Queen of the Ring

NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! Director-screenwriter Ash Avildsen tells the incredible story of the first female pro wrestler, Mildred Burke, in Queen of the Ring (2024). The film follows Burke across her wrestling career, spanning from the 1940s to the 50s, in a tale of underdog resilience and emotional heartbreak. It all occurred during a time when women’s wrestling was illegal in most of the United States.

Mildred “Millie” Burke (Emily Bett Rickards) is a single mother raising her infant son while working tables at her mother’s diner in Kansas. She dreams of becoming a wrestler and studies wrestling techniques when not hustling at her day job. One night, Burke and her mother, Bertha (Cara Buono), attend a local wrestling match where she sees the versatile talent of Billy Wolfe (Josh Lucas). At this moment, Burke convinces her mother that she desperately wants to become a wrestler. For her, it is not just a pipe dream but a way for her to entertain people and tell stories. When Wolfe and his son, G. Bill (Tyler Posey), eat at the diner, Burke begs him to train her. He is initially reluctant, but she convinces him that she has the guts to do it. Wolfe trains her in private, and they fall in love over the course of training. Burke’s mother does not trust him.

“Mildred ‘Millie’ Burke is a single mother…She dreams of becoming a wrestler…”

In the meantime, Wolfe takes Burke on the road in a traveling carnival. She initially wrestles with ordinary people until she is challenged by a wrestler from Texas, June Byers (Kailey Farmer). Byers proves to be a formidable foe, yet Burke still holds her ground despite a harsh leg injury. These two will cross paths again. Over the course of the gig, Wolfe gradually builds a team of women wrestlers. Promoter Jack Pfefer (Walton Goggins) introduces him to an East Coast fighter, Mae Young (Francesca Eastwood). Young is set up to be a fake “rival” for a future match. During one of the stops, a naïve Southerner, Elvira Snodgrass (Marie Avgeropoulos), approaches Wolfe about joining his team. Gradually, Burke sees the ugly side of Wolfe. He has a fling with Elvira and attempts to demean Burke while she’s recovering from a leg injury. She abandons the carnival gig for a short time and returns home disgusted with Wolfe’s sleazy behavior. Although he promises to clean up his actions, this does not last.