The WWE are to make history on October 28 when they hold their first network special that will consist solely of women’s matches.
The event is being held at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York and will be available to watch on the WWE Network.
Here is a rundown of what is going on and what to look for over the next month.
The women’s evolution
Having largely been overshadowed by the men in WWE for much of their history, the women’s division has enjoyed a number of firsts in recent years as much more focus has been given to the female Superstars in the company.
The women are no longer referred to as Divas, which was the common named term for the division during the past decade until April 2016 when the main singles championship was rebranded the WWE Women’s Championship.
Since the brand split between Raw and SmackDown in July 2016 there are now two women holding WWE world titles. The WWE Raw Women’s Championship is currently held by Ronda Rousey, while the WWE SmackDown Championship holder is Becky Lynch.
Paul Levesque (Triple H), the WWE Executive Vice President for Talent, Live Events and Creative, said back in July that it had been a fans backlash after a women’s match in 2015 had been barely given any time that had kickstarted an evolution in the business.
“Three years ago, our fans demanded a change with the hashtag, #GiveDivasAChance, and an evolution started,” he said in July. “Since that time, our female Superstars have over delivered in every opportunity presented to them.”
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A number of firsts
The women’s division has had a number of breakthrough moments since the summer of 2016.
Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks competed in the first ever women’s Hell in a Cell match in October 2016, with Charlotte triumphing. It was also the first time a women’s match had ever been the main event of a WWE network special.
The first women’s Royal Rumble was held in January 2018, with Asuka the victor as she eliminated Nikki Bella last to clinch the event which involved 30 women.
The first women’s Elimination Chamber was held in February 2018, with Alexa Bliss winning to retain the Raw Women’s title.
Carmella in April became the first woman to cash in a Money in the Bank contract when she successfully cashed in on Charlotte to become SmackDown Women’s champion.
Renee Young became the first woman to be part of the commentary team on an episode of Raw in August and that role has now become full time.
The WWE also created history in the UAE last December when a WWE women’s title match was held in the country for the first time as Alexa Bliss took on Sasha Banks in Abu Dhabi.
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