World Wrestling Entertainment went outside their usual boundaries with their recent Cruiserweight tournament, bringing in talent from around the world to put on a unique event. It not only led to the WWE crowning a new champion and (re-)introducing a new division of competition but also brought immediate legitimacy to the title by bringing in some top talent from outside the company, rather than simply having eight “cruiserweights” from the current roster fight for the new title.
Now NoDQ.com is reporting that the WWE has invited several women, “more than they normally do,” to an open tryout, which is spurring on speculation that there may be a Women's tournament in the works, similar to the Cruiserweight tournament.
Needless to say, the Women's division already exists on both Raw and SmackDown; the goal of a “Women's Wrestling Classic” tournament would be to add depth to both show's rosters. When the WWE operated with a single roster participating on Raw and SmackDown, the Women's division was deeper than ever. The brand split has not only reduced the number of talents for each brand, but it has created a lack of depth at the top of each roster.
The WWE has done a great job of building up their Women's division in recent years, and ultimately the brand split will prove to be a good thing. Short-term, it has opened up opportunities for wrestlers like Alexa Bliss, Bayley, and Dana Brooke, but both brands could use more depth to solidify their rosters.
Expanding the Roster
This is a great time for the WWE to look at bringing in more talent for the Women's division. If they would buy out Total Nonstop Action (TNA), they could certainly bring in solid women's talent from there, but a tournament would extend their reach, and perhaps an olive branch, to living promotions. Here are a few talents they could look at (and this can be your advance cheat sheet if the WWE does ahead with this tournament idea):
Cheerleader Melissa – Perhaps the top non-WWE women's wrestler over the last several years, she has wrestled extensively in the women's only Shimmer promotion. She's also had stints in TNA and, more recently, Lucha Underground. Melissa was also named Pro Wrestling Report's top women's wrestler in their annual “PWI Female 50” list in 2013.
Kay Lee Ray - She wrestled in NXT in a glorified squash match (“glorified” because she actually landed more than 2 offensive moves, but was still ultimately destroyed) by Nia Jax. She has wrestled extensively in Insane Championship Wrestling, where she has even recorded a victory over former ICW World Champion Mikey Whiplash. At the age of 24, she has a long career ahead of her.
Kimber Lee – Another Shimmer wrestler, Kimber Lee also wrestles with the Philadelphia-based Combat Zone Wrestling and Chikara promotions. In December of last year, she won Chikara's Grand Championship, a notable achievement because it is the company's top title. Not the women's top title, THE top title.
Santana Garrett – Having made four appearances in NXT, she is familiar with how the WWE handles business. She has held the National Wrestling Alliance and Japan's Wonder of Stardom Championships. Garrett was also number four in last year's “PWI Female 50.”
If You Missed It...
If you missed the Cruiserweight tournament, it was a success all-around for the WWE. It brought many world-renowned talents, like Zach Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi, to the forefront in America. It gave those wrestlers a glimpse of what it is like working in the WWE. The tournament also gave the WWE Network more new and unique programming. Not to mention, it was very well received from wrestling fans and insiders alike, spawning hope that more exciting things will come from the WWE in the near future.
Certainly, a Women's Classic similar to the Cruiserweight Wrestling Classic would justify the hope that the CWC has created.