Los Angeles Lakers team governor Jeanie Buss appears to know a good wrestling heel when she sees one.
Buss posted Sunday on X that the door is open for Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham to the Women of Wrestling promotion:
That came after David McLane, who founded WOW, called Cunningham an “enforcer” on the court for Fever teammate Caitlin Clark and entertained the idea of putting her in a wrestling ring.
“I flew to Las Vegas and watched them in action against the Aces, and I would love to have Sophie Cunningham in WOW, because she takes down the competition, and she makes sure that Caitlin Clark is safe on the basketball floor,” he said at a San Diego Comic Con panel, per the Mirror’s Alex West and Jeremy Goldstein. “We’d love to have Sophie in WOW.”
Cunningham grabbed a lot of headlines after being ejected for a hard foul on the Connecticut Sun’s Jacy Sheldon late in a June game. Sheldon had been guarding Clark closely earlier in the game and there were some tense moments between the two. Cunningham distributed what she deemed her own brand of justice.
The moment also had the effect of making the 28-year-old a much more notable figure. The Indianapolis Star’s Chloe Peterson noted her jersey sold out and that she added nearly 1 million more combined followers on social media.
The sports world has been fertile ground for pro wrestling companies looking to garner some mainstream attention. It’s another sign of the WNBA’s growing popularity that Buss and McLane are willing to bring Cunningham into the fold.