Melina Perez wrestled for WWE from 2004 to 2011, starting with then-developmental territory OVW in March. After making her official debut in 2005, she eventually became one of the most iconic women from that era. She had a unique look and presence, but she also managed to match excellent mic skills with tremendous in-ring work. … Read more
Last week, after once again being attacked by Becky Lynch during a match, an incensed Ronda Rousey demanded that Vince McMahon get out to the ring and lift Becky Lynch’s 60-day suspension. Who she got instead was Stephanie McMahon. The Billion Dollar Princess promptly told The Baddest Woman on the Planet that the suspension will … Read more
All Elite Wrestling have made slow progress with their women’s division as of yet. While the men’s division grows like clockwork, they haven’t yet signed enough women for an eight-person tournament. Bea Priestley was announced as a new signee on the latest episode of Road to Double or Nothing and while that news is certainly … Read more
Twenty-five years before Jacqueline defeated Sable to win the newly-revived WWF Women’s Championship, Sandy Parker became the first black woman to win a major World Championship. While other black pioneers in women’s wrestling were forgotten or excluded, this no-nonsense Canadian wrestler wrote her own name, wrestling under her real name, in history books in Japan. … Read more
Intergender wrestling, wrestling that occurs when a male and female wrestler compete against each other, has been a hot topic since wrestling’s birth. Every few years, the debate comes full-circle, and we see discussion on intergender wrestling pop up on television, the internet, and in print. In like any debate, clear battle lines are drawn, … Read more
Every Black History Month, WWE airs vignettes centered around historical figures like Dr. Martin Luther King or Rosa Parks. There’s usually some obligatory clip of Superstars visiting a museum or historical site, where they give testimonials of what they learned. Surprisingly, they never showcase the contributions of the first black women professional wrestlers. Granted, they … Read more
The WWE women’s rev-and-or-evolution is going swimmingly, by many measures. The addition of the women’s tag belts bring the total number of women’s titles in the company to five, with plenty of fierce competition to hold each one. Their roster is huge and diverse, with tons of talent. The biggest stars in the company right … Read more
I first saw Women of Wrestling (WOW) late one night on the local CBS affiliate, while channel surfing. What stood out was what a throwback the show seemed to be, with a style like that of the early ‘80s World Wrestling Federation. Like the old WWF, now WWE, everyone had a ridiculous character, and the … Read more
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced just one new female signee at their Jacksonville rally, namely Penelope Ford. At time of writing, that leaves the women of AEW outnumbered five-to-one by the men’s division. Something needs to change if AEW is to live up to its promise as a major new force in wrestling. The company … Read more
When Jordan Devlin declared himself the best Irish wrestler in the world at NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool, Finn Balor arrived to prove otherwise. But he wasn’t the only other name in contention. Fit Finlay is a living legend, and Becky Lynch is arguably the biggest wrestler in the industry right now. Some might even point … Read more
WWE kicked off 2019 with a pre-taped episode of SmackDown Live on Tuesday night, where John Cena made his return to television. As has become common for him in recent times, Cena broke the fourth wall, and acknowledged he already knew someone would come down to the ring. In case you missed it, someone did … Read more
Jan. 1, 2019 will forever be a day etched in wrestling history as the day that The Elite – which consists of Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page, Marty Scurll, and Kenny Omega – officially announced they will run a brand new wrestling promotion called All Elite Wrestling. We know next to nothing about … Read more
Sasha Banks and Bayley should be the first Women’s Tag Team Champions. The win could do wonders for them both in the long run.
On Dec. 19, NXT UK kicked off with an absolute mauling. The beloved Mae Young Classic star, Toni Storm, dismantled Charlie Morgan in a match that made Morgan look like a glorified jobber. We get it. This was Storm’s triumphant return from injury. WWE brass wanted their household name to return with a bang. However, … Read more
The fact that Monday Night Raw airs every week for three hours isn’t a big deal. Most NFL games run at least that, and most MLB baseball games run longer. In the instance of both, one could argue that depending on what team you’re into, the weekly (or daily) installment of those games can be … Read more
Lacey Evans is one of six NXT superstars who will be called up to the main roster in the near future. The McMahons announced the call-ups as part of a “shake up” on Raw, but we can safely assume the six stars will be distributed across both brands. Nikki Cross, the only other woman named for … Read more
Vanessa Borne won her first match on NXT TV last year by defeating Jayme Hachey to qualify for the inaugural Mae Young Classic. She was eliminated in the first round by Serena Deeb, and hasn’t won a match since. She’s faced Nikki Cross, Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai, and come up short every time. Just … Read more
Last night’s Raw showed some definite improvement after two poor showings in a row. However, the Ruby Riott segment was tough to watch. That’s not an indictment of Riott as a performer. She has been much better at promo work since she made the leap to the main roster. It’s this angle she’s working with Natalya. … Read more
Professional wrestling, especially in the WWE, can be a staunchly black and white product. The baby faces are champions of good meant to be cheered. The heels are nefarious or cowardly and meant to be booed. These visceral crowd reactions are engrained deep within every event-going fan. So, when a character or a storyline comes … Read more
2018 was another standout year for women’s wrestling with many firsts in the WWE’s Evolution: NXT’s first 2-time women’s champion Shayna Bazler, NXT UK crowning its first ever women’s champion, WOH’s inaugural championship tournament and IMPACT resetting and refreshing its entire scene. The evolution has created a whole plethora of women to watch. 2019 looks to … Read more
Piledrive a fascist. The words hang proudly on the walls above the ring at every Pro Wrestling: EVE show these days. It’s emblazoned on t-shirts. It’s a battle cry for a league of women who set their own rules and molded wrestling into a punk rock art form that could only happen in their own … Read more
WWE has been ridiculed at times for having trouble with their efforts of midcard storylines and matches for their women roster. A midcarder in wrestling is defined as, a wrestler who is seen as higher than a lowcarder, but below a main-eventer, who is often wrestling for the secondary title of a federation. The current … Read more
Nia Jax has finally spoken out, via Twitter, and here’s what she had to say: https://twitter.com/niajaxwwe/status/1062738524347289601?s=21 Becky Lynch clapped back on her and Ronda on her Twitter. https://twitter.com/beckylynchwwe/status/1062753374443978752?s=21 https://twitter.com/beckylynchwwe/status/1062799029325778944?s=21 Becky has been reading these girls for filth, and the legend of “The Man” grows. Clearly Nia is going the Rhea Ripley route and play off … Read more
This Survivor Series, we are treated to another champion vs. champion match; Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey. Last year, fans saw Charlotte Flair take on the now-injured (get better, soon, Alexa…concussions are no joke) Alexa Bliss in what was a pretty good match. This year, we’re being offered something totally different. Upon entering WWE, everyone … Read more
For Impact, 2017 was a tough year on the Knockouts Division, though to say that the entire year was bad would be an incredibly unfair statement. Jade and Rosemary had amazing Monster’s Ball and Last Woman Standing encounters. Rosemary additionally had a great match with Sienna at Slammiversary, followed-up by another enjoyable Last Woman Standing … Read more
Authored by Dan Murphy Senior Writer, Pro Wrestling Illustrated The good folks here at Diva Dirt have invited me to write a guest column explaining some of our selections with the 2018 PWI Women’s 100, and I am happy to have an opportunity to address some of the feedback I have seen since the digital edition … Read more