Women of color lead the charge in newest women's revolution across wrestling

There’s been a lot of talk about the state of women’s wrestling across major organizations. Regardless of which promotion you are enjoying the most, one thing is clear. The women are leading the way, as there is a much more consistently positive response to their work. Diving a bit deeper into that statement, it’s also interesting to see that women of color are truly at the forefront of what some are calling another women’s revolution in professional wrestling and sports entertainment. 

Just look at what has happened in the last few days. Giulia made her big debut at WWE NXT No Mercy. She walked out to confront Roxanne Perez who just successfully defended her championship against Jadia Parker. Earlier in that same show, Kelani Jordan successfully defended the NXT Women’s North American Championship against Wendy Choo. Nia Jax and Michin recently had a fantastic street fight on SmackDown. Much of the top booking throughout WWE’s women’s division features women of color. 

AEW is also seeing its women’s division gaining steam with women of color leading the way. Hikaru Shida came out on top in the main event of Collision where she defeated Serena Deeb, Thunder Rosa, and Queen Aminata for a shot at Mercedes Mone and the TBS Championship at All Out. Mone just had an excellent match at NJPW Capital Collision against Momo Watanabe, a match that many are considering one of her best since leaving the WWE. It’s Mone’s arrival in AEW earlier this year that has truly spurred a lot of the positive changes behind the booking that the entire division is experiencing. 

This isn’t to denigrate the work that any of the other women on the rosters are contributing. There’s enough praise to go around. But it is important to note who is truly pushing the charge, fighting back against the idea that the women’s division don’t draw and can’t carry a promotion. While there is still a lot of work and progress to see, this is a great time in professional wrestling for many in the women’s division. And there’s still a need for more to see the benefits of this shift. Yet, one thing is true. If this is the newest iteration of a women’s revolution in wrestling, then it is being led by women of color.