Ronda Rousey is currently the SmackDown Women’s Champion for a second time, having defeated Liv Morgan at Extreme Rules. However, if it were up to her, she would simply be the SmackDown Champion as she revealed on a recent YouTube stream, she doesn’t like including the word “women.” Seemingly though, WWE is against this, as Rousey confirms they have shown resistance to her request, and it is known WWE did previously discuss this a few years ago, contemplating it for NXT.
I don’t want to say women in the title anymore, and I think they are kind of resistant to taking it out. So then I was like, “Can I just not have to say it?” So then that’s kind of where it’s at.
With there not being a men’s SmackDown Champion, it does seem redundant to have to specify the gender of the holder. Ultimately though, it comes down to a tradition, with this being how wrestling promotions always have differentiated their titles, with women’s wrestling at one-time considered a niche part of the business. Now though, that has clearly changed with women’s championship matches having headlined WrestleMania, so perhaps WWE should get with the times. However, maybe a more significant issue in WWE is having multiple champions, regardless of gender.
