French women in WWE or in other wrestling federations ?

Question
Hello James,

Could you please tell me if you know any French women wrestling in the WWE or in other federations ? Do you know how I could contact them if any ?
Is it possible for foreigners to work for the WWE ?
And do you know wrestling schools in France helping women to wrestle in the USA ?


I thank you in advance for your answer !
Regards
Laetitia

Answer
Hello Laetitia,

First, here are most of the pro wrestling schools in France. All of the schools in France, on this list or not, train women. One school, run by EWF (European Wrestling Federation) really want more female wrestlers.

Institut National de Formation au Catch (ICWA)
31 C rue des Capucines, B閠hune,
Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France
Website: http://www.infcatch.fr/index.htm
Phone: 09-66-40-23-08 or 06-46-69-68-61 (from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm)
Email: [email protected]

ABCA de Beauvais l' 蒫ole de Catch
L閛 Lagrange Hall and/or at Lachapelle-aux-Pots, Beauvais, Oise,
Picardie, France
Website: http://catch-francais.skyrock.com/
Phone: 03-44-45-65-22
Email: [email protected]

Catch Club Atlantique
Exact location unknown, Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Poitou-Charentes, France
Website: http://site.voila.fr/catchclubatlantique
Phone: No phone number available
Email: Through contact form- Contactez Nous on site menu

Catch Club Bordeaux
12B all閑 du Haut L関阸ue, Pessac, Geronde,
Aquitaine, France
Website: No website available
Phone: 06-80-22-53-91
Email: [email protected]

Catch Cognac Club
Dojo d'Aikido rue de la Groie ?Crouin, 196 Avenue Montignac, Cognac and Et?Rue de la Distilerie, Merpins,
Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France
Website: http://catchclubcognacais.wifeo.com/
Phone: 05-45-83-96-85
Email: [email protected]

Catch Central Autonomous Bordeaux
268 Avenue du Marechal Tassigny, Bordeaux
Aquitaine, France
Website: No website available
Phone: 05-56-02-05-20
Email: No email available

EWL 蒫ole de Catch (EWL)
Ch鈚eau du Burck ?M閞ignac, Avenue du Mar閏hal Foch, Gironde
Aquitaine, France
Website: http://ewl.fr/
Phone: 05-56-02-65-61 or 06-12-57-29-17
Email: Through contact form on website, under Contacts on menu

Bretagne Wrestling Catch 蒫ole de Catch (BWC)
12 rue de Malaunay, St. Brieuc, C魌es-d'Armor,
Bretagne, France
Website: http://catch.bzh.bz/
Phone: 02-96-75-06-88
Email: [email protected]

Catch Academy (F閐閞ation Fran鏰ises de Catch Professionnel)
Gymnase Rene Rousseau, 12 avenue d'Alfortville, Choisy-le-Roi,
Paris, France
Website: http://www.catch-academy.com/
Phone: 01-69-53-12-02 (du lundi au vendredi de 9am ?6pm) or 06-45-32-61-44
Email: [email protected]

Catch Club Du Pays De Retz/Catch Club St. Aignan Grandlieu
La Salle de la Pavel, rue di Pressoir, St. Aignan Grandlieu, Loire-Atlantique,
Pays de la Loire, France
Website: No website available
Phone: 02-40-26-42-21
Email: No email available

Catch Club Du Pays De Retz/Catch Club Nantais
9 Chemin Port, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique,
Pays de la Loire, France
Website: http://catchclubdupaysderetz.ifrance.com/
Phone: 02-40-50-64-26
Email: [email protected]

蒫ole Fran鏰ise de Catch Longuyon (WS)
Rue Emile Zoa, Longuyon, Meurthe-et-Moselle
Lorraine, France
Website: http://www.myspace.com/catchclublonguyon and http://www.catchsportif.fr/Lorraine.php
Phone: 06-36-40-18-45
Email: Through their MySpace or Facebook and [email protected]

蒫ole de Catch ?Nanterre (APC)
Gymnase Pablo Picasso, 75, Avenue Pablo-Picasso, Nanterre,
Paris, France
Website: http://www.catch-apc.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/apccatchwrestling
Phone: 01-47-84-83-45
Email: [email protected]

蒫ole Fran鏰ise de Catch Faremoutiers (WS)
Rue Robert Martin, Faremoutiers, Seine-et-Marne
蝜e-de-France, France
Website: http://www.catchsportif.fr/Faremoutiers.php
Phone: 06-80-35-30-33
Email: [email protected]

蒫ole Fran鏰ise de Catch Dieppe (WS)
Exact location unknown, Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Haute-Nomandie, France
Website: http://www.catchsportif.fr/Dieppe.php
Phone: 06-22-97-59-19
Email: [email protected]

蒫ole Fran鏰ise de Catch Cergy Pontoise (WS)
Exact location unknown, Cergy-Pontoise, Val d扥ise,
蝜e-de-France, France
Website: http://www.catchsportif.fr/Cergy.php
Phone: 06-17-02-21-29
Email: [email protected]

蒫ole Fran鏰ise de Catch Tours (WS)
Exact location unknown, Tours, Indre-et-Loire
Centre, France
Website: http://www.catchsportif.fr/Tours.php
Phone: 06-72-14-46-71
Email: [email protected]


Any of these schools will help you to reach the US by providing you with training and career opportunities that can lead to you gaining contacts and bookings in the US. As ICWA is the largest French promotion, their school (the first listed) can provide oppotunities the others cannot quite compete with. ICWA is the best-known French promotion in terms of the pro wrestling business in general.

Any school, however, can be good- it is what you make of it and to what degree the school fits you.

Though it doesn't run a school at present, Queens of Chaos (link here: http://www.queensofchaos.com/) has the most contact of French promotions with international female talent. That school can open doors for you.

I'm sure there are French female pro wrestlers out there, but I haven't come across contact details for any of them. WWE Diva Maryse and LuFisto are prominent French Canadians, which is a little different.

You can work for the WWE on international tours if you live and work outside the country, but otherwise, you will have to be in the US- otherwise travelling for each show would be impossible.

If you meant can non American wrestlers work in the WWE, that is a definite yes. That has been shown in the past with Japanese, British and Canadian talent appearing in the WWE. There's probably been a fair number of other nationalities as well. Of course, the hardest part to getting into the WWE is getting noticed. Canada and the UK are good places outside of the US where one can get noticed by the WWE.

Historically, the Japanese female talent WWE have used were either part of working arrangements with joshi puroresu (Japanese all-female pro wrestling) companies or, as with Bull Nakano, were huge names known the world over. Partly its language and partly its distance. Its relatively easy for the WWE to keep in touch with the UK and Canadian scenes compared to that of other countries, at the present time.

The US is where WWE Talent Scouts actively scout for talent. Overseas, wrestlers are for the most part checked out either during WWE's international tours, or asked to attend a private try-out if the WWE have been impressed by what they have heard (and possibly seen).

You don't get into the WWE right after you start pro wrestling. Only a few exceptions have gotten in early (considering both males and females), because they are either relatives of a pro wrestler or official in the WWE (or a relative of a former WWE wrestler) or were first noticed through non-wrestling activities, like modelling in Kelly Kelly's case.

To get to the WWE, you have to work hard, consistently put in your best, make contacts in the business, always continue to develop yourself and improve(including with your character/s and how well you can play it/them), show a good attitude- respectful, a good teamworker, not overworking yourself, passionate, driven, honest and not arrogant- get a strong reaction out of the crowd and basically work your way up, impressing as many people as possible on the way.

If you can get into either ICWA or Queens of Chaos and work shows in the UK and/or the US, that may be the best position you can get yourself in. Getting experience in France first rather than moving straight to the US is less risky and you may not have that much money to spare anyway. Nonetheless, that is an option if you think a certain US wrestling school is perfect for you.

As always, if you have further questions, feel free to ask.