Ash Avildsen adapts Jeff Leen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book following the life of the first million-dollar female athlete, Mildred Burke, in Queen of the Ring. Burke broke down barriers by wrestling men at carnivals and turning the once-illegal women’s wrestling into a revolutionary movement in the U.S. Emily Bett Rickards stars as Burke in this story of triumph, tragedy, and resilience.
Queen of the Ring Review
Queen of the Ring follows Mildred Burke, a single mom who wants to become a professional wrestler. However, with laws in place to block women from wrestling in the ring, Burke takes on men at the carnival to begin her journey to fight for women to be allowed to wrestle in squared circle.
When we meet Mildred Burke, she is down on her luck as a single mother working at a diner with her mother, seemingly with no signs of things going up. One night, she sees Billy Wolfe wrestle in front of a lively crowd and decides she wants to become a professional wrestler. After the matches, Wolfe ate at the diner, where she pleaded with him to train her. Although initially hesitant, Burke’s persistence opened his eyes to the potential.
As someone who grew up in the wrestling business, including spending many years wrestling myself, I knew of Mildred Burke but didn’t know her story. Anytime you have a biopic and one that will be about someone that not many people in the real world know about, you want to attempt to reel viewers in and make their fans even want to know more post-film. Writer/Director Ash Avildsen had the opportunity to do what Sean Durkin did for the Von Erichs with The Iron Claw with the story of Burke. Unfortunately, he falls short of accomplishing that goal.
The average person walking down the street will have no clue who Burke is, and even after watching Queen of the Ring, I don’t believe they will have that much of a difference of opinion. While the story should be filled with how Burke became the person who broke down all the barriers for women wrestlers, it’s muddled with underdeveloped storylines about love. Not until the credits roll and you read what Burke actually accomplished did you understand her impact on the world.
While I have issues with certain aspects of Avildsen’s script, I did love his exploration of the carny side of the early days of wrestling. The root of professional wrestling started in those early days of the traveling carnival. Avildsen highlights the birth of the wrestling promoter and how they schemed and became these villainous-type figures that continue to roam today.
This era in wrestling wasn’t as flashy as it became later in the 60s, 70s, or 80s, but Avildsen does a great job of capturing the big-time atmosphere of the in-ring matches. You can tell he has a passion for the sport, thanks to his attention to detail and his working with real wrestlers (including former AEW star Kailey Farmer) to ensure that the in-ring stuff came off authentic.
The absolute star of the film is Emily Bett Rickards, who is electric as Mildred Burke. Burke was a megastar, and Rickards oozes charisma and carries Burke in a way that elevates and shines even when the script didn’t want her to. Acting is one thing, but acting as this larger-than-life persona within a film is totally different and challenging, and Rickards gives her best work to date in this film. The duality of this performance was brilliant.
Opposite Rickards was Josh Lucas, who was Billy Wolfe. Wolfe was the ultimate carny. He dictated how everything would happen, and veering off that path would lead to being on the wrong side of history. Lucas plays the “heel” (villain) to perfection. You were supposed to hate Billy Wolfe, and every move that Lucas made in this film made you feel that hatred deep into your core.
Part of the world of professional wrestling comes down to your ring attire. Sofija Mesicek deserves all the credit in the world for her incredible costume designs of the wrestling gear throughout the film. There were quite a few times I was in awe of her work, but never more than the final time we saw Gorgeous George on our screen. His robe was a spectacle.
Is Queen of the Ring worth watching?
Mildred Burke’s story is powerful and inspiring. While Ash Avildsen brilliantly captures Burke’s rise in the ring, his script falters outside the square circle. That said, Emily Bett Rickards captures Burke’s charisma and brilliance, saving this from being an underwhelming biopic. Queen of the Ring is not without its faults, but it is worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of professional wrestling.
Queen of the Ring hits theaters March 7.
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