'Queen of the Ring' a pinfall victory

EDITOR’S NOTE: Queen of the Ring does not yet have a wide-release scheduled but has been making the rounds of film festivals. Jeremy Housewright got to check it out at the St. Louis International Film Festival 2024, and this review first ran on his hyper-specific website, reviewstl.com.

Director Ash Avildsen scores a pinfall victory with Queen of the Ring. The film, based off the book of the same name by Jeff Leen, tells the little-known story of Mildred Burke, the world’s first million-dollar female athlete and women’s wrestling’s longest-reigning world champion.

While pro wrestling has long been viewed as a sideshow or world filled with carnies, the sport has become mainstream over the last few years due to stars such as John Cena, The Rock and Becky Lynch. But for every Hulk Hogan or Sasha Banks, there are many grapplers who go unknown. One of the stories that has went largely unknown among wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans is Burke’s.

Emily Bett Rickards is Mildred Burke in Queen of the Ring

Emily Bett Rickards plays Burke and not only looks like the wrestler but is not afraid to take bumps. Her performance is up there among the year’s best by an actress.

Burke seems to realize her future in the ring before women’s wrestling was even recognized as a viable product by the men running the show. Throw in the fact that it was pretty much illegal for a woman to wrestle another woman during the early 1930s. But Burke was determined, so much so that she wrestled and pinned a man, catching the attention of wrestler/coach Billy Wolfe, played by Josh Lucas. Burke and Wolfe embark upon a journey across America, putting on shows pretty much wherever they could. Between the 1930s and 1950s, Burke becomes America’s top female wrestler.

Walton Goggins as Jack Pfeffer with, left to right, Kamille Brickhouse (Kailey Farmer) as June Byers, Josh Lucas as Billy Wolfe, Emily Bett Rickards as Mildred Burke and Gavin Casalegno as Billy Wolfe Jr.

Wolfe and Burke soon become romantically involved, marrying, as Wolfe promises to take care of Burke and her young son. Wolfe soon shows his true colors, romancing every female wrestler that comes his way. Burke must make her own way and fight for a spot in a male-dominated industry.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking Queen of the Ring is just a wrestling movie, because it’s so much more. It’s not only a period piece, but it also touches on sexism, racism, and spousal abuse. Burke fights for everything she has and earned throughout her life inside and outside of the squared circle.

Queen of the Ring will be welcomed by fans of Netflix’s GLOW and STARZ’s Heels, both of which were cancelled too soon. Rumors are Heels may make a return if things go well with the show’s run on Netflix. In the US, the company picked up the past seasons to see how fan response was to the show before greenlighting a new season.

Pro wrestling fans will recognize some of the names attached to the film. Jim Ross, well-known announcer, author, and podcaster, serves as a producer on the film. Toni Storm, who is credited in the film by her real name Toni Rossall, plays Clara Mortensen. Britt Baker has a small role in the film, playing Debbie Nichols. Kamille plays June Byers and is featured the most in the film out of the female pro wrestlers. Trinity Fatu also has a role in the film, playing Ethel Johnson, who became the African American women’s champion. Clint Eastwood’s daughter, Francesca Eastwood, was quite impressive playing Mae Young, one of the more well-known women’s wrestlers in pro wrestling history.

While Avildsen admits that the book featured so much more on Burke than he could include in the film, including a lot of the domestic abuse she suffered at the hands of Wolfe, he does a fine job showcasing the grit and glamour of women’s pro wrestling during that time period. He also shows what unfolds behind the scenes of pro wrestling when the crowd is not around, or the cameras are not on. This makes the film that much more captivating. The director’s love for pro wrestling is evident in the film, as he not only crafts a fine film, but gives Burke full credit for changing the landscape of women’s wrestling forever.

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