Lesbian Wrestling League (Series Book 1)

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It's been five days, and the Internet (ourselves very much included) can't get over Hannah Ferguson's LOVE Advent video. While not a WWE Superstar, Ernie Roth was a manager during the early days of the WWE (then the WWWF or World Wide Wrestling Federation) known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling. You could say he was Paul Heyman before Paul Heyman was Paul Heyman (Um…yeah I think I got that right). He was also one of the pioneers of the dirt bag manager role who would try to interfere in matches to alter the outcomes for their protégé. The image of Deville running through a Pride celebration on Total Divas exclaiming “I’m gay” is a GIF that plays on repeat in the minds of many (including me). The excitement in her voice perfectly matched with the joy on her face is both a landmark and an image that no one with knowledge of any mainstream pro wrestling programming from 1995 onward ever thought they would see. This isn’t about one generation. It’s about every single voice - past, present and future - stating that we belong and we are here, from the ring to the very last eyeball taking it all in. This week, I’m celebrating Pride Month by spotlighting eight proud LGBTQ wrestlers. For those of us in the queer community who enjoy wrestling, it can be disheartening sometimes how few people like us seem to be in the business, especially when you’re focused on the mainstream product. If you actually pay attention though, wrestling seems to be getting gayer every day, as more and more performers come out, and more young performers who’ve never been closeted to begin with join the business.

Carrying the legacy of the Moondog name with a delightfully queer twist, Moondog Murray brought his bone and brawn to promotions across the Midwest in his first year. Murray logged appearances with Chicago Style Wrestling, Crash Tested Wrestling, Premier Pro Wrestling and Northland Pro Wrestling while growing his Twitch following. The Fabulous Moolah is a pioneer in the world of wrestling and a woman that holds quite a few impressive records. She was the longest reigning Women’s Champion ever, holding the World Women’s Championship—which would eventually become the WWE’s Women’s Championship—for an astronomical 28 years before losing it to Wendi Richter at the precursor to WrestleMania, The Brawl to End It All in 1984. She also holds the record for being the oldest woman ever to capture the Women’s Championship after she defeated Ivory in 1999 at the age of 76. Venere has now switched to a more aggressive mood, but Lucrezia shows everyone how strong she is, trying to resist and not giving up. With some more training she could easily be a top wrestler, however today she is facing a determined and proud fighter with one only goal in mind: winning. represented a towering force that forced eyes open, focusing their gaze on a cultural revolution within an industry long overdue for it. Winning a championship in your first match is somewhat of a rarity in pro wrestling, but that accomplishment was just one first for Lyzbeth McHellin. In her first match since transitioning, McHellin became the first trans woman to wrestle in Quebec and win a title when she captured the La Lutte C Vrai Women’s championship in July.

In a revealing and heartfelt Facebook post titled “ Here Goes Nothing,” Cage detailed how he kept the information from going public for so long because he feared rejection. There’s been so many changes in women’s wrestling and LGBTQ+ representation in wrestling over your career. What kind of changes do you hope to see in the future? Quing, Gwengar, Mommy: no matter what moniker you know Gwendolyn-Garnet Neodonna by, there is no denying that she is an exciting rookie to keep your eye on. She made her debut with Fire Star Pro Wrestling earlier this year with her Pride colors beaming and pulled off a lovely Lita cosplay in the company’s Halloween battle royal. From deathmatch to lucha libre, comedy to catch, tekkers to all-out hoss brawls, every single aspect or style of pro wrestling built its rainbow family. Established stars reached new peaks, and rookies who drew inspiration from those spreading the message of pride started their own journeys. The Ninth Wonder of the World" will leave a legacy as one of the few women in the wrestling world that could keep up with the big boys in the ring. Joanie “Chyna” Laurer made a name for herself in the WWE during The Attitude Era and proved that women can thrive in the male dominated world of wrestling with both braun and beauty. She was the first woman to compete in the 30 man Royal Rumble, she was the first woman to capture the Intercontinental Championship, and she was the cornerstone of the iconic D-Generation X faction.

Last year’s introduction to the Queer Wrestling Index 100 ended with the point that LGBTQ pro wrestling had grown as a movement and community to the point where “ignoring their presence isn’t an option anymore.” And in all that, you can still enjoy some spectacular and acrobatic moves that do justice to the skills and agility of the IFW girls! If last year’s list of 100 proved that closing your eyes to what is happening isn’t acceptable anymore, 2021 represented a towering force that forced eyes open, focusing their gaze on a cultural revolution within an industry long overdue for it. Some use their presence in the ring to shed light on other organizations that actively kept lesbian women obscured. The Great Bambina’s in-ring presentation is partially a radical response to the lesbian erasure perpetrated by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, whose history was dramatized in the film A League of Their Own,It was a brave move to make from a man who was holding in this information, unsure of how his colleagues and fans would view it. What followed was an overwhelming outpouring of support from fans and his fellow wrestlers and personalities in the company from top to bottom. I originally intended to watch The Lion King but someone swapped the tape out for Royal Rumble 2000,” Kinney revealed on the Outsports podcast LGBT In The Ring. “Instead of watching the story of Simba, I watched Taz beat up Kurt Angle.” She suspects it was her brother that caused this bit of serendipity, but Kinney was hooked regardless. Sonny Kiss is going places! He was an underused highlight of the last season of Lucha Underground, where he was known as XO Licious. Then he signed with All Elite Wrestling. He didn’t get nearly enough to do at Double Or Nothing, where he participated in the Casino Battle Royale, but he did have a memorably funny spot with Tommy Dreamer, and he at least made enough of an impression to make Jim Cornette uncomfortable, which is never a bad sign if you ask me. It’ll be really exciting to see where his AEW career goes from here, especially when the TV show starts this fall.

One half of the Vainglorious Authority, “The Devious One” Curtis Elliot is an up-and-comer in the British wrestling community. Elliot showcased his speedy, high-flying style with Quality Wrestling alongside tag team partner Amber Jo and won his debut match for Immortal Wrestling. The Las Vegas wrestling scene experienced a breakout this year with multiple young grapplers building the foundation. Summers is one of the newer names in that collection, working with both VERSUS Pro and Dark Arts Entertainment. Summers challenged Sandra Moone for the Party Hard Wrestling Party Monster title at VERSUS’ Pride show. Respect Pro Wrestling is delighted to announce officially that Jayla Dark has joined our training team! Kinney’s is the kind of passion needed not just to succeed in wrestling but also to inspire those watching, craving a figure in which they can see themselves. That desire was always there, but her journey in pro wrestling might have found its catalyst later, if not for a childhood VHS switcheroo.Matt Cage is an independent wrestler known for his work in various independent promotions in the USA such as IWA Mid-South, Dragon Gate USA, Chikara and many others. Possibly motivated by the coming out of Darren Young, Matt Cage revealed in 2015 that he was gay after years of hiding his sexual orientation and battling depression. As a Mexican American kid growing up in Los Angeles, Jake Atlas was raised on lucha libre. He’s recounted in interviews that when he came out to his family as a teenager it didn’t go well. Nevertheless, Jake knew who he was, and he also knew he wanted to be a pro wrestler. In time his family came to accept and support him, and his dream of pro wrestling has also come true. He came out publicly after winning the 2017 Southern California Rookie of the Year Award, and he’s been on an upswing ever since. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or visit OPGR.org (OR) or www.1800gambler.net (WV). But she also impacts people on a grounded, personal level as well, even in the form of a goofy, lovely slice of the internet. What was it like for you coming up and cutting your teeth in an era when women’s wrestling was so sexualized?