As January ends, we are officially one month into 2023, and women’s wrestling has had a great start and will likely improve as the year goes on.
On AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation, women have consistently put on great performances that will likely make a big impact in the AEW women’s division this year. I’ll list AEW’s key women for the rest of 2023 today.
Skye Blue
Skye Blue had been one of the most improved wrestlers on AEW’s roster since starting with the company in 2021. Skye has already had matches on Dynamite and Rampage against the likes of Jade Cargill, Britt Baker, Serena Deeb, Jamie Hayter, and other top stars in AEW. She has also been working on a regular basis with veteran Madison Rayne, which has been beneficial to her training and character development.
Skye had another chance to show AEW audiences who she is and why she deserves big matches. Skye hasn’t even begun to show her potential, and I think 2023 will be her best year yet. I expect her to compete in many AEW Women’s Championship and TBS Championship matches this year.
Julia Hart
Julia Hart is definitely one of the most mysterious women on AEW’s massive roster. Hart started with AEW in 2021 when she was aligned with the Varsity Blondes as a cheerleader. Julia Hart was misted by Malachai Black after the Varsity Blondes began fighting the House of Black. Over the next few weeks, Julia turned on the Varsity Blondes and joined the House of Black, developing a dark, witchy persona. Julia Hart has never lost on Dark or Elevation, but she has never won on Rampage or Dynamite.
She has been easily defeating most of her opponents and will soon target a main-rotation woman. I think Julia’s House of Black status scares her opponents. She benefits from her unique personality. Julia may appear in more TV matches and high-profile stories in 2023.
Willow Nightingale
Willow Nightingale has only been with AEW for a short amount of time but has already made an impact on the company. Fans of Ring of Honor and indie wrestling have been no strangers to Willow, and it has been great to see her in AEW and regularly having high-profile matches. Ranked #10 on WWT’s Top 25 Women of 2022, I believe Willow will have an even better year in 2023. She already had an incredible street fight this year on Rampage, which saw her teaming up with Ruby Soho to get the victory over Tay Melo and Anna Jay.
She also recently had a match on Dynamite, taking on former AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm. Willow has the versatility to be a star in whatever capacity Tony Khan wants to put her in, whether she is utilized in AEW or in the Ring of Honor. I truly don’t think Willow has even had her best year yet and being the fan favorite that she is, I’m sure we will continue to see her on Dynamite, Rampage, and upcoming pay-per-views.
The Bunny and Penelope Ford
I am listing Penelope Ford and the Bunny together because I truly think they work best as a tag team. Injuries have plagued the pair over the past couple of years; it seems as though whenever either of them starts gaining some momentum in the women’s division, they suffer an unfortunate injury that keeps them out of the ring for months at a time. Recently, fans have seen the Butcher and Blade team up with Kip Sabian, which leads to Penelope Ford and the Bunny getting involved in matches and doing whatever they can to ensure a win for their team.
Penelope and Bunny are no strangers to high-profile matches either. They had one of the most talked-about women’s matches in AEW history when they took on Anna Jay and Tay Melo in a street fight at New Year’s Slam in 2021. Even though it was a losing battle, AEW fans will always remember the iconic image of the Bunny with the red mask. As long as this pair stays healthy, 2023 could be their year to wreak havoc on the AEW women’s division.
Red Velvet
Former Baddie Red Velvet will be sure to stir it up in 2023. Red Velvet returned to Jade Cargill’s baddies after an injury sidelined her for most of 2022. After Red Velvet returned, Jade kicked Keira Hogan out of the Baddies, which upset Red Velvet. or Jade won’t like this, even though we don’t know the consequences.
A feud with the TBS Champion is just what Red Velvet needs to really elevate her in the division. Some AEW fans think Red Velvet will end Jade’s undefeated streak and win the TBS Championship. Red Velvet will likely dominate AEW in 2023, regardless of whether she defeats Jade.
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