Fans Erupt After WWE Cancels Women’s Match for The Rock’s SmackDown Return

The February 21 episode of Friday Night SmackDown was already set to be a massive show with The Rock making his return, but WWE’s decision to cut a scheduled women’s match to make room for him has sparked a viral movement online.

Following reports that WWE’s women’s 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 didn’t hold back, writing, “Canceling a women’s 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. It’s 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 WWE’s 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 women’s division, while SmackDown, which has three hours, failed to keep a single women’s match on the card. “NXT is far from perfect imo, but at least they do a great job at giving both men and women’s divisions equal time IN A 2 HOUR SHOW. SmackDown has 3 hours, there’s no reason for this to be cut even with Dwayne. #WWEWomenDeserveBetter.”

The backlash also extended to Triple H, who oversees WWE’s 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 women’s match to make space for The Rock… F**K THIS MAN!!!”

While WWE has been pushing for change in its women’s division, moments like this reinforce why fans remain skeptical. Cutting a women’s match to accommodate The Rock’s return—especially when the division has already been vocal about its frustration—only adds fuel to the fire.

Do you think WWE needs to do more for its women’s division, or was this just a one-time call for the sake of The Rock’s return? Drop your thoughts below!