WrestleMania 42 Is Quietly Becoming a Showcase for WWE's Women

Women are finally on the verge of taking over WWE's main roster, and the timing couldn't be better with WrestleMania 42 right around the corner.

It's no secret that the booking thus far on the Road to WrestleMania has been very much a mess. The card is coming together slowly but surely, and a majority of the matches expected to take place feel forced and thrown together.

WWE's women haven't been immune to that, but the increased exposure for the division during WrestleMania season this year has been an encouraging sign for the future.

There's been more fan frustration with the WrestleMania build than any other installment in recent years, yet the female scene consistently steals the show most weeks on Raw and SmackDown and will play a pivotal role in the success of WrestleMania 42 as well.

The division is as stacked as it's ever been, and if they are showcased accordingly at the upcoming Show of Shows, a major changing of the guard could be coming sooner rather than later.

History Is About to Be Made

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Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship and Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women's Championship are among the matches currently confirmed for WrestleMania 42, but at least three more are looking likely as well.

WrestleVotes reported late last week that a record-setting six women's matches have been discussed for the event, which would top the five (four on the main card, one on the pre-show) from WrestleMania 36.

A multi-team affair featuring The Irresistible Forces, The Bella Twins, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss is bound to be added with the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at stake. AJ Lee and Becky Lynch will also seemingly settle their score over the Women's Intercontinental Championship.

As one of WWE's best all-around talents at the moment, Iyo Sky has to be involved in the card in some capacity and Asuka is the best possible opponent for her given their unfinished business from earlier in the year.

Giulia defending her Women's United States Championship against Tiffany Stratton is another possibility.

WWE could realistically fill an entire night with just women's matches, but six is still a strong start.

Taking a Chance with Newer Names

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WWE could have easily booked Cargill to defend her WWE Women's Championship against Flair at WrestleMania 42. The seeds have been planted for some time now and it's a marquee match worthy of the WrestleMania stage.

Instead, Ripley went over in the women's Elimination Chamber to earn the opportunity. Although they have no history and there's no chemistry between the two on paper, Ripely being put in such a spot over a healthy Flair indicates that the company is willingly embracing the future of their women's division.

The same can be said for the Women's World Championship match on the Raw side with Morgan and Vaquer. Morgan has been an established star for a few years now but has never had a prominent matchup at 'Mania, while Vaquer being involved in a significant singles match on her first WrestleMania is a rousing endorsement of her abilities.

Sky organically getting over with the audience has led her to becoming a must for 'Mania, and that's to say nothing about Naomi and Bianca Belair both having to miss it for different reasons.

CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns and Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes are two huge attractions for the two-night event, but neither of them benefit the future as much as the top title matches for the women will.

Stronger Storytelling Is Necessary

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From an in-ring standpoint, women's wrestling in WWE has never been better.

Most matches tend to get the time they deserve and the roster depth is top-notch. However, this can't be considered the hottest period for women's wrestling in WWE because of the lack of opportunities they've been afforded.

Women's matches main-eventing Raw and SmackDown is thankfully commonplace, but it's been a bit since they were regularly closing out premium live events. Ronda Rousey's run from 2018 to 2019 had a lot to do with the women being featured more prominently, including in the main-event of WrestleMania.

The division as a whole can't be elevated until the storytelling is stronger.

Morgan vs. Vaquer is a a battle between two of Raw's finest females, but where's the story otherwise? More tension has been teased with Morgan and her Judgment Day stablemate Raquel Rodriguez than Morgan with Vaquer.

Ripley and Cargill are also struggling to get viewers invested in their newly-announced WrestleMania match. Regardless of whether it was manufactured or not, their social media beef made headlines, only for them to deliver rather basic promos on SmackDown that completely ignored their trash-talking from the days prior.

If six women's matches are indeed on tap for WrestleMania, WWE has to apply the same effort to the women that they do the men by ensuring that each match is supported by a compelling story.

A Women's Night 1 Main-Event Is Still Feasible

Theoretically, WrestleMania could have at least one women's main-event every year now that The Show of Shows is two nights long.

The last-ever one-night 'Mania in 2019 was headlined by a historic women's Triple Threat, and Night 1 of WrestleMania 37 two years later saw Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair wage war over the SmackDown Women's Championship.

That was five years ago, and although there have since been a handful of women's matches that could have believably been the main-event of WrestleMania, WWE has opted to go with a men's match as the main-event every time.

This is the year to get the women back in the WrestleMania spotlight. All signs point to Rhodes vs. Orton closing out Night 1, but there's no harm in having Ripley vs. Cargill close out instead.

Doing so would send the message that women's matches belong in the WrestleMania main-event, which is already the perception of the division for many but should be solidified.

Of course, they'd then have to deliver once the bell rings, but Ripley is far and away one of WWE's most popular performers male or female and should have the honor of headlining WrestleMania eventually.

Long-Awaited Equality Could Be Imminent

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For too long now has women's wrestling been treated less like an equal to the men's division and more like a novelty. Most WWE shows will feature one or two women's matches at most and potentially a talking segment with basic storytelling.

It's been abundantly clear in NXT for years that the women are undoubtedly on par with the men and deserve to be presented as such. The main roster has always been run in such a way where that never appeared to be attainable, but the growing momentum of women's wrestling in WWE has made it almost impossible to ignore.

Perhaps the recent appointment of a female in Alexandra Williams to the lead writer role of Raw will bode well for the women's storylines being handled better and having more of a presence on the program.

It's time to stop shying away from the fact that the women have stolen the show at multiple 'Manias since 2021 and are routinely the best part of WWE TV most weeks.

As overall fan interest in the current product continues to wane, WWE must capitalize on the demand for greater women's equality. WrestleMania 42 can single-handedly be salvaged by the women's matches alone if the bouts are bangers, and their success could drastically change how WWE views and portrays the division from that point forward.

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.