On October 28th, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fans had the opportunity to witness the first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view in the company's history. This event, named Evolution, marked a significant step toward normalizing women in sports entertainment. This has been an amazing year to stumble back into the world of professional wrestling.
While WWE is a prominent name in sports entertainment, it's not the only wrestling company with female talent. The "indies" are on fire with intergender matches. Women are being celebrated in professional wrestling, but it wasn't always this way. Ladies have been putting their bodies on the line, in and out of the ring, in order to get to this point for years.
To all the divas, knockouts, athletes, wrestlers and superstars; I need to thank you ladies for all you do. Thank you for inspiring us. Thanks for the risks, the bumps and the long times on the road. So for now everyone keep fighting and remember to always keep sparkling!
The De-Evolution of Women's Wrestling (Our View Of WWE Evolution)
Early Days: Sideshows and Struggles
In the early 1900s, women were a part of the sideshows, scantily clad and performing feats of strength to keep the audience interested between acts.
However, the road was possibly the most dangerous place for women. Promoters like Billy Wolfe would use his power to have his girls get to wrestle, but only if they had sex with other promoters or wrestlers first. A woman’s worth wasn’t in the ring. That practice continued through the years, even with female promoters selling out their own girls. Despite the danger in and out of the ring women’s wrestling could not be stopped.
Read also: Women of Wrestling: A Revolution
Vintage women wrestlers in action.
The Golden Age: Mildred Burke and Mae Young
In the 1930s and 1940s, there was even what would be considered a high time for women in the ring. Women like Mildred Burke and Mae Young hit hard in the ring and had America watching. Mildred fought both men and women. She held the women’s Title for years and helped to bring in new talent. Later she traveled to Japan and helped to bring her style of wrestling there during a tour.
The Glamorous 80s: GLOW and the Rise of Television
The next exciting chapter for women’s professional wrestling came in the form of big hair, crazy personas and a lot of glitter. In the 1980s professional wrestling was going through some big changes. The WWE, then the WWF, was televised with some of the biggest names of wrestling at the time. Unfortunately women were not in the forefront this time.
Women who did wrestle were once again like the sideshow performers of old. Women were now managers like Miss Elizabeth. Women dressed up and cheated to help men win. That is how it was on television. Before she had a can of spray and NWO, a faction in WCW, black and white she was the “first lady of wrestling” because she looked like a movie star and hardly spoke. Miss Elizabeth was lauded for being seen and unconditionally loyal to her man no matter what he did.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love Miss Elizabeth but not every woman should be have to be her. Suddenly there was a wrestling show that was all women. They did funny skits. They had storylines. They also wrestled. The cast had learned real wrestling moves and used them in matches. Some of them were heels (or bad guys) who wore punk apparel in their pink ring. The women were the stars and they put themselves in a lot of danger to do so. While GLOW was canceled after four years of glitter and goofs it proved that women could wrestle on television.
Read also: From Sideshow to Main Event
The Attitude Era: Progress Amidst Sexism
The 1990s and early 2000s gave fans would would become known as “the Attitude Era.” It was brash, unapologetic and fairly sexist. It was an odd time in wrestling, changes were coming for women but there was still a strong sentiment of a womens role in the ring. Debra, who was a manager who wore short skirts and open suite jacks with push up bras, was a main player while commentators drooled over her “puppies.” The WCW had the Nitro Girls dancing at every show. However there were also women actually wrestling in some matches.
This was the time I started watching. My first match I ever saw featured Chyna, the Queen of the Ring. Chyna was a female bodybuilder outside the ring. She joined as a bodyguard for two male stars. She was the first woman to compete in a Royal Rumble. Chyna was also the first women to be in a King of the Ring Tournament. She was also the first female Intercontinental Champion. Chyna was big, powerful but also was given romantic storylines. She showed that a women could be many things at once, all of them successful so long as they were given opportunities and support.
The Divas Era and the Seeds of Revolution
The women’s division continued to bounce back and forth between progress in the WWE. The division became the “divas” division. Women were once again judged more like beauty contestants on beauty show then a wrestling show, particularly on early seasons of NXT. However there were the seeds of the revolution being sown. Divas like AJ Lee called out wage gaps in her scuffed Chuck Taylors.
The Four Horsewomen; Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair led the charge in the WWE. They have participated in many of the firsts for women. Recently the superstars, formerly known as “divas,” have gotten to participate in some amazing matches. Iron Man Matches. Money in the Bank matches, Royal Rumble matches, Mixed Match Tag matches and now their own pay-per-view.
Modern Era: Breaking Barriers and Making History
Women from all over the world are also participating in the Mae Young Classic, which is a tournament highlighting female talent in the industry. Renee Young, Beth Phoenix, Paige and two female referees have also been making history as the first female announcers and GM in the WWE. Wrestling has come a long way for women.
Read also: Champions in Women's UFC
While the focus of this article is about the WWE it is only right to highlight some other sources and female wrestlers. Impact Wrestling currently has a supernatural storyline featuring women with coffin matches. The storyline of friendship between a demon and a bubbly, pink clad wrestler as they fight an undead bride has been drawing in viewers for months. SHIMMER Women Athletes is a group based in Chicago whose focus is giving female athletes a place to shine while they kick butt. Blanche Babish, Solo Darling, Oceanea and Princess Kimberly fight anyone and everyone at the family friendly Lucha show that is CHIKARA Pro.
The history of women in professional wrestling is as interesting and varied as the industry itself. There are many wrestlers and different groups that make it special for fans. It is important that we show our support for something so historic and encourage the women in the industry to continue fighting and taking risks.
Key Figures in Women's Wrestling History
The following table highlights some of the most influential women in wrestling history:
| Wrestler | Notable Achievements |
|---|---|
| Mildred Burke | Held the women’s Title for years, fought both men and women, brought her style of wrestling to Japan. |
| Mae Young | A prominent figure in the early days of women's wrestling, known for her longevity and contributions to the sport. |
| Chyna | First woman to compete in a Royal Rumble, first female Intercontinental Champion. |
| Trish Stratus | Seven-time WWE Women's Champion, WWE Hall of Fame inductee. |
| Alundra Blayze (Madusa) | Three-time WWF Women's Champion, WCW World Cruiserweight Champion. |
| The Fabulous Moolah | Recognized as WWE's first Women's Champion. |
The Fabulous Moolah, a pioneering veteran of women's wrestling.