February 24th, 2015 was when Vince McMahon responded to the overwhelming outpour of support from us fans for the women wrestlers that are horrendously misused and misplaced in stories and angles. Consistently changing from babyface to heel and back to babyface, the inconsistency in creative decisions within the main roster promotes the idea that creative truly don’t care for most of the women roster.
Are WWE going to pretend that Sasha Banks/Bayley at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn isn’t the greatest women’s match in WWE history (argue me on it, I dare you). Yes, that’s a small sample size but NXT creative proves that when you properly build a women’s angle, that you’re able to put on a great showing (that, and being really really good in the ring is another key factor). These 2 absolutely tore the house down, putting on what’s argued to have been one of the best matches of 2015 and (easily) the best women’s outing ever. Granted that again, it’s a small sample size, but there’s plenty of women wrestlers that can put on great bouts, if given the opportunity.
It’s become despicable how little attention they get, when they are putting their bodies and lives on the line every time they go out there. People are now physically timing the women’s matches just to display the sheer embarrassment that are the matches on live television. Vince McMahon had a segment where he legitimately struggled opening plastic balls to just announce Roman Reigns will enter number one into the Royal Rumble and sad fact is that his segment was longer than BOTH women’s matches on Raw COMBINED. How in the hell is that justified!?
These women have gone through years of training, the same schedule as the males, same risk each and every time they step through those ropes. Does Vince honestly think that his women wrestlers aren’t big enough of a draw that there’s no point in showcasing them? Well, how would he know if he doesn’t allow them to be showcased? Having a 1:30 women’s match is a blatant disrespect for their women wrestlers and creative along with Vince McMahon should be ashamed. We don’t ask for a 30-min bout but having a match exceed the 10-minute mark isn’t much. Vince McMahon, while in charge of main decisions creatively, will continue to have the last say on everything so we the fans will have to just accept it for what it is.
Or do we?
We are a nation. A legion of loyal fans that while we joke about “pro-wrestling” and “sports-entertainer” in the end, we in fact do want to be entertained. We grow with these stars. We talk about their earlier years and how far they’ve come. We have a voice that can make a difference and we can stand up for those that are in need of it. We don’t have to stand for this. We talk about how great NXT is (it’s honestly incredible. If you haven’t watched it, get it now. Only 9.99/mo. depending where you live) but why can’t Raw be the same. Having someone that who thinks with a pro-wrestling mind helps a lot I’m sure, but surely what we have to say and think matters. We’ve mattered before in other situations (ie: Daniel Bryan run summer 2013) our voices are powerful enough that we can change the course of wrestling. I’m not saying they pander to our very need, but I don’t think asking for women wrestlers to be respected the same as their male counterparts is too much to ask. We’d like to be entertained, but not treated like we will be complacent with what we watch.
So I propose to you, the Internet wrestling community that we unite and stand up for the women wrestlers being misused and mistreated with creative decision and timing. Let our voices be heard and demand that we will NOT accept the mistreatment that we’ve witnessed over the course of the last calendar year.
Let us make the difference we’ve made before.
#WomensWrestlingMatters