Britt Baker On AEW's Women's Division: "Have Patience, We're A New Company"
Britt Baker on AEW's growing women's division, Kenny Omega's role, Tony Khan, and more.
Britt Baker has spoken out on the current state of the AEW women's division, doing so in a new interview with the Miami Herald's Jim Varsallone.
On the criticism thrown at the scene, Baker reiterated her day-one call for patience, seemingly glad that people are finally taking note of the progress made in the division:-
"I mean I’ve said from day one to the people criticizing our division that you have to have patience with us. We’re a new company, a new brand, a new women’s division. Most of us have not had a single minute of TV time and we really got thrown into the deep end with a, ‘Have eight 10-minute live TV matches with commercial breaks and don’t forget to work the hard cam’ and this and that. But it was a growing process and I think now, people finally realize that all we needed was a little bit of time and sooner than later, we’re gonna prevail, we’re gonna be one of the strongest if not the strongest women’s division in all of wrestling."
2021 has seen a notable upturn for the widely-criticised scene. Through the Women's World Title Eliminator Tournament, high-calibre matches like Ryo Mizunami vs. Hikaru Shida, the emergence of new personalities, and feuds like Baker's with Thunder Rosa, the division has become a bigger, more important part of AEW's product.
That continues on this week's Dynamite, when Baker meets Rosa in AEW's first women's main event on TNT.
Baker went on, praising Tony Khan and Kenny Omega for their role in the division's growth, calling the latter the "heart and soul" of women's wrestling in AEW:-
"I mean, we can’t possibly say enough about Kenny and his passion for women’s wrestling. He’s the heart and soul behind women’s wrestling in AEW. But also Tony [Khan]. Tony, again, he’s so hands on with everything and he really wants to deliver the best product but he wants us to grow and adapt as wrestlers too."
Unveiled at AEW's first press conference in January 2019, Baker was immediately presented as a potential ace-like figure in the division. Things didn't work out for her as a babyface but an early-2020 heel turn yielded immediate positive results and now, with tonight's main event on the horizon, she is the most well-defined personality in the division.
Recent weeks have seen quarter-hours featuring women's matches post viewership increases for AEW Dynamite. It'll be interesting to see how Rosa and Baker's main event does, with its strong build and high levels of hype.