17 Top Black Female Wrestlers That Can Lay The Smackdown

There are tons of exceptional black female wrestlers out there, both retired and active. A few of them, like Awesome Kong, even went on to expand their careers beyond the wide world of wrestling and to the small screen. These women have a few things in common; they know how to bring the glitz and glam while still taking down their opponents in style.

Bianca Belair

When you think about top Black female wrestlers, there’s probably one name that comes right to the top of your head; Bianca Belair and her braid. Also known as Bianca Nicole Crawford, Belair is one of WWE Raw’s top talents for both her style and wrestling chops. Although fans know Belair for her work with WWE, she’s also an accomplished runner.

Belair worked her way up to WWE through the NXT Women’s Championship, then SmackDown, and the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Other than the Rock, she’s the only Black superstar to dominate the Royal Rumble match. Plus, Belair’s wrestling skills are definitely on point. She shone at WrestleMania, beating Sasha Banks and main-eventing the show, breaking gender and color barriers.

AQA

AQA or Angela Quentina Arnold works will All Elite Wrestling and used to be in the WWE. If you’re a fan of wrestling, there’s an excellent chance that you’ve seen AQA’s work. She was in the Reality of Wrestling, ROW Diamonds Division Championship, and AWE TBS championship. Although Angela Quentina Arnold currently goes as AQA, her stage name used to be Zayda Ramier.

AQA’s wrestling wins are pretty massive, including working with a tag time with Ruby Soho and taking down Emi Sakura and Diamante. Unfortunately, she’s also had a few losses along the way to greats like Jade Cargill. Overall, AQA is a solidly performing wrestler and one to watch moving forward.

Josette Bynum

Josette Bynum rose to fame through both wrestling and promoting and is well known for her work as Sojo Bolt in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. For a few years, Sojo Bolt or Sojourner Bolt was Josette’s stage name, netting Josette Bynum quite a few belts and honors. She’s known as the reigning queen of Ohio Valley Wrestling and even has her own promotional company, the Queens of Combat.

As with a lot of the greats, Josette Bynum works to pay it forward by encouraging other young people to join the sport of wrestling. She’s a great advocate for it.

Kristal Marshall

Former model and beauty queen Kristal Marshall spent a long time in the WWE, specifically in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and SmackDown. She’s a famously good wrestler, plus a great actress. She can also pull off a great storyline, making her a huge asset.

During WWE’s Raw Diva Search, Marshall made her mark, finishing in the middle of the pack and then moving on to Deep South Wrestling and SmackDown. She had a couple of famous rivals, including Jillian Hall and Ashley Massaro. She continued to have rich, drama-centric storylines throughout the rest of her career.

Jazz

Jazz, or Carlene Denise Moore-Begnaud, is a true jill-of-all-trades as a professional wrestler and wrestling manager. Jazz has made her mark in plenty of different wrestling venues and currently works with Impact Wrestling, managing up-and-comers. As far as her time in the ring is concerned, Jazz is most famous for her work in WWE and Extreme Championship Wrestling.

She’s won plenty of titles and awards, including being named WWE Women’s Champion twice. She’s also held the NWA World Women’s Championship title for nearly three years.

Kiera Hogan

Kiera Hogan works with All Elite Wrestling, but she’s been in pretty much every wrestling arena that you can imagine. If you’re a fan of Impact Wrestling, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen Kiera Hogan. She won the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship twice. Hogan’s also been on WOW, or Women of Wrestling and Women Superstars Uncensored.

Although Kiera Hogan usually goes by her real name, she also has a few pseudonyms, like Fire. Hogan appeared as Fire in Women of Wrestling, doing plenty of tag teamwork but, unfortunately, failing to bring home any substantial wins.

Alicia Fox

Also known as Victoria Crawford, Alicia Fox worked as a model and professional wrestler for the WWE or World Wrestling Entertainment. Alicia Fox’s flair for the dramatic, great looks, and sound stage persona made her a favorite on some of the WWE’s biggest shows like SmackDown and the WWE Divas Championship. She’s also won many titles, including being a Divas Champion for sixty days.

She also starred on a reality television show about wrestling divas and stars and made herself into a household name. If you’re familiar with only one black female wrestler on our list, it’s probably Alicia Fox. Although she’s retired now, you can still see remnants of her work just about everywhere.

Ember Moon

Adrienne Reese, stage name Ember Moon, became notorious in the WWE for her slick moves and dramatic storylines. If you’re a massive fan of wrestling, you might know her by her other name, Athena. There’s probably not a wrestling forum that Ember Moon hasn’t worked in. She’s been in many promotions, like Ring of Honor Wrestling, Women Superstars Uncensored, and Shimmer Women Athletes.

She’s also highly decorated, with tons of titles and honors under her belt. Ember Moon won the ACW American Joshi competition three times and is an NXT Women’s Champion as well. Although Ember Moon certainly can stand on her own two feet, her family are no strangers to the world of wrestling. Her grandfather participated in the sport, and she has other extended family members who have tried their hands at it.

Awesome Kong

If you’ve seen Glow, you’ve seen Awesome Kong in action. She plays the character of Tamme in Netflix’s hit show, reprising her role as a wrestler for the little screen. Awesome Kong, also known as Kia Stevens, has more than just acting skills under her belt. She was famous in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Impact Wrestling. Plus, like many of the best black female wrestlers on our list, she also hit it big with Shimmer Women Athletes. 

She’s also been on reality television, knows how to carry a plotline, and is part of the Impact Hall of Fame. Awesome Kong is a legacy female wrestler who paved the way for many other people to come.

Epiphany

Devorah Simone Frost, also known as Epiphany, performed with Ohio Valley Wrestling in the early days of her career, dominating the ring and winning the OVW Women’s Championship three times.

She did her best work as part of tag teams, especially in OVW’s Future Talent Showcase. Although Epiphany lost the showcase, she still gained quite a few fans for her sportspersonship and ability to carry a storyline. She did have some good long runs with OVW, specifically against Melody in the championships, holding the record for almost two months. 

Big Swole

Big Swole, or Aerial Hull, has been a massive name on the wrestling circuit for years. Most people remember her from her few appearances on Raw under the name Aerial Monroe or as Big Swole on All Elite Wrestling. Big Swole is no stranger to the wrestling competition circuit, competing in events like the Mae Young Classic Tournament and the Casino Battle Royale.

Big Swole shone as part of a tag team or alone. Some of her key victories included besting Emi Sakura and Britt Baker, who she famously threw into a trashcan. Big Swole brought two dynamic elements to the ring; style and skill.

Marti Belle

Martibel Payano, also known as Marti Belle, is a currently performing black female wrestler with the National Wrestling Alliance. She’s one of their top female wrestlers and holds the NWA World Women’s Tag Team Championship.

Belle, who sometimes goes as “Marti Bell,” depending on the venue, also did plenty of work with other competitions and groups like Women Superstars Uncensored, Evolve, and Shimmer Women Athletes. She’s also done some unconventional wrestling arenas and venues, like the World of Unpredictable Wrestling, facing down stars like Sweet Pea and Tina San Antonio.

Midnight

Ann-Marie Crooks, stage name “Midnight,” was a fierce competitor in the world of women’s wrestling for one key reason; she was both a professional wrestler and a bodybuilder. Midnight’s bodybuilding chops meant that she was way more than just a pretty face, and she dominated many of the rings that she found herself in.

Midnight won and placed highly in a lot of bodybuilding competitions, too, like the Ms. Sunshine State and National Physique Committee, but her work with World Championship Wrestling was what really put her on the map.

Ethel Johnson

Ethel Johnson has the distinction of being one of the very first black female wrestlers in the country. She started wrestling when she was just 16 years old and worked alongside her sisters Babs and Marva to schedule tag team wrestling events in the eastern part of the country. She worked with some of the greats, including Gorgeous George.

One of the critical reasons why Ethel Johnson was so successful was her sheer athletic ability. She could perform impressive aerial and strength-based moves that put her opponents to shame.

Rhaka Khan

Rhaka Khan or Trenesha Biggers is another great on our list who leveraged her modeling career to get into wrestling. Although you can see Rhaka Khan’s work virtually anywhere, she’s most famous for her appearances on WWE’s Diva Search and her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Khan also worked in the WWE in various capacities, including Deep South Wrestling. She had plenty of famous feuds and disagreements while competing, including a huge one with Kristal Marshall.

Christina Crawford

Christina Crawford’s work as a dancer, cheerleader, and promoter set her up for a great career in professional wrestling. Although she often went by Christina Crawford, she also used Caylee Turner. She also has a famous relative, Alicia Fox is her older sister. Like many of the people on our list, Crawford can definitely stand on her own feet thought.

Crawford worked in a ton of different venues, including the FCW Divas Championship, Florida Championship Wrestling, and Tough Enough. She was also a professional cheerleader alongside the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jade Cargill

All Elite Wrestling’s Jade Cargill currently holds the AEW TBS Championship. She’s defeated tons of prominent wrestling stars in her time, including Red Velvet, Ruby Soho, Julia Hart, and Anna Jay. She’s also bested huge names like AQA over the course of her tenure.

Jade Cargill’s secret is definitely her savvy, strategic moves. By moving nimbly around the ring, she’s able to get the jump on her opponents and take them down. She works well alongside or as part of a tag team, and we’re sure that we can expect great things from her in the future.

Women’s wrestling keeps growing in popularity, so we need to recognize and honor the black female wrestlers that came before and are currently breaking ground in the sport. Whether it’s divas with guts of steel, bodybuilders, or masters in the ring, all of the women on our list make the cut for some reason or another.

One of the more exciting aspects of wrestling is its huge combination of acting skills and strength. You need to bring the charisma into the ring if you want to be taken seriously and, more so, liked.

Best Black Female Wrestlers Of All Time, Final Thoughts

These black women, many African American, definitely fit the bill of wrestling mega-stars through their charm, charisma, and ability to take a punch in the ring. Between signature moves and great stories, these ladies will keep you captivated.

If you’re not familiar with some of the names that we laid out, do yourself a favor and watch a few clips. You will be amazed, and you might just learn a thing or two in the process.