Posted By James Walsh on 11/12/17
I watched clips earlier today of the WWE special "Divas Undressed" where the ladies, loose term, strutted their stuff in bikinis and thongs in an attempt to acquire the coveted "Golden Thong" award. I watched this for a few reasons. Research for upcoming guests... And, to remind myself how much the perspective of women in wrestling has changed. And, yet, how little it has.
Today, we have a lot of women who want to tell us that the perspective of women's wrestling is totally different now. Yet, when i watch WWE, I still hear a lot of jaunts about their physical appearance. Sometimes, from the other women as well. And, when I watch Impact, if one of those Knockouts bend over, you best believe a camera will be right up there. Heck, if I didn't know better, I'd think their camera guy was Brad Maddox.
So, with all due respect. Here is my brief history of modern women's wrestling. At least, I'll try to be brief.
In the 80's, it was a side show in the major promotions while there were more campy products (GLOW, LPWA) fed the overall perspective by the mainstream of lady wrestlers being a joke. That isn't me being a jerk, it is just true.
The 1990's brought in a more seductive side of women's wrestling spearheaded by Sunny who often pushed the envelope of sexual conduct on wrestling TV which had not seen it before. ECW took it a step further with sexually explicit music video dances by Beulah, lesbian angles involving former stripper Kimona Wanalaya and Penthouse Pet Beulah, and raunchy upskirt catfights involving Francine, Dawn Marie, and a myriad of secondary women brought in such as pormstars Jasmin St Claire and Jenna Jameson. WCW followed suit, to some extent, with the dancing Nitro Girls and untalented backstage interviews such as Pamela Paulshock.
The early 2000's split the difference with attractive women still showing lots of skin having competitive matches. Trish Stratus, Lita, Ivory (who worked LPWA back in the day as well), Victoria, and others. But, those matches were often very, very short.
The late 2000's saw the TNA Knockouts division take off and the ladies being given more time. Sure, the sexual nature of the performers were still evident in the likes of the "Beautiful People" Velvet Sky, Angelina Love, and Madison Rayne often flaunting their T&A, talent and ability, to the cameras.
In the mid 2010's, WWE caught wind of the Knockouts and started to focus on the women talent more. AJ lee, Kaitlyn, and others rose to fame. Lately, Sasha Banks and Charlotte have taken those reigns. And, boy, do they talk as if they are entitled to headline WrestleMania just because they are women.
The simple truth is the current movement is spoiled by the fact that it is tied to Hillary Clinton's bid for President that failed. It also is tied to the over the top "and me" garbage where any female can accuse any male of sexual misconduct with absolutely no proof and that male counterpart is found guilty in the court of public opinion. And that, my friends, is why I get angry when I hear that women might headline WrestleMania. It isn't that they're not deserving. Many stars are of the female gender. But, the ones that would main event are not. And, the reason behind it all, if you uncover all the layers, has more to do with politics and social trends than it does with wrestling. That garbage should be kept out of it. And, I'll stand by that remark
Women's wrestling is serious business now. But, women are still sex objects on wrestling TV. Any belief to the contrary is inaccurate.