10 Controversial Wrestling Matches You'll Never See Again

1. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly & Gail Kim Vs. Maryse, Rosa Mendes & Alicia Fox, (WWE Raw, July 13th 2009)

Maryse Mickie James
WWE

As with most forms of entertainment, wrestling has certain leeway during retrospective looks at past content thanks to certain aspects being "of the time".

This is a low bar of course - the best forms of entertainment attempt to read societal changes, act progressively and end up speaking truths about times yet to come. WWE, for as long as Vince McMahon has been at the helm, has existed about five years behind the outside world's curve.

This bikini match (billed as a "Summer Swim Suit Spectacular") took place in 2009, several years after the advent of a hardworking Knockouts division in TNA and the advent of Shimmer on the indies and a decade and a half removed from All Japan Women's Wrestling's Big Egg Wrestling Universe but interestingly six years before Stephanie McMahon invented women's wrestling in 2015.

WWE have attempted at points to lionise this era when it suits, and the women themselves have rightfully stood up for doing the best with the sh*t they were served, but the likes of Gail Kim, Mickie James and Maryse all traded more successfully as pro wrestlers the second they were permitted to by promoters. Dated at the time, this is archaic by post-Women's Revolution standards.

Watch Next


 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett