Ladies’ Night…
Unfortunately for us as a society, misogyny still runs rampant in this “modern” age. In many parts of the world, women are treated like second-class citizens or worse, outright ignored unless it’s time to procreate. Even in America, there are many men who believe women belong in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. They should be seen and not heard, should speak only when spoken to, serve their man’s every desire, raise the children almost single-handedly, and keep themselves thin, pretty, and sexually attractive regardless of what they’ve endured in life. This is a sorry state of affairs for a people who have grown so much and have come so far, but by and large only give lip service to true equality. Nowhere is this inequity more apparent than the through-the-looking-glass world of professional wrestling.
TODAY’S ISSUE: Women of the Ring
Nine times out of ten, women in wrestling are objectified and demeaned, being forced to jiggle for our pleasure, and ordered to bark like a dog (figuratively and literally, at least once) for their paycheck. In fact, the belittlement women’s wrestling is forced to endure, such as Lingerie, Gravy Bowl and Pillow Fight Matches, might be a metaphor for how some American men view women. It certainly represents Vince McMahon’s own twisted view of the world.
It’s ironic, then, that in such a male dominated arena, one of the strongest areas of WWE this year in terms of storyline continuity and in-ring action alike, has been the women’s division on RAW. Sure, this group unfortunately includes Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle trying to actually wrestle matches, but the “top”of the women’s card has been very well written and well executed by a few standout ladies. When I speak about in-ring performance, I take into account that most female wrestlers, even the talented ones, will never possess the upper body strength of a Bobby Lashley, but I’ve never held that against them.
In much the same way that a match between two great cruiserweights is vastly different from Hogan versus Andre, I accept from the onset that the viewing experience of women’s wrestling will be different, not worse, than men’s wrestling. Sometimes I read Dilbert, and other times I read Shakespeare. I know full well that these are two disparate experiences, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
However, it’s unfortunate that for every strong female competitor like Lita, Mickie James, Trish Stratus and Victoria, WWE sees fit to hire five pieces of eye candy like Maria Kenellis, Krystal Marshall, Ashley Massaro, Kelly Kelly, and Michelle McCool. Even some ladies who are supposedly trained, like Melina Perez and Jillian Hall, help to perpetuate the stereotype of sizzle over steak with 95 percent of their value in their physical appearance and only 5 percent ring skill. Although I suppose if they were utilized as wrestlers more, instead of decoration, they might develop better in-ring ability. You might remember Trish Stratus as nothing more than a sex object too, before she went on to set the standard for women’s wrestling in the new millennium.
Speaking of the former 7-time women’s champion, the dominant women’s storyline of 2006 featured Mickie James’ obsession with then champion, and cornerstone of WWE, Trish Stratus. Mickie started out as a devoted fan of Stratus’ who was honored and a little over-geeked about being anywhere near the ladies champ. She idolized Stratus and wanted to be just like her. In a wonderful bit of storytelling, this admiration turned to an unhealthy fixation on Stratus, as Mickie began to act out against Trish when her “love” was unrequited.
After several twists and turns, including Mickie “accidentally” catching Trish coming out of the shower and also planting a huge kiss on Trish under mistletoe, the two faced off at WrestleMania 22 for the world title. Not only was the match itself very good, but Mickie managed to insert a storyline component by grabbing Trish’s crotch in mid-move and bringing her “Stratusfied” hand up to her nose and mouth in an attempt to get as much of Trish as she desired. James defeated Stratus and took the title from her.
At that point, things between the two took a psychotic turn, resembling the film Single White Female. Mickie began to believe that she WAS Trish Stratus, including changing her appearance and attire. It was creepy and well acted by the former Alexis Laree, and really gave the angle a seriousness and intensity the division has sometimes lacked in the past. When Trish retired, she and Mickie buried the hatched and James turned face, but while they were at each other’s throats, there was no better arc in US pro wrestling. In fact this storyline was so well received, even by the often-jaded IWC, that Pulse Wrestling has included it as one of the top five angles of the year. Stay tuned to Pulse Wrestling for our end-of-year awards voting.
James then feuded with Lita a bit, until Lita herself retired. The storyline between Lita and James was also solidly written and well performed. Lita won a tournament for the women’s championship, defeating James in the finals, after Stratus retired as champ and vacated the title. In the ensuing feud, Lita continually forced James into difficult situations in which Lita would enjoy a pronounced advantage, including making Mickie wrestle blindfolded, with her legs tied together, or with one arm tied behind her back. Mickie finally got her revenge by defeating Lita in her last match with the company at Survivor Series.
Now the champ has been forced to turn her attention to a very focused, aggressive, strong, and capable former 2-time women’s champion, Victoria.
Victoria’s quest for the title has been a great little arc itself. Reminiscent of the Bride’s checklist in the movie Kill Bill, she’s been carrying a clipboard with her to the ring each week, checking off the names of the opponents she defeats en route to a title shot. Torrie, Maria, Candace Michelle, and Mickie herself have all fallen at the feet of Victoria, and now she’s the #1 contender.
All three of these women’s championship feuds boast better writing than at least half of what we’re offered each week on RAW, SmackDown!, ECW and iMPACT! in the men’s divisions. These ladies are good at what they do, just as tough as the men, and constantly fighting an uphill battle for respect from their peers and the crowds before which they ply their craft. Next time you’re thinking of changing the channel, give these wrestlers a chance; you might be surprised by how hard they work and how dedicated they are. Don’t think of them as lady wrestlers. Think of them as professional wrestlers who happen to be female.
Merry Christmas!
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality.
p.s.: What if the Cars and the Doors hit the road together? They’d call it the “Car Door Tour”. How about Ratt and Poison?
