Mercedes Martinez Gives Her Take On Gender Pay Gap

Former WWE star Mercedes Martinez recently appeared in an interview with Women’s Wrestling Talks. She gave her take on gender pay gap and how male pro-wrestlers get different treatment than female pro-wrestlers.

Martinez has formerly spoken about the lack of booking older divas get as opposed to male veterans. She re-emphasized this point, and said that age is discriminated upon.

I just think, personally, that males and females are treated differently based on their age. It really is, you can see it across the board in any promotion. They put this time limit on females, for whatever reason, this age limit on females that after a certain age, you cannot compete.

The superstar then asked why is it that the age limit is perceived in the case of female pro-wrestlers. She said that age does not matter when you have what it takes to deliver in the ring.

Why? Why is that; if you can go you can go, it does not matter your age. Some people retire at 25 years old because their bodies can’t handle it anymore. It doesn’t matter if you can go in the ring, and you can deliver, and you can do your job. Whether it’s professional wrestling or sports entertainment; if you have a character, whatever you can do to keep your job. It doesn’t matter what your age is, and that’s the biggest thing.

Martinez pointed out that as soon as you’re 30, you’re labelled a veteran. She said, however, that she is 41, and she is at the prime of her career, more than capable of competing against the younger generation.

In professional wrestling, after like 30, you’re considered a vet, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been, you’re considered a vet like you’re old now. No, honey, I’m going to be 41 and I’m in the prime of my career, and I can still deliver with those 20/25-year-olds; run circles around them.

Martinez also talked about the pay gap that exists between male and female pro-wrestlers. She said that while males can still get a paycheck at 50, women are given this arbitrary age after which they don’t get booked much at all. Martinez had a short main-roster run at Retribution. However, her allergies got the better of her, and she left the faction.

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