WWE’s 5 Most Technical Bra & Panties Matches
How to revisit a seedy side of WWE history without feeling like a total pervert...
The Four Horsewomen have spearheaded, Charlotte often literally, mainstream women’s wrestling, leaving WWE with four rosters of amazing female talent. It's uplifting that most of the fanbase clamours for Bayley and Sasha Banks to recreate their NXT magic, rather than for a return to feuds based around skimpy clothes and their removal. Even Alexa Bliss, one of the closest modern descendants of the Diva, said in an interview that her mother would drag her out by her hair if she competed in such a match. Alexa added her concern for the comfort of the performers.
Yet many female wrestlers of the late ‘90s and ‘00s are often dismissed due to the majority of their work being based around the male gaze. Wrestling’s predominantly male fanbase makes this no-brainer marketing. However, with Torrie Wilson’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) this dismissal of an entire generation of female talent is slowly eroding.
The match stipulation that attracts much of the ire is the Bra and Panties match. It is held up as the low point of women’s wrestling. While some of this is earned, there are a few gems where the women competing were able to use the stipulation to get over, entertain, but also to showcase their technical wrestling skills.
5. Melina Vs. Candice Michelle
Date: 19 March 2007
Location: Raw (Indianapolis, Indiana)
The match opened with Candice Michelle cutting a promo with some serious Anna Nicole Smith vibes. She’d been keeping watch on Melina’s blogs which focused on undermining the wrestlers-turned-Playboy-cover-girls on the roster. Melina claimed the only reason Candice still had a job was because Candice took off her clothes and enjoyed everybody “around the world” seeing her naked. Candice won the battle of the catty comments responding to Melina’s claim that those who’d posed for Playboy where beneath her, saying Melina had been “beneath every single guy in that locker room.”
The Technical:
At a basic level the match featured some solid strikes. Candice’s rope-hung Boston crab set-up to strip away Melina’s skirt was an innovative spot. Candice nailed a nice clean snapmare. Melina answered with a fluid and hard-hitting head scissors takeover to leg chokehold. Melina hit a spinning facebuster to remove Candice’s panties for the win.
The Titillating:
The match was based around the classic prude vs. exhibitionist scenario. Candice’s promo had pouting-drunk-girl-at-a-bar energy. Melina’s mock Go Daddy dance quickly became post-ironic. Melina was stripped down to her panties and Candice her bra early on. Both women rolled around the ring in what can only be described as the 69 position. After the match's conclusion, wrestler-turned-Playboy-cover-girl Ashley Massaro stripped Melina of her top.