As first reported last week by Bell To Belles, Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) has increased their yearly women’s wrestling ranking the PWI Women’s 100 to include 50 more women, making it the PWI Women’s 150.
The decision was made by PWI to extend the list in response to the increasingly harder task of keeping the list to just 100 women.
“Last year, even with so many wrestlers inactive due to the pandemic, it was so difficult trying to pare the list down to only 100 names,” explained PWI Editor-in-Chief Kevin McElvaney. “Many deserving competitors were left off. And, this year, as we’re making a concerted effort in every issue of PWI to better cover the global wrestling landscape, it became even harder.”
McElvaney continued by adding, “It made sense to expand the list, but we didn’t want to expand it too much. After all, the reason these spots are coveted is because not everybody makes the cut.”
Though 2021 was a record year for women on the PWI 500 ranking, many wrestling fans were still concerned with equality between the PWI rankings, and wondered why a separate list was necessary at all.
“On the indies, we’re starting to see a slightly more level playing field, with wrestlers competing for a lot of the same titles, regardless of gender. But it’s nowhere near equal, as there are still fewer spots and opportunities for women,” stated McElvaney. “That’s why, to me, it makes total sense to continue on with this list, placing special emphasis on women’s divisions and promotions—basically, approaching it the way we do our weekly and monthly rankings. That could change, over time, and I hope we get to a place where these distinctions are no longer necessary.”
The PWI Women’s 150 ranking committee meeting has already taken place, and the list will be featured in the next issue of PWI.
“When Kevin and I made the decision to increase the list, it was a reflection of the state of women’s wrestling today: busting at the seams with talented female athletes who demand our attention on a daily basis,” stated PWI Columnist and Co-Founder of Bell To Belles Kristen Ashly. “We will continue to keep our finger on the pulse of wrestling and support women’s wrestling in every way we possibly can.“
Order the digital version, or pre-order the print edition, of the 2021 PWI 500 issue at pwi-online.com. Follow PWI on Twitter @OfficialPWI.
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