During a conversation with TMZ, Candice Michelle voiced her concerns about the current direction of women’s wrestling, claiming it lacks femininity. The current TNA backstage agent believes the push for equality has caused female performers to diminish what makes them special. She argues that wrestling reaches its greatest heights when men fully embrace masculinity, and women celebrate their feminine energy, pointing to a recent TNA intergender tag match as an ideal example in which distinct gender roles elevated both storytelling and in-ring action.
“I think what we’re missing is a little bit more of the femininity. So what I mean by that is, we’ve pushed so hard, ‘Oh, women are equal to men.’ Like, we get equal time, equal pay. There’s a part of that. But at the end of the day, I want the men to be a little bit more masculine. I want them to be so masculine that I get to drop into my femininity a little bit. Some people look at that as sexiness … We had this intergender tag match not too long ago on TNA. I just loved it because the men were so manly and the women were so great. But the men were like lifting the woman, and they were flying even more. It’s like, we need both energies to make it beautiful.” – Candice Michelle
Michelle found fame during the Divas Era, which spanned roughly 2002 to 2016, and represented a unique chapter in WWE’s women’s division that prioritized glamour, personality, and sex appeal over athletic competition. While stars like Mickie James, Melina, AJ Lee, Beth Phoenix, and Nikki Bella created memorable moments, the era faced criticism for its short matches and male-gaze focus. However, it effectively ended at WrestleMania 32 with the Women’s Revolution taking over, paving the way for today’s more respected, athletic division.
