Black Girl Magic in Wrestling

 

The excellence of....

This week of wrestling was for black wrestling fans. WrestleMelanin! So much black talent within wrestling was winning from being champions in major promotions, having an all black wrestling show, WaleMania, more wrestlers getting shine on big promotions... it was the blackest Mania week ever! But really it was for black women wrestling that was truly winning across the board. 

First you had the announcement of  the biggEST match on the Mania 37 card being announced as the main event: Bianca vs Sasha for the SD women championship. It was gonna main event night one and the amount of happiness from wrestling fans, women wrestling fans and specifically black women were . WWE announced them before the go-home episode of SD going into Mania AND on Bianca’s birthday. The article that came out earlier with Jazz, Bianca, Sasha and Naomi was everything to read and then the news broke! It was so special and was worth all the hashtags that fans were pushing TO main event. Multiple hashtags from fans that trended multiple times. From fans to wrestlers, they endorsed that this match should main event. It didn’t matter of a build; which I didn’t mind for the most part. It didn’t! What mattered was the significance of the match. Two alpha women that want to be the BEST! Two women that are the best in their own way (and are incredible for it ) but only one can be the top woman of the division. It’s the present of the women division (Sasha) vs the future  (Bianca). Two very charismatic confident wrestlers who refused to apologize for saying they are the best! The best wrestler in the world vs the best athlete-growing into a wrestler! What also mattered was all the representation of the match. The little black girls, co workers and everyone rooting for them were going to see this match. The casual black women were going to see this! It EARNED that spot! Two black women not only having a title feud going into Mania BUT main eventing night one! We haven’t had two black women feuding over a women championship since Jazz and Jacqueline! Sasha was being the second black woman to walk into Mania as a champion since Jazz at Mania 18. Not only was she walking into Mania as champion but she was finally getting her dream of main event! Something she always wanted this since she was a little girl. She had so many goals she wanted as a wrestler and main eventing was one of them. She kept manifesting and hoping that one day she would get it. Despite not being the first women Mania main event, she got to do it in a more significant way. Walking into Mania as the SD women champion in the main event and continuing to prove why she’s the best wrestler in the world against the newcomer in the world in Bianca! That was too big! That was her Wrestlemania moment. This match was bigger than them and they know that. They want to represent all the black women that came before them, the black women that in wrestling now and the future generation. WWE did right giving them the main event slot of night one and they intended to make magic with it while showing why they earned that right! 

Then you had Jazz with her Impact run. She decided to work Impact as part of her retirement run. The last couple months involved her being in the Impact women tag title tournament with Jordynne Grace, wrestling Jordynne in a really good match, wrestling Tasha in a singles, wrestling Tasha and Keira in a tag and then it all culminating to her facing the Deonna for the KO championship. But the added stipulation of Jazz putting her Impact career on the line. She wanted to make more history in her career by winning the KO championship. Her performance was everything from being on defense, her punches... It’s not no “you still go it ” shit! She never lost it! She can wrestle anyone and have a great performance. She lost the match but was the real winner in the end. She been wrestling for 20 years and within them; she has been apart of firsts, longest reigning, great matches, and been helped grew the WWF women division! Helped shaped the Trish and Victoria’s of that division. For two decades, Jazz has showcased that she still the baddest bitch in wrestling. That she can own every division that can step into: WWE, NWA, Impact, and any indie show that she taking part in now. She is so impactful to the current women division: she trains the upcoming girls and has her own wrestling school with Thunder Rosa. She wants to help women wrestling grow and she been doing it for years! The Female Fighting Phenom has BEEN earned her flowers and I’m happy she getting them. The viral fancam of her to Impact segment after her match had everyone praising her. Overall the consensus was: she is THAT bitch and forever will be that bitch!

Then you had #ThankYouFaye. Faye Jackson announced her retirement to wrestling after she suffered an injury. I was shocked by it but it was understandable: put yourself and your health first! The outpouring love she got was incredible! Multiple wrestlers and fans showed support for her; expressing how much of an impact she had on them. One I remembered the most was WOAD saying how she wanted to face her. Many people were supportive of her decision and wanted to support her for the Grey Sweatpants battle royal. Many wrestlers like Suge D, Jazz, JTG and etc... having fun because Faye was fun. She was entertaining and brighten everyone’s day. Between that and everyone giving her her flowers, loving her and telling her she will be missed. 

Then you had black woman champions in La Rosa Negra, Trish Adora and Queen Aminata making the rounds. La Rosa Negra defending her title against Sky Blue on Ladies Night Out. She is the Mission Pro Wrestling current champion and she has been a fighting champion; beating all competition so far. She successfully retained against Sky. She has a really good frogsplash finisher. She defending her title against Red Velvet within the next month. Queen Aminata is the GCW Wrestling Pro champion. She wrestled Rache Chanel for the title at “We Run This Town” . She been defending the title against multiple opponents lately, wrestling at Mission Pro and other shows including AEW dark recently. She was in a tag team against Red Velvet and Big Swole. She made the most of it ! From her look to the way she wrestles, she’s a bonafide star that’s gonna have more spotlight as time goes on. Trish Adora got to wrestle Jazz and Savannah Evans recently. The Pan Afrikan World Diaspora Champion continues to get more bookings against great talent while showing she’s the best non-signed talent in wrestling currently!

Jade and Red Velvet having their first singles match gainer each other. Jade continuing to come at Red Velvet: attacking her and coming out at AEW Dark repeatedly. Red Velvet was building up momentum on Dark while teaming up with Big Swole while Jade was talking about being THAT BITCH! It hostility came over even before the match with a brawl. Jade throwing Velvet in the crowd, Velvet’s suicide dive, Jade blue thunder bomb... they have great chemistry! Velvet was an amazing first opponent for Jade to feud with because she made Jade look incredible. Jade’s powerful cockiness just takes over! Her muscles, facial expressions, timing and cockiness is great! Her power is incredible! She’s too good! Jade beats Red Velvet and continues to show why she’s a storm in the AEW women division! 

Then we get to the main event of night one! Sasha Banks defending the SD women championship against Bianca Belair.  I knew the match was gonna be great but they outdid my expectations! The introduction from emotion with both, commentary saying “it’s two black women...”, the crowd chants,....etc! Just powerful! The spots were innovative and incredible! The timing! How crisp and perfected everything was! The selling, bumping, counters, storytelling on all levels. How incredible Bianca was with her power moves: catching Sasha off a suicide dive, military pressing and carrying her to the ring, catching her for powerbombs, the 450s, shooting star press.. Bianca had a spectacular performance being the best athlete! Sasha with her countering, aggression, and innovative submissions!The Mandolarion DDT, using Bianca braid to apply the bank statement, continuing to go after the braid to gain an advantage! The gears! Their energy! The selling! The crowd! Timing! Chemistry! Storytelling! Pacing...they had all of the elements to have a beautiful art of a match painted by black women. It all culminating to the finish of Bianca whooping Sasha with the braid and hitting the KOD for the win. Bianca wins the SD women championship and it was a beautiful moment. Her reaction, her family, Montez and even Sasha being happy was a powerful reaction. All the wrestlers (including black wrestlers) tweeting about their match! It was THE match! Best Mania main event in a LONG time! 

Sasha brought out THE best out of Bianca Belair. Everything going into Bianca winning the SD women championship was powerful. Her birthday the night before, her first single title match on the main roster, dream match with Sasha, main eventing Mania, an incredible performance five years within the company. The stars aligned with her! This was her first championship and this was the best way for her to win it. Within one year she made so much history and impact on the main roster: from in-ring, backstage to as a human... Bianca had everything to be the champion and it all paid off at WrESTlemania! Her personality, work ethic, representation, improvement and willing to grow, her presentation, handling the media because she can talk....everyone loving her backstage! She makes the most of every opportunity she’s given; big or small. She makes the most of it everytime she’s out there. She gives credit to everyone that helps her from Bayley, Sasha, Naomi, etc.. everyone that help her be the best! She has the best mindset in wrestling: so grateful and appreciative of everything that has come her way! Wanting to do more and everything having an impact with her. She’s the best thing to happen to wrestling across the board. She wanted everyone to be on this ride with her. She wanted to make everyone proud from the women that came before her to the little black girls that will be watching. She wants to impact everyone! That’s what makes a champion. It’s beyond holding the title; it’s how you hold yourself. She’s so uplifting to everyone while being the best version of herself.

The black women bonds within wrestling are special. I spoke about this within a tweet about them: Naomi-Sasha, Ember-Bianca, Bianca-Naomi,  ... all of these black women impacting each other, cheering each other one, and all winning! The love they give each other like from Naomi and Bianca! Their sisterhood!

Them telling each other how much they mean to one another. Their tweets! Naomi telling Bianca that this is her moment and Bianca telling Naomi that was resonated through her while watching a live event. Naomi embracing Sasha and Bianca, Alicia resonating with Naomi like how Naomi resonating with Bianca! It’s incredible to see bonds like this with black women wrestlers. They clap hard when one is succeeding because it means they all making history. They chipping away to moments like a Mania main event. The Alicia Fox’s! The Jacqueline’s! Krystal! Jazz! Ethel Johnson (who got induct into the HOF)! Naomi till this day! ..The amount of crow and being overlooked for many years to now more black women popping up more and more.   They all have achieved something in WWE and overall within wrestling. When  one wins, they all win! All of these moments matter! All of their accomplishments matter ! Black women history! Their bonds are powerful! 

So many more black women wrestlers are winning that many haven’t seen yet. The Ayesha Raymond’s. Queen Aminata, ,  Sahara Se7en, Promise 

Braxton, the WOAD, Mazzerati, Mercedez Blaze, Trish Adora... there’s so many black women within wrestling that are waiting to be discovered! That are succeeding under radar but will capture your attention when you see them! There’s so much more black women in wrestling. It’s not just one or two or even five. There’s so many and within multiple promotions! Multiple are succeeding! All of them are being the best in their own way. All of them are so creative with their characters, wrestling, confidence and knowing that they are the BEST. Black women are THE most creative! The most layered! The most impactful! The best thing that been happened to wrestling. Black women shouldn’t wait their turn and shouldn’t be told that when they been ahead of the curve on everyone else. When they are everything the company wants but their melanin is “offensive “. There’s a lot of work to be done when it comes to wrestling world treating them better but there is progression to be made from decades again with black women... and it’s all because of the black women being THAT good!They are black girl magic! They are all powerful! They are all winning! When one wins, all of them win! Now all of them are winning! From different shades, their melanin is running wrestling! WrestleMelanin! 

Hope you enjoyed this article from a black woman!

CREDIT: (The “WrestleMelanin “ logo is from @LoBluu on Twitter. All credit goes to her. She sells WrestleManin merch and others on her website. )