The 10 Best Intergender Matches In Wrestling History
The topic of intergender wrestling is a controversial one in many circles. Some fans argue that it’s inappropriate and even socially irresponsible to portray a man hitting a woman as entertainment, while others consider the concept “unrealistic” for one reason or another. Then there are those proponents of intergender wrestling who consider it a valid genre of pro wrestling, considering the entire form is a staged fight with predetermined results.
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Anyway, there have been lots of great matches in intergender wrestling, performed by some of the very best male and female stars. But these 10 matches stand hand and shoulders above the rest as the best intergender matches in wrestling history.
10 Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callihan (Impact Slammiversary XVII, 7/7/2019)
Over the past few years, Impact Wrestling has separated itself from other televised promotions by embracing intergender wrestling, with Tessa Blanchard’s Impact World Title win over Sami Callihan in the Hard to Kill main event being a major moment in the subgenre. While that match was great, one of the best bouts of their feud happened in the main event of Slammiversary XVII, in a singles match that actually followed the Brian Cage/Michael Elgin World Title match.
9 Angelico, Ivelisse & Son Of Havoc vs. The Crew (Lucha Underground Season 1 Episode 28, 5/20/2015)
In the first season of Lucha Underground, Son Of Havoc, Ivelisse, and Angelico were thrown together as the world’s most dysfunctional tag team but managed to capture the company’s trios championships. As soon as they won the titles, they were forced to defend them against the top heel trio, The Crew, in a ladder match, and the result was one of the great matches of the first season, with Angelico pulling off a crazy spot off of a dangerous height and Ivelisse, injured and on crutches, climbing the ladder to ensure a successful title defense.
8 El Generico vs. Sara Del Rey (CHIKARA Hot Off The Griddle, 4/28/2012)
WWE fans may not know the name Sara Del Rey, but they’re certainly familiar with her work, as she’s been working for the WWE Performance Center as a trainer since 2012 and has been responsible for training so many of the bright talents that have come up through NXT.
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In the main event of the CHIKARA show Hot Off The Griddle, Del Rey took on El Generico (later known as Sami Zayn) in a great 14-minute bout between two of the best wrestlers on the indies at the time. Following her victory here, Del Rey went on to challenge Eddie Kingston for the CHIKARA Grand Championship in another strong effort.
7 Lufisto vs. Necro Butcher (Stranglehold Bloodstock, 10/29/2006)
Coming out of the same Quebec scene that produced Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, Lufisto is considered one of the best female indie wrestlers but came up too early for the majors to be willing to notice her. Lufisto became well known for being dope in a deathmatch setting like this tournament final in Toronto’s Stranglehold Wrestling where she had to hold her own against the deathmatch legend Necro Butcher. With ample light tubes and barbed wire ropes, this intergender bout does not skimp on the brutality.
6 British Strong Style vs. Sendai Girls (CHIKARA King of Trios - Night 3, 9/3/2017)
CHIKARA’s annual King of Trios tournament was a highlight of the now-defunct promotion, as the tournament would bring in all kinds of guests from across the world of wrestling to take part in the three-day tournament. In the 2017 iteration, the tournament led to a great match-up as representatives from the promotion Sendai Girls -- Meiko Satomura, Cassandra Miyagi, and Dash Chisako -- took on the NXT UK’s Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, and Trent Seven.
5 Mio Shirai vs. Minoru Suzuki (Pro Wrestling WAVE Happy Anniversary WAVE .8 ~East~, 8/9/2015)
In 2015, Mio Shirai -- Io’s sister -- announced her retirement from pro wrestling and embarked on a retirement tour, tying up loose ends in her career with various matches. Still more than a month away from her final match, Shirai took on Japanese wrestling/MMA legend Minoru Suzuki, who was at the time exiled from NJPW to Pro Wrestling NOAH. To intensify the stakes, Suzuki put his GHC Heavyweight Championship on the time, and the ensuing bout had Shirai fighting from underneath against a condescending, very mean Suzuki.
4 Princess Kimberlee vs. Hallowicked (CHIKARA Top Banana, 12/5/2015)
In the last CHIKARA event of 2015, Top Banana, the final match of the season-long Challenge of the Immortals tournament culminated with Crown & Court -- led by Princess Kimberlee -- winning Money in the Bank style “Golden Opportunities.”
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In the main event of Top Banana, CHIKARA Grand Champion Hallowicked successfully defended the top singles title against Eddie Kingston and Icarus in a three-way match, only for Kimberlee to come out and cash in her opportunity. The ensuing match was about three minutes long but is totally worth watching for the triumph, not to mention the white-hot crowd reaction.
3 World’s Cutest Tag Team vs. The Young Bucks (PWG ELEVEN, 7/26/2014)
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla might be one of the most popular promotions in Southern California, but their cards rarely feature women. The one exception was Candice LeRae, who regularly tagged with Joey Ryan as World’s Cutest Tag Team. In July of 2014, the two challenged The Young Bucks for the PWG Tag Team Titles in a Guerrilla Warfare match, and the result is considered by many fans to be one of the best -- and brutal -- matches in the promotion’s history.
2 Kana & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Meiko Satomura & Minoru Suzuki (Kana Produce ProMania Reach, 6/16/2014)
In most Western mixed tag team matches, the men fight the men and the women fight the women, with a tag basically applying to both teams. This match does not adhere to those flawed rules, and the result was a classic. This bout is worth a match based on star power alone, given that this match features WWE’s Asuka, Pro Wrestling NOAH’s ace Naomichi Marufuji, one of the best wrestlers in the world in Meiko Satomura, and the aforementioned Minoru Suzuki. The highlight of this match, of course, is the dynamic between Kana and Suzuki.
1 Pentagon Dark vs. The Black Lotus Triad
One of the best intergender wrestling matches ever is actually three matches, as an entire episode of Lucha Underground was devoted to a gauntlet match pitting Pentagon Dark against the top stars of the joshi promotion Stardom: Kairi Hojo (now known as Kairi Sane), Mayu Iwatani, and Io Shirai, working as ninja assassins called the Black Lotus society. This match, with some brutal spots, had Pentagon taking out Hojo and Iwatani before losing to Shirai in an awesome final bout. For most Western fans, this was their first look at these fantastic women, two of whom would find success in WWE.
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