The WWE is breaking new ground for their female talent. The company has brought on Kennadi Brink to be the first female referee employed by the company in over 30 years.
The 25-year-old reportedly started training for wrestling in 2010 at Gillberg’s training facility.
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Squared Circle Sirens had this to say on the WWE‘s new hire.
“During her teens years, Jessie was overweight; never imagining of one day stepping into the ring herself. With courage, discipline, motivation and help from a local professional wrestler, who was signed to a developmental contract with the WWE, she was able to lose over 60 lbs and become an athlete.
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As of late Brink has been wrestling for promotions such as MCW, SHIMMER, SHINE, and ROH, to name a few.
She is also the winner of the 2014 Reid Flair scholarship, presented at the Mid-Atlantic Legends fan-fest in Charlotte, North Carolina! The award was presented by legendary wrestler Dr. Tom Prichard. Prichard, Les Thatcher. Lance Storm and Nigel McGuinness and she was the one person out of 50 males and females to receive the award.”
Brink worked as a referee for a few NXT events in March of this year when they toured Ocala and Jacksonville, Florida.
If you’re wondering why it’s taken WWE so long to hire another female ref, it’s likely due to the infamous lawsuit that took place with the McMahon’s and former referee, Rita Chatterton.
In 1988, Chatterton appeared on Geraldo Rivera’s show, Now It Can Be Told, to accuse Vince McMahon of sexual assault. The allegations led the McMahon’s to file a suit claiming that Chatterton and former wrestler, David Shults, were attempting to extort 5 million dollars from the WWE.
Rivera was also named in the suit for his “involvement in the conspiracy.”
According to the suit, Chatterton was fired in 1986 for being an “incompetent referee” – which is actually a pretty ironic complaint to make about a wrestling referee considering most of their job consists of looking the other way when something nefarious is happening.
The whole ordeal likely left a bad taste in the McMahon’s mouth and it would make sense for them to not want to drudge up the past by hiring another female referee, which I suppose, is what we’re doing right now.
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Either way, it’s good to see WWE creating more jobs in the wrestling industry for women to contribute.
