The world of professional wrestling has always been dominated by males since World Wrestling Entertainment was first formed in 1952.

 

For a long time, WWE referred to their male wrestlers such as The Rock, John Cena and The Undertaker as ‘Superstars’ and its female contenders as ‘Divas’. It divided the two sets of athletes, portraying them in different lights; the men were there to wrestle and the women to look good.

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Although females have always had a place within the WWE, in what they called the Ruthless Aggression Era (2002-2008) it was clear that these women were here for one thing and one thing only, sex appeal. Although in that era more female stars were hired than ever before, many were competing in degrading matches rather than being allowed to showcase their talents. Contests such as ‘Pillow Fights’ and ‘Bra and Panties’ were all broadcasted and were based more on the sexual appeal of the women involved. Yes, you read correctly, the WWE actually commissioned a contest entitled Bra and Panties, in which female competitors would wrestle until the loser was down to their underwear…and this was a family show!

 

In 2008, the Diva’s Revolution began, showcasing the uprising of women within the company. This revolution was the first step in making the female wrestlers as popular as the male stars. Rightfully so, female wrestlers work, train and put their bodies through the same amount of pressure as the male stars, so should be recognised as such.

 

Although a big step forward for female wrestlers, there was still some huge issues being presented by the Diva’s Revolution. The name itself already portrays a negative connotation towards the title; ‘diva’ by dictionary definition is, ‘a person who is temperamental and difficult to please, typically used of a woman’. Now you don’t see The Rock being called temperamental, I don’t think anyone would dare call The Rock such a thing. Women have always had to fight against the negative stereotype of what it means to be a strong female and the world’s foremost pro wrestling organisation did very little to help this when calling their female stars Diva’s.

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Now the female stars may have got their own title belt, but again it only enforced female stereotypes. Compared to other championship belts won and worn by the male stars, the belt given to the female winners was somewhat insulting. Let’s take The Rock for example again, can you imagine him parading around in a butterfly shaped, pink and glittery belt? No, so why should Lita or Mickie James or any other female star have to?

 

In 2016, the title was retired at Wrestlemania32, where it was revealed that the Diva Championship would be replaced with the WWE Women’s Championship – a brand new female title. This retirement of the title meant the female performers would finally be referred to as WWE Superstars, just like their male counterparts.

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Since the change up, the Women’s Championship and female Superstars have gone from strength to strength. Later in 2016 wrestlers Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks made WWE history as the first two women to compete inside Hell In A Cell. They made history again that night, being the first two women to wrestle the main event of a pay-per-view; 2016 really was the year for female WWE Superstars!

 

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Sasha Banks made history again the following year with fellow Superstar Alexia Bliss. The pair competed in the first ever women’s match in Abu Dhabi. This historic event not only showed the progression of WWE and the way they showcase their female stars, but also the progression of Abu Dhabi and their views of women as a whole. A big female win!

 

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon applauds his female stars, “the roaster of female wrestlers are positive role models for young girls… they represent female strength and empowerment, to which all young women should aspire”. Mr McMahon is completely correct, these powerful athletes haven’t only just fought physically, but socially to showcase themselves as serious performers and not just filler in a main event. They’ve fought against misogyny and inequality and are finally getting the recognition they deserve worldwide.