I grew up watching WWF wrestling - though my favorite promotion was always NWA, but I was barely able to watch as we didn't have a local channel that carried it at a reasonable time - and cable TV was never going to happen for my six kid, one income family.
Back in that time, women's wrestling was less featured then it is now. Moolah and Wendy Richter had a run in the 80's, but for the most part, women's wrestling was nonexistent in my fandom.
And it stayed that way for decades - regardless of a rebirth in the late 90's with Trish Stratus, Chyna, Lita, etc. (Though, I still love Lita). I never really took the women serious, partly my fault and partly the promotions fault for how they were presented.
In-between the resurgence or "evolution," of women's wrestling in WWE, TNA wrestling created a very successful and entertaining "Diva's" division, but again - for whatever reasons, It never caught on with me.
When Paige burst upon the NXT and WWE scene, i started to find interest - but it wasn't until I found Tessa Blanchard & Kylie Rae that I really started to understand and appreciate women's wrestling for what it was:
Wrestling.
Not "Diva's" wrestling or "Women's wrestling," or a novelty in-between the men's matches. These women commanded respect in the ring. Finding them, i dove in deeper and began to appreciate talents like Allysin Kay, and Mercedes Martinez, etc.
With Blanchard, it was just her demeanor (It didn't hurt that her lineage was that of the Horseman, Tully's daughter,). She didn't just command respect, she fucking demanded it with a hand to the throat and relentlessness in pursuit of perfection that was amazing to watch unfold.
It was different with Kylie though. Rae is the polar opposite of Blanchard, at least, the parts we see of her on screen. She's sunshine and daisies, she's the girl next door, the girl you'd bring home to Mama. But she's also flawless in the ring. Honestly, I've spoken at length with other wrestling fans about this - In my eye's, she's not only the best in ring competitor in the women's divisions, I think she's top five in all of wrestling.
Both excelled in intergender wrestling, holding multiple "men's" titles.
Today Kylie announced that she's no longer a professional wrestler - and to say pro wrestling is a worse place without her is easy; yes, it'll go on, it always does, it always will - and that's part of the problem I think. They system is built upon building up and spitting out talent at the flip of a switch. Physically, that'll take a toll, mentally, I can't even imagine.
This post isn't to speculate what's going on in her mind, in her life, whatever. It's simply to remember why I fell in love with indie wrestling and women's wrestling.
It's ironic, really ... the two that drew me in are both no longer active, for two very different reasons, but gone none the less.
Thank you, Kylie.
