What’s the story?
WWE are rumoured to have taken another major step in the women’s revolution, with the signing of Kennadi Brink as a referee for the company, as per Squaredcirclesirens.com.
Brink, who has also wrestled as Jessie Kay and Kennedy Lewis, has worked as a referee for WWE already this year at a number of NXT live events. WWE is yet to confirm the signing.
In case you didn’t know...
Kennadi Brink is a 25-year-old professional wrestler from Baltimore, Maryland, who began her in-ring training seven years ago. Brink learnt the ropes at the training school of former WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Gillberg, just down the road from Baltimore in a town called Severn.
Brink suffered from numerous weight issues during her teenage years, and professional wrestling provided her with an outlet to increase her confidence and shed some of her excess weight in the process. She has since wrestled for Ring of Honor, SHIMMER, SHINE, MCW and others.
The heart of the matter
Whilst the presentation of WWE’s women has come on leaps and bounds over the last couple of years, many critics have still continued to decry the lack of females in positions of authority within the company. At the front of this has been the lack of female referees in the company, and the signing of Brink may well be the first of many regarding women donning the stripes in the promotion.
Brink would become the first female referee signed to WWE, a major milestone for both the company and the individual. What has taken WWE so long to make this move is another matter entirely, but the adage ‘better late than never’ can almost certainly be applied. Neither Brink nor WWE has commented on the signing as of yet, but it would be no surprise to see it confirmed sooner rather than later.
Brink was the recipient of the 2014 Reid Flair scholarship, which was awarded to her by Lance Storm, Nigel McGuinness and a number of other respected former professional wrestlers. She also lost a squash match to Nikki Cross on NXT earlier this year.
What’s next?
Until Brink or WWE confirms the signing this will remain pure conjecture, but if confirmed it is a big moment for women in professional wrestling. Brink will undoubtedly be the first of many women signed to officiate matches.
Could we be looking at a future where referring duties are split between genders?
Author’s Take
It is somewhat frustrating that it has taken until 2017 for WWE to be rumoured to be signing a female referee, but that is the world we live in. A signing of Kennadi Brink’s type is long overdue, and I wish her the best on her career. That is if the rumour is true, of course.
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