wrestling / Columns
From Hashtag to Headline: The First Decade of the Women’s Revolution
Image Credit: WWE
Over the Spring and Summer, Len Archibaald will be a 411Mania guest columnist analyzing the state of women’s professional wrestling in North America.
First off, THANK YOU for all the love for my first column back at 411 last week. It was a difficult piece to write, but I truly appreciate the fam for all the love. Fuck cancer.
Last week was a little heavy. Let’s lighten the mood.
For decades, women’s wrestling in North America existed in pockets of brilliance and stretches of neglect. It flickered in the margins of a male-dominated industry that knew how to sell sex but not necessarily tell stories. There were pioneers—from Mildred Burke to Sherri Martel, Bull Nakano to Alundra Blayze—and there were moments of magic: Chyna’s undeniable aura, Trish vs. Lita on Raw, AJ Lee standing out in an era of Divas, Gail Kim carrying TNA’s Knockouts division on her back, Awesome Kong redefining what dominance looked like. But these were outliers, peaks in an otherwise uneven terrain.
Then came 2015. #givedivasachance.
The WWE’s “Women’s Revolution”—a term half-corporate slogan, half-call to arms—became the rallying point for a cultural shift in wrestling. No longer were women in wrestling destined to be time-fillers, eye candy, or afterthoughts. What had been simmering beneath the surface was now set ablaze on the biggest stage in the world.
But what began on July 13, 2015 marked a dramatic shift in the presentation of women away from some of the darker, misogynistic tropes of WWE. But the revolution didn’t start in a boardroom or just as a hashtag. It began in NXT, with Paige and Emma – evolving into Sasha and Bayley – match after match where women were no longer filler. They were the main event. They were stealing shows, earning chants, redefining what was possible. When Stephanie McMahon introduced Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch to the main roster, it was the start of a tectonic shift—one that echoed through every corner of the wrestling world and kicked open a door that has never closed since.
In the decade since, we as pro wrestling fans have experienced in real time some of the most important and significant moments that have shaped the perception of women’s wrestling as not only widely accepted as equal to the men, but in some ways at times – has surpassed them in regard to emotional connection. From title victories, debuts, signings, freak occurrences and more, here are what I consider to be the defining moments of women’s wrestling in North America over the past 10 years.
FOUNDATIONS AND FIRSTS
It started with a segment—simple, short, but seismic. Stephanie McMahon introduced Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch to the WWE main roster on the July 13, 2015 episode of Monday Night Raw. These weren’t Divas; they were wrestlers. Battle-tested in NXT, they brought the energy of sold-out TakeOvers and 20-minute classics to WWE’s flagship show. Fans had been chanting #GiveDivasAChance. This was the answer. This was the fuse.
One month later, before arenas filled with “EST” chants or the word “Timeless” danced across screens, there was Brooklyn. August 22, 2015—Bayley vs. Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn wasn’t just a match, it was a movement wrapped in a masterpiece. It was heart vs. swagger, underdog vs. boss, emotion vs. arrogance. And it main evented the biggest NXT show to date. These two didn’t just raise the bar—they shattered it. You could feel the audience leaning in with every near-fall, every reversal, every tear (poor Izzy!) This wasn’t a showcase for the future—it was a declaration that the future had arrived. That night, women’s wrestling became undeniable. That night, we knew.
Asuka’s arrival in WWE was less debut and more the absolute definition of “NXT Takeover.” On April 1, 2016, she defeated Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Dallas to begin a title reign that would last 510 days. Undefeated, undeniable, otherworldly—Asuka reminded everyone that violence and beauty could coexist in the same breath. Her dominance wasn’t just about wins. It was about aura. She didn’t speak the language, but the crowd understood her perfectly. No gimmick, no gloss. Just brutal precision, aura, and a mystique that could have walked out of the Tokyo Dome and into a dream. Asuka emerged as the immediate evolutionary step in WWE’s women’s division – I consider her to be as integral to this initial period of WWE’s transition to a more sports-oriented focus as the Four Horsewomen, and her in-ring influence can be seen EVERYWHERE.
Two days later, at WrestleMania 32 in one of the most important bouts in that event’s history, Charlotte Flair bested Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch to become the inaugural WWE Women’s Champion under the new title. The Divas era, with its butterfly belt and double standards, was formally buried. This was a new epoch, where athleticism was the point and storytelling was the goal. The match became symbolic of the women’s legitimacy, equal in design and stature to the men’s.
Bayley’s main roster debut followed in July, teaming with Sasha Banks in Washington D.C. at WWE Battleground. For NXT fans, it felt like a homecoming. For Main Roster casuals, it was the beginning of a Hall of Fame career that still feels underappreciated. Bayley has become one of Women’s Wrestling’s MVP’s, ebbing and flowing and evolving with the times, consistently delivering in the ring and on the mic, effectively switching from babyface to heel, creating one of the more influential factions in Damage CTRL and helping to plant the crumbs to elevate IYO Sky to Main Event status.
That same year, Charlotte and Sasha would become the first women to main event a WWE pay-per-view inside the Hell in a Cell—a match as brutal as it was symbolic. The message? This wasn’t a novelty anymore. This was the new norm. The steel wasn’t just a structure—it was a statement. Women could headline pay-per-views. Women could be brutal. Women were the draw.
BREAKING GROUND AND BREAKING THROUGH
In June 2017, Carmella climbed a ladder and pulled down the first Women’s Money in the Bank briefcase. It was a match that opened doors to new storytelling possibilities. Suddenly, women had their own contract, their own chess piece in the main event game.
The First Mae Young Classic, held in 2017, was another flashpoint that elevated the perception of what women’s wrestling could be. This wasn’t just WWE giving women a spotlight—this was a global talent showcase. Kairi Sane’s emotional victory over Shayna Baszler felt like a coronation, and the field included talent that would soon reshape multiple promotions: Toni Storm, Piper Niven, Mia Yim, Rhea Ripley, and more. It was proof of depth. It was a scouting report for the future.
By 2018, the revolution had evolved into a reckoning. The inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble took place in January, which saw Asuka outlast 29 others. But that was not the only major siezmic event that fans remember: Ronda Rousey’s official arrival to WWE and pointing to the WrestleMania sign. A legit UFC icon had arrived, and for better or worse, women’s wrestling now had a megawatt mainstream spotlight.
The world expected awkwardness. Instead, Rousey delivered excellence. Rousey silenced skeptics with a thunderous debut at WrestleMania 34, showing she wasn’t there to cash checks—she was there to deliver classics. Teaming with Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, she showed ring instincts well beyond her experience. It was more than a celebrity cameo—she showed at the time she belonged and would serve as catalyst for one of the biggest moments of all time for women’s wrestling a year later.
Later that year on October 28, WWE presented Evolution, The first all-women’s WWE pay-per-view. Not a token, not a special attraction. A full-scale, talent-driven show. Becky vs. Charlotte in a Last Woman Standing match was the exclamation point. The crowd? Raucous. The message? Unmistakable.
But it was Becky Lynch who would seize the moment later that year, standing defiant and bloodied after an attack from Nia Jax during a SmackDown invasion on an episode of Raw before Survivor Series. She didn’t blink. She didn’t falter. In that instant, she transformed. “The Man” was born—not a parody of masculinity, but a reclamation of power, confidence, and presence.
Becky’s Royal Rumble win months later in 2019 set the stage for history. At WrestleMania 35 (which I attended), she, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey closed the show in the first-ever women’s main event. It was the revolution’s coronation. The culmination of years of hustle, heartbreak, and heat.
AEW launched in 2019 promising an alternative. On the first episode of Dynamite, Riho defeated Nyla Rose to become the inaugural AEW Women’s World Champion. It wasn’t just a match. It was a statement. Riho, with her Joshi pedigree and underdog heart, became the first face of a division still in formation. It proved that AEW would build differently, pulling from global scenes and letting action speak louder than scripts.
REPRESENTATION, REVOLUTION, AND REALITY
In 2020, Tessa Blanchard won the Impact World Championship by defeating Sami Callihan. Yes, it came with controversy, but it also came with meaning. A woman held a promotion’s top title, not a women’s title—a world title.
Then came WrestleMania 37 in 2021. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks. Two Black women headlining the biggest wrestling event of the year. It wasn’t just a milestone—it was a generational breakthrough, a moment that transcended wrestling and echoed through the broader culture. For an industry that had historically marginalized and underrepresented women of color, this was more than progress—it was a reckoning. The visual alone—two powerful, talented Black women standing center stage at the “Showcase of the Immortals”—was enough to bring fans to tears.
The match itself? Athletic, emotional, and deeply personal. It was the coronation of Bianca Belair, but it was also a tribute to everything Sasha Banks had built. Their chemistry, intensity, and pride in that spotlight reminded everyone watching—whether lifelong fans or first-time viewers—that this wasn’t just a wrestling match. It was history in real time. Representation became reality. And for millions of fans, young girls especially, it said one simple, powerful truth: You belong here too.
One mere night later, the inevitable rise of Rhea Ripley’s and coronation came with a roar at WrestleMania 37 when she defeated Charlotte Flair to win the Raw Women’s Championship. It was a moment that felt like a torch passing—not quietly, but defiantly. After falling short against Charlotte a year prior, Ripley returned with sharper edges, deeper confidence, and a presence that demanded the spotlight. This wasn’t just about revenge—it was about emergence. Her victory cemented her as not only a dominant force in the ring but one of the new faces of WWE. With her goth-punk aesthetic, raw power, and unapologetic charisma, Ripley connected with a generation that doesn’t fit the mold—and doesn’t want to. Her reigns since have only reinforced that she’s not just part of the women’s division—she is the standard.
While AEW’s women’s division was slow to evolve, it had its defining moment on March 17, 2021. Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa, in a Lights Out Unsanctioned Match at St. Patrick’s Day Slam, blew open the gates of what was possible. Blood poured. Tacks dug in. Baker’s crimson mask became instant iconography. It wasn’t just spectacle—it was legacy. It redefined how far women’s hardcore matches could go, and how serious fans now took women’s violence. Rosa would later ascend to the top of AEW, but this was the moment AEW’s women’s division demanded respect.
At the end of that year, one of WWE’s can’t miss prospects, the 2018 Mae Young Classic Winner Toni Storm shockingly left the promotion. After years of start-stop pushes and floundering on NXT and her cup of coffee on WWE SmackDown, Storm parted ways with the promotion to end up in AEW. No one at the time knew, but this moment would lead into one of the greatest reinventions in female pro wrestling history.
CHARACTERS, CREATIVITY, AND CHANGE
When Mercedes Moné walked out of WWE in May 2022 alongside Naomi, it sent shockwaves through the industry. A bold stand over creative differences and systemic issues regarding the treatment of women’s tag team wrestling, her departure marked one of the highest-profile exits in WWE’s modern era. For WWE, it highlighted cracks in a system that often stifled its top female talents’ creative ambitions. For Mercedes, it opened doors to global exploration—from headlining NJPW’s Battle in the Valley to becoming a marquee signing for AEW in 2024. Her move legitimized AEW’s women’s division overnight, signaling that top-tier talent saw value outside WWE. More than anything, her defection underscored a broader shift in women’s wrestling: that autonomy, artistic freedom, and respect mattered as much as spotlight, no matter the gender—and Mercedes was willing to bet on herself to prove it.
Liv Morgan’s journey, meanwhile, was never about one moment—it was a collection of them. It kicked into another gear in 2023 when Rhea Ripley injured Liv’s shoulder, a freak moment that became an inflection point. What followed was the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour—a yearlong character arc of resilience, vengeance, and transformation. After a necessary heel turn, with Raquel Rodriguez by her side, Liv captured the WWE Women’s Tag Titles three times, becoming part of the winningest female tag team in WWE history. Her feud with Rhea Ripley and entanglement with Judgment Day and Dominik Mysterio blurred the line between storyline and emotional connection. 2024 saw Liv emerge as one of WWE’s MVP’s and her emergence showed exactly how deep WWE’s women’s roster is and how deep into the bench North American women’s wrestling can go to find stars.
On the October 4, 2023 episode of AEW Dynamite – after a heel turn, Toni Storm introduced her “Timeless” persona—a surreal, Golden Age of Hollywood homage that blended absurdity with artistry. It was character work as performance art, proving that women’s wrestling didn’t have to live in one box. It could be anything. Since then, Storm has been the benchmark for blending compelling character work along with top notch in ring performances in women’s wrestling.
GLOBAL CONVERGENCE AND LEGACY MOVES
By 2024, the lines between companies began to blur. TNA Knockout Champ Jordynne Grace appeared in the WWE Royal Rumble as a legitimate champion and threat – something unheard of in WWE at the time cross promoting other talent. Mercedes Moné arrived in AEW, shaking hands with destiny in a moment fans waited a year to witness. She is now the 2025 Owen Hart Cup winner and the subsequent feud and match with Timeless Toni Storm at All In: Texas should be another re-defining set of events for women’s wrestling.
Speaking of AEW All In, at the 2024 event, Mariah May defeated Timeless Toni Storm in London, becoming AEW Women’s Champion in a promotion-defining feud – a clash of eras and proof that AEW was no longer just about the ex-WWE names. It was cultivating its own compelling icons, characters, stories and motivations outside the normal WWE bubble. The Mariah May/Toni Storm angle was a turning point in long-form storytelling for North American women’s professional wrestling.
WWE continues making its own history. On March 11, 2025, Stephanie Vaquer defeated Giulia to become the first to unify the NXT Women’s and North American Championships—a double title moment with global implications. The NXT women’s division had become a melting pot of international excellence. Vaquer and Giulia are both considered sure-fire bets for WWE’s future, a potential WrestleMania main event waiting to happen.
At WrestleMania 41, IYO SKY retained her WWE Women’s World championship in a triple threat match against Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair—a bout that wasn’t just a main event-level showcase, but a symbolic summit. Three of the most decorated, diverse, and dynamic women of the modern era clashed in a match that felt like the culmination of everything the Women’s Evolution set in motion a decade prior. IYO, a world-traveled technician. Rhea, a powerhouse born from NXT UK’s black-and-gold grit. Bianca, a once-in-a-generation athlete turned undeniable superstar. Their collision wasn’t just about titles; it was about legacy, representation, and the normalization of excellence on the grandest stage. This match echoed the feeling of the original Four Horsewomen’s call-up—a turning point where the future became the now. IYO’s shock win elevated her to the top of the division, placing her in the upper echelon of the biggest and most over performers working today and justifying her world-traveled hall of fame career.
Just one month later, WWE continued to evolve its landscape, formally introducing midcard titles for the women’s division—something fans had been advocating for years. Lyra Valkyria was crowned the inaugural WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion, a milestone that not only elevated her career trajectory but also signaled a new layer of depth and opportunity for the division.
And then came Chelsea Green—often overlooked, often underestimated—making history as the first WWE Women’s United States Champion. A chaotic presence with an unrelenting persona, her crowning added a jolt of personality-driven storytelling to the new era. Chelsea’s triumph wasn’t just a personal victory; it was proof that WWE was willing to invest in a wider array of characters, not just the traditional archetypes of dominant champions or underdog babyfaces.
These titles bring the promise of more meaningful rivalries, storylines, and stakes outside of the main championship picture. Together, these developments reshaped the architecture of women’s wrestling in WWE and North America at large. For the first time, women had parallel opportunities for legacy, midcard elevation, and personal expression—mirroring, and in many ways matching, the complexity and narrative space long afforded to the men’s divisions. This wasn’t just evolution. It was infrastructure. It was permanence.
THE LEGACY ISN’T COMING. IT’S HERE.
We are living in the golden age of women’s professional wrestling.
Not because a corporation decided to rebrand. Not because hashtags trended. But because women like Mercedes, Charlotte, Bayley, Becky, Asuka, Bianca, Rhea, Toni, Liv, IYO, Britt, and countless others forced the world to see them—not as novelties, not as sideshows, not as exceptions—but as the standard. They carved out space where there was none. They took the mic, the spotlight, the main event, and never gave them back.
They shattered ceilings, redefined archetypes, and made violence beautiful, emotional, and personal. They turned moments into movements—bloody battles, groundbreaking debuts, championship coronations, and legacy-making performances that blurred the line between sport and art.
This era wasn’t gifted to them. It was earned—through busted lips, stolen shows, and storytelling that transcended gender. It’s not just that women are wrestling now. It’s that wrestling is better because of them.
In 2015, the door was kicked open. Now in 2025, it’s a stage—built brick by brick by those who refused to be denied. And everyone’s watching.
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