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Former Staff

The History of Female Promoters Around the World

In the early 1950s, the former NWA World Women’s champion Mildred Burke was tired of having her career in the hands of infamous women’s wrestling manager and promoter Billy Wolfe. So she decided to start her own promotion, The World Women’s Wrestling Association.

She founded International Women Wrestlers Inc. with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Sydney.

Burke wanted to promote women’s wrestling globally, so she founded the Women’s Wrestling Association (WWWA). In the following years, women’s wrestling toured the world. In the 1970s, All Japan Women acquired the legal rights to all WWA titles.

From the 1970s through the 1990s, AJW ladies revolutionized the face of women’s wrestling. The ladies achieved a degree of fame and prosperity that most women want today. This company’s stars had to retire in their mid-20s when still at the top of their game. So many of them opted to form their own organizations to keep wrestling.

GAEA, Arison, and LLPW were popular in Japan in the 1990s and even collaborated with larger promoters like WCW and AAA in Mexico. They scheduled and fostered several legendary feuds. Rumi Kazama and Shinobu Kandor formed LLPW in 1993. They were the first to utilize retired female wrestlers and let them compete again. They organized the first female mixed martial arts event.

Chigusa Nagayo, a legendary member of the Crush Gals tag team in the 1980s, started GAEA wrestling in 1995. The inaugural GAEA event sold out the prestigious Korakuen Hall. They created stars and conducted successful inter-promotional events.

Aja Kong created Arison wrestling in 1997. This promotion showcased the seductive but powerful side of these wrestlers with Diva-like picture sessions but also included hard-hitting competitions that showcased their endurance. Late in Arison’s life, Lioness Asuka worked as a booker. Women from AAA wrestling in Mexico trained and wrestled for the business, including Faby Apache. Arsion shut down in 2004.

In the 2000s, a model for a successful all-female promotion was developed. Women who felt underrepresented in their nations began to create their own promised lands.

Saraya Knight, Paige’s mother, made a name for herself in England and Shimmer wrestling in America. Bellatrix Female Warriors was founded in 2005 by Saraya Knight, a sister of her spouse Ricky Knight. Afterward, it was discontinued until 2011. The business also promotes and trains wrestlers in traditional British Catch Wrestling.

Pro Wrestling Women’s Alliance was formed in 2007 by Madison Eagles. The organization grew out of Eagles founding a pro wrestling school. Until 2013, it put on shows. It enabled the wrestlers to traverse the nation and achieve recognition.

Dan and Emily Read started Pro Wrestling EVE in 2010. The London-based promotion combines feminism, punk music, and pro wrestling. The parents wanted to set a good example for their kids. This campaign held London’s first all-female event. WrestleQueendom was the largest all-female spectacle in 2018.

Women continue to take over businesses, and we will continue to encourage them.

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