WWE surprised the wrestling world with a series of releases that shocked the community. Stalwarts like Shayna Baszler and Dakota Kai were cut from the roster. Things escalated when Dave Meltzer reported he was told that some were released because of their age, saying the word “old” was used when talking about the situation. This created a conversation about women in professional wrestling and their ability to age gracefully like their male counterparts. It is a necessary conversation, but one that feels disingenuous when presented in WWE.
This conversation has come back up after Becky Lynch spurred the debate during a recent interview.
“Look at the men’s [division]. Who you got that’s hot and young over there?” Lynch said while speaking to Sam Roberts and Megan Morant on the Raw Recap podcast. “No, you got a bunch of old lads. And nobody’s saying nothing. And nobody’s saying like, oh, move over. Move over, CM Punk, move over Seth Rollins. Nobody’s saying that. But they’ll say it to me…so who’s the backup? Why am I supposed to move over?”
This is a powerful statement coming from one of the best performers in the business today. As of this writing, Lynch is 38 years old and just returning from an extended hiatus from the WWE. Nattie Niedhart recently had similar comments when speaking to Nikki and Brie Garcia, formerly known as Nikki and Brie Bella.
“People say to me, ‘When are you going to hang it up?’ I’m going to hang it up when Randy Orton hands it up, when Rey Mysterio hands it up.”
That’s a strong statement from Neidhart. Orton is 45 and coming off a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship held by a 48-year-old John Cena. Mysterio is 50 and was still performing at a high level before his recent injury.
All of these statements make sense. More people in the business should speak up in support of women aging in the business. Former WWE Champion Big E did just that during the WWE Backlash preshow.
“So much of the narrative is, is this a passing of the torch moment? Becky talks a lot about age and the way we talk about age with women and the way we talk about age with the men. For a lot of women who are in their late 30s it’s ‘Oh, are you winding down? Are you ready to get out?’ It feels like 75 percent of the male side is 38, 39, 40, 45. Let’s give the women the same honor and the same grace as well.”
The women's division deserves the same opportunities as the men's division
So, let’s look at this conversation. The facts are clear, performers in the men’s division are given the space to perform much longer into their lifespan. Cena is 48. Orton is 45. Mysterio is 50. CM Punk is 46. Seth Rollins is 38. Roman Reigns is 39. Gunther is 37. Jey Uso is 39. Cody Rhodes is 39. Jacob Fatu is 33. Dominik Mysterio is 28. The examples go on and on. Compare that to the women’s division and the top names in that group. IYO Sky is 35. Rhea Ripley is 28. Bianca Belair is 36. Tiffany Stratton is 26. Jade Cargill is 32. Naomi is 37. Nia Jax is 40. Zelina Vega is 34. Lyra Valkyria is 28.
What you’ll notice is that there are fewer names at the top of the women’s division who are 35 years of age or older. When this conversation matriculates to online spaces, there are frequent calls for the younger names in the women’s division to supplant the more established performers. Move over Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and others for performers like Stratton, Perez, and others who are on the opposite side of 30. WWE NXT is packed with young women who WWE continues to bring in through its NIL program, building the division for the future.
The majority of the performers in the women’s division do not get the same opportunity to establish themselves as long-term stars. This is 100 percent WWE’s fault. And it is not just a problem with WWE, but all the major promotions in professional wrestling fail at booking the women’s divisions adequately in comparison to the men’s divisions. Lynch and Flair have the opportunity to be major stars like their male counterparts if and only if WWE decides. Age reportedly played a part in why Dakota Kai (37) and Shayna Baszler (44) were released. Will we hear similar stories about Lynch, Flair, and Belair in the years to come while Orton and Rhodes are still going strong?
That’s where the discussion gets difficult because WWE offers the platform for Big E to make those statements, statements that were cleared by the company or wouldn’t have aired. While also making the decision on who to terminate and when. If WWE were serious about giving women the same grace as the men, the company would do that instead of furthering years of doing just the opposite.
It is great seeing fans and performers speak up for the women who put their bodies on the line in the ring. They should have the same opportunities to do this as long as the men do, as long as their capable. That hasn’t always been the case, but perhaps Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Nia Jax, Nattie Neidhart, and others can lead the way in the change.