What Happened Behind the Scenes to WWE Divas?

TL;DR

WWE’s treatment of female talent shifted from emphasizing appearance and provocative content toward prioritizing wrestling ability and major matches. Earlier eras were marked by allegations of exploitation and harassment, while several prominent women also faced addiction, legal trouble, domestic violence, career instability, and conflicts between their past work and WWE’s family-oriented presentation.

Transcript

After years of promoting them mainly for their beauty and minimal clothing, World Wrestling Entertainment is finally taking female wrestlers seriously. Today, they're hiring ladies based on how well they perform in the ring, their matches are main-eventing major events, and rumors abound that women may main-event WrestleMania 35. It's clear there's... Read More

Key Insights

• WWE’s women’s division changed from a presentation centered largely on beauty and minimal clothing to one that emphasized wrestling ability, athletic performance, and prominent matches. The company also stopped officially calling female wrestlers Divas in 2016.
• Fabulous Moolah’s legacy was challenged by former students who alleged that she exploited young wrestlers and damaged potential rivals’ careers. Public criticism intensified when WWE named a WrestleMania 34 women’s battle royal after her, prompting the company to rename it.
• Sunny’s post-WWF life was shaped by drug and alcohol addiction, repeated arrests, jail time, and adult entertainment work. Although WWE inducted her into its Hall of Fame in 2011, her legal and personal difficulties soon returned.
• Chyna achieved unusual success by winning the Intercontinental Championship and becoming a leading contender for the WWF World Championship. After leaving the company in 2001, she struggled with substance abuse, unstable employment, reality television exposure, and adult films before a fatal overdose in April 2016.
• Sable’s 1999 lawsuit sought $110 million and alleged that WWF management pressured her into excessively provocative storylines while tolerating sexual harassment. The case was settled outside court, and she later returned briefly for additional risque programming before leaving again.
• Sensational Sherri Martel’s substance-related problems disrupted her career in multiple promotions. WWF dismissed her after three failed drug tests in 1993, WCW fired her for arriving intoxicated in 1997, and her 2007 death involved multiple drugs, including substantial oxycodone.
• Charlotte Flair’s early legal trouble followed a 2008 altercation involving her boyfriend and father. She later pleaded guilty to resisting arrest, received supervised probation and a fine, and disclosed that continuing domestic violence contributed to the end of her marriage.
• Asuka’s pre-WWE career included provocative matches, modeling, and suggestive acting that did not fit WWE’s later family-oriented presentation. Her WWE identity instead emphasized dominance and athletic ability, including an undefeated run lasting more than 900 days before WrestleMania 34.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did WWE’s treatment of female wrestlers change?

WWE moved away from promoting women mainly through beauty, revealing clothing, and provocative entertainment. It began hiring women based more heavily on their in-ring performance, placed women’s matches in major-event positions, and officially stopped using the Divas designation in 2016. The change reflected a broader effort to present female wrestlers as serious athletes rather than primarily as visual attractions.

Q: Why did WWE remove Fabulous Moolah’s name from a WrestleMania match?

WWE removed Fabulous Moolah’s name from the WrestleMania 34 women’s battle royal after widespread social media criticism. Former students had accused Moolah of exploiting trainees, damaging possible rivals’ careers, and engaging in conduct associated with allegations of sex trafficking. WWE responded that the historic match and its commitment to the women’s division were more important than retaining the disputed name.

Q: What problems did Sunny face after leaving WWF?

Sunny struggled with severe drug and alcohol addiction that had already affected her conduct and employment in WWF. After working for smaller promotions, she was inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame in 2011, but her difficulties returned. She experienced repeated arrests, served 114 days in jail, faced multiple DUI cases and a parole violation, and moved into paid adult entertainment work.

Q: What happened to Chyna after her WWF career ended?

After WWF released Chyna in 2001, she struggled with drugs, alcohol, and difficulty securing steady wrestling or acting work. She appeared on reality programs, including The Surreal Life and Celebrity Rehab, where her behavior and possible addiction became public subjects. She later worked in adult films and continued using alcohol and drugs until her fatal overdose in April 2016 at age 46.

Q: Why did Sable sue WWF for $110 million?

Sable sued WWF in 1999 because she alleged that management pressured her to participate in storylines that crossed her personal boundaries, including a proposed live television exposure of her chest. Her lawsuit also described sexual harassment and invasions of privacy in women’s dressing areas. The dispute was settled outside court, and she later returned briefly to WWE for more risque storylines.

Q: How did substance use affect Sensational Sherri’s career?

Substance-related difficulties repeatedly damaged Sensational Sherri Martel’s wrestling career. WWF fired her in 1993 after she failed three drug tests, and WCW dismissed her in 1997 after she arrived at a show intoxicated. At the time of her death in 2007, she was experiencing serious back pain, and her autopsy reportedly found multiple drugs, including a large amount of oxycodone.

Q: What legal and personal difficulties did Charlotte Flair experience?

Charlotte Flair was involved in a September 2008 altercation between her boyfriend and her father, Ric Flair. Police accused her of kicking an officer, and she was tazed. In January 2009, she pleaded guilty to resisting arrest after the assault charge was dropped, receiving supervised probation and a small fine. She later wrote that continuing domestic violence contributed to her divorce.

Q: Why does Asuka’s pre-WWE career conflict with her WWE image?

Asuka’s WWE presentation focused on her strength, athleticism, and dominance, including an undefeated period of more than 900 days. Her earlier career included provocative matches against women and men, revealing modeling, a photoshoot featuring a military uniform with a swastika, and suggestive acting roles. Those materials conflicted with WWE’s family-oriented promotion and its increased emphasis on wrestling ability over sexualized presentation.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• WWE once promoted women primarily through beauty, revealing clothing, and provocative storylines, but its approach eventually changed. The Divas label was officially abandoned in 2016, wrestlers began being hired for their in-ring ability, and women’s matches reached major-event status, reflecting greater respect for female performers as athletes.

• The account presents troubling experiences involving several prominent women. Former students accused Fabulous Moolah of exploitation, while Sable alleged harassment and extreme storyline pressure. Sunny, Chyna, and Sensational Sherri experienced serious substance-related difficulties, arrests, career disruptions, or fatal overdoses after achieving considerable visibility in professional wrestling.

• Charlotte Flair’s history included an arrest following a family altercation and her later disclosure of domestic violence within her marriage. Asuka’s provocative pre-WWE performances, modeling, and acting contrasted with her later presentation as a dominant wrestler, illustrating how WWE’s expectations and public image evolved alongside its treatment of women.