Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
Netflix is reaching back to the 80's for a series that premieres today.
It’s called “GLOW” — short for Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling — and it's based on the West Coast creation that featured an all-female cast of wrestlers.
Danielle Radford, a comedian and podcaster, told KPCC she's been a wrestling fan since the early 90’s.
“I’ve always been into kind of live-action physicality,” Radford said. "So when a bunch of my friends started watching it I was like, 'Oh, wrestling is good! Cool!' So I started and I was immediately hooked.
Radford is one of millions of fans who have long been captivated with the simple premise of pro wrestling: One wrestler is good, one wrestler is bad. As they fight, the audience gets to decide which one they like better.
What’s not as easy to understand is why women’s wrestling is so rarely portrayed on the same level as men. Radford says it all starts with one company: World Wrestling Entertainment.
WWE is seen as the universal apex of all things pro wrestling. It's known for music, fireworks and arenas full of rabid wrestling fans raining down cheers and boos upon its cast of muscled characters in the ring.
“When you think of wrestling, you think of WWE,” Radford said. “That is the trademark in the same way that you think of Kleenex instead of tissue or Band-Aid, whatever the real word for Band-Aid is.”
The company has made dozens of wrestlers, mainly men, into pop culture superstars. Perhaps the most famous example is actor Dwayne Johnson, who’s known to wrestling fans as The Rock.
But what about women? Why was it so hard for them to reach the same level as their male counterparts?
“There were more women being used as props,” Radford said. “They weren’t really good wrestlers. And that’s not really their fault. They were being paid to look pretty and they did that job very well.”
WWE has a long history of presenting its women as eye candy for its predominately male audience. Here's an example of the kind of matches women would find themselves in:
This didn't sit well with fans like Radford.
“I didn't feel like they cared about me as a wrestling fan and as a woman." she said. "Not at all.”
While WWE’s corporate product was hesitant to put women on a higher platform, many independent wrestling companies were not.
That effort continues today, including at a company called Knokx Pro Entertainment.
Knokx held a live wrestling show on June 22 at Salt Lake Park in Los Angeles.
Two of their female stars were prominently featured: a villain (called a "heel" in wrestling industry lingo) named Tuna and heroine ("face") champion, Jezette Marie.
As they threw punches, kicks, and clotheslines at each other, the crowd was hooked.
After the match, Tuna said she became a wrestler because she wanted to improve the presentation of women in the profession.
"I love [wrestling] so much and I feel like I can help and make it better," she said. "And when you love something you want to do what you can to make sure it continues and to improve it, you know?”
Because of its freedom to take chances that a multi-million dollar business cannot, many independent wrestling companies helped provide a glimpse of what women’s wrestling can be when treated with respect.
And the WWE finally seems to be taking notice.
Radford says things are still far from perfect. But for the first time, she feels optimistic that things will continue to get better… even if this is likely less about altruism and more about business.
“This is the first time as a wrestling fan I’ve felt that this thing LOVES me back. And even if it's just that they love my money, I'll take it.”
To hear the full story, click the blue player above.