I am of the firm belief that women should be given the opportunity to shine in the ring. Putting six women in the ring and giving them all fifteen minutes — because we know women’s tag matches don’t get much time — to somehow show out is not the opportunity you think it is.

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As an example, take the Alexa Bliss/Bianca Belair/Asuka vs. Damage CTRL feud from 2022. A random collection of babyfaces with one clear leader goes against a sometimes-thought-out collection of heels with one clear leader, then everybody else gets pushed to the side while the two clear leaders continue their feud past their one six-women tag match. This was also the same story with Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus, and Lita versus (again) Damage CTRL in 2023, with the only difference being that Lynch and Stratus went on to have a decent feud while everybody else (Damage CTRL included) fell by the wayside. When has the six-woman feud ever paid off for all parties involved?

As we head into WrestleMania and Stand & Deliver season, two major six-women tag matches are speculated, and while they aren’t confirmed, the women involved are currently being booked as if they were. Izzi Dame, Jacy Jayne, and Kiana James are currently feuding with Fallon Henley, Thea Hail, and Kelani Jordan. Hail versus Jayne at Stand and Deliver would be fine — why do we need to put four more women into that match, knowing that they’ll just be washed out? Do Hail and Jayne need bodyguards, friends, just extra bodies for some crazy top-rope spot? Meanwhile, a WrestleMania match pittimg Naomi, Belair, and Jade Cargill against Damage CTRL is also likely given that Belair defended Naomi from the group on the March 22 episode of “WWE SmackDown” and Cargill just recently announced herself for the March 28 episode. This might as well be an exhibition match, because as much history Belair has with Damage CTRL, she has moved on past them. All of this six-women feud booking feels like World War I, where a bunch of countries started fighting because of their entangling alliances.

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It would be much better for everyone if the time and effort used to book these lackluster six-woman feuds was instead used to book multiple, individual women’s storylines. That way, more women would have more time to shine, and the world of women’s wrestling would be all the better for it. It’s criminal to book some of the most talented female performers in the world, just for them to get lost in the shuffle of a storyline with five other women in it.

Written by Angeline Phu