It isn’t rare these days to see female wrestlers headline WrestleMania, become the biggest stars in promotions around the world, or enter the conversation of the greatest of all time. A lot of that has to do with Mildred Burke, the central figure of Queen of the Ring, an empowering biographical drama telling the trailblazer’s story from the carny days to her becoming the first female million-dollar athlete. And one of the film’s stars, Tyler Posey, is honored to be able to tell that story.
I sat down with Posey ahead of Queen of the Ring hitting the 2025 movie schedule (during International Women's Month), and we had an engaging conversation where we talked about everything from working with famous wrestling personalities like Jim Cornette to filming some of the film’s various matches. But one of the best parts of the chat came when I asked if the actor, who played George William "G. Bill" Wolfe, if ever felt he and the cast in Ash Avildsen’s movie were uncovering some sort of forgotten history:
Honestly, the whole entire time. Especially being there with G. Bill and Mildred and Billy [Wolfe] – the carny days. It felt like this arc that everybody had coming from nothing to becoming the first [female] million dollar athlete. The whole entire time we were filming, I was just like, ‘How has this not been done yet?’ It's such an incredible story in such a really pivotal part of history. … This thing is so pivotal and empowering for women and for anybody who has a dream to really just go for it.
The movie is set in a time when women’s professional wrestling was illegal in much of the country and follows Mildred Burke, played masterfully by Arrow alum Emily Bett Rickards, as she legitimizes the sport and takes it to new heights. Based on Jeff Leen’s 2009 book The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend, the movie documents the rise of not only Burke’s career, but also that of professional wrestling in the rise of the territorial system.
Before making the movie, Posey admitted that he didn’t know much about Burke’s story, but after going through it all, the Teen Wolf alum said it was a huge part of history that needs to be celebrated more:
Reading the script, it almost seems like a fake, made-up story because it's so intense and so poignant. I was like, ‘How do more people not know about this story?’ I'm honored that we get to leak it to the world and show you, ‘Hey, this is a huge part of history that you guys need to know.’
And Queen of the Ring does do a great job of showcasing that history and sharing Mildred Burke’s story with wrestling fans and general audiences in a meaningful and entertaining way. Speaking of entertainment, the movie has some of the most physical matches I’ve seen in the best wrestling movies. With the likes of impactful female wrestlers like Naomi, Toni Storm, Britt Baker, and Kamille, the in-ring action looks believable, even when actors with no prior wrestling experience enter the squared circle.
Queen of the Ring is currently in theaters. If you’re looking for an empowering movie about one woman’s quest to make a name for herself and turn women’s wrestling into a marquee event, this is your opportunity.
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