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Upon the ascension of Triple H to the head of WWE's creative team in July, fans have been treated to a significant rise in quality across both Raw and SmackDown. One such area that has seen an added level of focus is the women's divisions on both shows. With Ronda Rousey finally positioned as a heel against Liv Morgan and the return of Bayley alongside the debuts of IYO SKY and Dakota Kai, there is a lot to love about the female action inside the WWE ring right now. However, with the arrival of Damage Control, there have been some glaring issues with the group since their shocking debut at WWE SummerSlam 2022. Despite capturing the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles, and with Bayley now looking for a title shot against Bianca Belair, could the faction already be considered a flop in just a matter of months?
Bayley, IYO SKY, And Dakota Kai Lack Chemistry Together
While using Bayley to help introduce both Dakota Kai and IYO SKY as former NXT stars was a good decision on paper, in execution it has not come across in the same manner. Looking great as a unit, the faction lacks any real reason for being together, with them just sort-of arriving on Monday Night Raw as a new all-female group and declaring war on the division. In NXT, Kai and SKY were often rivals, while neither girl ever really interacted with Bayley all that much, but now they are presented as a cohesive unit.
While the reasoning could be explained later, the team also lacks the chemistry that is needed to make factions feel memorable. With Bayley being the only one of the trio that is supremely talented on the microphone, it has left a lot to be desired with Damage Control, as not only do they feel like they were randomly put together, but they also do not mesh all that well as a unit.
Bayley Has Barely Wrestled Since Her WWE Return
After months of speculation, Bayley would finally grace our screens at SummerSlam, returning after being sidelined with a serious injury. Despite rumors of her return dating back to the 2022 Royal Rumble, it would not be until July that the former Raw and SmackDown Women's Champion would make her grand return. Since then, she has wrestled a total of four matches on television.
While she is coming off of an extended injury, now positioned as the leader of a faction and the top heel challenger on Raw for Bianca Belair, it goes without saying that Bayley should be wrestling more in order to build her credibility ahead of her clash with Belair at Extreme Rules. At this point, she feels more like a special attraction or part-time manager, part-time wrestler with Damage Control, rather than a World Championship Contender.
Dakota Kai And IYO SKY Are Not Being Booked Well
Even despite the fact thay Bayley has barely wrestled since coming back, that could be forgiven if it was in order to truly establish and get Dakota Kai and IYO SKY over with the main roster audiences. While some will surely argue that the creative team is trying, there are more signs pointing in the opposite direction. Upon their debut at SummerSlam, Kai and SKY seemed like major names to be added to the Raw Women's Division, and yet they have actively been booked to look bad since debuting in July. Taking multiple clean losses, and IYO suffering a DQ loss against Bianca Belair, neither Kai nor SKY have been protected since arriving on Monday NIghts. While they are Bayley's underlings, with the leader of the group not wrestling regularly, they have been the main focus of Damage Control so far.
Losing the in the finals of the Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament before then beating the newly crowned champions in their first defense has undeniably been the worst booking decision regarding Damage Control. Instead of striking while the iron was hot, the belts were put onto Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez randomly instead of just giving Dakota and IYO their moment in the spotlight. With highly questionable booking, even with strong in-ring performances, it comes as no shock that the WWE Universe is not giving IYO SKY and Dakota Kai very good reactions during their matches and segments, as the audience has not been given a reason to care about them.