The online forums and Twitterverse were polarized on Monday night by fans following the announcement by Stephanie McMahon of WWE Evolution, an all-women PPV event in October that will feature over 50+ Superstars, from past to present. Most were ecstatic at the news, while many vocal naysayers were quick to point out that it wasn’t the first all-women pay per view in wrestling history, pointing to Impact Wrestling‘s One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown in 2013 as the precursor. While they’re right it came prior, it most certainly wasn’t the first. But more on that later.
The point isn’t that WWE Evolution is the first or not – usually when the WWE says something is the first, they are speaking within the realms of the WWE Universe. If it’s the first time anywhere, they usually actually add the tag word “anywhere” at the end of it. The importance of WWE Evolution is that it’s the first all-women pay per view being put on by the most globally recognized and watched wrestling (or sports entertainment) company on the planet. Disregarding your personal preference for promotion, be it New Japan or CHIKARA or backyard deathmatches, the WWE is still the world’s largest promotion. To the mainstream audience, they haven’t heard of promotions like SHIMMER, SHINE or even TNA. Having the WWE present something of this magnitude with WWE Evolution is more of a public stamp of approval that this kind of thing exists, it’s easily watchable, and the women of today are fast closing the gap in regards to skill and ability – in fact, many of the top women today would crack many critics or fans top 10 lists.
Yes, every PPV or all-women’s show before has been influential and a part of this ongoing women’s revolution – not the WWE financed one, but the genuine movement in professional wrestling – but there comes a point when the general public needs to catch wind of it and shown what it can be. Motown and Chicago blues predated the British Invasion, but both are far more appreciated now by the general population thanks to The Beatles and Rolling Stones from covering them than they were prior. It can still be a good thing, even if it’s not the original. In fact, mainstream wrestling fans who discover the true potential of women’s wrestling via WWE Evolution will most likely be more apt to check out more women’s wrestling, notice a poster for a show for SHIMMER or Pro Wrestling EVE, pay more attention when they’re in the ring, when seen on a much grander platform than by having their little brother yell at that them to watch the latest Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) event on demand.
So let the women celebrate this. This is huge. This is like WrestleMania I for every little girl in the world, the first chance to see a full card of women superheroes doing what they do best – entertain. And if this can motivate more young girls to get into professional wrestling, inspire them to work for their dreams with a chance to be taken seriously in something, then most likely start out with promotions like SHIMMER, SHINE, WSU, Pro Wrestling EVE, or even get to Japan with Stardom, then that sounds pretty good to me.
A QUICK GLANCE AT OTHER WOMEN’S PAY PER VIEWS PRIOR TO EVOLUTION
LPWA Super Ladies Showdown, February 23, 1992
In 1992, Ladies Professional Wrestling Association (LPWA) threw the first all women’s pay per view with LPWA Super Ladies Showdown, live on pay per view from Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota to an audience of 400. The LPWA was founded in 1989 by actor Tor Berg (best known for his role in Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space) and the PPV was a bust. LPWA closed down shortly after. LPWA featured a mixture of women’s names like Sue Green, Leilani Kai, Rockin’ Robin (who had just come off a 400+ day reign as WWF Women’s Champion) with Japanese joshi wrestlers liek Harley Saito, Yukari Osawa, and Mizuki Endo. It also featured future names like Terri Power (who became Tori in the WWF) and Malia Hosaka (who worked for WCW as well as SHIMMER, SHINE and others).
WOW Unleashed, February 4, 2001
While GLOW never had any pay per views, GLOW founder David McLane’s second venture, Women of Wrestling (WOW) launched one in early 2001 called WOW Unleashed. WOW was very much in the style of McLane’s GLOW, in that the characters were very much akin to the exaggerated cartoon-like characters of mid-80s WWF. Much like LPWA’s first and only PPV attempt, this was another disaster that closed down WOW until it’s reboot a few years ago.
SHIMMER Women Athletes, 2005
In 2005, SHIMMER Women Athletes (or simply SHIMMER) was founded, becoming the premier all women’s promotions in North America. While they don’t do pay per views in the traditional sense, they have been running all-women cards since their inception in 2005, recording them all for DVD release. They are now available through their own on-demand service as well.
Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU), 2006
In 2006, WSU was formed and they followed a similar DVD philosophy as SHIMMER (which was the norm for indies at that time like Ring of Honor and PWG). While not doing pay per views either, they are another top all women’s promotion with all-women events, also now on demand. In 2013, they were purchased by CZW owner DJ Hyde, making WSU the sister promotion to Combat Zone Wrestling.
TNA/Impact Wrestling, One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown, March 17, 2013 (September 6, 2013 airing date)
The one that most detractors are using as evidence of the first all women’s pay per view, TNA’s One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown featured a tournament of indie wrestlers and Knockouts in a tournament to pick entrants into the main event, a gauntlet match to crown the “Queen of the Knockouts” (similar to WWE’s King of the Ring). Indie wrestlers like Mia Yim, Cheerleader Melissa, Ivelisse, Santana Garrett and Soujorner Bolt competed against the likes of Tara (WWE’s Victoria), Mickie James, ODB, Jacqueline, and eventual winner, Gail Kim. While not the first actual all-women PPV, it is easily the most watched all-women PPV at that point, as it was the most widely available. In fact, truth be told, this wasn’t even TNA’s first all-women’s PPV – that distinction was actually TNA Mad Sexy Volume 1, that was released three years prior in 2010. While sold as a PPV in 2010, it was actually a mixed tape of various matches from 2007 through 2010.
Pro Wrestling EVE, No Man’s Land, February 18, 2012
Over in the UK, their top women’s promotion, Pro Wrestling EVE founded in 2010, held their first PPV, No Man’s Land, in February of 2012, featuring a who’s who of emerging UK/European talent, including Nikki Storm (NXT’s Nikki Cross), Kay Lee Ray, Viper, “Alpha Female” Jazzy Gabert, Rhia O’Reilly, and others. EVE continues to be Britain’s leader in women’s wrestling, recently pulling off the Wrestle Queendom PPV this past May, with over 1000 people in attendance.
Since then, we’ve seen a rise in women’s wrestling, with SHINE Wrestling starting iPPV/on demand in 2012, Stardom in Japan in 2011 and many more. The landscape has exploded with an unparalleled acceptance, excitement and fandom for women’s wrestling, beyond the cosmetic. Women have proven they can be as athletic and entertaining in the ring as their male counterparts, and people are showing up in record numbers to watch.
So instead of bickering who really had the first one, or pointing fingers at the ones who have before, let’s just recognize they all played a huge part in getting women’s wrestling to where it is at this very moment, and that all of them will benefit from WWE finally taking their next step and putting one of their own to show even more of the world that women’s wrestling is no longer an attraction. It can be the main attraction. The word evolution means continued changing and adapting, not the beginning or the end. WWE Evolution is a fitting name for another step in women’s wrestling worldwide.
