Paige Collett weighs in on the “ring rat” debate.
Historically, the term “ring rat” has been surrounded by a negative connotation. Through her work as a manager in Juggalo Championship Wrestling, however, Paige Collett has chosen to embrace it.
“Being presented something as eccentric as the Ring Rat, people tend to pick apart the groupie, the ring rat of wrestling because women and me from back in the day, they were the ones that slept with wrestlers,” Collett told WrestleZone. “They were just like bouncing from d*ck to d*ck, so to speak.
“There is also a beautiful history to where the fact of who these people were in real time in our history, wrestlers were struggling artists, were struggling performers. So especially back in the day, wrestlers would go from town to town and they would just be getting their wrestling pay. But then it’s like, you got to think about food, gas, shelter, so these women would actually provide for our boys all throughout history. So they were more than just sex.”
When presented with the idea of portraying a “ring rat” character for JCW, Collett recalled viewing it as a valuable opportunity for her wrestling career. Moreover, she knew that she’d fully embody it through “over the top” mannerisms and facial expressions.
Collett Thanked Violent J For The Opportunity
According to Collett, also known as Black Dahlia, the female wrestler originally offered the role turned it down as she felt “insulted” by it. In Collett’s eyes, though, it gives her the chance to be part of something creative alongside Violent J, the co-founder of JCW.
“One, why [turn it down]? It’s a work,” Collett said. “Two, There’s no small role, only small performers. Like, hello, check your ego. Then finally, it’s an opportunity. Ring rats were not just like sex, but also, let’s just get back to the part of it’s just a character. You have a beautiful opportunity. Violent J is giving you a job. Why aren’t you saying, ‘Yes, sir? Thank you for this opportunity, sir.’ That’s exactly what I did.”
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