Kendall Marie
As fans of wrestling, we often have favorites in the industry. I think many of us would instantly think of wrestlers we look up to and admire, but aren’t there so many other individuals that help but one this spectacle we all enjoy? The short answer: YES, and in my opinion, they are severely underappreciated.
One of the crucial members of a google wrestling promotion is the referees. Think about it, refs can make or break a show. They could aggravate the crowd with “off” counts or taking a bump and not being available for the final count. Now yes I understand that these situations are very story base driven, but isn’t that was wrestling is? Storytelling? Referees play a crucial part in making sure that the story of the night is presented and timed out.
Now, wrestling is already a primarily male-dominated field, but how many female referees have you seen? Not too many in the larger companies, now I imagine that number is even smaller when looking at small independent promotions.
However, in “The Juice Box Kid” Kendall Marie, wants that to change, “It’s very important to have women in the industry because we are more than the limits that people try to set for us. I would love to see more women take the referee role because women can be the authority too.”
With three years of experience, and being trained by AEW’s female referee Aubrey Edwards, Kendall Marie is sure to have an authoritative presence.
However, she’s still a woman in the wrestling industry and had a little word of advice that I would like to share (even if I can’t believe it still needs to be said), “please don’t be a creep regardless of gender. Show your support by expressing it in an appropriate way.”
As fans, we need to remember that while these entertainers play characters for us, they still are people and need to be treated with respect just as much as the next person. There are ways you can support women in the industry. Such as buying their merchandise and expressing your support in healthy, appropriate ways.
These women in the industry are still people and need to be treated as such. For a lot of us, wrestling is an escape, a way to forget our issues for a moment and focus on something that brings us joy. That is still the case for a lot of individuals within the industry as well, “Wrestling helps guide me through a lot of struggles, and with the right pacing, I’m able to release the negative energy and apply my energy to something else. Wrestling is an art form for me, I have learned to be myself because of it and that means the world to me that something that I love, helped me bring my personality back to life.”
Kendall does more than just wear the stripes and be the authoritative figure in the ring, however. The Juice Box kid has kept herself busy with other tasks as well.
Acknowledged recently as a “referee-turned-wrestler”, Kendall has competed in multiple promotions on the West Coast and Pacific Northwest this last year competed in 5CC Wrestling’s tag team championship tournament, and a newfound passion project: Sipping with JBK.
Regardless of how you see her, whether it be in the authoritative stripes or in the ring, The Juice Box Kids’ presence will be a memorable one.
And don’t forget….” a juice box a day keeps the doctor away”