The Mount Rushmore of Women’s Wrestling
Joe Soriano’s Women’s Mount Rushmore
Manami Toyota
Undoubtedly the greatest women’s wrestler of all-time, Manami Toyota has a catalogue of classic moves and matches that would rival any of the best wrestlers in the world today. Toyota’s influence on the sport isn’t spoken about nearly enough, but that’s says more about the biases of the modern-day wrestling fan. Had Toyota wrestled in a major promotion in the United States, she’d probably find herself ranked as one of the top ten wrestlers of all time – male or female.
Go watch her matches with Aja Kong and Kyoko Inoue in 1995, because she had one of the best years in professional wrestling history. And tell me that bridging electric chair suplex off the top rope wasn’t special. Of course, more special than all of that was her ability to sell, get a crowd invested in a match, and tell the perfect story; she set a standard that has yet to be beaten.
Alundra Blayze
They call her the “TrailBlayzer” for a reason, as she carved a path for women to be wrestlers (and not just part of a sideshow) in mainstream American professional wrestling. Blayze was viewed by others in the locker room as “one of the guys” for his crisp in-ring work, endless desire to improve, and commitment to training.
A star in the WWF and WCW, Blayze would have far more memorable matches under her belt if the talent around her were better. There were times, particularly in WCW, when she would go unused, simply because they had nobody of competence left to feud with her. Blayze’s influence on professional wrestling remains strong, and her candid interviews offer a breath-taking perspective from a wrestler who has torn the house down with the likes of Bull Nakano.
Gail Kim
Before Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte, and Asuka vs. Ember Moon, Gail Kim and Awesome Kong showed wrestling fans that the best feud in a promotion could be put together by two women.
Gail Kim’s recent announcement of her retirement will mark the end of an illustrious career that included six TNA Knockouts Championships, a WWE Women’s Championship, and an induction into the TNA Hall of Fame last year. Vince McMahon would like you to think that the WWE started the “Women’s Revolution” in the modern era, but the truth is that Gail Kim sowed those seeds in TNA after leaving a company that never quite respected her enough.
Sasha Banks
I know, I know. How could I put a current wrestler who is under the age of 30 and only a few years into her career on this list? At first, I didn’t want to, but excluding her solely on the grounds that her career isn’t over just doesn’t seem fair. Although the WWE likes to promote itself to nauseating levels, the truth is that the “Four Horsewomen” have done an incredible amount for women’s wrestling, and none of the other three members can hold a candle to what Banks can do in that ring.
Every single one of Bayley’s, Charlotte’s, and Becky Lynch’s best matches have come against Banks, whose match with Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn remains the highest-rated American women’s wrestling match from Dave Meltzer. Banks takes hellacious bumps and puts her body on the line for the audience. Her in-ring psychology and selling are among the elites in the world today, and her work in 2015 in NXT is probably the second-greatest peak in women’s wrestling behind Toyota’s run from 1991 to 1995.
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Furthermore, Banks’s character work as a heel in NXT, “The Legit Boss”, made her one of the most engaging performers and allowed her to get baby faces over. She has the respect of nearly every wrestling fan out there and is already held in high regard by legends like Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels. Banks idolized Eddie Guerrero growing up, and her technical prowess and obvious determination to put on a show are reminiscent of legends, like Guerrero, who immortalized themselves. I believe Banks is on that path, so it is exciting to see what she can do in the future.