Why SmackDown Women's Division Is About to Shift Radically, More WWE, AEW Quick Takes

What was once All Elite Wrestling's greatest strength has become its most glaring weakness.

At the time of the its launch five years ago, the company boasted, arguably, the deepest tag team scene in the world. However, a lack of attention on the titles and the teams fighting for them has resulted in the division falling off considerably.

Enough talented tandems remain for it to be redeemed, but it won't be a quick fix.

The WWE women's division simultaneously finds itself on the rise, specifically on SmackDown. Nia Jax capturing the blue brand's top prize for the ladies creates a number of fresh feuds for the future, but the most obvious one is virtually guaranteed to be imminent.

For as stacked as the SmackDown women's division is, the addition of another notable name will ensure it stays that way for the foreseeable future.

This installment of Quick Takes will examine the inevitability that awaits the women of SmackDown, how a soft split for The New Day may be feasible, where Daniel Garcia will be best utilized, and more.

In the first few years of its existence, AEW earned a reputation for respecting tag team wrestling with some of the best bouts in the company's early history being tag team matches.

The division lost its way in the years that followed with many teams either breaking up, leaving the company or failing to evolve. The Young Bucks, FTR and The Acclaimed have been the only constants, and all three tandems will meet at All In on Sunday with the AEW World Tag Team Championship up for grabs.

The sense of sameness surrounding the title picture is what's preventing it from recapturing the magic it lost long ago.

Despite being a part of the top heel faction in AEW, the Bucks are currently a cold act and a wrong choice to be leading the division as champs. FTR and The Acclaimed have done some of their better work while in chase mode as of late but gain little from getting the belts back at this stage.

New blood is needed to make the scene interesting again along with a stronger focus on tag team wrestling itself. Some of the underutilized teams such as Private Party and Top Flight could also benefit from renewed pushes and can help "restore the feeling" the division once had.

Sometimes storytelling can be simple, as proved by the program between Andrade and Carmelo Hayes on SmackDown.

Both former NXT champions were directionless at the start of the summer but managed to generate a fair amount of buzz from their standout performances in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. They then transitioned into a full-fledged feud and have traded wins in a series of excellent singles matches over the last month.

Unsurprisingly, getting the chance to showcase their skills has gradually gotten them over with the audience.

Hayes avenging his previous two losses to Andrade in their latest encounter sets the stage for at least one more match, if not more. Mic time would allow them to add an extra layer of intensity, but at the very least, they've been given direction and have made the most of it.

The crowd's raucous rection to their post-match brawl on Friday was an indicator of how the formula they've followed for their rivalry so far has worked.

It remains to be seen how they'll be booked once it's over and if they'll be able to maintain the momentum, but the straightforward approach has afforded fans the opportunity to invest in them for the first time since arriving on the blue brand.

Having been an institution in WWE's tag team scene for almost a decade, it's almost impossible to envision The New Day ever actually splitting up at this point.

Despite how stagnant their on-screen act has become, the real-life bond Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E share has made them a beloved babyface stable that can consistently be counted on for quality entertainment.

That isn't to say WWE can't experiment with Woods and Kingston going their separate ways without actually turning on each other, though.

New Day's recent rivalry with The Final Testament has planted seeds of dissension between Kingston and Woods, with Karrion Kross claiming the latter is living in the former's shadow.

The introduction of Odyssey Jones has added an interesting wrinkle as well, though flat-out betraying his friend out of jealousy wouldn't be characteristic of the 2021 King of the Winner.

Instead, Woods wanting to branch out on his own and establish his own identity would make sense. He and Kingston can eventually rekindle their pairing and possibly team up on occasion, but both remaining members have more to gain from serving as singles stars than staying at the same level they've occupied for years.

There is a significant chance the idea of a New Day split fails, but it's worth a shot in an effort to switch things up where needed.

Fightful Select's recent report that Daniel Garcia's AEW contract is set to expire imminently has sparked speculation among fans as to whether he should re-sign or explore a possible run with WWE.

The brutal beatdown he endured at the hands of MJF on Dynamite in late June provided him with the perfect on-screen explanation for his exit if he does choose to leave. However, that angle is also exactly why he should ultimately make the decision to stay.

WWE will undoubtedly have interest in the former ROH Pure champion, yet it isn't feasible for the company to pun pen to paper with every promising ex-AEW prospect that becomes available.

If Garcia were to be brought into the NXT fold tomorrow, he'd likely get lost in the shuffle on any of the three brands. There simply isn't a spot for him that feels obvious, whereas in AEW, he has a ready-made rivalry with MJF upon his return and a greater opportunity to grow.

There are zero guarantees that a main-event push automatically awaits Garcia in AEW, but he has barely scratched the surface of what he's capable of and should stick around to see what more he can accomplish before considering a jump to WWE down the road.

It became clear on Friday's SmackDown that Michin might be first up for a shot at Nia Jax's newly-won WWE Women's Championship. A rematch with Bayley, perhaps at Bash in Berlin or at Bad Blood, is also within the realm of possibility.

The bigger feud fans should be keeping an eye out for is Jax vs. a returning Charlotte Flair.

The Queen vs. The 2024 Queen of the Ring writes itself in many ways. Her importance to the division is unmatched, and thus Flair is who Jax's reign should be built toward regardless of whether she's the one to take the title from her or not.

Flair's imminent return will also have an adverse effect on when Tiffany Stratton cashes in her Money in the Bank briefcase as well as the pending program between Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.

Flair vs. Stratton can easily be the WrestleMania match for the WWE Women's Championship, while The Queen vs. Belair is a dream feud we have yet to get. Bayley taking exception to Flair immediately being thrust back into title contention is another side story to pay attention to.

The SmackDown women's division is in good shape as it is, but Flair returning sooner rather than later will make matters infinitely more interesting.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.