On July 13th, 2015 Stephanie McMahon stood in the middle of the ring on Monday Night Raw and declared a revolution within the WWE women’s division. This led to the debuts of legendary WWE Superstars Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch.
Since that fateful day, we’ve seen WWE produce the first-ever all-women’s PPV in the U.S., the Mae Young Classic, the introduction of the Women’s Royal Rumble and countless television and premium live events main-evented by women. Other promotions like Impact Wrestling have put the focus on women in main event positions as well as PPV specials, while New Japan has finally incorporate women into their big shows, AEW producing violent spectacles with women, and the NWA holding an all-women’s PPV.
However, the women’s revolution in wrestling has not only taken place inside the square circle — it’s also happening within the media as well.
In the last seven plus years, there have been women in the wrestling world that have been working hard to make their presence felt. The women’s wrestling media scene has never been brighter, and as a member of that, I have never been so proud.
For Samira, “everyone’s favorite correspondent,” her passion for the wrestling business and her love for interviews allowed her to find what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
“It just came unexpectedly. When I started college I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I went in with gen eds. When I was doing my two years at a community college I noticed that I loved working with kids so I thought to be a teacher, but I enjoyed the communication classes I had to take for my gen eds as well. I thought this was perfect for me because I like to talk a lot. At the time I was doing stuff on my Youtube channel for wrestling and I thought maybe I can do something like this. A wrestling website then reached out to me because they saw my stuff and they were looking for an interviewer and wanted to know if I was interested. Once I did the interview I knew this is what I was meant to do for the rest of my life.”
“This then turned into me trying to get into the business,” continued Samira. “I just wanted to be a backstage correspondent. Of course, I love interviewing people on my channel or for someone else but I love just being in the business and being a backstage correspondent”.
Samira’s irreplaceable passion for interviewing and wrestling is on full display at Titan Championship Wrestling, Boca Raton Championship Wrestling, and Brii Combination Wrestling.
Being in a male-dominated field has its ups and downs, but for the host of A Wrestling Gal, Ella Jay it’s just about finding the love and passion that got you here in the first place.
“It has its challenges. I feel as if we are all passionate about this space or else we wouldn’t be in it. We aren’t wrestlers but I feel as if there are still some challenges in being a media personality in a male-dominated space. It’s more overwhelming or saturated with male counterparts. I feel as if you are not taken seriously and there is a lot more male presence around you. It can feel overwhelming because you don’t see as many females in the space to relate to or bounce experiences off of so that is one of the major challenges.”
Ella Jay recently had the opportunity to cover WWE’s Royal Rumble premium live event, which she calls a fever-pitch dream.
“I have never been to a Royal Rumble, but that has always been the pay-per-view that I had a special affinity for. So to be able to attend my first Royal Rumble, but then to be accepted into this media space, be invited to their media junket, and the press conference with people who are way more experienced than me…”
“Luckily I had people along the way that have helped me and that I knew, but again that was just a level-up moment,” continued Jay. “I remember saying to myself, ‘Oh, I kinda made it in a sense.’ I don’t think I was ready for it per se because everything happened so fast. I was originally going into that weekend and [was] just going go there and enjoy it, but to get that confirmation two days before I was supposed to leave and have to scramble and change everything made me step up my game. You either make it or break it and sometimes opportunities are just presented to you and you might not be ready for it, but they push you out of your comfort zone and then you realize that you can do this.”
Pro wrestling is more than just fancy move sets and awesome promos — it’s ultimately about storytelling. For Alyssa Marino (spent time in WWE’s NXT brand under the name Kat Marino) this storytelling inspires her to do what she does every day.
“I am very motivated by telling stories, so the idea of being a part of a grander story that is being told and getting to participate and help drive that story along I think that is what makes me do what I do. The fact that I still find so much joy as a fan and watching wrestling, and seeing the stories that these people put their bodies through and are willing to risk it just makes me want to work that much harder to make sure that I do them justice. I think another big motivator for me is my friends and my family and knowing how much support and love time and effort people have invested into me being able to do what I do, it just makes me work that much harder”.
Marino has the opportunity to be a part of Women’s Wrestling Army, a promotion run by Maria Kanellis and Bobby Cruise. The all-women’s brand is dedicated to telling the stories of independent women’s wrestlers all around the country. For Marino, this is more than a dream come true.
“What WWA and places like Capital Championship Wrestling, CFU, and the places that give us a platform and to elevate our voices it is indescribable. The way that we feel so empowered and being able to showcase top female talent from around the entire country and from the entire world and everyone gets to collaborate to create this beautiful masterpiece is truly inspiring. Just to be able to play the smallest part of that makes me feel unstoppable. There is nothing like it. I am so grateful for the opportunities there and it is just amazing the things that Maria and Bobby are doing. I appreciate it wholeheartedly.”
For NWA’s backstage correspondent May Valentine being able to do what she does every day, comes with supporting others and focusing on your craft.
“I think first of all, you must believe in yourself. You must be confident in your talent and skills. Focus on the work, and on gaining respect through the work, and don’t get involved in drama. Stay focused. Know that you will face adversity, and stand tall. Support the other women in your business and become stronger through alliances.”
Although Valentine started in the entertainment industry before she ever stepped foot in the circus of a wrestling world, she worked equally as hard as everyone else to make her presence known within the NWA.
“I wouldn’t say it’s because I’m a woman, but because I was an outsider coming in. However, as a woman, in the beginning, many times I felt looked at as a piece of meat, rather than a peer, but as more and more time went by and people came to respect how hard I work, that kind of attitude pretty much vanished.”
As we are towards the end of Women’s History Month, if this article teaches you anything it is that you should never let anyone tell you no, dreams do come true, and anything a man can do a woman can do!
