Wrestling: The Conversation Surrounding Women’s Bodies Still Needs To Improve

SmackDown Live’s Peyton Royce is the latest target of comments surrounding her appearance and size. It’s an unavoidable topic in such a physically focal sport, but the discrepancies in the ways we talk about women’s bodies and men’s are still often blatant, even in the midst of a women’s wrestling renaissance.

I spent a fair few minutes trying to describe or rationalize the series of comments that took place between Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer.

Fairly, the best way I can describe the way they spoke about The IIconics transition from NXT to the main roster is clueless.

If you haven’t heard or read the transcript of the conversation between Alvarez and Meltzer, which Peyton Royce aptly responded too, it is provided below.

"Dave: “The IIconics got… boringed [sic] out. They’re another one… I thought… that they had… a cool act in NXT, and  on the main roster, I don’t get a thing out of them. I mean, I don’t think their promos are particularly good, their wrestling isn’t good, I didn’t even… I think they even… I think Peyton Royce’s transformation to look more attractive… I don’t know. I don’t wan to say, but… I don’t think that…”Bryan: “She was more attractive in NXT?”Dave: “I thought so… yes. To me, yes. I would say so, but, y’know that’s neither here nor there, but…”Bryan: “No one’s saying she’s unattractive, by the way everybody.”Dave: “I know, no s***, yeah, I didn’t say it at all, but I don’t think, like…she doesn’t stand out to me. When she was in NXT, she did.”Bryan: “Well y’know one thing I’ve noticed about NXT and the main roster…”Dave: “She was a lot… she was a lot lighter.”"

You can tell clearly through the audio of their discussion that they’re trying hard to skirt about saying anything too controversial. That’s neither to their credit or their detriment; it just proves they at least tried to not say anything too stupid.

What they still managed to do was become the most recent instance of a massive discrepancy that still exists throughout the world of wrestling.

Rather obviously, performers’ physiques and appearances will be discussed in such a physical and visual sport like professional wrestling. Wrestler’s are athletes; their bodies and the way they perform are the most crucial elements to their success and their safety within a wrestling ring.

You know what else is obvious? The fact that even though professional wrestling has seen a surge of inclusion that has propelled women in wrestling forward towards the status of their male counterparts, one thing that hasn’t changed is that we put the entirely wrong emphasis on their bodies.

I understand that me, a nobody shooting off on wrestling from the comfort of my dining room, calling two experts like Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer “clueless” takes a lot of gall. To talk directly about Peyton Royce’s appearance and size in conjunction with reasons you don’t think she’s as successful on the main roster takes a lot of gall too.

That’s mostly because you would never in your wildest dreams say that Roman Reigns or Braun Strowman getting bigger was a bad thing. It just means they’re getting stronger right? Being bigger makes you seem more intimidating right?

So why is Peyton Royce not looking as “light” added to the list of things making her less successful on the main roster, and yet Dean Ambrose is celebrated all over social media for returning after his injury looking MUCH bigger?

The discourse isn’t wrong because Meltzer believes Peyton’s gotten bigger or what have you since she was moved to the main roster. He’s wrong for lumping that fact in along with things he thinks are making her less successful when it is never, or seldom said when you’re talking about a male wrestler.

There needs to be equilibrium between how we talk about men’s and women’s bodies in wrestling. It’s wrong that what’s classified as good or better for a male superstar is a detriment to a female. All superstars, regardless of gender. train tirelessly, spend days and days away from home, and sometimes put their own health and safety in jeopardy for our entertainment. The least we can do is hold them to the same standard when it comes to how we talk about their bodies.

To his credit, Meltzer has directly apologized to Peyton.

While it was apt for Meltzer to point out the pressures of women in entertainment, the issue at hand really stems beyond that. Women in the WWE or any other wrestling promotion aren’t simply entertainers; they’re athletes who rely on the strength and agility of their bodies. To chastise the way a woman’s body looks when it’s performing at it’s most optimal, regardless of how it looks, is something none of these women deserves.