We’ve grown so used to seeing WWE’s female talent being treated as “equals” to their male counterparts (which could be an article in itself), it’d feel blasphemous to revert back to when bikini contests and mud wrestling were all the rage. Most certainly, we don’t want to see Vince McMahon ordering Trish Stratus to strip and bark like a dog. Objectifying women for cheap thrills is a tired act, and it’s kinda pointless when the internet exists. But as a teenager before the internet, women like Terri Runnels, Trish Stratus, Jacqueline, Lita and Torrie Wilson were let’s say .. eye-opening. I cannot deny the sexualization of these women helped to pique my interest in wrestling before I understood its appeal.
I’d like to go back to the late-80’s. Remember Rick Rude? He was one of the first to embrace sex as a selling point in the WWF. He’d insult the less attractive men in the audience, and kiss a woman Heenan chose for him from the crowd. Yet, he was a great worker! It was his ring work which made the gimmick acceptable. He talked trash, looked sexy, and backed up everything he said in the ring. He never won the WWE title .. but he did win many other titles. Before Shawn Michaels, most (certainly not all) WWE Champions were larger-than-life characters who appealed to the audience with the “wow” factor.
So why did I make this? Well, it began with a new Impact Wrestling Knockout on the scene called Scarlett Bordeaux. In her first promo, she stated she wanted to “make wrestling sexy again” and doesn’t want to be “hot-shamed” while fighting for women’s rights to be sexy. I thought it was great .. I mean, I ain’t seen her wrestle (aside from a jobber match on Raw), but I hope she can really well so it’s not all gimmick. I went on the Impact Wrestling FB page to see the responses to her promo, and came across the following type of comments ..
“There’s a women’s revolution going on in WWE .. but Impact wants to go back to the old days? Disgusting. Pathetic.”
There were several comments like this, with some replies arguing it’s a gimmick and neither she, or Impact Wrestling should be disgraced. After all, for anyone who knows the history of the Knockouts Division, will know it has always sold the Knockouts as incredible wrestlers and sexy women. They even had photoshoots of ODB! TNA/Impact has always treat their Knockouts equally. We never got Awesome Kong photo shoots because it didn’t make sense for her character. Impact Knockouts come in all shapes and sizes, and it was the Knockouts division which created the women’s revolution (starting in 2008) while WWE were stuck with Divas working 30-second matches. It was Impact who gave women the platform to show what they could do on television. They showed wrestling fans what’s possible, so Divas became more of a disappointment. So much so it eventually lead to the #GiveDivasAChance movement. But would it have happened if Impact and other wrestling promotions (SHIMMER, Japan etc) treat their women like Divas too? I doubt it.
While WWE remains PG, it’s logical their women superstars would not be sold in the way Divas were, as it goes against their “revolution”. It’d be like going back in time. There’s still undoubtedly, a tiny bit of sex selling though, but it’s mostly just photoshoots on the beach, or dressing up like a cowgirl in a barn. When Charlotte posed naked, it was more classy than crude. It’s not in your face like it was in the 90’s, but it’s there without bringing too much attention to it. Outside of WWE? It’s a different story.
Some enjoy feeling empowered by their sexuality (man or woman), and so long as they’re not being forced in to doing it, then I think it should be acceptable. After all, would Shawn Michaels be HBK without his Sexy Boy theme? Would Rick Rude be a legend without the gimmick? Would Randy Orton be The Viper if he wasn’t so good-looking? The answer is no to all of these. Sex appeal has been in wrestling as long as it’s existed, and I believe ignoring it limits the creativity and potential exposure of some talents.
And after all, in an age when WWE cuts back on treating its women like objects .. doesn’t Scarlett Bordeaux’s gimmick make good heat in response to it? She’s doing the opposite, and she’s not been told what to do (Impact does not script their promos). If she wants to be sexy, then let her be? And not because I’m a guy who likes women .. but because I believe in equal rights for women. They shouldn’t be dictated too, and restricting sexy men or women from being sexy? You’re taking their appeal away. Let them express, so long as it doesn’t get too out of hand. So I thank Scarlett Bordeaux for making wrestling sexy again, but I’ll reserve judgement on if she’s a future Knockouts Champion til I see her skills in the ring.
This subject has the potential to stir, so I ask you to be respectful in your comments. It’s an opinionated piece which does not represent the views of the site or other writers. I don’t believe I’ve said anything grossly offensive today, but if I have? I apologize. I’m sorry for sticking up for women and men who want to express themselves. I’m not trying to take women’s wrestling back to the dark ages .. in fact, I want women’s wrestling to have more freedom. It’s not just about the wrestling, it’s about characters as well. And I’d love to see women showing they are strong, sexy, skilled, and willing to stand up for themselves in a world which continues to dictate what is or isn’t right to them. Sexuality in WWE may be on death’s door, but it doesn’t stop other promotions using it to garner heat. It doesn’t stop the Velveteen Dream either, unless the main roster strips that part of his character away.
As always I thank you for your time, and I hope the comments can be intelligible and respectful. I will not tolerate misogyny, so any comments encouraging this will not be accepted. See you again! Cheers.