero. That's fukking magic. WWE's women's division had to work overtime for years just to get back to baseline levels because of how they were treated for... ever? Lita and Trish tried but... did they succeed, objectively? No, nikka they didn't. With nostalgia glasses off, both them was trash.

So they need to do something with this, as the first company to crop up new when people actually respect women's wrestling on a level that's even in sight-range of how they view men's... and everything I see in they horizon looks like nepotism, is overwrought, or just goddamned .

A nikka finna do a deep-dive into women's indy wrestling this week just cause I wanna know who they should have signed when this train jumps the track, cuz. Like... I refuse to believe the E took all the talent. But everything I know right now tells me that division finna die without a personality; quick, fast and fukking immediately. nikka if blue-haired Sasha had popped up as Mercedes: the Head bytch in Charge, I woulda been intrigued by this division. But... They're either gonna crown a girl I could curl on leg day, or Nyla, who, at best is gonna be looked at like Caster Semanya to an audience focused at the old NWA territory region, and at worst is gonna inspire a bunch of 'if you want a women's job done right: get a man' and 'I don't beat my wife, it's an intergender match' sentiments from their aforementioned NWA demo. It ain't gon' work.

Which is hella unfortunate. Shimmer shoulda just jumped in as a sub-contractor and been like "look. We'll operate as your women's division. Fall back, let us work, focus on your weird art-nouveau NJPW by way of Jim Crockett' thing."

Damn I hope they swerve that championship match so it's anyone other than the two people involved in it. And Ellsworth. Not that chin-less, child-chasing fukk, either. I'd literally prefer Brandi just decreeing herself champion because at least that'd make for more interesting television than either people in that match right now holding the belt.

Taya, save us.

Spoiler

(nikka, if Gail Kim un-retire and show up in AEW, that bytch better get tossed through the planet by Kong day one and never come near the title picture again, cuz.)

 

[Novembruh]

Spoiler: Also

Countdown to Betty Gilpin or Alison Brie as AEW Women's Champion begins this exact second. I give it two weeks before the last season of GLOW airs.

 

[SpacelySprockets]

also, the belt itself is ugly as fukk

 

[Hey_zeus]

Kong is damn near immobile. Did yall see that slow motion spinning back fist she gave Ivelisse? Yall need to let that dream go. Nyla being champ is not the move for a few reasons. Mainly the fact that she's super green and sucks. She almost killed that chick she log threw outta the ring. She needs better costume design. Watching her stumble around with her belly out was an eye sore and really makes it hard to not see anything but an overweight male wrestling women. Idk brehs/brehettes... all those good wrestlers they trotted out and we're stuck here.

 

[BrehWyatt]

This company just made Chris Jericho its first world champion for no other reason besides "he's the most known entity we have."

It wouldn't surprise me if AEW made Nyla the first women's champion because she's trans. Kudos to them viewing her as the woman she is, but that cloud is going to hang over if they pull that trigger.

Doesn't matter at the end of the day though.