Why Has Taya Valkyrie Been Forgotten By AEW?
Andrew Patterson Highlights
- Taya Valkyrie has been underutilized in AEW, with high-profile losses and sparse appearances on television.
- AEW's booking of the women's division is a frequent criticism, with women receiving less time and fewer matches compared to the men.
- AEW needs to do better in utilizing Valkyrie's talents and improving the overall presentation of their women's division.
On the March 15, 2023, edition of AEW Dynamite, Taya Valkyrie made her presence felt when she emerged as a major threat to Jade Cargill’s TBS Championship. For months, she chased after the title. However, she never managed to capture it. In the end, it was Kris Statlander who dethroned Cargill and became the TBS Champion. In the months following, Valkyrie also challenged Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World Title and lost in her effort. Since then, it has felt like she has steadily declined in her place on the card. From being a name that could be a major player in the AEW’s division by now to sparsely appearing on television.
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She Thrived In TNA, But Was Underutilized In NXT
When Valkyrie came into AEW, the company had a truly massive opportunity. In NXT, Valkyrie’s talents were underutilized and wasted. She was there for less than a year and wrestled a total of six matches. Speaking on AEW Unrestricted (h/t Wrestling Inc), she said, “I tried to run with it and I did my best under the circumstances. I'll be the first to admit I was there at a very crazy time, not only within that company, but also within the world that we exist in. I don't think I was given a fair chance at all, but just like I said, I have to hold on to those moments when I was super happy and when I was super excited.”
Why Taya Valkyrie's WWE NXT Run Was Completely Wasted
Taya Valkyrie debuted as Franky Monet in WWE NXT and seemed set to be a big star. However, WWE completely wasted her talents and released her.Outside WWE, Valkyrie had shown what she was capable of doing. In TNA, Valkyrie had thrived in the promotion as a top name in the Knockouts Division for a very long time. She holds the record for the longest reign of the Knockouts World Championship at 377 days. In addition, she is also a former Knockouts World Tag Team Champion. Valkyrie has also put on stellar matches with the likes of Deonna Purrazzo, Jordynne Grace, and Rosemary. She also did great work in Lucha Underground alongside her real life husband, John Hennigan (John Morrison in WWE).
Professional Debut | 1/22/2011 |
Notable Accomplishments | TNA Knockouts Champion, AAA Reina de Reinas Champion, MLW World Women's Featherweight Champion |
Notable Rivals | Jade Cargill, Deonna Purrazzo, Jordynne Grace |
Taya Valkyrie Has Been Underutilized By AEW
Forgotten After Jade Cargill Feud
With all of this known, AEW could have built on what Valkyrie did in TNA. They could have succeeded where WWE failed. She came into tremendous fanfare and people were excited to see her. It felt like she legitimately could have been the one to dethrone Jade Cargill. But, none of this has happened so far. Valkyrie has taken numerous high profile losses in AEW that have not been beneficial to her.
Nowadays, she has competed mostly in dark matches on AEW Dynamite. She has not had a televised win since she defeated Skye Blue in July. The last time she wrestled on television, she teamed with Anna Jay and The Bunny and lost to Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., Hikaru Shida, and Skye Blue on Rampage.
Taya Valkyrie's AEW Booking Shows A Bigger Problem
AEW Needs To Do Better With Its Women's Division
It is truly unfortunate that AEW is not utilizing Valkyrie in the way that they could. She has all it takes to be one of the biggest stars in all of AEW, but she is not. This also leads to a deeper discussion surrounding AEW’s booking of the women’s division. Since AEW’s inception, the booking of women in the company has been a frequent criticism. With so many talented women on the roster, many get little time on television if they are not involved in a title feud. They are not given as many matches on television compared to the men. They are also not given as much time as the men on television.
Ultimately, AEW must do better in their booking of their women’s division. They have an absolutely fantastic roster of women that have put on incredible, classic matches. Toni Storm, Hikaru Shida, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., Jamie Hayter, Taya Valkyrie, Willow Nightingale, Nyla Rose, Taya Valkyrie, and many, many more are all tremendous and talented professional wrestlers. AEW needs to do a much better job of the presentation of their women’s division for their wrestlers and for the fans who watch them compete.
There is still time for AEW to do a better job with their booking of Valkyrie. She is a top tier star who can be vital in building up the women’s division to be better. Her resume speaks for itself in this regard, based on her past record in professional wrestling. She is a multi-time champion, has wrestled around the world, and has put on fantastic matches. For this to happen, however, AEW also needs to do better for their women’s division. They must give women more time on-screen, in matches, and do better overall in their presentation of women’s wrestling.
