A Diva Was a Female Version of a Wrestler: An Abbreviated Herstory of World Wrestling Entertainment

Women tearing the wrestling houses down is not new, Queen of the Ring, the 2009 biography of Mildred Burke (Queen of the Ring), and the documentary Lipstick and Dynamite, tell the story of those who paved the road decades ago. But women’s wrestling has always been maligned, sabotaged, and blockaded. The past few years have seen a much-needed resurgence and a newfound respect for these athletes. This has also brought a wealth of excellent books on women's wrestling. Prior to the last few years books on the genre were few and far between. Sisterhood of the Squared Circle, An Encyclopedia of Women’s Wrestling, Unladylike, and Women Love Wrestling are some of those recent works. A Diva Was a Female Version of a Wrestler is a perfect addition to this recent literary windfall. This is an excellent and unflinching look at the modern “evolution” women’s wrestling and is limited to WWE. The book looks at the nuances of the resurgence, and clearly articulates how some of the same backwards mentalities and gender biases are undermining the momentum from within. I would love to see a second volume by the author, perhaps covering all things non-WWE in the world of women’s wrestling. The most inspiring things in women’s wrestling, to my thinking, have nothing to do with WWE at all. Pro-wrestling EVE, Mission Pro Wrestling, Joshi, Shimmer, Women of Wrestling (WOW), #SpeakingOut, and a few recent developments on Impact and AEW all hold much more promise for the future. There is reason to be hopeful about the future of women’s wrestling, and none of that hope comes from WWE. It does come from the work of authors like Harris, Bandenburg, and Ferguson. This is an excellent read and a welcome addition to the pantheon of books on the topic.

Didn't really learn anything new. I enjoyed the book overall much respect to the writer. Wish the author would have explored in more detail some of the topics and thems. Nice effort.👍