There was a time that women’s wrestling wasn’t as common as it was today. Shimmer, WSU, Shime, AIW’s Girl’s Night Out are at least accepted cogs in the machine of independent wrestling. Regardless of what anyone thinks of Total Divas and the women’s division in WWE overall, they do have a prevalent role on television and at have a niche carved out for themselves. This wasn’t always the case. In the 1980s, there was a stranglehold over all the men and women. David McClane, with the help of some investors, decided to strike out on his own and start a women’s wrestling promotion that encompassed so many aspects of the 1980s.
Although the 1980s are framed as a time of sexual freedom, the AIDS epidemic and Reagonomics actually sent sex back indoors. However, McClane and his crew were willing to sell the sexuality of the girls in addition to their athletic ability. Also, television shows like cartoons not only served an artistic purpose but could also be used to push things like shampoo. G.L.O.W was so many things. A wrestling show. A chance to push and advertise a number of products. A Saturday Night Live lite given some of the comedy and skits.
Many of the young women who participated wrestled were not trained athletes who dreamed of one day becoming superstars. They were aspiring actors looking for a gig. For weeks before the show began, Mondo Guerrero of all people served as the trainer and tried to condense years of professional wrestling knowledge into a matter of weeks. The girls were forced to not only leave their homes but to move to Las Vegas and observe curfews. Funny how they had to observe a curfew and deal with concerns of partying when I bet men would never have had to deal with these same circumstances.
Where GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling excels is examining the stories of the individual girls and showing what they had to go through. The audience really gets to see what Fiji, one of the top women in company history and seemingly one of the most decent people I’ve ever seen in the business, went through after GLOW ended. Physical and mental issues which left her confined to a bed or wheelchair. Matilda the Hun is also in rough shape physically, but she’s got most of her mental faculties and provides some of the more entertaining material as she continued to wrestle after GLOW ended.
Because David McClane and director Mat Cimber wouldn’t agree to be interviewed, the business end of things don’t get the sort of analysis that deserved to be talked about in this documentary. At just 76 minutes, this definitely felt a little light. I appreciated the stories that were told, and the girls obviously got taken advantage of given all the injuries and the lack of a real wrestling ring. Originally thought of as a tax write-off, GLOW made money and achieved some pop culture notoriety. Sadly, the company ended in 1990, and was largely forgotten for a number of years.
Thanks to the pursuits of Little Egypt, she was able to organize a reunion of many of the GLOW workers, including a very emotional Fiji. Steve Austin went out of his way put over GLOW on his podcast, and in a business that thrives on nostalgia and dipping into the past, GLOW is starting to get the credit it deserves for giving women a chance to be in wrestling too. Female wrestling has certainly evolved over the years for the better, but GLOW’s impact should not be underestimated.
This was a relatively easy watch, and I would recommend this to anyone who considers themselves a wrestling fan. Whether you were a fan of GLOW or not, there’s much to be learned. A lot of emotion is contained, and it makes up for some of what was lacking in the documentary. A clearer examination of the ending of the company would have made this even stronger. Still a worthy watch.
Grade: B+
Whether it be DVD or stream, there are number of different ways to purchase this excellent documentary. Through Amazon, you can purchase the DVD or stream. For around four bucks, you can rent the stream and watch it on your laptop or Roku player.
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