WWE Raw, SmackDown Women's Divisions Sputtering After Superstar Shake-Up

The women's divisions on WWE Raw and SmackDown Live have yet to find their footing after the Superstar Shake-up.

The promising exchange of talent hasn't added up to electric entertainment. A muddled narrative on the blue brand, midcard issues on Raw and an inconsistent use of the roster has left both shows in need of a spark on the female side of things.

The Superstar Shake-up, a draft of sorts, rearranged the women's division in early April. 

Alexa Bliss went to Raw; Charlotte Flair moved to SmackDown. The red brand welcomed Mickie James while Lana, new dance gimmick and all, was on her way to Team Blue. 

Bliss quickly snatched the Raw Women's Championship and has been a revelation since. Her feud with Bayley, much like many of the division's other rivalries, hasn't been a runaway hit.

The women on both shows need momentum born from better writing.

The Boss and Foxy

Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox has been underwhelming.

Seeing two women outside of the championship picture get a story of their own has been a welcome sight. The content of that narrative, though, has left a lot to be desired.

WWE hasn't made this a battle of warriors trying to reclaim gold. It's not billed as competitors looking to force their way up the ladder. Instead, there's been a halfhearted attempt to build this around Banks' envy of Fox's relationship with Noam Dar.

As Kyle Fowle of the A.V. Club pointed out: "It's lazy and gross to make that the story when it very clearly isn't that."

And WWE hasn't even gone full force in that direction. The Dar stuff is softly hinted at. Fox and Banks, meanwhile, have little storyline foundation to build on.

There's been little spark as the two have traded wins. After Banks and Fox's most recent encounter on Raw, Wrestleview.com came away less than impressed:

Banks had previously been teasing a heel turn, seemingly getting closer to stabbing her friend Bayley in the back in the pursuit of the gold. Following the Superstar Shake-up, it seems WWE has dropped that angle.

The Boss' feud with Fox could be a catalyst for her growing more desperate and cold-hearted. That hasn't happened yet, though.

The midcard rivalry is instead coming off as filler.

An Ailing Story on SmackDown

Flair's move to the blue brand saw her immediately step into the title picture. Her peers weren't happy with that. Natalya, Carmella and Tamina banded together to push back against The Queen.

That was a smart way to handle Flair's arrival, and it opened the door for Natalya and her crew to have some clear direction.

But the battle between factions that has ensued has not taken off.

There's been too little focus on the SmackDown Women's Championship, for one. The whole point of forming The Welcoming Committee was to assure Natalya, Carmella and Tamina a chance at the title. Their losses to Flair and her fellow babyfaces have negated those demands.

And the tension between Flair and the champ, Naomi, hasn't been explored nearly enough.

At Backlash, the pair showed no ill will toward each other during the six-woman tag match. There was no foreshadowing, no teasing, no narrative development at all. 

The Welcoming Committee lacks identity. The group doesn't feel like a threat because it hasn't shown any dominance. 

The various combinations of Flair's team facing Nattie's squad haven't resulted in anything memorable. Their Backlash bout was the arguably the worst of the night.

After Flair and Lynch took on Carmella and Natalya on the SmackDown following the PPV, Jake Barnett of Pro Wrestling Dot Net wrote: "The even-steven booking is uninspiring to say the least. They need to get back to telling stories with the women."

This angle feels like SmackDown has just thrown all its women together without any desire to build toward something. 

Playing up Becky Lynch's issues with James Ellsworth would be smart. The same goes for having Flair end her alliance with Naomi to pursue the championship. But standing pat isn't an option.

Bliss Outshining Bayley

Bliss has killed it since joining Raw. Her nose-in-the-air, boots-in-your-face act has been a revelation.

WWE clearly made a good move in crowning her shortly after the Superstar Shake-up.

Her rival, though, hasn't been nearly as good. Bayley hasn't looked like the female version of John Cena some predicted she could be. She's been at a level below Bliss throughout this rivalry.

A part of that is due to her mic work.

Wrestlezone writer Mike Killam noted the wide gap between her and Bliss on that front:

That has hurt this storyline. Bayley simply hasn't brought the electricity required to make her pursuit of Bliss must-see. 

And WWE hasn't done champion and challenger any favors in its choice of matchup.

At Extreme Rules on June 4, Bayley will challenge Bliss in a Kendo Stick on a Pole match. The "object on a pole" gimmick has regularly led to bouts that have become punchlines.

Why not crank up the intensity of this rivalry and have them go at it in a Street Fight? 

The other lingering question is: Where is Nia Jax in all of this? A few weeks back, Jax agreed to align with Bliss with the promise that she'd get a crack at her title.

Jax hasn't been at Bliss' side since. She hasn't throttled Bayley per Bliss' orders. She's been a nonfactor on Raw.

Pulling the powerhouse off the bench is one of the easiest fixes WWE has in front of it as it sees its two women's divisions in need of a kick in the ass.