For the first time in history, WrestleMania featured women as the main event in WWE’s most marquee stage of the year. It was ironic though, as “The Man” captured the titles on the line and ended the 35th edition of the pay-per-view event in front of a capacity crowd at MetLife Stadium.
Although Becky Lynch pinned Ronda Rousey to defeat her and Charlotte Flair in a winner-take-all Triple Threat match for the Raw and Smackdown Women’s Championships, the winners of the match were decided long before Lynch hoisted both belts above her head to culminate “The Show of Shows.”
For years, the women of wrestling had meant nothing to the company. Relegated to matches where they would participate in “bra and panty” matches, the women were disrespected and valued as almost nothing to WWE. They would be there for the amusement of the male fan, not providing entertainment in the form of wrestling but in crude sexual segments.
In a sport that has been dominated by men, women have stepped to the forefront and stole the show as the main event at WrestleMania. Photo via WWE
Perhaps they would get a single match on a show every so often, but for the most part, they were always at the back of the line in terms of priorities. The male wrestlers were always far and away the more superior superstars in WWE’s eyes. The least talented male would always get a shot at performing or getting a push to stardom before giving a very talented woman a shot at becoming the focus of an event.
In recent years, however, there has been a women’s revolution in wrestling. Instead of being seen as jokes to fans, the women have become a staple in every show, even being the highlights of several events.
In 2018, women began to show that they could draw crowds as the main events. During that year in January, the female superstars had the first ever women’s Royal Rumble match. An age-old match that the men have had annually for 30 years, the women finally had the opportunity to show their counterparts that whatever they could do, the women could do just as well.
Later in the year, the female wrestlers were given an all-women’s pay-per-view event for the first time in history called “Evolution.” There was not a single male in any bout, signifying how far women have come and the appreciation not only fans, but the company, have for them.
Circling back to WrestleMania, having the females be the main event demonstrated how long and far the road had been to solidify a place atop the WWE hierarchy. Even before the fight, Lynch could be considered perhaps the most popular wrestler in the business, the first time this could be said about WWE. Organically, she formed a relationship with fans. Her personality and fighting style won over the WWE Universe, giving her the push she deserved to the main event as WWE capitalized on making their most polarizing figure the champion the fans wanted.
The women were not just handed the main event to try and change the culture of wrestling. They deserved the coronation. Women have made names for themselves for years, and it was finally time to give them the respect they had earned. Lynch might be handling both straps from being the winner of the main event, but every female wrestler in the WWE knows that they too are champions for kick-starting their own revolution.
Robert Fallo can be reached at robert.fallo@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @robert_fallo.
