Skye Blue Weighs In On Criticism Of Women’s Hardcore Matches, How It’s Changed

Skye Blue has a particular love of being in hardcore matches, and she recently weighed in on how the perception of women’s hardcore wrestling has changed. The Triangle of Madness member has long been open about her love of being in matches like street fights and Blood & Guts, the latter of which she finally got to do last year.

Women’s hardcore wrestling has more strident critics than men’s hardcore matches, and Blue weighed in on the matter in her appearance on Close-Up With Renee Paquette. She noted that the shock factor was something that needed to be overcome, and feels that now the shock has worn off, the reaction is much more positive. You can see highlights below:

On Criticism of Hardcore Matches:

“I think it’s definitely a different adrenaline rush than wrestling. But I feel like a lot of people view hardcore matches as like cop outs. Like, ‘Oh, if you can’t make it in a real match, this is what you resort to.’ But I don’t think of that at all. I think it’s a different art form. Because there’s more suspense, there’s ‘Oh, you have to set this up. What are they gonna do with that? Who’s gonna go through it? What’s gonna happen?’ Like, it’s a different type of roller coaster or a different type of adrenaline.

It’s not for everybody and that’s totally fine. But for who it is for, I think it’s — I don’t know, you just get a thrill. And you get the butterflies, and you get excited like a little kid on Christmas. And that’s how I feel in those matches.”

On Negative Reactions to Women In Hardcore Matches:

“I feel like there was a lot — like, with the Blood & Guts, people were very shocked with how much violence there was and how much blood. And I think it’s just, people don’t know what to expect when they first see it. They see girls getting this opportunity and they don’t know what to think going in. So then when we do go balls to walls because this is something we really wanted to do or are really excited about, people are just like, taken back. Because they didn’t expect it.

“But I feel like — you know, I remember I did a couple before and I didn’t bleed as much as I thought, or something didn’t work the way [it should have]. The table didn’t break or little things. And it’s like, as you keep going, you just want to keep improving and like just make it the best thrill ride that anybody could go on.”

On Tony Khan’s Reaction To Her Hardcore Matches:

“So, he was like definitely like, ‘You did great!’ And you could see the apprehension. I was like, ‘I look crazy, don’t I?’ He’s like, ‘Uh, what’s on your face?'”

On How the Discussion Around Women in Hardcore Matches Has Changed:

“But I think it was definitely become more positive now that more people have talked about it, and the initial shock has worn off. And I feel like more girls are more open to them now, and it’s more of a common thing and not like a taboo thing in a way.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit AEW with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.