For The Record 01.04.09: The Prospect of a Woman Becoming WWE Champion

Posted by Kristopher Rodriguez on 01.04.2009

In this week’s edition of For The Record we are going to examine the hurdles that have prevented women from becoming world champions. We will also discuss the prospects of a woman attaining that brass ring.

We have not seen a woman hold a major world championship in our lifetimes. According to my research, only men have held world titles in WWE, WCW, TNA, NWA, USWA, AWA, and ECW. There is probably a myriad of reasons for why a woman has never before been world champion. But we might be coming upon a time when a woman could credibly hold a coveted world title. Whether or not we'll ever see it is an entirely different issue.

I will now speculate as to why we haven't seen a female world champion or main eventer. But before I begin, let me preface by saying that I think putting a world championship on a woman is a great idea. Unfortunately, promoters have their own fears and issues with pushing a woman to the top of a company. This article will address some of the potential reasons why uptight promoters have not given a woman world title gold. For starters, the issue of size differential makes it hard for a promoter to justify putting a woman over a man. Men are generally larger than women, and in wrestling the big guys usually defeat the smaller guys. For a smaller female wrestler to dominate the larger male wrestlers would, at least in a traditional train of thought, damage the credibility of the wrestling company. In real life, larger people usually have an edge when they fight smaller people. If a person is large, muscular, and has a long reach, they should be able to beat up those with a smaller frame and limited reach. Wrestling has operated on that premise for decades. That's a major hurdle that any woman faces if she wants to build herself up to become a world champion.

Sure, some will argue that McMahon has put enough holes to make Swiss Cheese of that premise. Small wrestlers have won world titles; Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, and Eddie Guerrero come immediately to mind for WWE while Christian Cage and AJ Styles come to mind for TNA. So obviously the size of the wrestler is not the only factor, even if it is usually a major one. No, we need to go a little deeper. Another key reason why we've never seen a female world champion is because most men do not want to put over women. And that is for two reasons (A) their massive egos forbid a woman from ever beating them and (B) they are afraid of how the fans will view them in light of the fact that they lost to a female. Most of the wrestlers in WWE, TNA, and beyond are independent contractors. They are, in effect, running their own businesses. And like any business owner, they want to protect their product from public embarrassment. If those wrestlers are afraid that a loss to a woman would hurt their bottom line, they will of course politic their ways out of jobbing to a woman.

So, beyond the fact that promoters are afraid that smaller wrestlers beating larger wrestlers will hurt their promotion's credibility and the fact that male wrestlers would politic their ways out of losing to women, there's another crucial question to be raised. How would the public respond to women wrestling men on a regular basis? Wrestling is a rough and tumble spectacle. There's punching, kicking, submission holds, headlocks. Of course, female wrestlers have proven that they can take bumps as well as the men. But when women are the recipients of punches, kicks, and chokeholds, it is usually from other women. If a man is the person attacking the woman and punching her, we are entering into different waters. Most people know that wrestling is fixed. But the image of a man attacking a woman is always uncomfortable. Nobody wants to see the Big Show deliver his knockout punch to a Diva. Nobody wants to see a woman being bullied by a man. One way that people bully is with headlocks. In real life, men abuse women by putting them in restrictive holds. So if we see a male wrestler headlocking a female wrestler, it can be unsettling. So that aspect of a woman wrestling men for main events or world titles will always be problematic for women.

Fortunately for aspiring women's wrestlers, those issues seemed to subside (at least temporarily) when Chyna entered the WWE scene.

Chyna received a big push in 1999 through 2000. She even became the Intercontinental Champion. Some might say that her time in the limelight was a disaster. I disagree. Though I was never a fan of Chyna, I have to give her credit for a job well done as Intercontinental Champion. Chyna carried the title well. But she also accomplished something that no other female wrestler has done. In 1999 she became the number 1 contender for the WWF Championship. Unfortunately, she never got her shot or the title. Why she never got her shot is still unknown. Did McMahon consider handing her the title, only to get cold feet? Who knows. Perhaps August of 1999 gave us insight into McMahon's openness to a female WWE Champion. I'm sure only a handful of people know what McMahon was considering back then.

Chyna was a transcendent wrestler. Because she was more broad, muscular, and masculine than most grapplers on the roster, her battles with the men felt less offensive. She also possessed the indefinable "it" that for some reason made her different than the other female wrestlers. It is for those reasons that she likely received her push. It is also possible, however, that she simply lucked out. Who knows, McMahon may have only given her that push because he was trying to one-up Bischoff. McMahon was willing to try anything to slay the WCW monster. Giving a woman an unprecedented push was an idea that only WWE was pursuing and it made for great TV.

But whether Chyna was merely the beneficiary of McMahon's innovative efforts or not, she still proved that the fans were willing to get behind a woman. That is an important lesson for us today.

Sure the promoters will probably always worry about the politics and the publicity that a woman wrestler might draw. Male wrestlers might whine over a woman's push and a few activist groups might get upset at a woman taking a sleeper hold or a clothesline on television. But overall it would teach an important lesson to society. A woman can do anything a man can do. What a great lesson for kids. How empowering it would be to women. I'm not saying women wrestlers should dominate the main event scene. Main event pushes should be based on merit, fan approval, proper etiquette on camera and off, and leadership skills. I'm not aware of the backstage behavior of the female wrestlers in WWE. Perhaps some of them are whining babies backstage. Perhaps McMahon doesn't have the confidence that the women wrestlers could put on 30 minute main events. But for those women wrestlers that have the "it" factor that makes them title worthy, due consideration should be given to them.

To date, there are only two female wrestlers that I have ever seen that have the size, charisma, and talent to be WWE Champions. Chyna was one of them. The other is Beth Phoenix. Beth Phoenix is the perfect combination of strength and grace. She is slowly becoming one of the most beloved figures in all of WWE. If she keeps up on her current path, Phoenix could become one of McMahon's most over wrestlers.

Beth Phoenix is too dominant to compete exclusively in the WWE Women's Championship division. That is her problem. And that is at the heart of this column today. I'm not saying WWE or all of professional wrestling is hurting for a female world's champion. What I am saying is that when a female wrestler is as over as the men and has the attributes of a WWE main eventer, their genders shouldn't stop them from headlining a few cards and holding a few world titles. Beth Phoenix can be so much more than a WWE Diva; she has the potential to be the WWE Champion. And for all those who follow in the mold of Beth Phoenix or Chyna, a world title reign should never be put off the table.

Will Beth Phoenix ever get that push? I honestly don't know. There is something special about her though. I would be hesitant to put any kind of glass ceiling over the Glamazon.