Anna Jay? Cut the...

Is it weird one of AEW’s biggest stars has no real story at the moment? Jade Cargill handles whatever the company throws her with grace and skill. The best thing about her current situation is The Baddies. Putting Kierra Hogan and Red Velvet into a stable with Jade was a masterstroke. Besides the fact neither woman was really doing anything at the time, it provides both a chance to show some character and personality.

But, yeah, that’s basically it. The fact Anna Jay is challenging Jade for the TBS championship again is the biggest sign AEW needs more development in its women’s division and, specifically, more compelling stories for Jade. As Jade said, this is a girl she already beat. While Anna helping out Kris Statlander is a great character moment and perfectly in continuity, there’s no real sizzle here. Not just because Jade is crushing everyone, but because she as a character doesn’t sweat anyone either. This isn’t to say Jade needs a sudden dose of humility—perish the thought—but the company needs a properly built contender who makes her drop at least one bead of sweat. The other issue here is making Jade way too big for the TBS title. Seriously, think about it. The last challenger they told us was a big challenge for her? Jade dusted her off. To say nothing of the fact most of her matches were on Dark or Dark Elevation. That puts everyone in a tough spot, including both women.

What we need is someone credible with an interesting story. I love the idea of Mark Sterling setting up easy fights for Jade to inflate her record while protecting her. We got a hint of that the last go round but, well, we all saw how that went. Whoever gives Jade her first L has to earn it. Not just in the ring, but mostly in the eyes of the fans. This match reeks of someone *cough TK* believing Jade needs airtime at Double or Nothing and just giving her a match. While I don’t disagree with the theory, that doesn’t mean she needs an actual match. Especially one that only came together a couple weeks ago. Yes, it’s great Double or Nothing features multiple women on the card. Yes, it’s also great Jade and Anna are two of those women. But just putting the match here to check off a box without doing any of the work to get us from a solid point A to a dope point B misses the mark.

Jade and Anna put on a solid match on Rampage back in January. I’m sure they’ll deliver again. But this isn’t exactly the best position for either woman. Give your talent all the tools they need to succeed and make the audience not spend their time in the restroom line.

Oh, and if he’s reading this: Tony? Cut the shit.