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Gilbert, a Taylorsville native, bills herself as Kasey Fox, The Queen of Southern Sass.

Waiting inside the ring at the Hiddenite Center’s Educational Complex in Alexander County is Airica Zayas.

Zayas, clad in a green, red and white jumpsuit, is known as the Queen of Bop Style. The last time the two wrestlers went toe to toe in the ring was in August 2023. When the match ended, Zayas left the ring victorious.

“I don’t remember how exactly it ended, but I do know that I took the pin,� Gilbert said.

“I might have Superman punched you,� Zayas replied.

Both women are part of Apple City Championship Wrestling.

Who is Kasey Fox?

“Kasey Fox is just an enhanced, better version of Kasey Gilbert,� Gilbert said. “A big thing for me is being a role model to kids and children, especially with being in my hometown … if [I’m having] a bad day and I see these people out, I’m like, ‘OK, they know me. It’s Kasey Fox, so I want to give them the best of me.’�

The 23-year-old watched her first wrestling match at Alexander Central High School when she was in fourth grade. She started attending Alexander County Championship Wrestling shows in Hiddenite. Soon, she started training to become a wrestler herself.

“I’ve been out here in this very same building when there’s been five people in the crowd. So, I’ve seen it like from the very beginning, and then I started wrestling here in 2018, so I feel like all of us work together,� Gilbert said.

Gilbert said she wrestles as an inspiration for her family and future generations.

“My nieces and nephew have seen me since the beginning. And now my boyfriend has a daughter, so my future stepchild,� Gilbert said. “One day, I woke up from a nap and they were in there watching my matches. I don’t think she had even really realized that I wrestled. And that was really cool.�

Gilbert’s favorite memory is when she performed a charity wrestling show. The event was for an autistic child named Davion.

“I wrestled Sadie Lee Moss, and at the end of our match, the referee got knocked out, I believe. And Davion, who was the kid that we were having it for, he got in and counted to three for my victory,� Gilbert said. “I will never forget that.�

Back to the action

After several minutes of kicks, punches and throws between the fighters, Fox is brought to the ground. Her opponent punches the floor and shouts toward the audience, generating a wave of clapping and cheers. Zayas stands up and prepares to execute her finishing move. The outcome of the match looks dim for Fox.

Every significant wrestler has a finishing move, designed to end the match. Zayas relies on “The Bop� to finish off opponents. The move draws inspiration from the Legend of Zelda video game.

“Link has a specific power he has, which is called Din’s Fire,� Zayas said. “He charges it up … and then winds over and then punches the ground. So, I took that part and I just smack people on top of the head.�

Zayas lands The Bop, and Kasey Fox is stunned.

Then, Fox rises to her feet. Several more minutes of fighting results in a stalemate between the two competitors, with no clear victor in sight. Fox thrusts her arm over the shoulder of Zayas and drops her to the ground, shifting the tide of the battle.

Zayas gets pinned, trapped between the mat below her and the force being brought down by her adversary. The referee counts to three, stands up and raises Fox’s left hand. The Queen of Southern Sass reigns supreme, at least on this night.

In dad’s footsteps

Zayas grew up watching her father, Chris Baldwin, known in wrestling circles as Chris Solar, wrestle for Millennium Wrestling Federation out of Lincolnton. She started wrestling when she was 14, training with her father.

“I watched kids walk up to him every night that he had a match. And just the way that they would look at him, and the way that you could tell they just admired him. I want to be somebody like that for kids, because growing up, other than my dad, I had a really hard time finding a role model.�

Her goal is simple: Zayas aims to be the best.

“I want to be the most well-known wrestler in the world ever, like, like, how The Rock and John Cena are, but me.�

Gilbert also has big goals.

“I want to make myself proud. And wrestling gives me more confidence, makes me feel better about myself, and not only just me, but just being inspiration to others,� Gilbert said.

Misconceptions follow female wrestlers

There are many misconceptions about women in professional wrestling, including the attire.

“A lot of men will assume that just because you post parts of your body online that you’ll do, like nudes and stuff, and that’s not cool. It’s just an assumption that people make,� Zayas said. “Just because I wear a swimsuit, like, you see women in public wearing swimsuits all the time.�

“A lot of people like to assume that we will do anything for money,� Zayas said.

Erica Edwards is a ring announcer and representative of the ACCW Women’s Division. This year, she was asked to announce this year’s inaugural women’s tournament.

Not all professional wrestling promoters are as accommodating to women wrestlers.

“I have been in places where they still don’t have anywhere for them to adequately change,� Edwards said. “I have seen some women who are every bit of empowering and energetic and enthusiastic the minute they walk in the door. And then you can tell that something throughout the night, they broke leaving, and they’re like, ‘Nah, like, this ain’t for me.’�

Blake Coffey took over Apple City Championship Wrestling two years ago. He started the women’s tournament this year, booking a women’s match in every show throughout the season.

“To see him doing it from March through September. You know, an entire tournament just for the Women’s Championship is unheard of, as far as I’ve ever witnessed in the indie pro circuit,� Edwards said.

Hooligans Championship Wrestling, based out of Evansville, Indiana, started in 2024. The company, operated by Ehren Schaffter, has flipped the script, featuring predominately women’s matches. Zayas regularly competes with the company and currently holds the HCW Women’s World Champion title.

“His first couple of shows were all women’s shows, but when he brings men in, he kind of flips it. It’s mostly women’s matches, and then a couple of men’s matches. And that’s the complete opposite of what would happen even here,� Zayas said. “Some companies are trying to be better about bringing in enough money so that they can fly women from different states, so that we have people to work with.�

Women on the rise in the ring

In the big leagues of wrestling, there has been an increase in women’s matches and a shift in how companies such as the World Wrestling Entertainment, All Elite Wrestling and WWE’s Next Generation (NXT) portray the women in the ring.

“You already see them headlining, like main events on WrestleMania now, and I mean, how many belts do they have in NXTs and AEWs,� Edwards said. “It’s becoming more prolific. You’re losing the diva parts of it, and you’re just going to the women part of it, you know, like they’re being more recognized for their talents and athleticism versus the sexual appeal and the gimmicks.�

After the wrestlers exit the ring and their contest comes to an end, the fight for their role in the industry continues on.

“Y’all fight tooth and nail for every bit of this, every moment you get, every opportunity you get, and it just is, like I said, it’s just as good, if not better, than some of these men matches I’ve seen. And to know that it’s hopefully getting better … it’s just really cool to see that this could be the start of something for everything in the Southeast,� Edwards told Gilbert and Zayas.