No Wrestlemania for the Women’s Division?
The women’s division is scarcely featured on the card, despite Wrestlemania being one week away from Saturday and Sunday. After the work the women have been putting in over the past year, many are upset over their lack of representation. With the showcase of the immortals less than 14 days away, it may be too late to remedy the situation.
The Road to Wrestlemania has been a windy path for the men’s division, starting at the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble. The Royal Rumble featured a selection of possible winners, among them being the returning CM Punk and the “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes. CM Punk suffered a torn tricep injury during the match, allowing Rhodes to clench a back-to-back Royal Rumble victory. From that point, there were many added variables as to who Rhodes was going to challenge at Wrestlemania like the return of The Rock, along with the added challenge from WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
Amid the men sorting out plans within their division, the women’s division was carrying the WWE during an uncertain time. The backlash WWE faced from the decisions happening in the men’s division allowed the women to shine more prominently at the forefront of the company.
Despite the backlash brought onto the men’s division, the implosion of one of the biggest factions in WWE, Damage CTRL, was a trending topic deserving more recognition. Since the formation of Damage CTRL at Summerslam 2022, ringleader Bayley, alongside Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai, has been running the SmackDown Women’s division since the better part of 2023. Following the win from Bayley in the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble, it was to be expected that Bayley would challenge Iyo for the WWE Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania given their complicated dynamic over the past couple of months.
However, the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble winner is not featured in the main event of either night of Wrestlemania. The American Nightmare and the longest-reigning Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns have filled both main event slots. Those men are featured twice on the card, while Bayley and the storyline with Damage CTRL doesn’t even have a confirmed date.
The women’s division on Raw has been taking a hit as well. WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley is arguably the biggest superstar out of The Judgement Day. Since her addition to the male-dominated faction, she has been bringing attention not only to The Judgement Day but to WWE as a whole. Ripley trending on social media platforms like TikTok and X has given WWE more recognition on a broader scale. The Women’s World Champion has been holding down the women’s division while bringing attention from many outlets. Much like Bayley, the match between Ripley and 2024 Women’s Elimination Chamber winner Becky Lynch does not have a confirmed date for Wrestlemania. The Women’s Elimination Chamber this past February was arguably better than the Men’s Elimination Chamber, yet none of those women besides winner Becky Lynch have a match featured on the card for Wrestlemania. However, five out of the six entrants in the Men’s Elimination chamber have a spot on the grandest stage of them all.
The two title matches are the only confirmed women’s matches at Wrestlemania 40. It is speculated that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, the Kabuki Warriors, may face off against Naomi and the “EST of WWE” Bianca Belair, but that has still yet to be confirmed. Since Naomi’s return to WWE, she has not been featured like the decorated athlete she is. The former TNA Knockouts World Champion and two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion was the first woman pinned in this past Elimination Chamber. Following that event, she has yet to win in a singles match and is currently not booked on the Wrestlemania card. Bianca Belair, the longest-reigning Raw Women’s Champion, also has not received much television time as of late. Belair has not even had a televised match since her Elimination Chamber qualifying match against Michin. Despite her feature on the cover of WWE 2k24, the “EST of WWE” also remains with no current plans for Wrestlemania.
Of the 43 main events in Wrestlemania history, only two have been women’s main events. The first one featured Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania 35 for the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championship. The second main event featured Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair at Wrestlemania 37 for the SmackDown’s Women’s Championship. With the main events of Wrestlemania 40 already confirmed, this would be yet another Wrestlemania without a women’s main event. Regardless of potential last-minute additional matches, it does not seem apparent that the card will be stacked in the women’s favor.
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