The February 21 episode of Friday Night SmackDown was already set to be a massive show with The Rock making his return, but WWEs decision to cut a scheduled womens match to make room for him has sparked a viral movement online.
Following reports that WWEs womens division has been frustrated with its booking heading into WrestleMania 41, fans took to Twitter/X on Friday to voice their anger. The hashtag #WWEWomenDeserveBetter exploded on social media, gaining even more traction after it was revealed that Naomi vs. Liv Morgan was pulled from the show.
One user didnt hold back, writing, Canceling a womens match just for a man who shows up once a year to talk rubbish is part of the reason the hashtag #WWEWomenDeserveBetter is trending so massively. Its so disrespectful to the women of this company to be pushed aside once again for men. Do f**king better.
Another post took direct aim at WWEs creative decisions, saying, THEY JUST CUT NAOMI VS LIV FOR THE ROCK. F**K THIS SHT. #WWEWomenDeserveBetter @TripleH.*
Many fans pointed out that NXT, despite being a two-hour show, consistently finds time to spotlight its womens division, while SmackDown, which has three hours, failed to keep a single womens match on the card. NXT is far from perfect imo, but at least they do a great job at giving both men and womens divisions equal time IN A 2 HOUR SHOW. SmackDown has 3 hours, theres no reason for this to be cut even with Dwayne. #WWEWomenDeserveBetter.
The backlash also extended to Triple H, who oversees WWEs creative direction. One user called out his decision-making, saying, The audacity of Triple H is actually insane to me. This man knows that #WWEWomenDeserveBetter has been trending since yesterday and decides to cut the only womens match to make space for The Rock F**K THIS MAN!!!
While WWE has been pushing for change in its womens division, moments like this reinforce why fans remain skeptical. Cutting a womens match to accommodate The Rocks returnespecially when the division has already been vocal about its frustrationonly adds fuel to the fire.
Do you think WWE needs to do more for its womens division, or was this just a one-time call for the sake of The Rocks return? Drop your thoughts below!
