The Best Women Wrestlers You’re Not Watching

After last week’s very controversial blog, which is one of my most talked-about ever, I thought I would do a follow up. The theme behind this is the top “hidden treasures” in women’s wrestling. As a matter of full disclosure, I live in Texas. A lot of the women on this list I know because of their work in Texas. If this is about women who I think are hidden treasures, it makes sense that most of these would be local, because if she’s a great wrestler in Bismarck, South Dakota or Leicester, England, chances are I haven’t heard of her in Texas. You’ll notice that I have some from the Midwest, West Coast, and even Scotland. Thanks to the miracle of Twitter and Youtube & companies like Anarchy Championship Wrestling and Absolute Intense Wrestling that focus on women’s wrestling, I’ve had the chance to find some good nuggets and am able to share some that I’ve found.

You’re going to read this and ask me why Jessicka Havok, LuFisto, Athena, Mercedes Martinez, Manami Toyota or your favorite female wrestler aren’t in this. Let’s be honest: those women aren’t hidden treasures. They are the focus of companies like SHIMMER, Shine & WSU. I tried not to include the current rosters of SHIMMER, Shine or WSU. It is no slight meant to AIW, Anarchy or the Femmes Fatales up North. I also tried to keep away from international stars like the Joshi of Japan or the big names in Mexico like Sexy Star or the Apache sisters. I’m sure there are plenty of great stars out there that could be on the cusp of greatness. This is by no means meant to be the definitive list of the treasures indy wrestling has to offer. These are simply some of the ones I’ve seen. I am always curious to find more and more wrestlers. Please feel free to comment in the below section.

Barbi Hayden-Along with “The Texas Prodigy” Carson, they are quite easily Texas’ strongest power couple. Picture Terri Runnels. Go back 25 years. Take out the flotation devices in Runnels’ chest. Give her mic skills & wrestling ability. The new and improved wrestler is Barbi Hayden. I have seen her in a wide variety of different crowds, and she controls them like a conductor. She is a great natural heel, and while she can go in the ring with anybody, I’ve seen her rely on story and charisma to work the crowd and get her heat. Plus, she is known as “The Beauty of Anarchy” in a company with women such as Athena, Rachel Summerlyn & Jessica James. I feel like she could compete in any promotion in the US and contribute immediately.

Candice LeRae-One of the finest women on the West Coast, I guess it’s not really fair to call her a hidden treasure if she is wrestling for one of the top wrestling promotions in the US, Pro Wrestling Guerilla. But if SHIMMER can fly in Kana, why not Candice? LA has got to be cheaper to fly somebody in from than Japan. I think she would fit great in the Big 3 and if you like eye candy + wrestling ability, that’s where you start.

Angel Blue-While I’m talking about Anarchy Championship Wrestling, you can’t forget Angel Blue. One of the stiffest, hardest-hitting wrestlers on the independent scene, I’ve seen her have a wide variety of matches. She is a good face, but she’s an even greater heel. If you’ve ever seen any of her Anarchy Championship Wrestling work, she is probably one of the most hated heels in that company. I think she could come in immediately and immediately play whatever role she needed to play.

Thunderkitty-I might be cheating a little bit with this one, but Thunderkitty has wrestled for Sparkle under the SHIMMER banner. But she hasn’t wrestled technically for a SHIMMER volume yet so I’ll still count her. I had the chance to see her for the first time on an AIW Girl’s Night Out event. If you have never seen Thunderkitty live, she is one of the most original, unique women on the independent circuit. Me describing it does it no justice, so bear with me as I try to anyway. Thunderkitty is a draw-back to the 50’s wrestlers of old, like a Moolah or Mae Young (it is not confirmed if she has ever given birth to a hand). Her promos are  in black and white. Her style is completely retro. There is so much commitment to her persona. She has quickly become one of the most sought-after names on the indies scene. She is such a hidden treasure.

Ruthless Lala-Texas’ version of Awesome Kong, she is perhaps one of the finest and most experienced. She is stiff and hard-hitting. One of my favorite parts about her is her outspokenness. You can always trust her to speak her mind and never hold back. She lives her life very real and very honest, and that carries over into her wrestling. She is good in the ring against male or female.

Stacey O’Brien-A lovely blond out of the Illinios-Missouri area. I first heard of her in AAPW and have since followed her career. I’m not sure what exactly it is about her whether it is her green plaid skirt and hat or the blond hair or the whole Irish thing she has going. (I’m redheaded. I gotta represent to my people.) But I think she is really good in the ring, has a nice charisma and is just on the cusp of something really great.

Jordynne Grace-This raven-haired beauty’s stock has risen well over the past few months. She’s now a mainstay for some consistent-running companies like Magnificent Ladies of Wrestling. I’ve had the chance to see her wrestle live twice and have loved what I have seen both times. I have seen her wrestle as heel and tweener. She is a nice presence in the locker room and has a lot of dedication to being successful. At this age and stage in her career, she is only going to get better.

Terra Calaway-Okay, I cheated on this one a little bit too. She did appear for WSU once but has not yet returned (hint, hint, Drew). I think she’d be a really good choice for an “Uncensored Opportunity.” They call her the Sin City Siren. From what I’ve seen from her on Youtube, I like her in-ring work, and I think she delivers a lot to the Vegas wrestling scene (and may have a really nice feud with Allie Parker once it’s all said and done). She has a very good active social media presence as well.

Claudia del Solis-One of the names that came up continually in my research, this Latina beauty has wrestled all through Texas and the surrounding states extensively. She has plenty of experience and has wrestled all types of matches and all types of women. She has a stunning face and a very athletic physical form. She is very good in the ring, on the mic and capable of doing whatever is asked of her. Without a doubt, one of the finest in Texas and beyond.

Nikki Storm-I’d like to say that Storm is one of the great discoveries I found just by my shear Youtube skill, but I am not so lucky. In my last blog, I brought up who I thought were the best wrestlers in North America without a contract with the big 2 and I asked my readers who they thought were the best. Storm was one of the names mentioned so I did some research. A Scottish personal trainer, she is good in the ring and has a nice charisma. I think her Scottish accent would give her something different and unique to stand out. It’s time to give her some opportunities in North America to see what she can do.

So this is just a slice of what I have discovered. There were many fine wrestlers who did not make it, but I only have so much time. Who have I missed?