5 times pro wrestling was surprisingly progressive

Professional wrestling has a fairly sordid history of being racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, transphobic, homophobic, sizest, ageist, classist, anti-semitic, sociopathic, and offensively stupid. But for all its low-brow charm, pro wrestling has not been without its liberal moments. From embracing feminism to championing the working-class ideal that heroes should be "men of the people," here are five storylines that underscore how socially progressive pro wrestling in the 21st century can be.

Before achieving global fame with World Wrestling Entertainment, former WWE Tag Team champion Eddie Guerrero spent four years at rival pro-wrestling promotion company World Championship Wrestling, where many thought his talents were underused. In the fall of 1998, Guerrero demanded to be released from his WCW contract in a televised, unscripted moment of frustration.

Sensing that real-world drama meant exciting TV, WCW writers reworked this off-the-cuff incident into a storyline. Guerrero eventually began interrupting matches between fellow Mexican wrestlers, or luchadores, to ask whether they felt unfairly treated by management. At the time, WCW's luchadores were relegated to less important cruiserweight matches, and almost exclusively wrestled each other; these matches typically happened before the main event, so the luchadores’ high-energy performances would excite the crowd, and set the tone for the rest of the show.

But Guerrero had loftier goals for his Latino brethren and their place in WCW's (admittedly fictional) hierarchy. He told his fellow luchadores, “We can do it together, united, la raza, man! I’m talking about what we are. We’re Latino.”

This speech led to the Oct. 5, 1998, founding of the Latino World Order, a stable of disaffected wrestlers of Latin American descent who realized that, together, they could make the kind of social and professional impact they were never able to achieve as individuals.

One of 2011’s biggest stories was the Occupy movement, and not even WWE could resist the opportunity to turn headline-grabbing protests against socioeconomic inequality into pulpy wrestling fodder. But in its version of events, WWE (owned by the conservative McMahon family) negatively portrayed the Occupy movement with a storyline in which the “workers” rebelled against management, held a vote of no-confidence, and walked out during a live episode of WWE's flagship show, Monday Night Raw. This narrative painted the wrestlers as the bad guys who shirked their responsibilities, and denied fans from enjoying the action they paid to see.

Fast forward to March 10, 2014: The Authority’s draconian regime is pinning down scrappy underdog Daniel Bryan (who is undersized, unattractive, and vegan, yet somehow still beloved by fans). Armed only with protest signs, and wearing T-shirts reminiscent of U.S. President Barack Obama’s presidential “Hope” poster, Bryan and his fans “occupied” a WWE ring, holding a non-violent sit-in until they got their way. In the end, the oppressive system relented, and "the people” got what they wanted.

Considering the fact that the biggest prize in women’s pro wrestling Stateside is still called the “WWE Divas Championship,” progress has been unremarkable. Indeed, the sport isn’t treated with nearly as much deference in the U.S. as joshi puroresu, or women’s wrestling in Japan, is.

But thanks to WWE’s “Diva’s Revolution,” the success of the women’s division in NXT (WWE’s “developmental” brand for young and recently acquired talent), and a resurgent popularity of intergender (i.e. women wrestling men) wrestling in independent circuits across the country, women’s wrestling seems to be on the rise in the U.S.

On Dec. 5, 2015, gender equality in pro wrestling reached a zenith when Kimber Lee became the first female Chikara Grand Champion. Although the Philadelphia-based pro-wrestling promotion company previously hosted matches in which men and women were treated as athletic equals, having a woman hold the company’s loftiest title would’ve seemed impossible only a few years earlier.

“All I ever wanted to do was make a change and make a difference. I wanted to show that women are just as tough as the men. This is a huge step in doing that,” Lee said in an interview following her monumental win.

Founded in 2011, the“Wrestling Retribution Project” was a never-released series featuring a bevy of independent, nationally recognized talent. One of its more compelling storylines dealt with Chase Walker, played by wrestler Joey Ryan, a closeted gay man whose rivals threatened to out him.

In an impassioned speech, Walker opined, “It’s 2012. We have gay actors, we have gay sports heroes, and we have gay politicians. And it’s absolutely unacceptable for this kind of bigotry to exist in pro wrestling just because it’s thought of as ‘barbaric’ or 'Neanderthal' or ‘low-brow entertainment.’ It’s time for professional wrestling to join the rest of the world in acceptance and tolerance.”

Despite having his left leg amputated at age 8 following a cancer diagnosis, Zach Gowen was determined to fulfill his dream of becoming a WWE wrestler like his idols Rey Mysterio and Shawn Michaels. Gowen, who received just over a year of training, debuted as a professional in 2002. Most wrestlers toil for years in obscurity before getting a shot at the big leagues, but WWE contacted Gowen shortly after his debut.

In his very first storyline with the company, Gowen played a fan who comes to the rescue of wrestling icon Hulk Hogan (then-disguised as the character Mr. America). Because of his alliance with Hogan, Gowen earned the ire of WWE owner and perpetual baddy Vince McMahon, who forced him to tackle a series of seemingly impossible tasks (namely, defeating 7-foot-tall, 600-pound wrestler Big Show) to earn a WWE contract. But in classic pro-wrestling fashion—meaning, after a healthy dose of outside interference—Gowen eventually overcame the odds, and became a full-time member of the WWE roster in 2003.

Granted, there’s a sideshow-esque element to parading around someone’s disability as an attraction. But the fact remains that Gowen’s resilience in the notoriously demanding world of pro wrestling is nothing short of inspirational. He likely paved the way for future wrestlers with disabilities, such as the Doglegs league in Japan and independent standout Gregory Iron.