So I spent some time seriously thinking about who were the 5 best women’s wrestlers without a contract for the Big 2 (In this case, WWE & TNA/Impact.) I’m probably going to upset some women and some fans of those women. That’s why there is a comment section. So please understand this is simply my opinion.
So what was my criteria? Are these my favorites? Not necessarily. All the below are great workers that I like, otherwise they obviously wouldn’t be on this list. My Fav 5 (to steal a Booker T-ism) is another topic for another time. Are these the best workers out in the indy scene? Not necessarily. Obviously I’d say Jazz, Beth Phoenix, Awesome Kong & Rain are in the top. But they’ve been to the big dance. I’d like to concentrate on those who haven’t been to the big dance. And are these my favorite workers to watch? Not necessarily. I love watching Allysin Kay & Athena & Veda Scott, but that’s not what this is about. These are the wrestlers that I feel could go to WWE or TNA/Impact tomorrow and contribute immediately. This is my collection of who I think are the 6 (I couldn’t narrow it down to 5.) best unsigned (by WWE or TNA) female wrestlers in North America.
Mia Yim-
Is there a better combination of beauty and wrestling ability? Yim’s look is exotic. She would look great in a Diva’s model shoot. She has the experience of having traveled all over the world. And this woman doesn’t break noses because she’s clumsy. She breaks noses because she’s trying to decapitate you. There is photographic proof known as Allysin Kay. Could Mia Yim show up tomorrow in the WWE or TNA and make an immediate difference? You can bet on it.
Courtney Rush-If this Canadian were not a wrestler, you would probably see her as a beach volleyball player or a track star or some other kind of athlete. She is a tremendous athlete, like watching a wild gazelle run on a Discovery documentary. But that’s not all she offers. I recently saw a match in SHIMMER (Volume 48, to be exact) where she carried it mostly by her personality. The story was that Sara del Rey was looking for a tag team partner, and she couldn’t find anybody to be her partner, except for a way-too-enthusiastic Courtney Rush. The vignettes were entertaining, and the match was something I have not seen done in wrestling before. She is very over with their crowd and just continuing her simple gimmick, tweaked for the Big 2’s creative minds, I could see her being very successful.
Melanie Cruise-Every once in a while, wrestling needs that one woman who can come in and destroy every one. This has been a role that Awesome Kong/Kharma, Jazz and Chyna have played in the past. I think Cruise would be perfect for this role. The thing is that Cruise is still a beautiful woman. Much like Beth Phoenix, Cruise could be the respected woman renowned for her wrestling ability but still has the right amount of femininity.
Leva Bates-The biggest minus for Leva in the past was AJ Lee of the WWE. Now AJ has evolved beyond the geeky character to psycho leaving room for the geek to return. Leva has the dorky cuteness that appeals to a lot of wrestling fans. She’s good on the mic and very good in the ring. She can play whatever character she wants to. I could see her breaking the hearts of many wrestling fans who would be in love with her.
Brittney Savage-As some of these wrestlers are great workers, Savage has one thing going for her. Savage is unbelievably hot. The WWE and TNA love them some hotness. I think she could show up tomorrow in a WWE or TNA ring and break hearts everywhere. Now, just because I think she has the look most companies crave doesn’t mean she’s not a good worker. She knows her way around a ring and is really good on the mic. She is a natural heel and would be a great addition to any if the big two.
Kellie Skater-If you have never seen the Ratetank persona, I think it is well worth a view to watch how she applies the persona into every aspect of her match. I really love her hair and see little girls dressing like her in arenas. (Note to self: Daughter must do if she ever sees her live.) There aren’t enough Aussies in the international wrestling market, and I feel that between Skater and fellow Aussie Shazza McKenzie, hearts of teenage boys would melt. Skater has a great physique and plays a great heel. I could see her lasting well in the WWE or TNA.
So who did I miss? Do you agree? Disagree?
Dude. Are you serious? Britney Savage?! Your whole list became invalidated with that inclusion. She is HORRIBLE in the ring, even worse than Aksana. Why would WWE hire someone like that?! She’s not even that attractive at all. She looks smaller than AJ! TNA would just use her as enhancement talent or stick her down in OVW. Which is where she SHOULD be. I can’t believe you included her. I agree about Mia Yim and Kellie Skater. I believe either would be great in WWE or TNA. Melanie Cruise is meh to me, but I do see how her size could impress someone. I would replace her with Jessicka Havok, though, who is arguably the hottest woman on the independent scene right now. Plus, no Mercedes Martinez included on this list? The BEST women’s wrestler alive?! Sigh.
You are more than entitled to believe what you would like about my lists. It was not a definitive list, just my reflections of who I thought was best. It was not intended to settle arguments but to begin them.
I had heard that Mercedes was close to a contract around the time Sara del Rey signed so I chose not to include her as I consider her a foregone conclusion.
And of course I thought about Havok. While I think she has the size and beauty, I think she might be a little too outspoken for one of the big two. Just my opinion.
I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Mia. She brings a lot of positives, and has a unique look. Not sure what you were going for with the breaking noses because she wants to decapitate. You know it’s all a work, right? Getting injured by your opponent shouldn’t happen. I saw the match, and it looked like miscommunication between the two of them.
Courtney Rush could come in and contribute, but I’m not convinced that there aren’t more worthy options. She’s great in the ring and has a unique personality, though. I just wouldn’t stick her in the Top 5 just yet.
Melanie Cruise – I think she’s starting to come into her own. I think her big-girl game is really solid and could clearly be the house-cleaning monster heel of a women’s division. Would I say she’s ready right now? Maybe, maybe not.
I just don’t get the selection of Brittney Savage. I have nothing against her, but I don’t see what she offers that stands out from others.
Leva Bates – I personally love watching Leva, and think she’s an underrated wrestler and she also emotes well. I worry that jumping to a big time fed would strip her of the biggest thing that sets her apart, and that’s her gimmick of dressing like a pop/nerd culture character for every match. I think she would be a big question mark, depending on how a fed would use her.
Kellie Skater – I’ve only seen her a couple times, so my opinion of her will probably be adjusted with further viewing. I think she is a Shimmer darling, and the fanbase has a tendency to overlove someone. While I think Skater is talented, I think she’s somewhat overhyped.
Who WOULD I include on this list? The first to come to mind is Cheerleader Melissa. I know, she was already in TNA, but I don’t think she really got a chance to show what she could do with the Raisha and Alyssa gimmicks. Mercedes would also be on the list, though I’d see her more in TNA, with her only being picked for WWE for the Latino demo – Mercedes is arguably the best in-ring female wrestler not named Sara Del Rey out there.
I say why not Allysin Kay? I think she has the most potential of all the unsigned women out there, and maybe that potential is a year away from being fully realized. However, Allysin Kay right now is still more able to contribute than 90% of everyone else. Maybe 95%. She’s got a combination of charisma, size, toughness, verbal skills and is constantly improving and tweaking things.
Jessicka Havok might be a better right-now option for monster heel than Melanie Cruise. How could someone pass up LuFisto? Scotland’s Nikki Storm seems to be the total package, as well. Christina von Eerie is a unique talent, and she really doesn’t have a weakness; she could be put on a show in either of the Big Two and stand out immediately ( I know she was in TNA for about 5 minutes, but I’m not counting that). Some people say Marti Belle would be ready to be signed; I don’t know if I’m convinced of that. She does a lot of things well, but she’s never really jumped off the bat for me. Still, she’d be a safe acquisition to consistently give you singles. I’d probably go with Athena instead.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten about some others.
Thank you for the feedback as well.
Melissa and Christina had the runs in TNA (even though Christina’s was very short) so I didn’t count them. I think Christina is so no cookie cutter, she would be an immediate difference maker where she went IF they used her right.
I’m not that familiar with Nikki Storm’s work yet.
I love Marti, but the thing that kills her for me is that she looks like Layla too much imo.
And Athena is from my home town so I tried not to sound like a homer.
Love the choices you had. Thank you for continuing the discussion.