International Women’s Day – 8th March 2024.
Every year on March 8th, International Women’s Day is celebrated worldwide. The theme for IWD 2024 is #InspireInclusion.
Encouraging others to recognise and appreciate the inclusion of women helps create a brighter world. And when women feel inspired to participate, they experience a greater sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.
We spoke to female members of the PROGRESS Wrestling Roster, who shared their stories about why they entered the world of wrestling, the obstacles they’ve encountered, and their aspirations to motivate upcoming wrestlers.
So Cal Val:
What made you want to get into wrestling?
I was immediately drawn to Stephanie McMahon’s character. Especially in her corporate takeover era. She exuded power and always got her way. To see a strong female hold her own within a business that’s so male dominated was really inspiring to me.
What challenges have you faced with wrestling?
I’ve definitely struggled with not being taken seriously as a female in wrestling, as someone who wanted to contribute to the show for the right reasons. Not for the fame, not to date the boys etc.! Which is really a shame. In time it became apparent I just genuinely loved wrestling and deserved to be respected like my male colleagues.
How do you want to inspire upcoming women in wrestling?
By encouraging them to do their homework, learn their history and study females that came before them. Respect for your predecessors is paramount in wrestling! Then it’s about finding what makes you unique and what will make you stand out in your current generation.
Why is International Women’s Day important especially to influence female fans, people wanting to work in the industry?
Women deserve to be given the spotlight. Whether it’s by celebrating this holiday or by giving female wrestling matches important placement on the card of each show…which Progress does better than anyone! I want to congratulate them for that! And thank them.
When Progress Wrestling hired me to work their all female wrestling show (Who run the world!) I remember thinking it was the perfect event for me to debut on because at the end of the day I am a true “girls girl”. Our locker room is truly special. Not everyone gets to see first hand how much our ladies look out for each other and want to see each other succeed. I’m honored to say I see it every single show and it makes me incredibly happy and hopeful for the future of our business.
Lizzy Evo:
Lizzy Evo, also known as the Liver Bird, is renowned for her use of heel tactics and fiery in-ring persona. She has gained widespread recognition in PROGRESS Wrestling for her verbal assaults directed at both her opponents and the PROGRESS crowd.
Lizzy shared three quotes with PROGRESS Wrestling that align perfectly with the theme of #InspireInclusion.
“When you are a strong woman at a young age it intimidates a lot of people.”
“Strong women don’t have attitudes they have standards and boundaries.”
“They told me I couldn’t and that’s why I did.”
To find out more about International Women’s Day, please CLICK HERE.
