WWE Women's Wrestling Renaissance, Swerve Must Win at Full Gear, More Quick Takes

Based on recent rumors, returns and potential signings, women's wrestling is well on it way to being back at the forefront of WWE.

Damage CTRL's domination of SmackDown in the last week, along with alliances formed with Asuka and Kairi Sane, served as the perfect setup for a women's WarGames match at Survivor Series. Meanwhile on Raw, a majority of the division is getting television time weekly thanks to the increased amount of stories being told.

WWE finds itself amid a women's wrestling renaissance, which should only grow bigger and better from here.

On the All Elite Wrestling front, Swerve Strickland continues to catch fire and will compete in his most important singles match to date at Full Gear on Saturday. Another win over Adam Page would be exactly what he needs to cement his status as as certified main event player.

This installment of Quick Takes will tackle why Swerve must win at Full Gear, AEW's newly announced Continental Classic, booking Santos Escobar's feud with Rey Mysterio through WrestleMania 40, and more.

WWE's Renewed Focus on Raw and SmackDown Women's Divisions Is Long Overdue

The Raw women's division has been boasting an incredible crop of competitors for some time now, but only recently has WWE put forth the necessary effort to showcase them.

Rhea Ripley has dominated in her time as women's world champion, but her reign isn't interesting without credible competition. Thankfully, she's been a fighting champ as of late between her successful title defense in the Fatal 5-Way at Crown Jewel and upcoming clash with Zoey Stark at Survivor Series.

Elsewhere on the red brand, Tegan Nox and Natalya are chasing Chelsea Green and Piper Niven for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, while Becky Lynch and Xia Li settle their score.

The ladies closing out SmackDown on Friday was also an encouraging sign, with Damage CTRL standing tall over the likes of Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and Shotzi ahead of a likely women's WarGames match at Survivor Series.

Both divisions on Raw and SmackDown have been stagnant for the better part of 2023, but they are finally showing signs of life again with Ripley, Bianca Belair, Iyo Sky, Lynch and others at the helm.

Sane being back, Jade Cargill soon joining the mix and the reported scouting of NJPW Strong women's champ Giulia (per PWInsider) are all reasons to be optimistic about women's wrestling in WWE for the foreseeable future.

Becky Lynch Would Be Underwhelming Addition to Women's WarGames

As noted, the stage seems to be set for a stacked women's WarGames match at Survivor Series on November 25, with Kairi Sane and Asuka teaming with Damage CTRL's Iyo Sky and Bayley to take on Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Shotzi and a partner of their choosing.

Per WWE insider WrestleVotes (h/t Wrestle Zone), the current belief is that their teammate will be revealed to be Becky Lynch.

Although she has history with Damage CTRL (including in last year's installment of WarGames), Lynch is property of the red brand and has no business switching shows when not necessary, especially when there are other stars available who would be better fits for the team.

Both Zelina Vega and Michin have had some bad blood with the group in the past, but neither would make as much of a splash as Jade Cargill if she made her WWE in-ring debut at the event.

Cargill, of course, would be a random selection from a storyline standpoint (and she isn't ready for a contest the caliber of WarGames), but having her first match on the grand stage of Survivor Series would be the ultimate endorsement of her potential.

Lynch should remain focused on her feud with Xia Li and not rehash her return in WarGames last year.

AEW's Continental Classic Desperately Needs Worthwhile Stakes

AEW's core storylines have been fun to follow as of late, but the abundance of matches with no stakes remain a recurring problem on each of the programs.

Announcing yet another new tournament—this one being called the Continental Classic—will do little to change that.

Tournaments can be a breath of fresh air when executed properly, but as of now, there's no reason for fans to think this one will be any different than the Owen Hart Classics from earlier in the year that did little to benefit either men's or women's winner Ricky Starks and Willow Nightingale.

The Continental Classic will at least be special in the sense that it will be round-robin style and should feature a slew of stellar matchups based on the star-studded roster AEW has, culminating in the finals at the Worlds End pay-per-view on December 30.

An opportunity at the AEW International Championship would be logical, and the inclusion of Bryan Danielson guarantees superb match quality, but more storyline support will be the key to helping it leave a lasting impression and giving it more substance.

Booking Santos Escobar's Feud with LWO Through WrestleMania 40

Santos Escobar betraying Rey Mysterio was always the endgame for the LWO that made most sense, and WWE massively delivered on that long-awaited moment on Friday's SmackDown.

From failing to beat his mentor for the United States Championship to playing a role in his loss of the title at Crown Jewel, Escobar had every reason to turn on Mysterio when he did. WWE could have easily held off on it until closer to WrestleMania 40, but it seems clear where it will be taking the storyline instead.

If the injury angle on SmackDown was designed to write Mysterio off of television temporarily, that should open the door for a feud between Escobar and Carlito in the meantime.

The veteran has looked impressive so far in his return and taking on Escobar can elevate the former Legado del Fantasma leader to the next level.

Escobar vs. Mysterio would be an excellent attraction for the Royal Rumble in January, if not Elimination Chamber the following month. A one-on-one bout between the two on The Grandest Stage of Them All would be ideal, but WWE would presumably prefer a six-man tag team match with Escobar reuniting with Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde to take on Mysterio, Carlito and the uber-successful Bad Bunny.

There's any number of directions WWE can go with this story in the coming weeks, and time will tell what it ultimately decides to do, but at least it's off to a strong start.

Second Straight Win over Page Would Cement Swerve's Main Event Status

Swerve Strickland is ready for the main event spotlight in AEW, but he can't ascend to greater glory with a roadblock by the name of "Hangman" Adam Page standing in his way.

To the company's credit, it has done a commendable job of booking Swerve and Page in a highly personal program the past two months. Their original encounter at WrestleDream was top-notch quality and their Texas Deathmatch at Full Gear should be equally exciting.

All signs point to Page avenging his loss to Swerve and emerging victorious in their upcoming outing, but with Hangman having so little to lose, his rival scoring a second straight win over him would be the better outcome.

Page has already excelled at the AEW World Championship level and likely won't find himself back in that spot anytime soon. Swerve, meanwhile, is the hot hand at the moment and would be a compelling challenger for AEW world champion MJF post-Full Gear.

Swerve shouldn't be considered "buried" if he comes up short on Saturday, but a big win would be enough to earn elite status and ensure he remains in the upper echelon of the card.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.