Barking, Screaming, Breaking: The Long, Sad History of Body Shaming in Women’s Wrestling

There’s one sad truth that’s haunted professional wrestling’s attempt at booking women’s wrestling – the specter of body shaming, the easiest and cheapest heat you can possibly garner, will eventually rear its ugly head. The innocent feminine-coded good girl versus aggressive, masculine bad girl, pay per views co-sponsored by Girls Gone Wild, bikini contests and gravy bowl contests,  Tough Enough contestants required to shout at each other about the ‘wideness of their gapes,’ and the most recent sight of Alexa Bliss making fun of Nia Jax for being ‘big,’ pro wrestling has always had a problem that screams out for change.

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Editor’s Roundtable: WWE Mixed Match Challenge, Part 1

WWE’s Mixed Match Challenge is coming up on January 16th, bringing an unprecedented type of program to WWE. Not just in terms of new online platforms with Facebook Watch, but with it being the first mixed tag tournament the company has ever held. While it’s not the same as intergender action, it’s still a significant step forward.

Over the last week, the first six teams were announced for the tournament. Associate Editor Emma Houxbois and I decided to talk about the teams announced, but several other things within that context as well.