Myth Brainbuster: 11 Misconceptions About Female WWE Fans

From the roster to the fan base, it’s not new information that World Wrestling Entertainment is a male-dominated industry.

While it seems a measly 38 percent of the WWE viewership is made up of females, officials said “more women watch WWE programming than the prime-time average of top female-centric networks,” according to a June 2015 WWE investor presentation.

The presentation from June 24 compares WWE with logos of TLC, Oxygen, and WE tv.

As a female fan myself, I have heard all types of misconceptions regarding female fans that enjoy watching the shows from guys and girls alike.

So here is 11 of them.

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11) “Since WWE highlights young talent, the show must attract mostly young women.”

My great grandmother was a big fan of WWE throughout her life. The show draws in women of all ages from younger girls who admire the Divas, to the older women who enjoy the blood, sweat, and tears left in the ring every match. The diagram above shows how 37 percent of fans are over 50 years old. That’s the highest percentage in the age category.

10) “Female fans look like Paul Heyman girls.”

If intrigued, go to Paul Heyman’s verified Twitter account and click through the images of women sporting his merchandise. He retweets photos of women wearing his t-shirt, “I’m a Paul Heyman girl.” It is quite obvious that most of the women portrayed as fans have model physiques, but everyone comes in different shapes and sizes. And female wrestling fans are no different.

9) “We watch the show for the drama, not the actual wrestling.”

False.

Raw was extended an hour to include more time for storylines to develop, but also to showcase other talent off the roster. I’ll admit the Lita and Edge storyline might have been fascinating because it was based off real-life drama with the love triangle involving Matt Hardy. Seeing the characters interact backstage makes the chemistry in the ring even stronger and makes for better matches. It’s like math without the numbers—what do you get when you add a well-executed storyline plus two talented wrestlers? The only acceptable answer is from WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons (DAMN!).

8) “Our boyfriends and husbands make us watch the show.”

Hi, I’m Vanessa Pellechio. I’m a female WWE fan.

I’m single and not married.

I’ve never dated anyone who loves the show more than my family does, particularly my dad. However, he did not “make” us watch the show when growing up. It was like watching a nice Christmas movie, except Santa received a pleasant stunner from “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

7) “The only reason women watch professional wrestling entertainment is to see the man meat on the screen.”

I can take notice to John Cena’s well-maintained, chiseled physique, but also say the exact same about his beautifully-built, girlfriend Nikki Bella, who looks in the best shape of her career as the Divas Champion. Some of the wrestlers are nice to look at, but as any sincere fan knows, it takes more than “having the look” to be a WWE superstar.

6) “Women hate seeing the Divas wrestle.”

I love the Divas because they inspire female fans to be stronger women.

In the 1990’s, female wrestlers were involved in lingerie matches, mud-wrestling, and bikini contests. There is a much different movement now with WWE Divas, bringing to light the empowering women they all are. While the struggle to give them time on television for a legitimate wrestling match still exists today, they do amazing work in the chances we get to see them perform. Flip on an episode of “Total Divas” to see the inordinate amount of time they spend training to stay in shape.

The newest season on E! airs on Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

5) “Women can’t relate to the characters in the matches.”

Woah. I’ll be honest and say I could not relate to the Kane because he was not a talker. I also could not relate to the Boogeyman, which I consider a positive trait. But we can relate to the characters in the ring, especially when the performers we were rooting for win a championship for the first time. Seeing their emotions in the ring reminds you that these amazing athletes are humans, too.

4) “Women do not own WWE merchandise and only buy it for their significant other.”

Not true.

My first t-shirt had a blue picture of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. I wore that shirt for every match he had because I was superstitious that he would lose if I didn’t. I do buy WWE merchandise for my family, but that does not mean I don’t splurge a bit on myself.

3) “Few female fans have an interest in attending live shows.”

The live shows are even better than sitting at home. Fans have an awesome opportunity to engage face-to-face with wrestlers (depending on your seats). It is an amazing feeling to unite with people who share the same passion for WWE. I make friends with other nerds like me at all the events!

2) “Girls do not understand the dynamics of a match—the rules, the moves, or the endurance.”

This one probably ticks me off the most. It’s basically saying that women watch the show, but do not understand what is happening in front of us. I know the entire point of a match is to pin a wrestler or force them to tap-out through a submission hold. They can also lose by disqualification and count-out.

Another important aspect to keep in mind during matches is the stamina or endurance needed for wrestlers to keep going. The work in the ring is completely different than a kick-boxing class or some other high-intensity exercise. They need to be able to react quickly for reverses and push themselves as hard as they can go to give the best matches possible to the fans.

1) “Even fewer girls know the history of WWE.”

A contestant on “Tough Enough,” Patrick Clark, recently pointed out the importance of knowing the history of WWE if you want to take part. The same holds true to fans. Female fans know the history just like the male fans, seeing the show completely evolve to what it is today. Knowing the history makes the current programming even more entertaining to watch.

Follow Wrestledelphia.com contributor Vanessa Pellechio on Twitter at .