u/No_Argument_6103

With WWE’s women’s division currently facing significant criticism for its booking, from missing PPV spots to cold title feuds, and literal absence of title defenses/matches there is a massive opening for AEW to capitalize on fan frustration and establish itself as the premier showcase for women’s wrestling.

Right now, it feels like both major promotions are leaving potential on the table. If Tony Khan were to truly seize this spotlight, what specific changes or storylines would you want to see?

I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t totally sold on Mercedes Moné vs. Willow Nightingale at first. But their recent work, especially that contract signing, completely won me over. The crowd energy is right there, which makes it even more frustrating that Tony Khan is falling back into his worst booking habit: building a feud up, then letting all the heat evaporate right before the pay-per-view.

We saw this exact same pattern with Toni Storm vs. Mercedes. You had two massive stars, but the TV build in the final weeks felt completely passive. TK keeps defaulting to generic short interactions with no advertisement instead of giving the women the kind of chaotic, multi-segment storylines he routinely books for the men’s title scene.

Look at the patterns on television every week. The women’s division is almost always relegated to a single segment, usually crammed into the same late-show quarter hour, and rarely gets more than 5 to 10 percent of total weekly TV time. While male rivalries get to main event Dynamite, feature in backstage angles across multiple hours, and close out the night with major angles, the women are rarely trusted to carry the show's biggest hooks. 

What makes this even worse is that AEW is sitting on a massive open goal right now. WWE’s booking of their women's division has taken a huge step backward, facing widespread criticism for leaving major stars off pay-per-views, rushing creative, and cold-booking their world titles. Hell they had Liv brag about not defending a title for 100 days for no reason. AEW has a genuine chance to capitalize on fan frustration and prove they offer the superior product for women’s wrestling. But instead of seizing the spotlight, TK is making the exact same mistakes.

If AEW wants this match to feel like a true stadium-level co-main event at All In, the next two weeks need a real shot of intensity.

For next week, Mercedes shouldn't just get a 2 minute backstage segment or random quick match. Give them the kind of sprawling brawl we’ve seen in other intense feuds. Let them do a whole show brawl like we saw with Lesnar and Taker, Ronda/Becky/Charlotte, Austin and Rock. Have Willow on the hunt for Mercedes after what she did last week. let it spill through the arena, and stretch it across several segments throughout the night to show these two genuinely cannot be contained.

Then on the go-home show, give them the kind of big closing promo segment letting them both give passionate promos that ends with them getting pulled apart by cops/security and screaming at each other really emphasizing how intense this feud is.

Willow vs Mercedes has a real Bayley vs Sasha NXT vibe and could leave a similar impact if done right but TK needs to prioritize it and seize the opportunity before him.

If management won't dedicate the TV time to make this feel huge, Mercedes and Willow ought to take matters into their own hands on social media. Using their Instagram accounts to build unscripted, in-character heat would force the company's hand and build the urgency that television is currently missing. Hell they can do their own brawl and film it on Instagram. 

Am I missing something here, or is TK letting another top-tier women's feud lose its momentum right before the biggest show of the year?

I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t totally sold on Mercedes Moné vs. Willow Nightingale at first. But their recent work, especially that contract signing, completely won me over. The crowd energy is right there, which makes it even more frustrating that Tony Khan is falling back into his worst booking habit: building a feud up, then letting all the heat evaporate right before the pay-per-view.

We saw this exact same pattern with Toni Storm vs. Mercedes. You had two massive stars, but the TV build in the final weeks felt completely passive. TK keeps defaulting to generic short interactions with no advertisement instead of giving the women the kind of chaotic, multi-segment storylines he routinely books for the men’s title scene.

Look at the patterns on television every week. The women’s division is almost always relegated to a single segment, usually crammed into the same late-show quarter hour, and rarely gets more than 5 to 10 percent of total weekly TV time. While male rivalries get to main event Dynamite, feature in backstage angles across multiple hours, and close out the night with major angles, the women are rarely trusted to carry the show's biggest hooks. 

What makes this even worse is that AEW is sitting on a massive open goal right now. WWE’s booking of their women's division has taken a huge step backward, facing widespread criticism for leaving major stars off pay-per-views, rushing creative, and cold-booking their world titles. Hell they had Liv brag about not defending a title for 100 days for no reason. AEW has a genuine chance to capitalize on fan frustration and prove they offer the superior product for women’s wrestling. But instead of seizing the spotlight, TK is making the exact same mistakes.

If AEW wants this match to feel like a true stadium-level co-main event at All In, the next two weeks need a real shot of intensity.

For next week, Mercedes shouldn't just get a 2 minute backstage segment or random quick match. Give them the kind of sprawling brawl we’ve seen in other intense feuds. Let them do a whole show brawl like we saw with Lesnar and Taker, Ronda/Becky/Charlotte, Austin and Rock. Have Willow on the hunt for Mercedes after what she did last week. let it spill through the arena, and stretch it across several segments throughout the night to show these two genuinely cannot be contained.

Then on the go-home show, give them the kind of big closing promo segment letting them both give passionate promos that ends with them getting pulled apart by cops/security and screaming at each other really emphasizing how intense this feud is.

Willow vs Mercedes has a real Bayley vs Sasha NXT vibe and could leave a similar impact if done right but TK needs to prioritize it and seize the opportunity before him.

If management won't dedicate the TV time to make this feel huge, Mercedes and Willow ought to take matters into their own hands on social media. Using their Instagram accounts to build unscripted, in-character heat would force the company's hand and build the urgency that television is currently missing. Hell they can do their own brawl and film it on Instagram. 

Am I missing something here, or is TK letting another top-tier women's feud lose its momentum right before the biggest show of the year?