Wrestling.net.au

Break It Down
By Manny Tsigas

Women in Wrestling

The December 6, 2004 edition of RAW seemed like just another day at the office. Chris Jericho was the special guest GM, the WWE Title was officially vacated, Christian wrestled in a ridiculous "Captain Charisma" mask and costume, and WWE’s writers failed to include Ric Flair in any matches despite being in his own home state.

But what made that particular night special was its main event – a match for the WWE Women’s Championship between Trish Stratus and Lita.

To cut a long story short, the match was brilliant. Sure, it was in the middle of that ridiculous Lita-marrying-Kane storyline, but it managed to stand on its own as an instance where WWE bookers decided to try something different, yet practical. No gimmicks, no ridiculous stipulations, a straight up match between two of WWE’s best wrestlers – who happened to be women.

Almost five years later both Trish and Lita have since left WWE, and those who have taken their place at the top of the women’s division – in my opinion – don’t deserve to be there.

The sad fact is WWE’s list of “divas” has always featured women who have more to offer in terms of looks rather than actual talent (wrestling or otherwise). In the past many of them have ended up playing the part of a crazed lesbian, a promiscuous stalker, or a holier-than-thou virgin who chooses to air her grievances in the middle of a bikini contest.

It always broke my heart to see women who were worthy of holding the belt be subjected to such ridiculous storylines. But nowadays, the shoe seems to be on the other foot. Rather than bringing the greats down a few notches, WWE seems to be putting the mediocre amongst the greats.

And in some cases, they’re becoming Women’s Champion.

Before I continue, I’ll reiterate how much I respect anyone who makes a living inside the squared circle. Women (and let’s face it, guys too) who choose to become wrestlers ultimately choose to work in an industry where they’ll be judged on looks above everything else. It’s just as frantic and glamorous as acting or modelling, but in this business there are even fewer days off, and there’s a very good chance you can get seriously injured.

The wrestling business is harder for women, because the talent pool is a lot smaller. For every female wrestler that’s hired, there are probably about five male wrestlers. So in essence bookers would have to be a helluva lot choosier about who they hire, let alone who should carry the Women’s Championship.

In WWE’s case, wrestling goddesses like Beth Phoenix, Mickey James, Natalya Neidhart and Victoria (when she was still there) were cast aside. Each of them is a “triple threat” – they have looks, mic skills and (most importantly) in-ring prowess. But instead title reigns went to the less-convincing Melina, Maryse, Michelle McCool and Candice Michelle.

Allow me to elaborate.

I think Melina has the ability to be one of the greats, but her bubbly personality will only get her so far. What drives me crazy is how she tries to execute too many clunky, ineffective moves during her matches. Sure, she should show off her flexibility, but not to the point where her matches turn into rehearsals for Cirque du Solei.

When I look at Michelle McCool I’m reminded of former WWE Women’s Champ Alundra Blayze – the difference being Alundra could wrestle. In my opinion, Michelle McCool just hasn’t got it. Despite being with WWE for five years I’ve seen very little change in her in-ring ability. And her mic skills are simply appalling.

As for Maryse and Candice Michelle, the only thing they got going is their looks. Why they were given the WWE Divas/Women’s Championship is beyond me. Maryse wrestled a handful of mediocre matches before she was undeservingly given the Divas belt (which looks like something out of a Bratz playset), and Candice Michelle’s constant screw ups in the ring earned her the nickname “Canvas” Michelle from our good friends at thewrestlingfan.com.

Is it a coincidence that all four of them came from that same train-wreck concept known as the Diva Search – where instead of your wrestling prowess you’ll be judged on whether you can seduce a wild Ugandan?

Somehow WWE’s female contingent has gone from main-eventing RAW to hardly even rating a mention at this year’s Wrestlemania. The highly-anticipated 25 Diva Battle Royal turned into an epic waste of time. There were no proper introductions, the past competitors turned out to be nobodies (with the exception of Sunny) and the match ended up being won by a man.

So it’s times like this where I have to give a free kick to TNA. Their storylines may be ridiculously half-baked, but their female wrestlers are second to none. To get a better understanding, all you need to do is look at how they’re addressed.

In WWE, a female wrestler is known as a “diva”. The term comes from the world of opera, describing a singer with outstanding talent. But that’s also linked to the term “prima donna”, which is used to describe a temperamental, conceited person.

In other words, an irritable bitch.

At TNA, their female wrestlers are known as “knockouts” – an apt description both in terms of looks, and being able to knock you flat on your ass.

It’s a roster that’s brimming with triple threats – Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, Taylor Wilde, Sarita, and now Tara (formerly Victoria). But when I first tuned in to TNA the Women’s Champ was Awesome Kong – an exception to the triple threat theory.

Kong’s character is one that wrestlers would kill for – an unstoppable monster. This character requires her to be neither attractive nor good on the mic. But it does weigh more heavily on the third and most important asset.

Her wrestling ability.

If only there was some kind of search for that.

Manny Tsigas is a journalist for SBS World News Australia, and a lifelong wrestling fan. When he’s not watching, reviewing and obsessing over films, he also enjoys music, writing, anime, videogames, stand up comedy and anything to do with the 1980s. You can email him at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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