WWE's Women Deserve Better and WrestleMania Matches Suggest Brighter Days Are Ahead

Once upon a time, Triple H oversaw the development of the NXT brand which was vital to the revolution that gripped the industry and increased both significance and opportunity for the women wrestlers in WWE.

For that reason, his struggles with the women's divisions on Raw and SmackDown, resulting in them being a weakness of his creative regime, have been surprising.

The talent is there, but a lack of consistent storytelling for the competitors has essentially negated their presence.

However, the start of the new year, a successful women's Royal Rumble match and the reignition of a storyline thought to have concluded three years ago has WWE and its female wrestlers trending in the right direction entering WrestleMania season.

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The Hurdles

One look at the Raw and SmackDown rosters reveals, arguably, the greatest crop of women's wrestlers ever assembled by a single promotion.

From the Four Horsewomen to indie standouts and homegrown stars, there has never been a stronger pool of talent for a creative team to work with.

With that plethora of talented individuals comes expectations and the need for them to have something to do. That is one issue, among others, facing Triple H at this time.

There have been an obvious failure to consistently book women such as Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, Shotzi, Xia Li, and Mia Yim in a way that allows them to build momentum and a connection with audiences.

Even competitors whom management clearly values, such as Raquel Rodriguez, have struggled to find a place on WWE television.

The result has been apathetic reactions to matches that should have had stronger support from the audience, mostly because the fans have no reason to care or connect with any of the women fighting for airtime or creative support.

Look no further than Friday's SmackDown, where Zelina Vega, Natalya, Shayna Baszler and Shotzi battled for a shot at competing in the women's Elimination Chamber match on February 18.

All four are ridiculously talented and can serve WWE in a variety of ways, but their match was met with mostly indifference from fans who have not been privy to any character development or storyline worth investing in.

The company will likely face a similar scenario on Monday's Raw when Carmella, Piper Niven, Yim and LeRae battle for the last spot in the chamber.

WWE has already experienced a backlash for its portrayal and use of women at the Raw XXX show. Some names were inexplicably left out of the tribute video, the women's revolution was uncharacteristically downplayed and only one abrupt women's match took place in a three-hour broadcast.

The Bella Twins, among others, were vocal in their disappointment.

Still, despite the shortcomings of the Triple H regime in regards to something he had been so integral in previously, there is reason to be optimistic as WWE embarks on The Road to WrestleMania.

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Turning the Corner

There is the emergence of Rhea Ripley as a bona fide star.

More importantly, she is not simply being pushed and given a championship with the hope that going over Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania will somehow seal her status as the next big thing.

No, the WWE head of creative and his team have dipped into history, going back three years to a storyline most had figured was done following WrestleMania 36 to make the moment that much more special.

Ripley is seeking to make up for her greatest career disappointment, a loss to The Queen on The Grandest Stage of Them All in when she was exposed for not being on the same level as one of the best in the business at that time.

That redemption story fuels another, while Bianca Belair will defend her Raw Women's Championship against the winner of the women's Elimination Chamber match.

If it is Asuka, The EST of WWE will have to combat a rebooted version of the competitor she once called an ally during her battles with Damage CTRL.

In both of those scenarios, there is a backstory for fans to sink their teeth into.

Speaking of storylines, The Game has recognized the staleness of the Becky Lynch-Bayley rivalry and enhanced it, giving it much-needed seriousness with the introduction of Seth Rollins and improprieties hinted at by the heel.

The returns of Asuka, Carmella and Piper Niven have injected new life into the red brand while SmackDown is still finding its footing in the wake of a creative overhaul that ended with Ronda Rousey losing the SmackDown title to Flair way ahead of schedule.

Triple H has made a habit of creative of recognizing when something is not working and making the necessary changes to ensure the best possible outcome, and there is no reason to believe this will be any different.

With an influx of returning stars, he has amassed enough talent to give WWE its greatest-ever women's division.

The emergence of a high-profile storyline for WrestleMania, a concentrated effort to make a star out of Ripley and the willingness to dig deep for a fitting storyline, are proof that he is on the right track.

Ditto taking the Lynch-Bayley program, ramping up the intensity and heavily promoting the steel cage match he failed to deliver a few weeks earlier.

There will always be critics, but WWE is in the best possible hands creatively and the women's division will ultimately flourish for it.