The Herstory In 'Queen of the Ring' Is No Dullstory
Drama. Broken bones. Blood. It all comes with the territories.
Dear Moviegoers,
Over the last decade, professional wrestling (“sports entertainment”) has gone through a kind of revolution with opportunities for female performers. From competing covered in mud to rolling around in lingerie, fans accepted that as the best medium for the women of wrestling to exist in: eye candy at best. It was a sad time to see this unfold, primarily during the late 1990s “Attitude Era” of World Wrestling Entertainment, which bled into the eventual remodel of their division where they were being called “Divas.” Sooner than later, fans demanded more, and the women had enough one-minute television matches.
Queen of the Ring starts at an awfully similar point in the halfway point of the twentieth century, when wrestling was being held at carnivals, but was absolutely dominated by men. In this movie, it’s depicted that a young woman, Mildred Burke, changed the face of the business with a troupe of ass-kicking heroines, all willing to bump, bruise, and beat each other, for fame and a better, more expressive life. We follow Burke as the lone figure at first, inspiring others with her gumption and charisma, not to mention her ability to take a punch, no matter if the hit was pulled or not.
One success leads to many, one voice leads to a chorus, and so on and so on, as in our real world, the WWE was forced to change tactics and let women wrestle with near equal treatment as men and in higher stakes matches. The same is reflected through years past and with the legend produced by cinema when one by one, small-town women witness Burke playing the role of a strong star, and want to sign up too. If this film excels at anything, it’s by not rewriting Burke and crew’s tale, no matter how the men in her life may have wanted to. The WWE would likely want to peg a man as giving the “Divas” a chance to crack the glass ceiling, but the responsibility is with the fans and the women. No amount of video editing or corporate propaganda can change that.
Emily Bett Rickards plays Mildred Burke with an anxious and enthused spirit, from introduction to end, and never lets up. It is in Rickard's attitude alone that Queen of the Ring is properly explained as ferocious and rushed in even measure. From time to time, the film trips over itself and struggles to get into its groove again, landing repetition with the smackdown of a top rope fall. Not rough around the edges, but rather a pre-chewed mouthguard at times.
What keeps everything compelling, from all of the trauma to the last main event, is that there’s a dedication by the actors - some of whom are real wrestlers (Toni Storm and Kamille are the prominent ones) - to keep the focus on the women. Even when history involving the industry creeps in, it’s to highlight women first and foremost. Whenever Mildred is challenged by her former lover, trainer, and business partner Billy Wolfe, she pushes back again and again with ten-fold energy. Josh Lucas as Wolfe is the roadblock to ultimate achievement and pride for Burke and her acolytes, and his range when fighting with Emily Rickard adds grave gravity to occasional redundancy. Queen of the Ring isn’t a well-paced or smoothly written film, but what it lacks in technical craft is made up for by genuine emotion and engagement. It understands how to tell a captivating tale, as the best matches in professional wrestling do.
An independent popcorn biopic? Yes, it is. Queen of the Ring defies expectations by being a mix of entertaining subject matter. History vs legend, sport as a metaphor for the human condition, gender dynamics, etc. Sometimes there is an awkward crossover of these elements, but never is there confusion. This is a clear-cut film with crystal vision and a strong heart that beats for both truth and triumphant fun. Yes, fun. 3.5/5
Queen of the Ring screened at the 2025 San Francisco Independent Film Festival and is now in theatrical re-release. It is also available for digital rent and purchase.
Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,
⚜️🍿
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This is an interesting topic for a pro wrestling movie since it draws from a seemingly forgotten era and on a historical name(s) that many modern fans have likely never heard of. I look forward to seeing it and if it draws me in on an emotional level like it seemingly did for you, based on your review. I just saw the 2017 book on Burke in a store (haven't read it). Is the movie based on that book, do you know?