5 Unsung Female Wrestlers

The Term unsung is a tricky one when used, the official definition according to old man Webster is not celebrated or praised. Which is true, but oftentimes especially when it come's to sports, entertainment, and pro wrestling we as fans, spectators, armchair bookers, and podcasters. Often use it to talk about someone who may have received their praise, but was just a tad bit underrated. Or maybe was ahead of their time and it took years for people to realize how good they were. Or in some folks case they were in an era with some true greats that overshadowed them. 

However unsung is used, I decided to close Women's History Month with 5 unsung female wrestlers. Women who I believe fan's appreciate, they just for whatever reason are not talked about as some of the best. Here we are 5 Unsung female wrestlers.

Nidia

Nidia seems to have largely been forgotten amongst fans. Co-winning season 1 of Tough Enough alongside Maven in 2001. Nidia took the opportunity and RAN with it. Debuting on WWE Smackdown in 2002 alongside Jamie Noble, the pair were a couple who were proud trailer park trash basically. Nidia was so into her role, she would even take chewing gum out her mouth put it on the ring post and when a match was over take it back and chew it again. That is committing to a role if I've ever seen one. 

Eventually the duo were separated and Nidia was sent to Raw, where she kind of toiled around until being released in 2004. She never won a championship while in WWE, never partook in a major feud on her own. However, for not having any wrestling experience prior to entering the Tough Enough competition. Nidia had solid in-ring and promo skills, as well as knowing how to sell a character. It's a shame she didn't have a more meaningful run.

Ruby Soho

Ruby Soho is a good wrestler with an unique look that just seems to always be in a class with Alpha females. After making a name for herself on the indies as Heidi Lovelace, Ruby joined NXT in late 2016 as Ruby Riott. Also members of the NXT roster during that time? Bianca Belair, Nikki Cross, Ember Moon, The IIconics and one Asuka. Still she managed to make enough of an impression that she was called up in November of 2017 to the main roster, leading a faction known as the Riott Squad alongside Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan.

Main roster members during that time, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, and The Bella Twins. All women WWE were building around and had in high-profile feuds. She was released from WWE in 2021 and moved to AEW. Complete with well produced vignettes the feeling in the air was that AEW was going to make her the star she is. Well in a class with Jamie Hayter, Kris Statlander, Jade Cargill, Serena Deeb, Thunder Rosa, and Britt Baker.

 She got lost in the sauce, which is a shame because even though the other woman on the roster maybe bigger names. Ruby was often relied on to help guide them through meaningful matches and make them look good. Which she has done very well, she has yet to be anywhere near a championship title picture in AEW. My hope is when she is ready to return to the ring, she is finally given her due.

Allie

Allie started training to become a wrestler in 2005 when she was 17 years old. She worked her way through the Canadian indies, and then crossed the border to wrestle in promotions like Shimmer, Shine, and Combat Zone Wrestling. She joined Impact in the spring of 2016 initially aligning with Maria Kanellis and Sienna as The Lady Squad. She slowly started becoming a fan favorite and eventually won the TNA Knockouts Championship. Around that time, she also started portraying a bubbly ditzy version of herself.

Which later transformed into a "dark" version of Allie when she became involved in storylines with Su Yung and Rosemary. She left Impact in 2019 and joined AEW as it was kicking off becoming the Bunny. An continuation of her dark Allie angle where she seemed to often be in a trance. Allie has the character aspect of pro wrestling down, is an ok promo worker. Not going to captive audiences by any means, but will get the point across. And I think a damn good wrestler, that for one reason or another hasn't always clicked with fans and the powers that be. 

She has a chameleon quality to her in that if you watch her matches and angles she pretty much can work with anyone, and make any story she's in work. She's had some maybe not classics, but legitimately good bouts in Impact. It's a shame she is not recognized more for her work. 

Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn is one of those wrestlers you can chalk up to a right wrestler, wrong era things in life. She competed in WWE from 2010-2014, squaring off against folks like AJ Lee, Natalya, Layla, Michelle Mccool and Beth Phoenix. She had a muscular physique but still maintained her physical attributes thus she was pretty and still looked like she could kick a dude's ass. She stood out amongst the Divas roster unless she was standing next to Beth Phoenix who was the Glamazon. Most importantly she left WWE just before the Diva's revolution kicked off and women's wrestling was taken more seriously.

Thus a lot of casual fan's missed the boat on this talented young lady. During her era for the limited amount of time the Diva's roster had, she kept her matches physical and a lot of times her moves looked brutal as hell. She's very underrated when the discussion of female wrestlers come up and had she stuck around a little longer, maybe considered a legend in women's wrestling.

Rhonda Sing

Rhonda Sing was a trailblazer across the globe for her punishing style of wrestling, especially amongst smaller opponents. Her career started in Canada watching the Hart Family's Stampede Wrestling which inspired her to get into the business. While she wasn't trained by the family, the inspiration led to her reaching out to Mildred Burke who agreed to train her and she made her way to California. After training she moved to Japan where she probably made her biggest impact as The Monster Ripper.

Her time in Japan led to stint's in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and back to Canada. Which all appreciated her style of wrestling. Then the WWF came calling in 1995 to help bolster their women's roster against Alundra Blaze (Madusa), yet her name was changed to Bertha Faye and she was presented more as a comedy act and not a killer. Whispers in the wind say WWF did not want her to present her power moves as much, which hide her great talent. After a year she left the WWF and returned back overseas. Joining WCW in 1999, they had an opportunity to treat the legend right but instead made her a comedy act as well.

Which is a travesty because she really was a unique talent at the time and could go. I can't remember if she fought in any intergender matches, but if she did and was taken seriously she could have believably defeated some male talents. She was that ferocious, good and dominating as a female wrestler. She sadly passed in 2001 at the young age of 40, with generations of fans not knowing how good she really was.

Her success as a bigger woman allowed the likes of Awesome Kong, Piper Niven, Jessica Havoc, and Nia Jax to be taken more seriously. Particularly as dominators of their respective women's division. She truly is the epitome of an unsung wrestler.