Revolution or Effect? The Rise of Women's Wrestling

1:06 am October 15, 2015

Revolution or Effect? The Rise of Women's Wrestling

"Each person must live their life as a model to others." – Rosa Parks
"The way of a pioneer is always rough" – Harvey S. Firestone

This past week marked a first for WWE. Bayley and Sasha Banks were the first women to compete in an IronMan (or IronWoman?) match at NXT Takeover: Respect. The previous NXT Takeover event was the first time the same women would close the show. While women's wrestling has always been featured in WWE, it hasn't been until very recently where it was promoted more prominently on television. If you had turned the clock back two years ago, most fans at home would groan when a Divas match was on WWE TV. Now, the division is one of the hottest attractions. It isn't a coincidence that this "Divas Revolution" (as it's labeled) has such a buzz. Frankly, it's been brewing for a long time. This week, I'm going to recount women's wrestling on a broad scale from the 1930s through the present with the NWA and WWE. Then, I'll dissect the reasons for this change.

So why did women's wrestling languish for a long time? I've heard a variety of reasons, ranging from "Women don't know how to work!" Or how about, "women's wrestling is an attraction, not a draw!" Or, to take the cake, "women are biologically different, so they can't work like men." These are all true statements, by the way, that were heard by my ears. It's no secret that sexism has existed in promoting women's wrestling. On a recent "Ross Report" podcast, Jim Ross discussed this very issue, and traced it back to the days of Mildred Burke. For those who are unaware of Burke, she was perhaps the first major women's star in the 1930s through the 1950s. She was unique in that not only did she wrestle other females, but men as well! Indeed, the concept of intergender matches can certainly be traced back to her.

Burke's career ended because of political reasons. She was married to Billy Wolfe, who not only managed her and her bookings, but also to other women's wrestlers. Their marriage was said to be very tumultuous for a variety of reasons (mainly infidelity), and resulted in a divorce in the early 1950s. Because of their divorce, Burke was blackballed in the industry because of Wolfe (including the NWA). While Burke would go on to train wrestlers later in her life and work in the office of various promotions, her in-ring career was essentially over in the mid-1950s.

In the 1980s, women's wrestling was given some rejuvenation, as the "Rock' n Wrestling" era was in full-swing in the WWF. Cyndi Lauper (who was one of the biggest pop singers in that decade) would have WWF stars like Captain Lou Albano, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, and Andre the Giant (among many more) in her music videos. She would also serve as manager to Wendi Richter, who would defeat the Fabulous Moolah for the WWF Women's Championship on The Brawl to End It All (which was one of MTV's highest rated programs ever). Lauper would still be involved in the follow-up card, The War to Settle The Score (in which Leilani Kai would defeat Richter for the title), and the inaugural Wrestlemania. The WWF even had a Women's Tag Team Championship (including the Jumping Bomb Angels and the Glamour Girls), but the title was abandoned in 1989. Yet, the Women's Championship would be featured through the mid-1990s, with Alundra Blayze, Bull Nakano, and Bertha Faye being the lead figures. But when Blayze jumped to WCW in December 1995, she infamously dumped the championship into a trashcan, and the division would be on hold until the late 90s.

The next phase of women's wrestling focused more on pushing the envelope. Just as wrestling reached to controversial heights in the late 90s, so too did women's wrestling. Gone was the appeal of women like Miss Elizabeth, and in pushing T & A (not Test and Albert) onto the screen. Women like Sunny, Jacqueline, and Sable wore more skimpy clothes, became more sexually suggestive, and pushed classic match concepts like the pudding match, pillow fight, and lingerie matches (all very empowering for women viewers, no doubt). It even spawned a tradition of having their female wrestlers pose for Playboy (remember that?). While Chyna broke barriers in how women were portrayed in wrestling with males, she too would follow the trend of posing for Playboy. Sadly, her abrupt departure from the WWF and her subsequent involvement with pornography ensures that she will probably never be mentioned by WWE again as a pioneer.

This is not to say that the Attitude Era/Ruthless Aggression eras did not produce quality talents. Lita brought a lucha style, and her tomboy image fit in well with the Hardy Boyz "Team Xtreme" image. Trish Stratus (who started as a model) busted her ass to become one of the more charismatic workers of the era. Victoria, Ivory, Molly Holly, and Jazz were all tremendous talents, and put on great matches. In TNA, females like Gail Kim, ODB, and Awesome Kong spear-headed the Knockouts division, which provided an alternative to the WWE women's division. However, I feel that along the way the focus shifted on the women to be more like a Diva than a superstar or athlete. This led to the females getting less time in matches, and put in various boyfriend/girlfriend storylines that ultimately fizzled out. Change needed to happen.

This leads us to today. Gone are the days of women wrestling in pudding and showing their boobs, and instead focused on their skill and personality. Women like Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch (amongst many more) have distinct personalities. Each wrestler has a distinct ring style (no longer are you required to do a stinkface or slap in each match). Indeed, the Diva's Revolution is now must-see on NXT, and the women are given much more time on Raw and Pay-Per-Views.

I credit this to two factors. One is due to a strong women's scene on the indies. Women like Havok, Cherry Bomb, Candice LaRae, Heidi Lovelace, and Taeler Hendrix are just a few of the women tearing it up across North America every week. Promotions like Shimmer, Shine, and WSU exist to showcase women's matches in a response to get away from the risqué content pushed a generation ago. Places like AAW, AIW, and PWG regularly showcase intergender matches, or cards based on intergender wrestling (like AIW's yearly Battle of the Sexes). International stars like Kana just debuted with WWE's NXT, and will surely be a fixture in their women's division.

The second factor is societal. It's no secret that Ronda Rousey has become not only one of the top draws in UFC, but in all of sports. She brings an image of toughness and balances it with a girl-next-door image that appeals to men and women. Her rally of "No DNB" (Do Nothing Bitch) has become a major trend on social media, and a major point of discussion on talk shows (and being a hot-selling shirt too!) Her dominance as a fighter and her personality has created an iconic image in that a female can be a bad-ass and bombshell all at once. And society has seemed to embrace this, as she is featured and talked about on the news often. Even though the Kardashians still take up a majority of the spotlight, it's nice to see this image being slowly being integrated into the mainstream. Whether you call it a Diva's Revolution or the Rousey Effect, things are changing for women's wrestling. In my belief, it's for the better.

It's my hope that this trend continues. I'm for any sort of change that will positively influence the wrestling business. For women who looked up to Lita, Trish Stratus, Victoria, and Jazz a generation ago, we now have females like Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, and more leading the way. And who knows, maybe you will see some stars of the indies pop up in NXT or on the main roster soon. Any victory for my friends is a victory for me and for the business. Let's keep the revolution moving forward ladies!

This week, I'm on to very big shows for AIW and Border City Wrestling!