AEW Women's Division: 5 Reasons To Be Cheerful

5. The Eliminator Tournament

All credit to Hikaru Shida - if her reign hasn't hit the heights it should've, it's not due to a lack of effort on her part.

Realising that the title's importance was fading fast, Shida and Omega approached Tony Khan and outlined an international tournament designed to find the next competitor for Hikaru's belt. To his credit, Khan told them to go ahead and the result was the recent Eliminator Tournament. (Source via diva-dirt.com)

The decision to host the tournament in two different countries was a masterstroke. As well as highlighting the best female wrestlers in America, it allowed the AEW audience to reconnect with Japanese talent such as Riho and Yuka Sakazaki. It also gave a platform for unfamiliar faces to shine, further deepening the company's talent pool.

Also, the fact Shida was given the go-ahead to produce the matches in Japan shows the incredible level of trust AEW has in their Women's Champion. Can you imagine Vince McMahon giving Asuka the green-light to run a tournament for her belt on RAW? She had to get her teeth knocked down her throat just to get a storyline!