In episode seven of NWA Powerrr, Jim Cornette made a racist joke on commentary that became the biggest news story about the promotion last month. After the outrage, Cornette resigned but the whole situation seemingly left a dark cloud over the new studio wrestling show.

It’s a real shame because the debacle distracted from the great things the NWA has done so far—namely putting together a strong and diverse women’s division.

With Allysin Kay as champion, the NWA brought in some great Latina representation to fill out the rest of the division. Thunder Rosa, Marti Belle, and Ashley Vox immediately make their women’s roster stand out next to other promotions’. Vox also gives them an LGBTQ+ wrestler to showcase.

When Melina joined the fray in episode seven, she added more star power to the group. Again, it’s too bad Cornette became the major talking point after the episode because the trio of Melina, Rosa, and Belle look so fresh and unique. There is no stable like them at any other promotion.

Moreover, it doesn’t feel like the NWA just threw them together. The trio doesn’t play into stereotypes or make references to its members’ ethnicities in a negative way for cheap heat. Instead, Melina is rightfully portrayed as a women’s wrestling legend and Thunder Rosa has been presented as a legitimate threat.

The way the promotion has presented Rosa, in particular, has been impressive. She has been treated like one of the biggest additions to the roster since the first episode. The mini-documentary about her first MMA fight, “Into the Cage,” gave her even more legitimacy.

Over the weekend, Tasha Steelz made her debut in a match with Rosa at Into The Fire. The Puerto Rican independent wrestler brings “more flavor” to the division in her own words and it’s hard to argue with that. Although she is also Hispanic, she brings something completely different to the table in terms of character and in-ring ability.

It is truly refreshing to see a women’s division that predominantly consists of women of color. More importantly, it’s good that the NWA has a good handle on them so far. Frankly, representation and inclusion have been thrown around as buzzwords by some companies, who haven’t implemented them well. The NWA hasn’t tried to bring attention to it and their use of each woman has been great.  

Nevertheless, some fans will have a hard time looking past Cornette’s comments or the way the promotion handled the situation. It will be difficult to gain those viewers’ trust in the aftermath but what the NWA is doing with their women’s division is a step in the right direction. It doesn’t seem like that is their intent, but it is the metaphorical silver lining is a dark cloud.

No matter what you think of the NWA, these talented women deserve the recognition. After all, Powerrr has been a solid show and the women’s division has been worth keeping an eye on. Heading into the second season, we hope to see more from them.

What do you think? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think of NWA and its women’s division.