Pro wrestling has mostly been dominated by men. With talent such as Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair being the names that people relate to pro wrestling, many fans forget that women have existed in pro wrestling as long as the men. Things are changing very fast! Promotions are popping up everywhere that are dedicated to strictly or mostly women wrestlers. Companies like Shimmer Athletics, Shine, and Ice Ribbon in Japan have shown women can bring it as equals, or in some cases, better than their men counterparts. Below are five of the best women talent from the United States, Australia , and Japan. Even though this is not a list entirely, these women have made a positive impact on their sport and made people realize that women wrestling is truly awesome and better than what you see in WWE and TNA.
Athena, The Wrestling Goddess
Photo Credit: prowrestling.wikia.com
Athena is best known for her phenomenal finisher, the “O-Face”, a top rope ace crusher! Think of it as a “Stone Cold Stunner” except that Athena starts from the top rope and grabs her opponent (who is standing on the canvas) in mid air and stuns them. The crowds go nuts for this finisher! Athena was trained by World Class Championship Wrestling manager Skandar Akbar and five time WCW World Champion and now WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. Athena travels to various independent companies throughout the United States like Shimmer Athletics and Anarchy Championship Wrestling where she won the “Queen of Queens” tournament.
Sara Del Rey
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
She was coined “Death Rey” by friend C.M. Punk. Sara is a unique character who faces both men and women. She began her career in Japan and Mexico and returned to the United States in 2005 to wrestle for Shimmer Athletics in their inaugural show. She and Mercedes Martinez fought to a time limit draw. In 2006, Sara traveled to Pennsylvania to Chikara to face The Osirian Portal (Amasis and Ophidian) with her tag team partner Daizee Haze. This was her first official woman vs man match in wrestling. Sara toured various companies including Ring of Honor, Jersey All- Pro, and TNA wrestling. Most recently, Sara was signed to a WWE contract as a trainer for their NXT brand show.
Awesome Kong
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Whether it be awesome or amazing, Kong is a diva destroyer in womens wrestling. Standing almost six feet tall and over two hundred and seventy pounds, Kong is a dominating force in any pro wrestling company. She began her career in 2002 in Japan facing the best talent in womens wrestling. She returned to the United States in 2006 and became the cornerstone of the TNA Knockouts division. She returned to the independent circuit soon after and faced competition from Shimmer Athletics, Ring of Honor, American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance, and a few smaller companies before landing in the WWE.
Kong signed on December 29, 2010 and started vignettes on April 11, 2011. On April 25th, she was introduced as “Kharma”! She debuted at the “Extreme Rules” Pay-Per-View on May 1st attacking Michelle McCool. Kharma began attacking all of the divas during the next few weeks, blasting each one, except Kelly Kelly. On May 23rd episode of Raw, she ran to the ring during the women’s tag team match, fell to her knees, and began to cry. The next week, Kharma revealed she was pregnant and had to take a leave of absence. She returned at Royal Rumble 2012 and eliminated Hunico before being eliminated by Dolph Ziggler. Kong has since returned to pro wrestling for Chikara and Resistance Pro where she finishes opponents with her wicked “Implant Buster”, a lifting double underhook facebuster!
Melanie Cruise
Photo Credit: Prowrestling.wikia.com
Talk about making the best out of an opportunity! Melanie Cruise has torn through the women’s division in Resistance Pro, the new wrestling company owned by Billy Corgan. She’s had a great feud with Nikki St. John over the women’s championship. She’s now in the position to face current women’s champion Awesome Kong in a battle of the best in the division. Melanie debuted for POWW (Powerful Women of Wrestling) on April 26, 2008. She first appeared in Shimmer at Sparkle Volume 21 where she defeated Cherry Bomb to earn a spot on the main roster. As a relative newcomer to the sport, Melanie has been the focus of Resistance Pro’s women division and has been given tons of talking and promo time to build her character and the fans have stood behind her. Her finisher is the “Cruise Control”, a standing thrust spinebuster, leading her to the top of the company.
Kana
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Kanako Urai, also known as Kana in the Japanese and American rings is known for her stiff style with combination kicks and vicious submissions. She debuted for the AtoZ on June 16, 2004. She worked there for a few years until being forced to retire due to Nephritis, a inflammation of the Nephrons in the kidneys. She made her comeback on September 22, 2007 for Ice Ribbon, Joshi, and an assorted number of smaller federations as a free agent. She debuted in the United States on August 3, 2011 in Shimmer Athletics. She defeated Mia Yim in a great match. Kana’s finishers including Billiken (running hip attack), Kanagon (grounded dragon sleeper), and the Kana Lock (crossface chickenwing).
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