While the queue for the top of the women's division is about as long as a f***ing Lynyrd Skynyrd song, its someone at the very bottom of the pile who caught the eye this week. Kayden Carter, yet again chosen as the meat in a squash match, surely deserves so, so, so much better in 2020. Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair and, now, Mia Yim have all had their sub-5-minute fun with her, but every time she's over-delivered massively.
The former "Lacey Lane" and Mae Young Classic 2018 quarter-finalist (beaten by Meiko Satomura and getting a scalp over Taynara Conti) should not be in this position anymore. Possibly a victim of the TV move demanding polish from even the lowliest on the card, she has impressed in every single outing without once taking the shine or the spotlight from the woman she's been sent out to put over.
Quite where she fits in this year is tricky though. Short of splitting the TV down the middle for the men and the women, there's likely only going to be 2 substantial spots on any given show, and upwards of 5 established feuds to fit into them. With a possible heel stable emerging around Chelsea Green, having a group of women come together to counter it could be a realistic platform for her.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
