Friday Night SmackDown in early 2026 stands at a crossroads. Once touted as a brand with star power, the women’s division has devolved into a shallow card lacking credible challengers, meaningful feuds, and the weekly storytelling needed to sustain three clear tiers of competition — main event, midcard, and tag team. WWE’s creative must course-correct now or risk watching its SmackDown women’s brand continue to stagnate.

The ingredients are there — a legitimate Women’s Champion in Jade Cargill, a newly energized U.S. title picture with Giulia, and tag team wrestling that has been serviceable at best. What’s missing is cohesive direction, depth, storytelling investment, and main-roster-ready talent being used wisely.

This isn’t a theory — fans and critics alike are growing increasingly vocal about the booking issues and the emptiness of WWE’s women’s division, with repeated frustration over lackluster follow-throughs and wasted potential.

1. Fix the Main Event: Jade Cargill’s Title Needs Stakes

Jade Cargill holds the WWE Women’s Championship, but her reign has been widely criticized for a startling lack of televised defenses and meaningful rivalries. One recent analysis noted that weeks can pass without the title even being defended — a championship that should anchor SmackDown’s women’s storytelling ends up barely featured, making it feel irrelevant.

What WWE Must Do

• Craft a WrestleMania-worthy feud now — not in April. Jade’s destructive persona should face real challengers weekly, not just appear in talk segments.
• Leverage credible opponents: names like Rhea Ripley (if available) or NXT standout stars like Jacy Jayne or Sol Ruca could be integrated into the title picture to give both women credibility.
• Build a rivalry arc with someone who feels competitive — not an endless parade of squash matches — so every SmackDown feels like part of a title journey.

2. Midcard Revolution: Make the U.S. Title Matter Again

The Women’s United States Championship on SmackDown is one of the titles WWE introduced to add layers to the women’s roster — but its booking has been criticized as inconsistent and confusing, particularly in the Chelsea Green / Giulia feud.

Giulia reclaimed the U.S. title in dramatic fashion on Jan. 2, beating Chelsea Green in a match loaded with interference and faction heat. While that was a step in the right storytelling direction, it only underscores how fractured the division feels without a structured midcard tier.

What WWE Must Do

• Establish long-term reigns and challengers who feel credible — not just transitional holders.
• Let the U.S. title be a springboard for rising stars on SmackDown, not a consolation prize.
• Introduce a regular contender system (think contender tournaments or multi-week feuds) to give midcard feuds meaningful building blocks.

3. Tag Team Wrestling Isn’t Enough — It Must Be Meaningful

The Women’s Tag Team Championships are not exclusive to SmackDown, which is both an opportunity and a curse. Because the belts float between brands, they rarely feel anchored within the SmackDown women’s fabric, especially when main roster vets like Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss are busy with other angles.

What WWE Must Do

• Book a division within SmackDown — not just borrowed tag teams from Raw or cross-brand cameos.
• Elevate homegrown teams or real tag pairings from NXT (where tag dynamics already show promise) before bringing them up.
• Use tag feuds to build characters who can transition back into singles success.

4. Use NXT’s Deep Women’s Division as WWE’s Talent Farm

This is where WWE has undeniable assets. NXT’s women’s division is loaded with ready talent: Jordynne Grace is already appearing on SmackDown as a free agent — widely reported as her effective main roster call-up — giving hope that WWE is ready to use her figure-four presence on the blue brand.

But Grace is just the start. NXT boasts a long list of performers with main roster credibility and fan buzz:

• Jacy Jayne — current NXT Women’s Champion, proven as a clutch performer and storyline driver.
• Thea Hail — current NXT Women’s North American Champion, carrying momentum and a fresh feel.
• Sol Ruca — breakout star of NXT and female star of the year at its Year End Awards, signaling huge potential.
• Blake Monroe, Fallon Henley, Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan — each with distinct personalities and in-ring abilities, ready for main roster slots.

Fans have been vocal that SmackDown’s women’s division lacks depth and main event challengers — exactly the kind of problem NXT’s roster could help solve.

What WWE Must Do

• Call up multiple talents together — not just one at a time — to create layers of competition.
• Start with Grace, Jayne, Thea Hail, Sol Ruca, and Monroe — giving each a defined role (midcard contender, tag team contender, future main event).
• Give them distinct character arcs that carry over week-to-week, rather than throwaway appearances.

5. Layered Storytelling: Invest in Long-Term Arcs

The biggest criticism of SmackDown’s women’s division isn’t the talent — it’s the lack of layered storytelling. Without arcs that span weeks, meaningful wins and losses, and characters who grow, the division feels shallow. That’s why even talented names like B-Fab and Michin feel unused: without long arcs, any momentum dies before it begins.

This is not unique to SmackDown — fans have been frustrated with women’s creative across WWE for years — but SmackDown’s three-hour format makes the need for depth even more urgent.

What WWE Must Do

• Implement tiered feuds: for example, Grace vs. Jade for the title, Giulia vs. Monroe for the U.S. title, and a tag tournament for teams like Sol Ruca & Zaria vs. SmackDown pairs.
• Use authority figures to enforce contender matches, contracts, and stipulations that feel earned.
• Give each title match a build — not buried at the bottom of the show.

Conclusion: SmackDown Can Chase Glory — With a Plan

WWE’s women’s roster on SmackDown has more potential than it’s shown in 2026 so far. The talent exists. The hardware exists. The need for structure exists. What’s missing is consistent booking, layered storytelling, and a willingness to let new stars thrive alongside established ones.

SmackDown’s reboot could look like this:

• Main Event: Jade Cargill vs. Jordynne Grace — a collision between dominance and power that feels meaningful.
• Midcard: Giulia’s reign as U.S. Champion fuels rivalries with NXT call-ups like Blake Monroe or Thea Hail — giving each opportunity and stakes.
• Tag Tier: Sol Ruca & Zaria vs. SmackDown teams, building toward tag finals at major events.

That’s the blueprint for real depth — not recycled feuds and unused names, but story arcs with momentum, stakes, and meaning. Once that structure is in place, SmackDown’s women’s division can finally deliver the characters, narratives, and matches the roster deserves.

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