5 Reasons WWE Should Have An Intergender Championship (& 5 Why They Should Not)

Wrestling fans were blown away in 2014 when Lucha Underground began airing for a multitude of reasons. One of them was the way it brought the idea of intergender wrestling to television. Men competing against women was a frequent occurrence on the independent scene but was uncommon outside of a handful of matches. This made it mainstream.

Despite intergender wrestling bringing us some stellar matches over the years, WWE has shied away from this prospect. It reached a point where they even changed the rules to mixed tag matches so the one gender has to tag out of the match when another enters. Some folks are all for an intergender title being brought into WWE and some think it's a horrible decision. We're listing the pros and cons of this idea.

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10 Shouldn't: There's Already Too Many Titles

Regardless of your opinion on the idea of women wrestling against men, there's one thing most people seem to agree with. WWE has a lot of championships. There are currently four titles on each brand, the 24/7 Title, the Women's Tag Titles, four in NXT, three in NXT UK, and one on 205 Live. That's a lot of gold.

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If an intergender division does one day become a reality, there doesn't need to be a title assigned to it. The matches can still happen and be done in cases where the story calls for it but having another title to compete for adds to how crowded things are. Imagine trying to fit all of these championships onto one Clash of Champions event.

9 Should: It Works Elsewhere

This is more for the argument that WWE should have intergender matches rather than going so far as to add a title. The concept of intergender wrestling has worked wonders in other companies. As noted, Lucha Underground did it with great success and women went on to hold several of their titles.

WWE currently has Candice LeRae under contract and she made a name for herself in some stellar matches against men on the indies. Her tag team with Joey Ryan was one of the hottest acts in places like PWG. Former WWE signee Kimber Lee is another consistent intergender performer and former ECW and WWE star Jazz became popular for beating up dudes.

8 Shouldn't: It Promotes Domestic Violence

That's one of the major arguments against this kind of wrestling. There are people out there who believe men wrestling women promotes violence in a relationship. If it's okay to see on television, then some might view it as okay at home. It happens in a lot of movies and TV shows, so it shouldn't be a problem in WWE but it could be.

Whether their claims are valid or not, if there are enough people who feel this way WWE will probably avoid it. They are a publicly-traded company. That means avoiding bad press is a must for them. Just to prevent any issues stemming from this, WWE should probably not go this route.

7 Should: The Teases We've Gotten Have Been Great

Though WWE hasn't pulled the trigger on intergender wrestling, they aren't shy about giving us some teases. Two years ago, the lowly James Ellsworth challenged the dominant Asuka to a "Battle of the Sexes." Asuka proceeded to destroy Ellsworth in one of the more fun segments involving either person.

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Earlier this year, Nia Jax entered the men's Royal Rumble. She threw around several male wrestlers before coming face to face with Randy Orton. To the surprise of many, Orton nailed her with the RKO and the crowd went nuts. Jax was also scheduled for a singles match with Dean Ambrose at one point in 2019. And we loved every second of it.

6 Shouldn't: WWE Hasn't Always Taken It Seriously

As entertaining as the James Ellsworth/Asuka "Battle of the Sexes" segment was, it was played for laughs. That has been the case pretty often when it comes to intergender wrestling in WWE. You either get an attempt to be funny or it's done in a way where it doesn't come across as competitive.

For example, the past has seen situations like Umaga getting booked to face Maria Kanellis and that was just a simple way to gain sympathy for Maria and heat for Umaga. If you're going to have a title related to this concept, it needs to be competitive. WWE's lack of a good track record with intergender wrestling is a big warning sign.

5 Should: Mixed Match Challenge Concept Is Great

In 2018, a new show debuted on Facebook Watch and the WWE Network. It was the Mixed Match Challenge, which paired together male and female Superstars in a tournament setting. Some teams were real-life couples like Rusev and Lana or Naomi and Jimmy Uso. Others were surprising combinations like Miz and Asuka or Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman.

While this show wasn't going to produce any "match of the year" candidates, it did provide viewers with consistent entertainment. The matches were fun and felt different from everything else we get on a weekly basis. An intergender title could be a tag team title and the Mixed Match Challenge showed why that is a good idea.

4 Shouldn't: The Matches Should Be Rare And Special

In the event that intergender matches become a consistent thing in WWE, they might be best served to be done as special attractions. A case where getting to see a top female wrestler one on one with a top male is a big selling point for a show. It would be a major deal.

RELATED: 10 Mixed Tag Teams We’re Dying To See In The Mixed Match Challenge

If there was an intergender championship around, that means these kinds of matches would happen more often. While that's a good idea, in theory, it does mean that the matches don't often mean as much. That's what happened when things like Hell in a Cell and Ladder matches became more frequent.

3 Should: Women Are Just As Tough As Men

We live in an era where women are seen by many to be just as good, if not better than men. It was the ladies who headlined WrestleMania this year and the Royal Rumble last year. Nobody can watch Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, or Becky Lynch and consider them lesser than Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, and Roman Reigns.

That means that an intergender title would theoretically work. As long as the women are presented as equal to the men, it is something we'd love to see. When they get hit, it can't be viewed as unfair to them. Level the playing field and this would work wonders.

2 Wouldn't: The PG Rating

This is easily the biggest obstacle an intergender division faces. WWE is rated PG and that means their product is aimed at the whole family, including children. While that's not a problem since wrestling is historically a PG product, it can cause problems for this kind of match.

Young people are highly impressionable. Seeing their favorite superstars beat up on the opposite sex could spark them to try it in school or an environment like that. There's also WWE's deal with toy company Mattel. There's a reported clause in that contract prohibiting man on woman violence.

1 Should: Great Potential Matchups

As noted, the women of WWE are more talented than ever before. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Asuka, Ronda Rousey, Bianca Belair, and the list goes on and on. Since they're so great, the idea of watching some of them square off against the insanely talented men on the roster is exciting.

Who wouldn't want to watch Seth Rollins vs. Charlotte Flair? What about Ricochet vs. Bianca Belair? How about Daniel Bryan against Asuka? Maybe a married couple like Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae could have a competitive match for this title. Becky Lynch vs. John Cena is a dream match. The possibilities are almost endless and they're exhilarating to think about.

NEXT: 10 Intergender Matches WWE Will Never Book (But Should)

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