Intergender wrestling is almost always a topic of conversation and controversy whenever it is raised in the present day, and in some ways that is with good reason. Even though professional wrestling matches are staged, and what happens between the ropes is merely a simulation of a fight rather than an actual one, seeing a man and a woman compete against each other can still be quite jarring and even offputting, especially to a casual fan tuning in for the first time.

It Doesn't Need To Be Violent

That's likely why despite it having a place in wrestling on and off for decades, it is almost entirely absent from the mainstream today. Times have changed, and Vince McMahon competing in a brutal I Quit match against his own daughter simply doesn't have a place in WWE today. It's actually pretty shocking that match had a place in any wrestling at any time, especially considering the match ended with Vince basically trying to kill his own daughter.

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No fans want to see that sort of brutality between a man and a woman, even in a staged environment. At least we hope they don't. There is an audience for intergender wrestling though, especially since female performers have actually been treated like wrestlers and not like some sort of sideshow. Women main event shows, they put on match of the year contenders, and in a lot of respects are not only as good as their male counterparts but better.

Intergender wrestling used to be one of two things. One reason it was used was if a promotion had a female wrestler who was simply bigger and better than her peers. Someone like Chyna, for example. WWE saw that right off the bat, hence her becoming the first-ever female Intercontinental Champion and competing against men. One of her most memorable feuds was with Chris Jericho. Intergender matches were also used as a way of trying to humiliate women, see the McMahon example above, or to humiliate a male star. That happened when Lita beat Heath Slater in 2012.

Handle With Care

While there might be a place for intergender wrestling in 2021, there's no denying it's a minefield. WWE or AEW diving in headfirst without testing the waters would be a big mistake. That's why both promotions have been hinting at it in recent years. Seeing how fans react to check if there's a market for it. Right before Dean Ambrose left for AEW, it seemed inevitable that he would wrestle a match against Nia Jax. Jax is a terrific example of a star who could believably compete against male stars. She's bigger than most of the women, and even dwarves some of the men.

That didn't happen, but WWE has continued to hint that it might be open to having an intergender match. Ronda Rousey woman-handling Triple H in her debut match was an iconic WrestleMania moment. The 24/7 Title has been held by both men and women, although that has leaned more into the comedy and humiliation of intergender wrestling than women now being in a place where they can most certainly give the men a run for their money.

AEW has also toyed with the idea. Very early on in the promotion's still young history, Kenny Omega competed in an intergender match that was never shown on TV. It was used to test the reaction of the in-house crowd, and perhaps that intergender matches haven't become the norm in the company is a sign that fans weren't all that into it.

Look To Impact

No offense to Impact Wrestling, but with WWE and AEW at numbers one and two, it isn't an industry leader in many regards in 2021. When it comes to intergender wrestling though, it's a step ahead of other companies. It can even boast a female World Champion. Tessa Blanchard was Impact Champion in 2020, and although her reign came to a messy end that saw her fired from the company, it still happened. Impact is also introducing a Digital Media Championship and judging by the video package hyping it, both men and women will be able to compete for it.

Not only do both WWE and AEW have wrestlers with intergender wrestling experience in their ranks that can help get the venture off the ground, but there are some matches that would almost definitely be terrific should they be allowed to happen. Charlotte Flair versus Seth Rollins would be outstanding. The same goes for Jungle Boy versus Kris Statlander. Above all else, wrestling can be whatever you want it to be. Wrestlers work around injuries and moves they don't want to do all the time. It would be just as easy to eliminate moves from an intergender match that might put off fans, such as punches to the face or the use of weapons. Wrestling is supposed to include something for every type of fan, and there are definitely fans out there who would be up for seeing some well executed intergender wrestling.