Calamity Kate ,photos by Ray Urner

Vancouver-based wrestler, Calamity Kate, is being flown to the U.K. to battle it out for the British Empire title in Cardiff, Wales and if she wins, she will defend the title in London the following week.
Kate is on a mission to show the world that in the spirit of greats like the Hart Family,that Canadians continue to remain at the top of the Professional Wrestling industry. Wrestling is on the rise in main-stream popularity – and Kate as seen it first hand as a
wrestling producer in Vancouver.

Calamity Kate ,photos by Ray Urner
Calamity Kate ,photos by Ray Urner

The future of wrestling is female!

‘It’s never been a better time to be a woman in this industry” say’s Kate. “At one time, it was perfectly acceptable to just not book women because of their gender but now we are seeing more and more women’s tournaments and all-female promotions such as British Empire Wrestling, Lucha Libre Feminile, Hoodslam’s GLAM, and BC-based All Star Wrestling’s Girls Gone Wrestling.”

Women have been dominating the world of sports entertainment over the past couple of years. With Canadian athletes across the spectrum in different sports excelling to elite levels of competition. Around the world female athletes like Serena Williams, have become to tennis what Michael Jordan was to basketball,Ronda Rousey quickly dominated the world of MMA and so on.

Calamity Kate ,photos by Ray Urner
Calamity Kate ,photos by Ray Urner

There’s a lot to be said for women feeling empowered by their physical strength and taking up space loudly and aggressively in wrestling’s historically sexist, hyper-masculine world.

“Although sexiness does come in to play for my character, this isn’t just about sex or the male gaze, I’m putting on a performance of strength and power as good as any male wrestler – I’m in the gym trying to lift the heaviest weights as possible so that I can throw someone across the ring.”

Calamity Kate ,photos by Ray Urner
Calamity Kate ,photos by Ray Urner

Kate is thrilled to be a part of the new wave of women’s wrestling and to have young girls come up to her at shows for pictures and her autograph as she paves the way for the next generation of bad-asses.