I went into my first women’s wrestling match without much expectation.
“My only experience with women’s wrestling was like Jell-O wrestling or mud wrestling,” she said. “I thought that was a no-no for me.”
Bass attended the show in 2000, but mainly as a close friend of the businessman and promoter who had launched WOW as a successor to the successful show a few years earlier.
And she was shocked.
“As soon as I saw it, all the light bulbs went off,” said Bass, who now owns it.
“And here we have comic book characters brought to life, fighting amongst themselves, but instead of running to the guy to save them, they’re standing up for what they believe in. Whether their opinion is wrong or not, they were willing to take a stand for something. I found that very empowering and I absolutely loved it.”
According to McLean, WOW closed at the end of 2001 because the market changed after , but even after more than 10 years, Bass still remembered how impressed he was with “Wow.”
“Jeannie and I were having dinner one night and she was talking about that time,” McClain said, “She was looking at what the future of women’s sports was and thought there would be a change in the market and said, why not bring back ‘WOW — Women of Wrestling?’
They did: After years of offering a variety of formats on a variety of platforms, WOW inked a syndication deal in 2021. The resulting third season of the weekly TV show will air across the U.S. (including Los Angeles, Saturdays at 11 p.m. on KCAL-TV) and premiere in several other countries this weekend.
A dedicated show was also recently launched.
And then, in a full-circle moment for Bass this summer, she, McClain, and a few WOW Superheroes (as wrestlers are now called) spoke as part of a panel on the NBC show WOW!
Buss and McClain spoke with The Times on Thursday about the past, present and future of WOW. And with the Lakers opening training camp in a few weeks, Buss also answered some questions about the team and its remaining roster after an intriguing summer.
(Questions and answers edited for length and clarity)
2024 is a big year for women’s sports. What has it been like for you as a co-owner of an all-female league?
bus: So yeah, it took 40 years to get here, and it seems to have sprouted overnight. So I’m loving this moment. It’s just fun to see what’s going on. … And of course, Women of Wrestling is my passion project and my contribution, because for these things to be possible, we need women in my position to invest back into women’s sports. And it just creates more opportunities to showcase talented women, and that’s what I love about WOW.
Tell us about WOW’s journey to where it is today.
McClain: When we rebooted this, Jeannie said we had to do it right, we had to take the right steps, we had to invest in this to have long-term success that would last beyond us. She didn’t see it as just a TV show or something to put on TV — and I didn’t see it that way either. We want to build a franchise that will last.
bus: “I really didn’t want to do something that would last a year and then just fade away from the landscape. We needed to find the right partners, find the wrestlers, find all the pieces we needed to deliver a show to continue to grow the product. And now we’re on the eve of the launch of Season 3. It’s a long run for Season 3, so for me it’s something I’m very excited about and have been in the discussions about.”
How has this project evolved over the years, and how do you see it continuing to evolve in the future?
bus: I think in professional sports, the distribution platform is always key. How are you going to get your product to the fans? I mean, it’s changed over the decades. … What hasn’t changed is the ability, the talent of female athletes. They deserve to be noticed. That’s a belief I’ve had and will continue to have, and that’s what Women of Wrestling has done. Just trying to find the right way to get that to the audience. And finding a syndicated package as our partner and creating something that makes sense for the fans to find us and build from there.
Hmmy Are wrestlers called superheroes?
bus: To me, that’s clear. That’s who they are. They’re larger than life characters, some good, some bad. I think it’s important for young women, young girls to see their role models as people who are willing to fight for what they believe in. That’s what a superhero is.
McClain: Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes and we have the most diverse range of wrestlers of any wrestling organization, of any era, and we’re proud of that. … We tell superhero stories and backgrounds not only inside the ring but outside the ring as well, and I think that’s what connects the audience with the performers.
Jeannie, are you a comic book fan?
bus: Yes, I think I attended the , which was held at the El Cortez Hotel. I was 12 years old and followed my mom there. … She drove me there and dropped me off, four hours later. I mean, I’m a 12-year-old kid negotiating with a comic book distributor trying to get Supergirl and the whole Superman family. That’s what I gather. I mean, this was like ’74. I’m just one of those crazy people who loves superheroes.
What was it like to actually speak on a Comic-Con panel decades later?
bus: For example, I’m a fan. I should be in the audience, not up on stage. It was a dream come true for me. It was such an honor to be a part of Comic-Con on all levels.
Moved to the Lakers He said his son is a newbie. As someone who has been in a similar situation, what advice would you give?
bus: You know, I never had that conversation with LeBron or Bronny, but in a business situation, I called out my dad, “You know, I’m not going to let you down. I wanted to keep that boundary clear because it helped us. We’re not going to bring work home to the dinner table anymore. So I think LeBron and Bronny are very prepared for this. And I’m just excited that they have this opportunity. But Bronny’s a good player. I’m excited to see what our new coach has in store for us. It’s definitely going to be an interesting season. I mean, LeBron, how about you?
LeBron turns 40 this season. What do you expect from him this year and beyond?
bus: He delivers consistently. He puts in the work, but he’s our leader. He’s the captain of our team and he sets the tone and he sets the pace by working hard. When you look at anybody’s resume, nobody can complain about the work, nobody can complain about him having to practice if he wants to do it. And he does. I’m just amazed by him. I don’t know what else to say.
In terms of my expectations for the team, I can sit here and say, you know, the Lakers are always playing for a championship. That’s who we are. But that’s just me talking. What I’m really hoping is that the games start and we get to see what they do. Let them tell the story, because they’re the ones that are really going to show us what they have.
of There’s a lot going on this offseason: What does the team need to do to silence its critics?
bus: Really, we have to play basketball and win games. I know the criticism out there. I know social media is rough waters for everybody. There’s always controversy on social media. That’s why hyping everything doesn’t really help me. We just have to do the work. That’s how our organization is run. We do the work. We worry about what we can control and let the work speak for itself.
