Pro Wrestling is Getting a Queer Makeover

The world of professional wrestling is getting a queer makeover.

There are now hundreds of sexually and gender diverse wrestlers, from all around the globe, competing professionally.

Have you heard of Nyla Rose, Dark Sheik, Effy, Sonny Kiss or Jake Atlas? Well, you will soon.

Nyla Rose is a transwoman from Washington, D.C. She’s been wrestling professionally since 2012 and has won eight championships.

Walking in a winter wonderland 💋 pic.twitter.com/ZzAAfwy9v4

— Nyla The Rizzanator💋 (@NylaRoseBeast) January 10, 2022

Dark Sheik is an American-Iranian from Georgia in the USA. She’s been competing since 2010 and came out as male-to-female transgender in 2019.

In the wrestling ring, she sometimes appears in cosplay as Nintendo characters like Samus from Metroid Prime and Sheik from The Legend of Zelda.

Ask not for pity from DARK Sheik. There is none in her. pic.twitter.com/s3uRhuupmn

— mother sheikest (@darksheikftf) March 24, 2021

Effy is a wrestler and Twitch streamer. He sports a scruffy appearance in ripped fishnet stockings and his signature pink-spiked jacket.

He also has his own podcast and is known for singing quintessentially camp songs on stage.

new year’s smash
📸 @EarlWGardner pic.twitter.com/4cY2WOXgdx

— EFFY. (@EFFYlives) January 7, 2022

Sonny Kiss is from New Jersey and uses both feminine and masculine pronouns. He’s also a dancer, and his wrestling moves are influenced by his work as a choreographer.

This gender non-conforming wrestler favours crop tops and short-shorts over regular wrestling gear.

Still a dork & still making weird faces. 🙃🥴 #10yearchallenge pic.twitter.com/WF88mcfuRG

— Sonny Kiss (@SonnyKissXO) January 10, 2022

Jake Atlas is a gay wrestler from Los Angeles. He made his WWE debut in 2020 and has won two championships.

He was about to retire from wrestling in September last year, citing mental health issues but instead had a short break. He just returned to the ring where he injured his knee and is currently on the mend.

https://twitter.com/JakeAtlasReal/status/1478593370528301059

Closer to home, Western Australia’s Dave Marshall was a pro wrestler from 2015 till the middle of last year.

Following COVID-related lockdowns and his hips and shoulders issues, Marshall decided to leave the competition.

“It was the morning after a show where I just went for a walk and about three minutes in, my entire left leg went numb, and I was like, “oh this is” – it was full of pins and needles – “this, this is not right,” he told Star Observer.

He would like to return to professional wrestling one day and compete in Japan, Europe and the US.

“It’s a never-say-never-say situation,” the former bodybuilder said. “I absolutely loved – just entertaining was always a second nature for me; I always like to make people smile – something I enjoy doing.

“I think if I was to go back to the professional wrestling, I would only be doing a handful of shows in Perth…it wouldn’t be what it was before, where it was every two weeks I was doing a show. I’m in my thirties now; I’ve gotta behave.”

He has turned to make a living from Twitch, a streaming service for video gamers, and continues to create content for his OnlyFans account.

https://twitter.com/davemarshall89/status/1480399612821209089

The 32-year-old was a competitor for the Southern Hemisphere Wrestling Alliance (SHWA), a professional wrestling organisation that’s inclusive and whose motto is “everyone’s welcome.”

He’s a three-time tag-team champion and won the heavyweight championship belt in Royal Rumble 2019.

Marshall defended his SHWA heavyweight championship before throwing in the towel in April 2021. “I’m undefeated. I was never pinned; never made to submit,” he said. He has a “clean record,” which he’s “very proud of.”

He added, “professional wrestling: it’s an art form. It’s something that you can express yourself in so many different ways.”

Marshall was ranked as 194 on Outsports’ list of the top 200 LGBTQIA+ pro wrestlers of 2021.