The WWE NXT star, Jazmyn Nyx’s departure from the promotion in September raised several questions about WWE’s attitude towards women wrestlers. However, the newly-joined NXT wrestler, Blake Monroe, implied that AEW authorities are even more meaner towards their women stars.
Monroe spent a couple of years in AEW as Mariah May before transitioning to the WWE in June this year. During a conversation with WWE veteran Bully Ray, Monroe revealed how being part of engaging storylines and delivering high-quality showdowns wasn’t enough in AEW, as the authorities demanded several “different” things from their women wrestlers. (via Busted Open Podcast on YouTube)
I did have an amazing story, but that was the one thing I had. I didn’t have much else… When I talked to them [the AEW brass], they cared so much about the glamour, so much about all these different things, [that] I was like, ‘Ok. Now I do have a big choice to make.’
Monroe’s appearance on the June 3 episode of NXT documented her departure from AEW to join WWE. So, let’s look at another factor that also might have propelled her transition from AEW to the WWE.
AEW Provides Less Exposure to Women Wrestlers Than WWE
There might be no rule in place regarding the number of women’s matches to be featured on WWE shows, but almost every edition of Raw and SmackDown has featured at least one women’s match for several years now. The average number of women’s matches per show also increases to two at several points of the year.
AEW also has no predefined conditions regarding women’s matches in its shows. However, inconsistent bookings for its women’s stars triggered a rumor about airing just one women’s match per weekly show. While noted wrestling news outlets later debunked these rumors (via Fightful Select), their rise itself indicates that the AEW authorities probably aren’t doing a good job with women’s bookings.
Additionally, the WWE is far more inclined to feature its women’s stars in its largest showdowns. WWE fans have witnessed several female stars, like Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch, in high-profile matches in the promotion’s grandest PPVs, including WrestleMania.
Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair have been the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions for 64 days so far, officially surpassing Alexa’s past tag title reigns! ✨
With Charlotte: 64 Days (and counting!)
With Asuka: 5 Days
With Nikki Cross: 62 Days for each of their two title reigns together pic.twitter.com/8vSit6441P
AEW also features women’s matches in its PPVs, but the overall number is far less than the number of women’s showdowns in WWE PLEs. For example, the entire lineup of AEW’s flagship event, All In, contained just two women’s matches in 2025. WWE’s WrestleMania 41 (in 2025) leaves it far behind with four high-profile women’s clashes in its lineup.
Besides all this, the existence of Evolution, an all-women WWE PLE, proves that Triple H and Co. are doing a far better job with its women wrestlers than AEW. However, Monroe is far from being the only one who transitioned to the WWE due to her differences with the promotion. The current WWE star, Jade Cargill, also made a similar decision in 2023.
Jade Cargill’s Exit Highlights AEW’s Problems With Women Wrestlers
Cargill decided to join the WWE in September 2023 after her glorious run in AEW as the TBS Champion. While Cargill has been rising through the ranks rapidly after her WWE entry, her AEW exit showcases how Tony Khan and Co. didn’t do a great job with her on-screen character.
The AEW brass made a worthy decision by making Cargill the TBS champion, given her remarkable in-ring skills. However, Wild Card’s promos in the WWE showcased that associating Mark Sterling with her on-screen character in AEW wasn’t really required. Instead, cutting exciting promos on the mic could have made Cargill an even bigger star in AEW.
The AEW authorities also failed to create engaging storylines involving Cargill, as her short-term feuds with Taya Valkyrie and Naya Rose couldn’t garner the expected number of eyeballs. Besides the weak storytelling, AEW reportedly didn’t provide Cragill enough time on air to boost her popularity, ultimately leading to her departure in 2023. (via The Sportster)
Well, a combination of all the aforementioned points indicates that AEW will have to improve several aspects of handling its women wrestlers if it wants to prevent the exit of talents like Monroe and Cargill.
Which aspect of AEW’s women’s wrestler handling do you want them to change? Let us know in the comments below.
