A nationally broadcast professional wrestling organization has been urged by Oklahoma's sports commission not to pit a transgender wrestler against other women.
Washington-born All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler Nyla Rose was cautioned by the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission not to wrestle another woman, according to Jan. 3 meeting minutes. The site Real Rasslin' revealed the minutes Tuesday.
Rose fought Alejandra Lion in a 120-second bell-to-bell battle in Oklahoma City on Dec. 20. Rose triumphed with a power bomb. She donned a cowboy hat from a fan after the match to loud cheers.
Rose tweeted, “Don’t worry Oklahoma.” The evil transgender who *checks notes* entertained fans will be found! How dare they make people happy?!
The Commission minutes used the erroneous pronouns for Rose and suggested she shouldn't have wrestled a woman. The previous AEW Women's World Champion has 99 victories and 47 defeats, per the promotion's website.
In the cultural wars, conservatives believe transgender athletes are unfair to other competitors, while liberals say they undermine gender identities by not competing against women. Roster composition disputes have reached the courts and President Biden.
The discussion has moved to professional wrestling, where the results are set every week on TV. It's drama, not sports. Intergender pro wrestling is unusual in big promotions.
Oklahoma sports commission member Larry Lovelace motioned Jan. 3 to “warn AEW not to do this again or there will be punitive action,” according to minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
Thursday's Washington Post call to Lovelace's office for comment was terminated after a reporter identified himself and requested Lovelace. Follow-up calls went to voicemail. The message was unanswered Thursday afternoon.
Rose's wrestling license application said that she is a woman, which the commission considered a concern in its minutes. MMA, boxing, and kickboxing require competitors to reveal gender reassignment surgery, but wrestling does not, according to the minutes. The commissioners said they would ask “so this doesn’t happen in the future.”