Fixing WWE Raw Women's Division, How Adam Cole's Return Helps AEW, More Quick Takes

For as hot of a rivalry as Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan have had for the better part of 2024, the WWE Raw women's division remains in a less-than-stellar state.

The division's stunning lack of depth is even more apparent now, with Raw returning to a two-hour format last week. Ripley and Morgan have done what they can to carry it this year, but major changes are necessary to correct course.

All Elite Wrestling is addressing its own creative deficiencies, and the company's latest pay-per-view, WrestleDream, was another solid step in the right direction, mainly because of the returns of Adam Cole and MJF.

MJF's absence from AEW TV was brief, but Cole's getting cleared to compete will be a great benefit to the company if he's utilized properly.

With Jon Moxley winning the world title for a fourth time at the event and Bryan Danielson ending his run as a full-time wrestler, the main event scene could use a boost and Cole would be a welcome addition.

This installment of Quick Takes will examine where Cole fits into the top of the card in AEW right now, why The Rock's role at WrestleMania 41 shouldn't be in doubt, SmackDown finding the strong secondary storyline that it has desperately needed, and more.

The stellar dynamic Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley have had as rivals has been fun for fans to follow throughout 2024. Despite the disappointing finish to their Bad Blood bout, Raquel Rodriguez's return has extended the feud's shelf life for at least another month or so.

Once that finally runs its course, though, WWE won't have many interesting directions to go in with the Women's World Championship because minimal effort has been put into getting other stars over in the meantime.

The emphasis on faction wars involving Pure Fusion Collective, Damage CTRL and any combination of Katana Chance, Kayden Caryer, Lyra Valkyria, Natalya and Zelina Vega has resulted in meaningless matches and basic stories that haven't elevated anyone.

An eventual midcard championship for the women will be beneficial, but until then, WWE must find a way to create compelling rivalries with the remainder of the division.

For starters, Valkyria receiving a renewed singles push would allow her to regain the momentum she had in the spring and prepare her for a program with Morgan.

Iyo Sky will be useful as a singles star again when the time comes, and Pure Fusion Collective needs to be booked more consistently to be taken seriously.

The talent is there on the red brand, but WWE has so far failed to get the audience invested in most of them.

In the closing moments of Bad Blood, The Rock shockingly showed up and issued a warning to Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, both of whom were standing in the center of the ring.

The stage was seemingly set for WrestleMania 41 until Dave Meltzer reported in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Rock likely wouldn't appear after all, which would have rendered his return at Bad Blood pointless.

The Great One didn't waste much time responding to the report and denying it. Although anything can change between now and WrestleMania season, it would be asinine to tease a marquee match for him for the second straight year and not deliver.

Rock will be busy with either Rhodes or Reigns in some capacity, but if he did miss 'Mania on April 19-20, it's not as if The Show of Shows would fall apart without him.

Rhodes has a WrestleMania-worthy opponent in Randy Orton waiting in the wings if need be, while Reigns and Jacob Fatu could believably have their first-ever one-on-one encounter on that card as well.

It's safe to assume The Rock is a lock for WrestleMania 41, but if not, WWE has enough backup options to pivot.

It took much longer than it should have, but Konosuke Takeshita is finally on the rise in AEW with gold in his grasp.

Don Callis' prize pupil bested Will Ospreay and Ricochet in a tremendous three-way at WrestleDream to clinch the International Championship. This came after a year and a half of being aligned with Callis and racking up wins over Kenny Omega that amounted to nothing.

Takeshita was long overdue for a significant singles push, and thus, crowning him the new champ was the correct call. Now, the key is to capitalize on his buzz and ensure he continues to ascend the ranks.

The 29-year-old is too talented to be positioned as a background player or a stepping stone for anyone, but he's a perfect fit as an international champion in that he can have show-stealing matches with almost anyone on the roster and simultaneously bolster his stock.

The Don Callis Family has largely been a bust since forming, but Takeshita taking the title combined with Kyle Fletcher's betrayal of Ospreay makes matters infinitely more interesting with the faction.

SmackDown has been all about The Bloodline for the last four years. The family saga has had its fair share of peaks and valleys, but Roman Reigns' recent return hasn't been enough to restore the show's must-see vibe.

However, Kevin Owens cementing his heel turn on Friday's edition of the show and kick-starting issues with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton was just what the blue brand needed.

KO's change of character has been subtly teased for weeks, and his attack on the undisputed WWE champion after the event went off the air was a brilliant way of getting fans talking.

It's already been established that Rhodes will face Gunther in a champion vs. champion match at Crown Jewel on November 2, but the chaos unfolding with Owens, Rhodes, and Orton makes for an even stronger road to Survivor Series four weeks later.

Reigns and Jimmy Uso needing backup to combat The Bloodline and potentially reuniting with Jey Uso is exciting, but the top title needed to be made the focal point again and Owens setting his sights back on the belt accomplishes that.

Bryan Danielson's departure from AEW as a full-time performer leaves a major void toward the top of the card, which is why Adam Cole's long-awaited comeback couldn't have come at a better time.

The former NXT champion made his presence felt at WrestleDream when he returned from a year-long layoff due to injury and immediately targeted his archrival, MJF.

The roles were reversed the last time they crossed paths at Double or Nothing, but with everything that's transpired since then, it's only organic to go forward with Cole as the babyface in the feud.

It doesn't have to be dragged out for a six-month stretch as their original storyline lasted long enough in 2023, but the former NXT star getting revenge on MJF is the logical direction for him right now. From there, he can reclaim his spot in the AEW World Championship picture.

Above all else, The Undisputed Kingdom should be a thing of the past with Cole flying solo as a fan favorite.

The 35-year-old has been on the cusp of main event greatness multiple times in AEW before injuries halted his momentum, so if he can stay healthy, he will be in a prime position to challenge Jon Moxley soon and possibly be the one to dethrone him.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.