While muscular men perform dramatic circus acts in the brightly lit World Wrestling Entertainment ring, these three women orchestrate the complex show from executive positions. By Anna Schori

Who: CEO Linda McMahon, COO Donna Goldsmith and Stephanie McMahon Levesque, EVP, Creative Development and Operations.

Why Them: With an ability to spot the dance-like theater of wrestling and the playful entertainment value, these women have the advantage of seeing past the cliché of pure brutality and violence often overshadowing wrestling. Their excitement for the game has helped spur the sport to the very top in time to celebrate WWE’s 25th anniversary this month. Nearly 15 million fans tune in to WWE broadcasts every week; the organization’s live events, merchandise and advertising sales add up to a half-billion-dollar-a-year business. With such a success rate, female domination in the boardroom seems like an exemplary model for other male orientated companies to replicate.

How They Did It: Linda McMahon is a veteran and, with her husband (WWE chairman Vince McMahon), she has lived and worked in the proverbial ring since 1982. Seeing the opportunity early on to reach a wider audience marketing wrestling as entertainment rather then just a sporting event, she was instrumental in making wrestling the worldwide brand it is today. In addition to her daily boardroom operations, she has also ensured wrestling has a socially involved facet with a variety of community and charitable programs such as Smackdown Your Vote!, WrestleMania Reading Challenge, and a partnership with Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Recently promoted Donna Goldsmith is into the toys, video games, magazines, and all the other fun things that fans can bring home. Overseeing the sales and development of the merchandise globally, she set up WWE’s webshop, which has increased access to wrestling internationally. Her background prior to joining the company had little to do with sports, overseeing marketing for the likes of Swatch and Revlon.

The baby in the boardroom is 32-year old Stephanie McMahon Levesque, who was brought up on a strict wrestling diet by her parents (Linda and Vince). After a few years in accounting at the New York office, she hosted wrestling TV shows before advancing to her current position securing lucrative contracts for wrestling personalities and performers with brands such as Gilette and Subway.

How to Be Them: It would seem that it would help having a bit of wrestling in your blood, or at least in the family, to get a job in this industry. However, with more women joining WWE in leading positions (two additional female board members joined this month), understanding the sport and being creative about marketing is a great start. Wrestling is first and foremost entertainment—pop culture at its most pop. Wrestling might still be male-dominated and over-the-top out on the floor, but with more women doing work like Linda, Donna, and Stephanie, it can continue to involve more than just action figures and bad hairdos.

To pursue a career in sports, you can search available positions on www.womensportsjobs.com. It lists a range of available jobs and helps you with résumé writing, further education advice, and networking events.

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Tags: feminism, sirens spotlight, women in entertainment, women in media, women in sports, wrestling, wwe

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