WWE hasn’t always had the finest track record when it comes to booking their women’s division. However, WWE has finally made their female performers equal to their male counterparts, and they are now giving women their attention, even giving them Main Event slots on several Raw, Smackdown, and Premium Live Events this year. Below are my predictions for who will be on the rise in 2022 and who fans can expect to see more of as the year progresses.
Liv Morgan
From being in a Riott Squad to returning and being in a love triangle with Lana and Bobby Lashley, Liv Morgan has always been the fan-favorite when it comes to WWE’s programming of her character. Liv continues to demonstrate that she can compete in the ring with veterans and that she is improving in the ring. If Liv’s championship bout against Becky Lynch on WWE Day 1 didn’t illustrate why she deserves to be in the limelight more, then “Watch Her” complete her aim of being the Raw Women’s Champion in 2022.
2. Aliyah
Aliyah has been in the WWE since 2015, and her NXT career hasn’t always been the brightest, but she never gave up and continued to prove what she’s there for, which is to entertain the WWE universe in whatever role the company decides to book her in, and she goes above and beyond to show them why she is a valuable asset to the company. Aliyah won her maiden main roster match after teaming up with Sasha Banks and Naomi to defeat Shotzi, Natalya, and Shayna Baszler. Aliyah, on the other hand, was removed from the survivor series squad owing to Naomi’s relationship with Sonya Deville. She has yet to make a return to WWE Tv, but when she does, she will undoubtedly make it “Boujee.”
3. Cora Jade
Cora Jade has made waves in NXT 2.0 this year, defeating WWE/NXT mainstays Dakota Kai and Mandy Rose, as well as Taya Valkyrie while she was known as Franky Monet with the promotion. She shone brightest in this year’s women’s WarGames battle, winning the pin for her side over Toxic Attraction’s Jacy Jayne after she looked to dislocate her shoulder after diving from the cage. Fast forward to 2022, and Jade is faced with the greatest match of her career: a triple threat for the NXT Women’s Championship against Mandy Rose and Raquel Gonzalez at NXT New Year’s Evil.
4. Xia Li
Prior to being teamed with Boa and Mei Ying in NXT, this breakthrough Chinese martial arts prodigy floundered. Even back then, Li wasn’t doing much, yet she did make it onto a TakeOver when she competed against Mercedes Martinez. Surprisingly, Xia joined the SmackDown roster in the 2021 WWE Draft, having previously done a series of dark matches on Smackdown. Xia, now known as “The Protector,” made her SmackDown debut on December 10th, protecting Naomi from a beatdown attack by Sonya Deville, Natalya, and Shayna Baszler. WWE may decide to wait until the new year to officially launch her new campaign. This is her first major run, after all, and she can’t be expected to ace it right away, so she needs time. The Royal Rumble, like Veer Mahaan, will be the ideal opportunity to get her moving with the main roster and in the Mix of things. She’s not going to win the match, but a strong run should put her on the right track to dazzle in 2022 and win her maiden championship.
5. Shotzi
Shotzi’s time in NXT was brief, but she was able to win her first championship with the promotion, the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships, which she shared with Ember Moon, and they were the longest reigning NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions in NXT history. Her main roster career, on the other hand, got off to a difficult start, with Nox’s contract being terminated prematurely. Shotzi participated in a Smackdown highlight match with Sasha Banks and another with Charlotte Flair. Shotzi will continue to TCB on Smackdown until she achieves gold in 2022.
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