Queen of the Ring (2025)

[BluBonnet]

Wow. I thoroughly enjoyed Emily Bett Rickards in the CWverse shows, and this is getting good reviews already...

Really looking forward to this!

‘Queen of the Ring’ Review: Emily Bett Rickards Brings Soul and Strength to Female Wrestling Biopic

Wrestling pics are having a moment. Last year saw the excellent, if unjustly ignored, The Iron Claw, about the ill-fated Von Erich brothers. Now comes Ash Avildsen’s hugely entertaining, old-fashioned biopic about Mildred Burke. If you don’t know who Burke is (and the vast majority probably don’t), this film aims to correct that. A pioneer of the sport who became the first million-dollar female athlete in history, Burke was a three-time women’s world champion from the 1930s through the 1950s, a time when women’s wrestling wasn’t even legal in most of the country. Her story fairly demands to be told, and Queen of the Ring, which served as the opening night film of the 39th annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, largely does it justice.

Based on Jeff Leen’s extravagantly titled 2009 book The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend (try fitting that on a marquee), the film stars Emily Bett Rickards (Arrow) in a breakout performance as Burke. We first see her as an unwed teenage mother working as a waitress in a Kansas diner under the watchful eye of her mother (Cara Buono). But Millie, who possesses a formidable muscularity, has dreams of becoming an entertainer. And since she can’t sing or dance, she figures that wrestling is her way out of the boonies.

[drb999]

Emily has some serious guns now.

[BluBonnet]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj7IkD8NoW8

[mwynn]

[slip220]

wikipedia movie or a movie that tick all the boxes to piss the morons from twitter

i'll pass looks generic

[bermuda]

looks good, impressive trailer.

[oneway23]

Looks good.

For any wrestling fans around here, Britt Baker, Kamille, and Toni Storm from AEW and Naomi from WWE are in this, alongside Kelli Berglund from the underrated wrestling-related Starz show Heels (now on Netflix), Walton Goggins from Amazon's Fallout, Deborah Ann Woll from Daredevil, and Martin Kove from the Karate Kid franchise.

[BluBonnet]

WWE Star Trinity Fatu on ‘Queen of the Ring’ and Bringing Wrestling Trailblazer Ethel Johnson to Life: ‘I Am a Direct Result of That Fight’

Trinity Fatu has been lighting up crowds as WWE‘s Naomi for more than 15 years, but in Ash Avildsen’s new Mildred Burke biopic “Queen of the Ring,” Fatu finally brings her wrestling prowess to the big screen as Black wrestling pioneer Ethel Johnson.

“When I saw the audition opportunity come across, I was blown away, because these types of auditions and opportunities for me, in my situation, are once in a lifetime,” Fatu tells Variety over a Zoom call — still wearing a neck brace and wincing in pain from the injuries she incurred at WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view the previous weekend.

“Being involved in the sport for the last 16 years, seeing the evolution of it, and being part of the current evolution in women’s wrestling, I understood the significance of it,” Fatu says. “I already knew the story of Mildred Burke, but diving into this movie, I was definitely able to learn a whole lot more.”

Fatu’s character Ethel Johnson is one of three sisters: alongside Babs Wingo (Damaris Lewis), Marva Scott (Cameren Jackson), the trio made history as boundary-pushing pioneers. “The fact that I even get to play her is crazy,” Fatu says. “She debuted around 16 years old, and she was the first African American Women’s Champion. She not only had the struggle of being a female wrestler when all-female wrestling was illegal period, but she also had to deal with being black, and that layer of segregation.”

“I can’t even wrap my mind around what it would have been like to be in her time,” Fatu continues. “To find whatever that was inside her to say ‘I’m gonna continue to do this even though it’s hard, even though we’re getting things thrown at us, getting death threats. We can’t drive to the shows without cops pulling us over and wanting to kill or harass us or put us in jail.’ It’s mind-blowing to me what they experienced.”

For Fatu, playing Johnson wasn’t just an exciting role, but a chance to embody a hero: “When I got this role, I was at a very strange time in my career, and I was struggling with whether I wanted to continue,” she says. “This opportunity came at the right time. Diving into it and learning more about her, it gave me so much strength. I feel like ‘Man, if they could go through that and push through and overcome and empower themselves and other women around them, then I gotta push forward. I have no excuse.'”

But Johnson and her sisters aren’t the only Black women wrestlers who inspired and influenced Fatu’s career. “Because of what I look like and what I represent, the first things that were shown to me were Jazz and Jacqueline Moore. Before them, there really was a period of time where that representation was lacking. It wasn’t there.”

[unclefred]

Maybe they can make it Oscar worthy by putting in a scene of her humping an eggplant at the breakfast table. Or humping a man/fish hybrid. Do a lot of interviews praising the prostitutes' of the world.

[Agent Bond]

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Emily has some serious guns now.

She looks like Hayley Atwell on the poster. It throws me off.

For any wrestling fans around here, Britt Baker, Kamille, and Toni Storm from AEW and Naomi from WWE are in this, alongside Kelli Berglund from the underrated wrestling-related Starz show Heels (now on Netflix), Walton Goggins from Amazon's Fallout, Deborah Ann Woll from Daredevil, and Martin Kove from the Karate Kid franchise.

Charlotte Flair was originally going to play June Byers and Liv Morgan as Clara Mortensen, but Vince McMahon changed his mind so Kamille and Toni Storm got the roles. (SOURCE: Ash Avildsen)

[y2jman]

there was a decent crowd yesterday when i saw it i like it wished mickie james has a bigger role playing moolah don't see the comparison

i did like Francesca Eastwood playing a young mae young

[BluBonnet]

This was much better than I expected, especially coming so shortly after the much bleaker The Iron Claw, which took a very different look at wrestling.

The story has more twists and turns than the average athletic biopic, and a really excellent cast (it’s especially nice to see Deborah Ann Woll again so soon after the new Daredevil).

[Dreamliner330]

I saw Queen of the Ring today. Wasn't horrible but didn't have anything interesting either. Nothing about the story was engaging and did feel like a cable tv movie. Nothing moved the excitement needle at all except the very last fight. Not good when the movie is over 2 hours. The Iron Claw is significantly better in every way.

5/10

[Agent Bond]

The movie is available to watch on Amazon finally!

What a powerful and inspiring movie. I didn’t know much about Mildred Burke going into it, but now I can’t stop thinking about her story. She was one of the first big female wrestling stars back in the day, and this movie really shows how tough and groundbreaking she was.

Emily Bett Rickards absolutely crushed it as Mildred. She brought so much heart and grit to the role — similar to Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. You could really feel how hard Burke had to fight, not just in the ring, but outside of it to be taken seriously. The movie does a great job of showing the sexism she faced and how she refused to back down. It will get some people emotional.

The supporting cast was great too, especially Josh Lucas as the charming scumbag promoter, Billy Wolfe. The wrestling scenes were well done and intense, and the whole 1940s/1950s vibe felt authentic — from the costumes to the music to the way it was shot. Kamille Brickhouse was accurate casting for June Byers and this film obviously influenced Toni Storm's Timeless character.

It delves into backstage politics and gives a shout out to both Eric Bischoff and Razor Ramon. Even if you're not into professional wrestling, I think this is a solid underdog story. It’s about chasing your dreams and leaving behind a legacy. Definitely worth seeing and I hope it wins some awards.

[unclefred]

Finally!

[jpb07]

Originally Posted by Agent Bond

It delves into backstage politics and gives a shout out to both Eric Bischoff and Razor Ramon. Even if you're not into professional wrestling, I think this is a solid underdog story.

I didn't notice a shout out to either. JEC was solid in his small role. I can't stand what has become of Toni Storm but she was perfectly cast here.

The back story about production and advertising is fascinating. They were much better off with Kamile instead of Charlotte. After what they pulled on this project they should have been offering them favorable advertising terms instead of getting to block them. Blame Vince for pulling his talent but TKO should be ashamed of themselves.

The other cool thing is EBR's connection to Amell through Arrow. He has not only done a series centering on wrestling, he has gotten in the ring at a WWE PPV. Unfortunately for me, I can't watch a EBR role without thinking of her as Felicity. With all of this, the film is easy to overlook but it belongs solidly in the Historical Sports film genre. It's much better (and much more accurate) than Iron Claw! It also has heart which is not easy for sports movies to grasp.

[Agent Bond]

Queen of the Ring: Fact & Fiction | Wrestling Observer Radio - YouTube

History Vs. Hollywood