Throughout AEW’s history, there have been many truly talented wrestlers who stepped through the doors. Particularly in the company’s women’s division, which has consistently been stacked full of talent. However, AEW has been, rightfully so, criticized for their booking of the women’s division. Many times, they have not been given the same attention and time as their male counterparts.
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This lack of focus on the women’s division has also resulted in many competitors not being given much attention, suffering from poor booking, or both in some cases. Some names do still have potential to get to the top, but others might not get those chances at the top again. With that being said, let’s take a look at 10 women that AEW have seriously dropped the ball on.
10
Madison Rayne Is A Coach And Wrestler
AEW Run: 2022-Present
AEW Debut Match |
Vs. Leila Grey (8/5/2022, Rampage) |
Notable Accomplishments |
None |
Madison Rayne joined AEW in 2022 as both a coach and a competitor. She is a veteran of the business and has competed in various different promotions. Rayne could have very easily been involved in some solid stories to help build-up rising stars in AEW.
However, that is not really what has happened. She has not been seen in the ring since January of this year and likely will not be a major player in either AEW or ROH, where she has also been competing.
9
The Bunny Was Extremely Underrated
AEW Run: 2019-2023
AEW Debut Match |
Vs. Leva Bates (Fyter Fest 2019) |
Notable Accomplishments |
None |
The Bunny was a wrestler who joined AEW very early on. Despite a few missteps, she showed on more than one occasion that she had a lot of potential. One very notable instance was her performance in a street fight with Penelope Ford against Tay Melo and Anna Jay. In addition, her character work was quite good as well.
Instead, AEW often relegated her to being in the mid to lower card of the company. The Bunny left AEW in 2023 and has not competed in a match since.
8
Kiera Hogan’s Momentum Has Struggled
AEW Run: 2021-Present
AEW Debut Match |
Vs. Hikaru Shida (8/11/2021, Dark: Elevation) |
Notable Accomplishments |
None |
In 2021, Kiera Hogan debuted in AEW. After she officially signed with the promotion, Hogan was made a member of Jade Cargill’s Baddies stable. It worked for a while, as it gave Hogan some greater exposure to a larger audience. When she broke away from The Baddies, it was an opportunity to give her a feud with Cargill and help her become a bigger star.
But, that did not happen. After losing to Cargill in unceremonious fashion, Hogan fell down the card of AEW. If she competes in AEW, she has more often than not been losing. In ROH, she has been given a little more attention in a feud with Athena. However, she once again got lost in the shuffle.
7
Mercedes Martinez Hasn’t Been Seen In A While
AEW Run: 2019, 2021-Present
AEW Debut Match |
Casino Battle Royal (All Out 2019) |
Notable Accomplishments |
ROH Women’s World Champion |
When Mercedes Martinez returned to AEW, she had a bit of momentum behind her. She was involved in a feud with Thunder Rosa. She also became the Interim ROH Women’s World Champion. But, after that, her momentum began to fumble.
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Martinez was involved in a singles and tag team match here and there, but it was clear that she was not going to be near the level that she was once at. She has been most recently competing more on the indies than on AEW or ROH.
6
Tay Melo Has A Lot Of Potential
AEW Run: 2020-Present
AEW Debut Match |
W/ Anna Jay Vs. Diamante and Ivelisse (AEW Women’s Tag Team Tournament-The Deadly Draw) |
Notable Accomplishments |
None |
Tay Melo had the potential to be one of AEW’s biggest babyface stars. She had a ton of fan support behind her. She showed that she had grown and evolved in the ring. Melo also had a lot of chemistry in her team with Anna Jay. But, then AEW decided to pair her with Sammy Guevara.
Guevara and Melo are a real life couple. Sometimes this can work in professional wrestling. But, many fans could not stand their heel persona. Pair that with a run in the Jericho Appreciation Society that did not do much to help her get to title gold, and AEW fumbled with her. However, Melo is gearing up for a return, so there is still potential to help her become a star.
5
Taya Valkyrie Has Struggled In NXT And AEW
AEW Run: 2023-Present
AEW Debut Match |
Vs. Ava Lawless (3/15/2023, Rampage) |
Notable Accomplishments |
None |
When Taya Valkyrie entered AEW, many fans were excited to see what she would do in AEW. She had proved her skills in companies such as TNA, Lucha Underground, and AAA. In addition, a terrible NXT stint made fans want to see her truly become that breakout star.
In AEW, she started off strong enough by being a contender for the TBS Title. However, from there, Valkyrie’s AEW run has struggled. She is currently involved in a group with Deonna Purrazzo. But, AEW should be doing so much better with her.
4
Nyla Rose Is A Former World Champion
AEW Run: 2019-Present
AEW Debut Match |
Vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. Vs. Awesome Kong Vs. Kylie Rae (Double or Nothing 2019) |
Notable Accomplishments |
AEW Women’s World Champion |
Nyla Rose is an AEW original. She was involved in the company from the very start when she joined in 2019. She was also the second woman to ever hold the AEW Women’s World Championship. And despite it being a short reign, Rose was a unique powerhouse for the women’s division.
Since losing the title, Rose has struggled to get back to that position. Many fans have wanted to see either do better. She could be a dominant powerhouse. Many also point to her X account as showing her potential to be a great talker on the mic, if given the chance.
3
Ruby Soho Should Have Been Doing Better
AEW Run: 2021-Present
AEW Debut Match |
Casino Battle Royal (AEW All Out 2021) |
Notable Accomplishments |
None |
In another case of being pushed too fast from the beginning, we now come to Ruby Soho. Soho’s debut was genuinely an exciting moment for fans. She was another name that was overlooked in WWE that fans wanted to see get that shot at getting to the top. But, again, AEW failed to capitalize.
Soho, despite being very talented, has struggled in such a large roster of talent. She was also involved in the terrible Outcasts storyline. Currently, she is not competing due to her pregnancy.
2
Deonna Purrazzo Is An Extremely Talented Competitor
AEW Run: 2024-Present
AEW Debut Match |
Vs. Mercedes Martinez – ROH Women’s World Title (5/4/2022, Dynamite) |
Notable Accomplishments |
ROH Women’s World Champion |
Deonna Purrazzo signed to AEW after being one of the biggest free agents in professional wrestling. Purrazzo’s resume spoke for itself. She was one of TNA’s greatest Knockouts of all-time and is also one of the best technical wrestlers in the world today.
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She started off strongly enough by being booked in a pretty personal feud with Toni Storm. Purrazzo has also put on some great matches with Thunder Rosa. However, the issue is that AEW is not building her to be the star that she should be. Purrazzo is easily a name that can be one of the pillars of AEW’s women’s division. But, instead, she has been involved in far smaller feuds.
1
Athena Has Been Seen In AEW For Over A Year
AEW Run: 2022-Present
AEW Debut Match |
Vs. Kiera Hoga (6/3/2022, Rampage) |
Notable Accomplishments |
ROH Women’s World Champion |
At the very top of this list is someone who has been on a historic run. Athena has been the ROH Women’s World Champion for nearly 700 days. She was recently named number 10 on the PWI Women’s Top 250 for 2024. However, AEW has done a terrible job of showcasing her talent.
Despite ROH being featured far too often on AEW, Athena is a talent that fans would love to see regularly on television. In the past couple of years, Athena has wrestled a handful of times on AEW television. This is a wrong that AEW needs to make right soon. She is one of the best in the world right now and deserves to get that recognition from the promotion.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)