10 Ups & 7 Downs For AEW In 2020 (So Far)

1. The Women's Division... Still

Significant work has gone into improving AEW's women's division, which is now several levels above the lacklustre scene it was last year.

Britt Baker is the best character in the company (more on her later). In Hikaru Shida, AEW boasts an elite worker capable of not only elevating lesser performers on Dynamite, but glueing the division together as a whole. Nyla Rose has excelled as an attention-grabbing powerhouse with awesome offense, despite some lingering greenness. Penelope Ford's character and in-ring work improve every time we see her.

Unquestionably, these are steps forward. They don't mean the division is fixed, though: the division still isn't where it needs to be, particularly when considering the quality of NXT's.

Shida is a tremendous wrestler but lacks character beyond "fighting spirit babyface," with AEW putting little effort into developing her personality. This is a problem across the board. The likes of Kris Statlander are promising but frequently over-stretch themselves, resulting in botches, and the lack of depth beneath the title scene has been exposed during the Empty Arena Era, leaving underdeveloped acts fighting for opportunities.

There's still work to do here, though the upward trajectory is encouraging.