wrestling / Columns

The Professional 3 12.01.13 Women in Non-Wrestling Groups

December 1, 2013 | Posted by Jon Harder

Welcome everyone to another edition of the Professional 3 on 411wrestling.com! I’m Jon Harder and Survivor Series is in the books! Granted, I’m devastated in the fact that the turkey greatness has come and gone, but I can hold solace in the fact that Roman Reigns tied a Survivor Series record with 4 eliminations in one match. Who was the only other person to gain 4 eliminations? AJA KONG at the 1995 Survivor Series. Incredible. It makes me somewhat giddy that certain little factoids or records are getting play across the internet. I dig it. Now with Thanksgiving out of the way, it’s time to heads towards another unique P3.

Before we go any further, however, check out this week’s Hardway Podcast on TheJonHarder.com with Harry Aaron, a freelance photographer who has recently spread his wings and gone to study at Full Sail University! During this time period, he is a part of the NXT Social Media Team, as well as to have gotten a rare chance to do a photo shoot with Mark Henry for WWE.com! Harry is also no stranger to the Indies, as he has shot pictures and video products for the New England independent scene. You can find Harry on Twitter at @HarryThird.

Also, you can find me on Twitter at @TheJonHarder. I like feedback, tweets on how awful the New York sports scene is at the exact moment, and just overall greatness on Tim Hortons coffee. Just what I do.

Now, onto this week’s piece. I’m going to be real. With everything that has transpired with me over the past few weeks, I’ve really just decided to kick back and relax a little more. It has given me time to reflect and think over life in general. There have been a couple of days where I haven’t even left my bed. Is it healthy? Not too sure, but I have thought about a lot of different things. This has also caused me to watch a little more TV. I have definitely realized one thing: the majority of shows on the boobtube SUCK.

Maybe it’s because I was spoiled with great shows growing up, but there is not any real quality programming anymore. Gone are the days of Cheers, Full House, and, my personal favorite, Step by Step. Long live REALITY TV. If I have to see my New York Daily News clouded with one more story revolving around Kim Kardashian and her stupid, fake family, I’m going to flip. I have never seen a show like Keeping Up With the Kardashians simply stay on air for no apparent reason. THEY TALK AND DO NOTHING. My God, it’s pitiful. The Real Housewives, Hip Hop and Love, and Teen Mom really exist on this medium. The absolute fact that MTV glorifies teenagers having kids at 16 years old makes me sick. This is what the United States gets for being absolutely numb to everything in the world. It’s a real scary place nowadays. At least on Sunday nights, you can truly get QUALITY television watching Total Divas.

Yes, I said Total Divas. I do not care, I watch that show. It’s an addicting program. I have had several females come up to me and tell me how compelling it is. My own girlfriend watches the program and LOVES it, yet she hates reality TV like me. Why watch it? Because it’s different from everything else in the reality realm. You have a group of female pro wrestlers displaying themselves in an open fashion on how they live their lives. In a world where everyone considers what they do to be “fake”, it might actually be the realest reality show on TV. When you have Cameron from the Funkadactyls going through a serious medical issue, Natalya getting everything prepared for her upcoming wedding, Nikki Bella preparing to live with a recently divorced John Cena, and two young Divas trying to find their way in the big new world known as WWE, you have a compelling show on television which makes you think differently about the world of pro wrestling and what people go through.

Bottom line is this: the WWE finally found its way into the mainstream market with Total Divas. For me, it’s fun to see what will happen next. Are there situations that seem a little contrived? Absolutely. Did anyone pop a little bit when Damien Sandow emceed the Tyson Kidd/Natalya wedding? Oh hell yeah, at least on my end. Does anyone really care if Eva Marie got into Maxim? Yeah, but in magazine form only for the guys. I find it admirable that the Divas of the WWE actually let the world into their lives to show the viewers how they make it through pro wrestling on a day-to-day basis, while trying to handle real life. The girls on Total Divas are an incredible group and it truly is fantastic to see them get their due on a very popular television channel.

However, they are not the only group of females to come together like this in the world of wrestling. There have been three other groups, in my mind, that have banded together in one form or another to make their way through wrestling. It’s a tough road to go on through the game, but these groups have made their legacy in wrestling. The bottom line is simple: females in the world of wrestling are very well deserving of their spot, whether they are solid wrestlers in the ring or not. As a man who at one time commentated for Women Superstars Uncensored, I can tell you that they are genuine about their craft and have the passion to develop their skills to put on a solid match or segment for the fan base.

This week’s P3 revolves around the different groups of women in wrestling that have come together to make an impact. And before we go any further, although the Pretty Mean Sisters were a great little group in 1999 with Terri Runnels, Jacqueline, and Ryan Shamrock, they will not be mentioned in this piece. (A little letdown to the Attitude Era fans. I apologize.) But hopefully you’ll see what I mean at the end of this article. Without further hesitation…

THE PROFESSIONAL 3: WOMEN IN NON-WRESTLING GROUPS

1) FEDERETTES

In the summer of 1986 on WWF television, Superstars and Wrestling Challenge were introduced to the Federettes, a group of ring girls who would take the wrestlers’ jackets and robes and bring them back to the locker room. They rocked a purple and silver outfit, with “Federettes” in cursive on the back. It was classy and cool. The Federettes were a precursor to the UFC ring girls, a throwback to the boxing ring girls, and not seen prior to the world of wrestling, which was another standout promotional idea from Vince McMahon and his promotion machine. The most prominent viewing of the Federettes were at WrestleMania 3 in 1987, when they handled all the carrying back of ring jackets and robes, and the unbuckling of the ropes on the motorized carts as they finished coming down the aisle. I once read on the internet from a fan stating how in the Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant pre-match showdown, which is on every WWF DVD series when it comes to discussion regarding WM 3, you see Hogan, Andre, referee Joey Marella, and a little blond Federette walking by on the outside of the ring. I laughed, but only in the obscure wrestling facts will you see that mentioned.

Were the Federettes before their time? Maybe so. Many fans felt that they could have made their return, in an edgier style, during the Attitude Era. However, I disagree. In the 1980s, where the WWF were always interested to bring something different to television, the Federettes made the television product a little more legitimate. It brought a classy element to the WWF and had them stand out. The Federettes might have been around for a short time, but they made a lasting impact on the Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Era of the business.

2) NITRO GIRLS

There have been plenty of reasons on why WCW was so awesome during the mid 1990s. For wrestling purists, it was the Cruiserweights, the New World Order, and the captivating television. For the casual viewer, in this writer’s opinion, was for the Nitro Girls. With a budding television product on Monday nights against the prestigious Monday Night Raw, Nitro needed to do everything in its power to stay above the competition. How do you compete? You get beautiful women to dance on television prior to matches. The fan base ate it up. And although the Nitro Girls faded out at the very end of the company, the Nitro Girls actually introduced several women to the sport.

Kimberly Page, wife and manager of Diamond Dallas Page at the time, was the leader of the pack, but several women came out and became characters on WCW TV. Storm became Paisley and worked with the Artist Formerly Known As Prince Iaukea, who became Cruiserweight champion. Tygress made her way as the valet of the Filthy Animals. Chameleon became Ms. Jones, secretary to Commissioner Ernest Miller. Lastly, a little known female named Stacy Keibler came into WCW as a Nitro Girl and branched out to be one of the most successful women not just in WCW, but wrestling history.

The Nitro Girls were a great unit. It brought a different aspect to the Nitro program and it showed the wrestling demographic that there is more to a wrestling program than just wrestling. The Nitro Girls are still remembered to this day, so they are a well-revered unit in the world of wrestling.

3) 2004 WWE DIVA SEARCH

Hey look, I know the Diva Search was a weird experiment. I realize that it made for some horrendous segments. But if you look the big picture, so many women were established from this one idea. Christy Hemme became a phenomenal talent for both WWE and TNA. Amy Weber and Joy Giovanni were involved with JBL, Kurt Angle, and Big Show WWE championship storyline in the winter of 2005. Michelle McCool became the first ever unified Divas champion. Maria became a solid in-ring competitor and ultimately heel antagonist manager with Mr. Mike Bennett in ROH. And Carmella married former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia, who I think was a solid journeyman player.

The Diva Search did introduce women into storylines and into wrestling, whether fans can admit or not. Also, it brought the Rock and pie together as one and the derogatory terms brought towards Carmella on a live episode of Raw were absolutely incredible. Always and forever, long live the Diva Search.

Guys, women in wrestling never get their props for what they do. Granted, they are remembered for their looks, but they do a lot of fans in talent and personality, as well as have fans tune in for what they do on a show. I appreciate everyone that I’ve mentioned as well as every women’s wrestler not mentioned. God bless women in wrestling. They level the playing field.

Now if you don’t mind, I’m going back to Total Divas on E!.

#Professional3

Jon Harder – [email protected]