Many people will tell you that women’s wrestling has never been better. They say the bell to bell action has never been more exciting. Folks insist that the performers have never been more talented.

In many ways, they’re right. WWE features women in major roles & will have a PPV based around them in October. Ring of Honor finally has a Women of Honor division & has never used women as much as they are right now. And we can’t forget about SHIMMER, Shine & the rest of the women’s Indy promotions that feed the big feds their future talent.

It still feels like there’s something missing. Something that I feel is essential to the enjoyment of wrestling. It’s problematic, but it’s something that’s always there.

Sex.

OK, I already hear the complaining. “How dare you suggest that women’s wrestling needs to be all about sex!” Newsflash: Sex is a big part of men’s wrestling too. Tag teams like the Fabulous Ones & Rock n’ Roll Express were over with the female crowds because of their sex appeal. Ravishing Rick Rude, Rick “The Model” Martel & Sexy Boy Shawn Michaels were booed by men jealous of their good looks.

And of course there’s Roman Reigns & his transcendent sex appeal.

Wrestling promotions are in a tough spot. They know that women’s wrestling is more popular than ever. They’re not sure how to push the sexual aspect of it. Typically they would just make the prettiest girl champion and let that be that, but that doesn’t fly in 2018.

After some years away, I got back into writing about pro wrestling in 2016. I was interested in the business again for a number of reasons, including Eva Marie. I even wrote a column about Eva that certain people noticed & led to more opportunities. Unfortunately, Eva’s opportunities were cut short & she was off of WWE television mere days after the column was posted. As visions of things to come go, the column wasn’t one of my better ones. However, Eva’s brief run was a delight & it would have been interesting to see where it went.

WWE has kind of tried to re-live the idea with Mandy Rose in recent months, but it’s not really the same. Mandy may be God’s Greatest Creation, but she’s not Eva Marie. The entrance is unique & she’s a very attractive woman, but there’s something missing. I don’t know if it’s a company problem or a performer problem, but it feels like they’re afraid to go all out. Maybe she’ll get there someday.

Going All Out.

Impact Wrestling, from the days it was known as TNA, has always been known for their Knockouts. The division’s certainly seen its ups & downs, but it’s going through a resurgence right now. Su Yung’s bringing the darkness as the champion. Allie’s pretty much the prototypical babyface. Tessa Blanchard thinks she’s the future of Impact Wrestling & it’s tough to argue with her. There are a number of other women entering the picture & trying to make names for themselves. One of them stands out from the pack. She isn’t afraid to go all out.

I’m usually not a big fan of people giving themselves nicknames, but Scarlett Bordeaux can call herself the Smokeshow or anything else she feels like. Longtime followers of our publisher here at The Chairshot will remember Scarlett from her appearances on the Greg DeMarco Show. I don’t remember a lot of things about those days, but I’m pretty sure we never crossed paths, and I’m pretty sure there was a good reason for that. Greg liked having her on the show, and putting me with women in real life or on a podcast is a good way to get rid of them. In any event, it was easy to see Scarlett’s potential back then.

Some might wonder why Scarlett isn’t still with Ring of Honor due to their fancy new Women of Honor division. She was a Rosebud with Adam Rose so many times that it’s tough to figure out how WWE didn’t send her to the Performance Center. I think she’s in the right spot with Impact Wrestling. We all know WWE is going to allow only so much sexuality on their airwaves. You never saw Eva Marie doing the moves Scarlett did in her debut. Mandy Rose isn’t out there licking a microphone or grabbing her boobs. Impact/TNA has always gone a little further with that sort of thing, and God bless them for it. It’s an area that WWE won’t compete with them in.

Scarlett has improved her in-ring game over the years, but let’s be honest. When you look like Scarlett Bordeaux, it doesn’t matter if you can work at a high level or not. In fact, I’d say it would help if you can’t. Eva’s whole thing in NXT was that she didn’t deserve opportunities based on her ring work, but she got them because the office said so. Based on Don Callis’ commentary on Impact, it would be real easy to give Scarlett title shots because he said so. He could deny it, but the fans would know what was really going on. I’ll be ticked if this doesn’t happen.

Who is she?

Some say that Impact Wrestling wants Scarlett to be the next Sable. I’m impressed these people remember that far back, but I think they’re jumping to that conclusion due to Scarlett’s blonde hair. I remember the days when she had glorious red hair. Not the same shade as Eva’s, but it was glorious indeed.

Sable’s heel character worked because there was no competition. She was one of less than a handful of women working on American wrestling television. There weren’t other heels to compare her to! In 2018, the bombshell has to do more to stand out from the pack. Everybody can wrestle. Everybody meets a certain attractiveness standard. A new woman has to be able to do something better than everybody else.

In an age where women in the public eye are encouraged to play down their sex appeal, Scarlett Bordeaux plays hers up. If there’s one thing she’ll never have any problem with, it’s standing out. I think I can speak on behalf of male wrestling fans everywhere when I say that I hope she sticks around a lot longer than Eva Marie. Hopefully she’ll end the plague of hot-shaming and send all the 5s back home where they belong.