In this day and age where intergender wrestling is hot on the independent scene, many have strong opinions on this topic. Some support it because it shows women are equal to me in the ring. Others have a completely different mindset, comparing it to abuse. No matter what side of the coin, people are still watching these matches and making this a buzz-worthy topic.
As a wrestler myself, when it comes to my thoughts I have 2 points on the matter. My first thought:
Does this match makes sense or tell a story? Is there a reason these 2 people are going to battle? Not just “hey let’s just throw this man and woman into a match because they showed up and we have no one to put them with but each other”. The most recent match that’s a perfect example of an intergender match telling a story would Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callahan.
This match was built up and made sense. In a recent interview, Tessa said she is aggressive in own her way and Sami is as well, which is why this match up was so dynamic. Now if we had someone like Alexa Bliss vs. The Great Khali, how would that work? What kind of story would it tell? And what kind of athletism would be involved? Would it be a match that consists of comedy?
My second thought, as women in this era, we want to prove we are equal, if not better than our male counterparts. A match like this could prove that if done correctly. Take me for example, I am strong in my own right but there is no way at 5 foot tall I am evenly matched in the ring with a man who is 6 foot tall and over 200lbs.
If I was built like Chyna different story, her size lent well to wrestling men. No one would ever doubt her ability to win the match no matter who she was across the ring. If I was in the ring however with a man who was closer to my height and weight, then we could see it as an almost fair fight.
There have been women that proved how entertaining intergender wrestling can be, like Kimber Lee, Mia Yim and Jordynne Grace are a few names that stick out in my mind. They made people take notice and power to them; it helped shine a light on how far the women have come in terms of strength and ring abilities.
Now, with that being said, I have also watched matches where it made no sense why these 2 would be in the ring together. You had a man squashing a woman the entire match and out of nowhere, she picks up the win. This is where I have an issue. There was no real fight and no point to this match. It made the woman in this match look weak and could resemble abuse.
In conclusion, I love storytelling and entertaining matches especially women vs. men.
Comment below; let me know what some your favorite intergender matches are.
