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| Women’s wrestling is finally getting the recognition it deserves | Women’s wrestling is finally getting the recognition it deserves |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| At Wrestlemania this year, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) unveiled a new women’s championship belt. The move has been welcomed by many as a step towards equality, especially since the WWE previously referred to its female fighters as the Divas’ Division. | At Wrestlemania this year, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) unveiled a new women’s championship belt. The move has been welcomed by many as a step towards equality, especially since the WWE previously referred to its female fighters as the Divas’ Division. |
| Even those who aren’t familiar with contemporary wrestling can celebrate the fact that the highest belt female wrestlers can achieve is no longer pink and glittery and shaped like a butterfly – but actually looks like a proper championship belt. | Even those who aren’t familiar with contemporary wrestling can celebrate the fact that the highest belt female wrestlers can achieve is no longer pink and glittery and shaped like a butterfly – but actually looks like a proper championship belt. |
| For all its flaws, wrestling remains one of the most accessible forms of performance art, and this simple belt change is characteristic of recent successive wins for women in combat sports in the last decade. Boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) are also growing in popularity with women. It’s indicative of a shift towards strong women in traditionally male-dominated roles – Rey, Imperator Furiosas and Jessica Jones are the stars of their stories because they are tough, not because they want a boyfriend. | For all its flaws, wrestling remains one of the most accessible forms of performance art, and this simple belt change is characteristic of recent successive wins for women in combat sports in the last decade. Boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) are also growing in popularity with women. It’s indicative of a shift towards strong women in traditionally male-dominated roles – Rey, Imperator Furiosas and Jessica Jones are the stars of their stories because they are tough, not because they want a boyfriend. |
| But women wrestlers have been portraying these characters for years. In the 1950s there was Mae Young, who used to have matches against bears because it was illegal for women to compete in her state. Unfortunately, since then women’s wrestling has been dragged through every form of titillation you can imagine. Female wrestlers have competed in wet T-shirt competitions and had countless cosmetic surgical procedures just so they can have a shot at being in the ring. It’s another reason why wrestling is still seen by many as outdated: a sport in which big, greasy men throw wafty fake punches at each other. | But women wrestlers have been portraying these characters for years. In the 1950s there was Mae Young, who used to have matches against bears because it was illegal for women to compete in her state. Unfortunately, since then women’s wrestling has been dragged through every form of titillation you can imagine. Female wrestlers have competed in wet T-shirt competitions and had countless cosmetic surgical procedures just so they can have a shot at being in the ring. It’s another reason why wrestling is still seen by many as outdated: a sport in which big, greasy men throw wafty fake punches at each other. |
| I took up wrestling five years ago after a long hiatus from exercise – I’d been told I was too fat and angry to be good at netball at school. Wrestling actively encourages these things, so when someone invited me to a training session, I leapt at the opportunity, and I haven’t looked back. | |
| Currently, I attend a wrestling training school in London that is led by women, for women. Wrestling is a stunt performance, a drag show and a pantomime all rolled into one. When done well, it celebrates difference and creativity. | Currently, I attend a wrestling training school in London that is led by women, for women. Wrestling is a stunt performance, a drag show and a pantomime all rolled into one. When done well, it celebrates difference and creativity. |
| Wrestling is also a notoriously tough industry to be in, requiring intense training and the mastery of dangerous manoeuvres. As in a lot of art forms, women are not usually the big names on the bill. | Wrestling is also a notoriously tough industry to be in, requiring intense training and the mastery of dangerous manoeuvres. As in a lot of art forms, women are not usually the big names on the bill. |
| A lot of people still call women’s bouts the “piss break” because they care so little. Slut-shaming is standard practice, as are body-monitoring and trolling. Even I, a relative unknown, have had strangers find my private Facebook profile and send me lewd, insulting and often violent messages. And I wear a luchador mask. | A lot of people still call women’s bouts the “piss break” because they care so little. Slut-shaming is standard practice, as are body-monitoring and trolling. Even I, a relative unknown, have had strangers find my private Facebook profile and send me lewd, insulting and often violent messages. And I wear a luchador mask. |
| Related: The history of racism in wrestling goes deeper than you might think | Owen Duffy | Related: The history of racism in wrestling goes deeper than you might think | Owen Duffy |
| Change must begin from within. Women are now being recognised as strong combatants in numerous wrestling promotions, not just the WWE. These are the same tough, resilient and talented women we celebrate in films and comics – they are out there, and they are real. But things will not change unless the world pays attention. | Change must begin from within. Women are now being recognised as strong combatants in numerous wrestling promotions, not just the WWE. These are the same tough, resilient and talented women we celebrate in films and comics – they are out there, and they are real. But things will not change unless the world pays attention. |
| I don’t recommend Googling “women’s wrestling” (I’m sure you can imagine the results). But try watching some shows from the last year – Sasha Banks, Asuka and Charlotte Flair can give Wonder Woman a run for her money. There’s also Robert Rodriguez’s camp and crazy show Lucha Underground, which has mixed-gender matches as standard. For something a little more cerebral, the excellent documentaries Lipstick and Dynamite: the Story of Women’s Wrestling and Gaea Girls are a good place to start. Or read up on Cassandro El Exotico, “the Liberace of Lucha Libre”: an inspiration for life in general. | I don’t recommend Googling “women’s wrestling” (I’m sure you can imagine the results). But try watching some shows from the last year – Sasha Banks, Asuka and Charlotte Flair can give Wonder Woman a run for her money. There’s also Robert Rodriguez’s camp and crazy show Lucha Underground, which has mixed-gender matches as standard. For something a little more cerebral, the excellent documentaries Lipstick and Dynamite: the Story of Women’s Wrestling and Gaea Girls are a good place to start. Or read up on Cassandro El Exotico, “the Liberace of Lucha Libre”: an inspiration for life in general. |
| But the best thing to do if you want to learn about women’s wrestling is to attend a show (I wrestle for Lucha Britannia, the craziest show on Earth). We are in the midst of a worldwide change in a brilliant subculture, spearheaded by strong and progressive heroines who are taking the sport to new heights. Come watch wrestling and suspend your disbelief – it’s easier than you think. There are more exciting changes happening in women’s wrestling than just the name of a belt. |