Women in wrestling started off as showpieces and arm candy.
Going back to the days of Miss Elizabeth with Macho Man or fast forward to Sable accompanying Marc Mero…they were used as outlets of sexual frustration for what is a majority male dominated audience when it comes to the greatest brand of sports entertainment, the WWE.
Women in wrestling have evolved tremendously over the past 15 years. Led by pioneers of the early 2000s like Chyna, Lita, Trish Stratus, Jacqueline, Ivory and more, they slowly transitioned from sexual attractions into actual legitimate athletes and entertainers. The CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon, has been known for his love of the big burly muscular alpha male types; he would only give them the spotlight and short handed all women’s matches to barely 5 minutes or less.
But as we transitioned into recent times, women rose to the forefront of many fields, and with the massive backing of Stephanie McMahon, Chief Branding Officer of the WWE, the women have been on equal grounds if not actually outshining their male counterparts. This has been evident in many history making events recently from the first all women’s pay per view event, to the first ever all women’s Royal Rumble match and more.
Dubbed the “women’s evolution” in sports entertainment, this all culminated recently with the absolutely groundbreaking first ever women’s match taking place in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia as WWE put on their recent massive event, Crown Jewel. Vince McMahon has recently gone into business with the crown prince, ushering in this new wave of change to taking place in Saudi. Women were initially banned from coming at all to the country when the brand took their spectacle over to the Middle Kingdom, but that all changed this past Thursday, October 31st.
With over 68,000 in attendance, men and women, female superstars Lacey Evans and 3rd generation wrestler Natalya, took center stage in the squared circle to make history yet again. Putting on an effortless and aggressive bout, the two women showed many onlooking girls in the crowd that when you don’t give up and keep pushing, anything is possible. The two women were requested to dress ‘modestly’ with t-shirts over their body suits when competing. The contest ended with Natalya getting the one fall victory over Lacey, but that didn’t stop the two women from embracing and bursting with emotion as they both raised their arms in front of a roaring and applauding audience.
This is only the beginning for women in sports entertainment, it only gets bigger and badder from here!
