There have been some rumors floating around regarding WWE’s women’s divisions. The first rumor, which seems plausible, is that Maryse is returning to the ring for a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania. She would be teaming up with her husband, The Miz, to take on the couple of Nikki Bella and John Cena. The second rumor, which seemed farfetched at first but now might come to fruition, it that Kelly Kelly is interested in coming back for a run now that women’s wrestling is taken seriously in WWE.
Last week, SmackDown hinted at the WrestleMania rumor in two different scenarios. The first hint was in the Falls Count Anywhere match between Nikki Bella and Natalya. Natalya threw Bella into Maryse backstage for the second time since Elimination Chamber, and Maryse attacked Bella with a pipe to cost her the match. The second hint was in the #1 Contender’s Battle Royal, where John Cena eliminated the Miz, but Miz immediately came back into the ring to eliminate Cena. To top it all of, John Cena is supposed to be on MizTV next week.
Kelly Kelly has been pretty open about her interest in a return, stating that she “would come back for like a run, a mini-run or something.” She has also teased a brief appearance at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, which be a quick re-introduction to fans before she comes back for her “mini-run.”
There is no doubt that WWE still has some work to do with its women’s divisions, and the returns of Maryse and Kelly Kelly could help the issue of depth. Both women are former Divas Champions, and now that women’s wrestling is at the forefront of WWE television, they could be given a better chance to shine.
The concern of bringing back Maryse and Kelly Kelly is in regards to the era they were featured in. In the early-mid 2000s, women like Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, and Victoria helped bring their division to a level that was taken seriously. Unfortunately, they all seemed to leave at around the same time, forcing WWE to go into a reboot. This led to the era of the “Diva Search.”
The “Diva Search” was a contest that would repeat periodically, and would search to turn models into pro wrestlers. Since this worked so well with Trish Stratus, their confidence for this approach is understandable. What also came with this, though, was what some might call a joke of a women’s division. The days of focusing on sex appeal weren’t over, and in-ring ability diminished. Sure, there were always great women like Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, and Mickie James, but there was a plethora of women who hadn’t reached that level of in-ring fluidity.
Going back to the WWE Network to watch the work of Maryse and Kelly Kelly helps the concept of seeing them in action today. Maryse always seemed to have her character down (and she definitely does now), but her in-ring work was never the best. If she was paired with the right opponent, like Michelle McCool or Gail Kim, she could put on a good match (even though most Divas matches were 3-4 minutes long). Watching her match with a young Eve Torres, for example, there was a big dip in quality compared to her other matches. Luckily for Maryse, Nikki Bella and the rest of the SmackDown roster are great in the ring, so she should be able to fit in just fine.
It is a little tougher seeing Kelly Kelly in the ring with the likes of Becky Lynch, Charlotte, Nia Jax, and Asuka, since she always seemed one step away from being good in the ring. With the overhaul that NXT has gotten, it seems like Kelly would be a better fit in the developmental brand along with Liv Morgan, Aliyah, and the new signees. There is no doubt that Kelly is a passionate competitor that cares about what she does, but the expectations for women’s wrestling have elevated since she left. If women like Cameron and Emma can go back to NXT to hone their craft further, it is not insulting in any way for Kelly to do the same. Who knows, maybe she’ll be the one to dethrone Asuka.
There are definitely places in WWE for Maryse and Kelly Kelly. Whether those places are the same as they were in 2009 are to be debated, but there is always a role to be filled. The Four Horsewomen are the center of attention when it comes to the “Women’s Evolution,” but there is definitely room for former Superstars to come back.
