Throughout the month of February, Diva Dirt will spotlight one (or more) Black women’s wrestler a day. This won’t be a countdown, but just a way to shine light on the past and present Black women of the industry. With that said, these daily articles will not be in any particular order.
Representation matters to marginalized groups, and here at Diva Dirt we focus on giving those individuals the recognition they deserve.
- Jan. 30 – Jacqueline
- Jan. 31 – Lash Legend
- Feb. 1 – Nyla Rose
- Feb. 2 – Sharmell
- Feb. 3 – Awesome Kong
- Feb. 4 – Alicia Fox
- Feb. 5 – Kelani Jordan
- Feb. 6 – Queen Aminata
- Feb. 7 – Cameron
- Feb. 8 – Maya World
- Feb. 9 – Willow Nightingale
- Feb. 10 – Jazz
- Feb. 11 – Michin
- Feb. 12 – Kristal Marshall
- Feb. 13 – Trish Adora
- Feb. 14 – Mara Sade
- Feb. 15 – Jaida Parker
- Feb. 16 – Red Velvet
- Feb. 17 – Fire ‘N Flava
- Feb. 18 – Kiana James
- Feb. 19 – B-Fab
- Feb. 20 – Athena
- Feb. 21 – Sol Ruca
- Feb. 22 – Kali Armstrong
- Feb. 23 – Jada Stone
- Feb. 24 – Jade Cargill
For February 25, let’s talk about pioneers of Black women in wrestling – The Wingo Sisters.
The trio known as The Wingo Sisters included biological siblings – Ethel Johnson, Babs Wingo, and Marva Scott. These three women started their in-ring careers in the 1950s.
Babs was the first of the three sisters to step into the ring and made history in the 1950s as the first African-American woman to desegregate professional wrestling. Ethel became known as one of the earliest female wrestlers to execute a standing dropkick in her matches. She was also among the first to incorporate a variation of the flying headscissors into her in-ring style.
All three women competed in the same era as prominent names like June Byers, Mildred Burke, and Clara Mortensen. Ethel was a former NWA Women’s World Tag Team Champion alongside Byers and also challenged Burke for the NWA Women’s World Title, a championship that is still referred to today as “The Burke.” Babs challenged for the gold as well.
Ethel frequently faced her sister Babs in the ring, and they competed against each other so often that many fans had no idea they were sisters. Marva also teamed with Ethel, and together they captured the Ohio Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Babs retired from wrestling in the 60s, while Ethel and Marva went well into the 70s. Ethel wanted to wrestle in Madison Square Garden during her career, but women were banned in performing there at that time. She retired in 1977 without ever getting to wrestle there.
The Wingo Sisters were featured in the 2024 film Queen of the Ring. WWE’s Naomi played the part of Ethel while actresses Damaris Lewis and Cameren Jackson played Babs and Marva respectively.
Ethel passed away in 2018 (83), Marva in 2003 (65), and Babs in 2003 (Age unknown).