The glitz, glamor and glory of women's wrestling today is all thanks to its rapid evolution in the past 20 years. The first-ever WWE women’s championship was held in 1987 and since than the sport has only gotten bigger and better. These days women's wrestling gets almost as much attention as men's wrestling and sometimes the two share the same stage.
This evolution has also helpe to define new societally accepted definitions of gender and its role in the sport. The participation of women in wrestling at major events would have been unheard of just 50 years ago as wrestling was thought to be a male sport. But thanks to the increasing popularity of women's wrestling there has been a dramatic shift in acceptance.
Things have certainly changed and the perceptions of what was considered universally as gender differences are no longer there. Now, there aren’t such black and white divisions between what is too masculine or too feminine. In this review, we look at WrestleMania and how women have become accepted stars in the world of wrestling.
What Were The Key Events in Women's Wrestling
Women's wrestling isn't anything new, but what is new is women's ability to fight on a professional level. And not only are female wrestler fighting on a professional level, they also get the fame and fortune that comes with it. So let's get into some key things and events that really brought the world around to enjoying women's wrestling.
WrestleMania
WrestleMania was originally for men, and it was a professional wrestling event that was produced between Mid-March and mind-April. It is based in Stamford, Connecticut and the first event was held in 1985. It now includes women.
WrestleMania has improved in many ways, and found many more ways to increase its spectacle and suspense. The women have not received all of the benefits of growth just yet but things are getting better with time. Kai and Richter were the biggest stars when women's wrestling started, and most people are expecting much to happen in the coming years.
The divas are certainly frustrated as they have to work hard all year long, and their matches seem to end just as soon as they start. Tracing the history of WrestleMania is key to identifying how this sport evolved for women. Let’s get started
What Is The History Of Women In WrestleMania
Hulkamania
WrestleMania 1 – Leilani Kai vs. Wendi Richter: the women’s championship
This was the first Championship and it was largely built around pop culture and pro wrestling. Cyndi Lauper’s involvement was central to the whole game and she was a red-hot pop star then. WWE, had her manage Richter and the challenger looking to get her belt back was Kai who had the Fabulous Moolah as her manager. She was already a legend by then. Richter won the match and launched her stardom in the sport.
WrestleMania II: This was the famous Velvet McIntyre vs the Fabulous Moolah – Women’s Championship game
In this match, Moolah won the title from Richter and the WWE was clearly not willing to keep the aging start out of the picture anymore. The champ was actually 63 years old when she faced McIntyre. This match lasted just over a minute and it was an absolute dud. After this match, women did not compete again in the WWE for the next 8 years.
The WrestleMania VI: The match between Sapphire and Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Savage and the Sensational Sherri.
This was the next match after eight years, and Sapphire and Rhodes won the match. The story behind their pairing is that Rhodes was simply a fan who was looking for her American Dream and eventually she took her under her wing. The women simply added on the feud between Rhodes and Savage and the match was largely a palate cleanser between the serious contestants.
The New Era of WrestleMania
WrestleMania X: This was the match between Leilani Kai vs. Alundra Blayze
There were a couple of years before this where there were no matches. Kai lost the match, and Blayze became the rising star on the WWE front The battle for the title at Madison Square Gardens was a decent one. The real charm was the case of the athletic babyface who rose to overcome the monster heel.
Kai and Blayze did not wrestle for too long during the match, and the contest was wrapped up in a matter of minutes. The women would have killed to have some extra time. In the next couple of years, there weren’t any WrestleMania for women.
The Attitude Era
WrestleMania XIV: The Goldust and Luna vs. Sable and Marc Mero match
This was a mixed tag and the women were the stars. The crowd was mostly motivated by the action from Luna and sable when they were at each other’s throats. Sable was able to powerbomb Luna and even chocked her in a corner. Overall, the match was well-paced, fun and outdid the expectations of the viewers.
WrestleMania XV: The match between Sable vs. Tori (Women's Championship)
In this competition, another adoring fan became an enemy. Tori debuted as a fan who was obsessed with Sable, and the two, later on, stunk up the WrestleMania.
How Women's Wrestling Evolved Conclusion
Looking at all of the above WrestleMania events really helps us to see the slow rise of women's wrestling. Unfortunately, there were plenty of years where there was no competition, and a couple more that were characterized by bad behavior. But these days, the women are getting more creative and the wrestling heads are waiting and watching. We predict you're going to see a lot more long hair and painted fingernails in the ring in the coming yers.
