Women stepping into the wrestling ring for the first time in North Queensland, Australia

Balancing on two hands, Wendy Hagan stands on her head and clamps her legs around her opponent's neck.

With a single move, she whips their body around and brings them crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

It's a signature move she's been honing since she first stepped into the professional wrestling arena less than two years ago.

"You've got excitement, adrenaline, you're scared [and] hoping to try to remember the plan and the storyline that you're trying to tell," she says.

Donning a custom-made black and silver outfit, Hagan transforms into her stage persona of the celestial warrior Ebony Angel.

"I've descended from heaven to unleash hell and make good choices and trying to keep people on the right track," she says.
She now entertains hundreds of fans in north Queensland, but wrestling promoters say the male-dominated sport is quickly growing in popularity with women nationally.

From 'eye candy' to athleticism

At 44 years old, Hagan calls herself a "late bloomer" to the world of professional wrestling.

The performance-style matches involve trained wrestlers using choreographed moves to pin their opponent to the ground, all while ramping up the theatrics.

She was inspired to join a training session to put her skills to the test after watching a live match in Townsville in 2022.

"I'm 158 centimetres [tall] and only 57 kilograms so I'm not a big person," she says.

"I've still managed to step into the ring and have matches against the guys."

She grew up seeing the "old-school" style of wrestling on television, where women were dubbed "divas" and competed wearing lingerie and bikinis.

"It was very sexualised. The women were coming out as the arm pieces or the eye candy," she says.

But she says the sport has pivoted to displaying athleticism allowing women to develop their performance personas and storylines.

Breaking barriers

Hagan is one of two women who are a permanent fixture with the Queensland Wrestling Alliance (QWA), the largest wrestling promoter in the state's north, among a line-up of 13 men.

"There's more women coming into wrestling and more women getting involved and more women becoming fans," alliance co-owner Vicki Hembrow says.

"Women are now treated as athletes, they have their own storylines, they have their own progression ... they're not just holding up a scorecard.

"I would like to see at least 30 per cent of our card as women that would be awesome, that's my target."

Sydney-based promoter Pro Wrestling Australia (PWA) is the largest training academy for aspiring wrestlers in the country.

About 40 per cent of the company's current talent is female, compared to a decade ago when they estimated only 15 per cent of wrestlers nationally were women.

"It really starts with the training schools and making sure it's a very inclusive atmosphere," coach and heavy-weight champion Jessica Troy says.

"Whatever [costume] they want to wear out there, it's completely up to them whether they want to wear short shorts or long pants ... before it might have been them being told what to do or being forced into an unfair situation.

"They have a lot more voice and a lot more power thanks to the previous generations of wrestlers."

PWA estimates about 70 per cent of new Australian talent picked up for professional contracts in the past 10 years have been women, including with major American promoter WWE.

One of Australia's most well-known wrestling exports, Rhea Ripley, held the title of WWE's Women's World Championship for more than a year, until an injury forced her out of the competition in April.

More than muscles and abs

Ashe Powell couldn't wait to jump under the ropes and start slinging punches.

The Townsville-based 17-year-old is QWA's youngest wrestler but also a feared opponent.

Their character Ace Addams is what's known in the wrestling world as a "heel", the villain of the match who is met with a chorus of boos from the audience.

"Ace is a little brat who doesn't give a crap what anyone thinks and does what they want, very egotistical," Addams says.

Powell signed up for training as soon as they were old enough the week after turning 16.

"I was the only girl when I first started which was quite scary," they said.

Powell says while the sport requires participants to be quick on their feet, they want to dispel the myth it's only for the physically strong.

Character work, audience interaction, acrobatics and speed are the keys to success.

"I was always a theatre kid, loved my drama and my acting, so it was sort of a creative outlet," they say.

While every competitor dreams of claiming the golden belt, the coveted prize for defeating their opponent, Hagan's goal is to encourage more women to give the sport a try.

"The most beautiful thing is seeing the little girls come up and give you a hug and say, 'I want to get into the ring with you guys'.

"It can be a career path, or it can just be just an amazing sport that you can get involved with."