What The Queen Of The Ring Cast Looks Like Versus The Real Wrestlers

Mildred Burke is the original pioneer of women's wrestling who doesn't get enough credit for what she did to pave the way for women across all promotions today. That's about to change with the theatrical release of "Queen of the Ring," a film based on the 2010 book "The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend" by author Jeff Leen and some of Burke's own writings. Moviegoers and wrestling fans alike will be able to catch the movie when it debuts on Friday, March 7.

The film was written and directed by Ash Avildsen, who originally wanted to tell a fictional story he described as a love letter to 80s wrestling, but when he was told about Burke's story and the "Queen of the Ring" book by legendary commentator Jim Ross, he was sold to go in a different direction with his film. Avildsen wanted to tell Burke's story on the big screen, and cast a multitude of actors and actual trained professional wrestlers alike to bring Burke's tale of scratching and clawing her way to success to life.

A big question going in to the film's premiere is just how much these actors look like their wrestling counterparts. Actress Emily Bett Rickards was cast as Burke, and alongside her stand quite a few big names in professional wrestling, such as AEW's "Timeless" Toni Storm (Toni Rossall) and Kamille (Kailey Latimer). We're taking a look at some of the big name in Burke's own tale, like her trainer-turned-husband and others she worked alongside, and the big names playing the characters, to see how they compare.

The main character of "Queen of the Ring" is Mildred Burke, a single mother who worked her way into the professional wrestling industry during a time when women weren't often allowed in the ring. She was born Mildred Bliss and started wrestling in 1935, taking on men at carnivals. Burke wanted to train to become a professional wrestler and went to her future husband, Billy Wolfe, who was training women in Kansas City. He initially instructed a man to body slam her so she would stop asking for help training. Burke hit a body slam on the man instead, and the rest is history waiting to unfold soon on the silver screen.

After fighting to have women recognized throughout the country in various promotions, she started the World Women's Wrestling Association in Los Angeles in the 1950s. Burke was a three-time women's champion throughout the mid-1930s to the 1950s. She held the NWA World Women's Championship for almost 20 years before vacating the gold when she retired in 1956. Burke died of a stroke in February 1989 at 73. She was posthumously inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002 and later, into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.

Burke will be played by Emily Bett Rickards, age 33, best known for her role in TV series "Arrow." While she's best known in the "Arrowverse" in shows like "The Flash" and "Legends of Tomorrow," in addition to the namesake show, she has also acted in a few films. In 2015, she had a supporting role in "Brooklyn," which was nominated for an Oscar. While she's no stranger to action-packed superhero series, this will be her first time portraying an athlete in a film.

While he wasn't a wrestler in the traditional sense of the word, Billy Wolfe was integral to Mildred Burke's story as the man who initially trained her to become a professional wrestler before the pair eventually married and he became her manager and promoter. While on the road, Wolfe acted as a father figure to the women he trained, but was also known as a womanizer and repeatedly cheated on his wife. Their problems came to a head in 1952 and they separated, causing Burke to be frozen out of the professional wrestling sphere amongst all National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) channels. The pair battled back-and-forth about her career and the careers and bookings of the 29 other women they worked with, both in and out of court following their split, but most of the women they trained and traveled with remained loyal to Burke.

Despite the almost constant controversies between himself and Burke in the NWA, Wolfe did have a positive lasting legacy when it came to women's wrestling. He helped make it profitable and moved it beyond a sideshow carnival act. He also created a women's tag team title and helped integrate Black wrestlers into the sport.

Josh Lucas, 53, will be playing the controversial character of Wolfe. Lucas most notably played Craig McDermott in "American Psycho," but has been in plenty of other films spanning all genres. He's played roles in "Sweet Home Alabama," "Hulk," "Stealth," and most recently, "The Black Demon" and "Blood for Dust." He has plenty of work in television roles, as well, and has played the main character in "The Firm" and "The Mysteries of Laura."

Clara Mortensen is a woman important to Burke's story because she was the first woman the future "Queen of the Ring" would defeat for championship gold. Mortensen lost the Women's World Championship to Burke in January 1937 after having held it since 1932. In their rematch, Mortensen won the championship back from Burke and the pair would feud in the ring throughout the rest of their careers. Mortensen was a large draw in the late 1930s and early 1940s. According to wrestling history, she was billed as the Women's World Lightweight Champion, but there are no records as to when she won and lost the championship. Mortensen retired from the ring in 1951 and moved to acting and advising in Hollywood.

Playing Mortensen is a woman who knows quite a bit about bitter rivalries in the ring, current AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm. Storm, whose birth name is Toni Rossall, wrestled for Progress and Stardom before making her way to WWE in 2017. She requested her release from the company, then run by Vince McMahon, and debuted in AEW in March 2022. Storm has been wildly successful in the company since, under her "Timeless" Toni Storm gimmick where she has shown fans across the world that she has acting chops. This is Storm's first big role in a film despite having shown her love for all things cinema with her in-ring persona.

June Byers was another woman Mildred Burke squared off with in the ring, but when they fought, it was personal. Byers was the daughter-in-law of Burke's ex-husband Wolfe, and there was genuine heat between the women, leading to a grudge match turned shoot fight in Atlanta, Georgia in August 1954. Wolfe had a referee loyal to him, rather than an unbiased official, call the Two Out of Three Falls match. Burke took the first fall of the match with the intention of coming back stronger in the second round, but the second fall was never awarded, as the referee called the match. Burke thought her championship was safe because she hadn't lost both falls, but media at the time said that Byers defeated Burke, and Burke's mystique in the ring began to fade following the loss. Byers would become the face of women's wrestling for years after the controversial match finish and was even inducted into the WWE posthumously in 2017.

Byers is played in "Queen of the Ring" by "The Brickhouse" Kamille, an AEW talent most recently seen alongside Mercedes Mone before the pair had a storyline falling out. The real-life Kailey Latimer is best-known for her time in the NWA, making her a perfect fit for the film. The movie is Kamille's first venture into Hollywood.

Mae Young is another star who went both face-to-face with Burke and stood by her side during their days in the ring, and she is often a better-known name in the wrestling world. Young was trained by Burke after initially showing up to a wrestling show in Tulsa, Oklahoma to challenge her while Young was still in high school. She wrestled another talent in a shoot fight after being told she couldn't wrestle Burke, and beat the other woman in seconds. Wolfe took Young on in their group of women's wrestlers. She and Burke were two of the first women to travel to Japan after World War II to compete and also the first women to wrestle in Canada. Burke trained both Young and the Fabulous Moolah, who would go on to become two of the best-known original women's wresters in history.

Francesca Eastwood plays Young in "Queen of the Ring." She's the daughter of Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher and gained attention on her family's E! reality show "Mrs. Eastwood & Company." She's starred in movies such as "Jersey Boys, "Outlaws and Angels," and "The Vault." In 2017 she starred alongside her mother in an acclaimed episode of "Fargo" as the same character, as young and older versions.

Outside of Wolfe, Jack Pfefer was another important man in Burke's life, especially after the nasty separation from her husband. After Burke was frozen out of all of the NWA's channels, she consulted Pfefer for help. Pfefer would go on to serve as chief promoter of women's wrestling, booking Burke, Fabulous Moolah, and more over several decades following Burke and Wolfe's falling out. Pfefer was an interesting character in professional wrestling, as he described the sport as more theater than competition, to the outrage of his fellow promoters. He was one of the first men to pioneer what is now known as sports entertainment.

Walton Goggins will play Pfefer in the movie. He's known for his roles in "Predators," "Django Unchained, "The Hateful Eight, "Tomb Raider, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and many more. He's received many awards for his roles, including numerous Critics' Choice Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2024 he was awarded the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "Fallout," so fans can be sure he's bringing his skills in drama with him to "Queen of the Ring."

Gorgeous George was the biggest star professional wrestling had ever seen to date during the time Burke was attempting to come up on the scene, bringing women's wrestling with her. With his over-the-top character, charisma, and flamboyance, the addition of Gorgeous George as a character in "Queen of the Ring" makes sense for the silver screen. Though not much is known about their relationship, the pair were close friends early in their careers, which will be explored in the movie. Gorgeous George was one of the first stars to present pageantry and showmanship ahead of his matches during the first "Golden Age" of wrestling as it moved into a more sports entertainment-oriented mindset.

The over-the-top role will be played by Adam Demos, a 39 year old Australian actor. He's only appeared in three other films thus far in his career, but had success in television, most recently as the lead in "Rescue: HI-Surf." He's best known for his role as August Walker in 2018 series UnREAL and his part in the Netflix show Sex/Life.