Okay, but the RAW women’s division is pretty good?

[Abdullah]

Caveat: I haven’t regularly watched WWE since 2019, watching maybe 3 full episodes of RAW in as many years, and I’m starting to check in more after HHH has settled in. But…

I really liked what I saw last night from the women, and I have been for some time now.

- Becky, one of the most over people on the roster, opened the show.
- You get an extended Rhea/Mia match, pretty much.
- Dakota vs Candice (a nice, midcard feud.)
- The start of heel Alexa vs Bianca
- Plus, the women had like — the entire first hour and a few more segments after that.

That’s what it looks like to me to treat the women as equals. And going back to WarGames, every woman felt distinguished. Every woman felt distinct. That could just be me, bringing my own familiarity to them but WWE really has built stars. Mia, Dakota, Iyo, Nikki, and arguably Rhea aren’t there yet. But they could be. In any case, they all felt notable and not just number filler.

Smackdown is pretty bad. If I had to guess, they’re waiting for Charlotte, Sasha and Naomi. And they may trade Becky. RAW though? I’m good with it. Even though I get complaints about Iyo and Dakota being jobbed out, they’re still new enough and it’s easy enough to remedy.

[theironyuppie]

Last night was a very encouraging sign of how things can be for the division when they don't have to put everyone in the one faction-feud. Besides the multiple varied feuds and matches, it was nice to see Mia getting a strong showcase int he opening match/8-person tag, moments like that go a long way in establishing someone to new audiences. In terms of stardom, I'd argue all Rhea's missing at the moment is the push, because she's been a standout presence on Raw for months now, and virtually always gets plenty of TV time.

[asuka007]

They have a serious lack of credible heels outside of Rhea.

Like having Becky essentially batter Damage CTRL all by herself ain’t exactly a firm foundation for her vs. Bayley.

[Friday Night SmackOwn]

Raw's womens division is nowhere near as dire as the Smackdown one, but Damage CTRL essentially having all the efficacy of Retribution doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

[Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story]

Yeah, they've now got the pieces. I think some of the rational discussion around Damage CTRL is justified but I think it'd be pretty easy to reheat them again. They're not too far gone.

Seems like we're moving towards Candice vs. Nikki, Bianca vs. Alexa, and Becky vs. Bayley, which could also lead Dakota and Iyo to go feud with somebody on Smackdown. Maybe Liv and Shotzi?

The key is going to be resisting the urge to start just throwing people on Smackdown without building up that roster further. They need more bodies that matter. Toxic Attraction, Indi Hartwell, Blair Davenport (if she's not hurt, I don't recall) and Alba Fyre seem like they're ready to make the move.

[Deleted]

Raw has the pieces but they are screwing the pooch by continually doing what they are doing to Dmg Cntrl.

It already seems like they may be thinking of blowing it up with how babyface Dakota came off lastnight.

[Dub H]

Becky and Rhea are two of their biggest stars overall honestly.Rhea is more of a potential big star if they dont screw things up.

[mistery]

Nov 29, 2022 8:59:43 GMT -5 @sigmax said:

Raw has the pieces but they are screwing the pooch by continually doing what they are doing to Dmg Cntrl.

It already seems like they may be thinking of blowing it up with how babyface Dakota came off lastnight.

Yeah. Dakota is one thing, but we need to see how they handle Iyo as well. Are they going to continue to keep her attached to Bayley (please god no), or distance her from Bayley as well? Because it would be peak WWE to have the person who is best as a loner stuck with Bayley while the person who is best in a tag team (Dakota) split off on her own.

[Killah Ray]

I hope Iyo goes solo if only because it's a crime her theme isn't being used right now...

[Abdullah]

Nov 29, 2022 10:19:21 GMT -5 mistery said:

Nov 29, 2022 8:59:43 GMT -5 @sigmax said:

Raw has the pieces but they are screwing the pooch by continually doing what they are doing to Dmg Cntrl.

It already seems like they may be thinking of blowing it up with how babyface Dakota came off lastnight.

Yeah. Dakota is one thing, but we need to see how they handle Iyo as well. Are they going to continue to keep her attached to Bayley (please god no), or distance her from Bayley as well? Because it would be peak WWE to have the person who is best as a loner stuck with Bayley while the person who is best in a tag team (Dakota) split off on her own.

I could see Asuka and Iyo being put in a short feud, for as much as they have teased it.

[Deleted]

Nov 29, 2022 10:19:21 GMT -5 mistery said:

Nov 29, 2022 8:59:43 GMT -5 @sigmax said:

Raw has the pieces but they are screwing the pooch by continually doing what they are doing to Dmg Cntrl.

It already seems like they may be thinking of blowing it up with how babyface Dakota came off lastnight.

Yeah. Dakota is one thing, but we need to see how they handle Iyo as well. Are they going to continue to keep her attached to Bayley (please god no), or distance her from Bayley as well? Because it would be peak WWE to have the person who is best as a loner stuck with Bayley while the person who is best in a tag team (Dakota) split off on her own.

Bayley came out to her own theme
Dakota got to come out to her own theme

So there are big hints lastnight they seemingly are gonna break this up but wont surprise me either if this is simply a way to get Dakota out and maybe bring someone else in.

I can see IYO once they lose the tag titles just being the first to ditch the group in her lonewolf mentality and Dakota being left to try and console Bayley and hold it together and then Bayley turns on Dakota cementing Dakotas face turn.

[Jindrak Mark]

I said it a day or two ago but Raw is far better for the women than Smackdown. Smackdown is usually like Dynamite were you get your one match and if you're lucky one actual promo that isn't a 20 second backstage thing. Raw is like NXT were the women are a massive part of the show. They get multiple segments throughout the show. They routinely get the most important quarter hours like the main event, opening and 9pm slot.

Face Becky returning is obviously a huge boost. Listen to the crowd last night. You want your top star who can do stuff like that. Ronda is poor on the mic and Bianca is pretty good but she can't whip a crowd into a frenzy like Becky can with a basic promo.

All the most interesting stuff on the horizon in the women's division is on Raw right now. Rhea is on fire. Becky is back to being the most popular babyface in the company. The recent teases of Rhea/Becky and Rhea/Bianca which will both be great whenever they happen. Alexa looking like she's going to turn. Hopefully Damage CTRL breaking up and feuding. Candice and Mia both looking good last night too.

Nov 29, 2022 10:55:19 GMT -5 @sigmax said:

Nov 29, 2022 10:19:21 GMT -5 mistery said:

Yeah. Dakota is one thing, but we need to see how they handle Iyo as well. Are they going to continue to keep her attached to Bayley (please god no), or distance her from Bayley as well? Because it would be peak WWE to have the person who is best as a loner stuck with Bayley while the person who is best in a tag team (Dakota) split off on her own.

Bayley came out to her own theme
Dakota got to come out to her own theme

So there are big hints lastnight they seemingly are gonna break this up but wont surprise me either if this is simply a way to get Dakota out and maybe bring someone else in.

I can see IYO once they lose the tag titles just being the first to ditch the group in her lonewolf mentality and Dakota being left to try and console Bayley and hold it together and then Bayley turns on Dakota cementing Dakotas face turn.

I'd like to see IYO and Dakota turn on Bayley.

I think it's time to turn Bayley back face. Other than a few months during the pandemic era I've been sick of heel Bayley since 2019 with these generic heel promos making fun of the town and calling the fans big dumb idiots or whatever with the fake evil laugh.

Bayley could struggle to find help since she's been so annoying for years and get overwhelmed by them for a month or so then someone finally gives her a chance then you get Bayley and that person v IYO and Dakota for the tag titles.

[XIII]

I’m not sure what Bayley does if they blow up Damage Cntrl. Iyo will almost certainly get featured if for no other reason that, like Asuka, she can actually wrestle and make others look better than they are. Dakota will probably be a reliable hand in the singles and a tag teamer. No clue what they do with Bayley from there though.

[asuka007]

I mean Becky kind of summed up the problem with Bayley since her return last night.

Bayley: “I’ve been in ladder matches, war games, las woman standing matches, etc. And I still get no respect.”

Becky: “ Yeah it’s because you lose them all.”

And for as much as some fans on Reddit want to desperately defend Damage CTRL’s booking, that last part is a major problem regardless.

[Deleted]

Nov 29, 2022 13:11:26 GMT -5 asuka007 said:

I mean Becky kind of summed up the problem with Bayley since her return last night.

Bayley: “I’ve been in ladder matches, war games, las woman standing matches, etc. And I still get no respect.”

Becky: “ Yeah it’s because you lose them all.”

And for as much as some fans on Reddit want to desperately defend Damage CTRL’s booking, that last part is a major problem regardless.

It is what we have been saying around here repeatedly.

But for some f***ing reason they just keep doing it...Dakota lost further emphasising that point Becky made.

I would really like to know what the creative mindset behind this is because on the surface it makes no sense right now.

[asuka007]

Also if they want people to care about Becky vs. Bayley, which on paper IS a really cool matchup.

Then this is the opposite of what you should do?

[Jindrak Mark]

Nov 29, 2022 13:24:17 GMT -5 asuka007 said:

Also if they want people to care about Becky vs. Bayley, which on paper IS a really cool matchup.

Then this is the opposite of what you should do?

People do care though. Unless I misheard the loud cheering for Becky and loud booing Bayley for last night and the crowd loving their brawl.

[Ben Wyatt]

The thing that jumps out at me is that Damage CTRL never defends the tag titles. Having them do so, even occasionally would at least give them some credibility as champions. Otherwise they're just getting clowned by Bianca/Becky etc except they have belts

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Nov 29, 2022 13:24:17 GMT -5 asuka007 said:

Also if they want people to care about Becky vs. Bayley, which on paper IS a really cool matchup.

Then this is the opposite of what you should do?

I get not wanting Becky to take a beatdown so soon after her return when everyone is happy to see her but they could've went about it better. They at least could've had a face like Candice come out for the save which then would've also set up the match for later.

[asuka007]

Nov 29, 2022 14:05:05 GMT -5 Ben Wyatt said:

The thing that jumps out at me is that Damage CTRL never defends the tag titles. Having them do so, even occasionally would at least give them some credibility as champions. Otherwise they're just getting clowned by Bianca/Becky etc except they have belts

One reviewer called them the “ Women’s Tag Team Paperweights” a s yeah, that’s what they feel like right now.