Tough to pin down

Christina Sartori, general manager of the league known as BLOWW, says stepping onto the mat as her spoiled cheerleading alter ego, Muffy Winters, has become more than just a hobby.

‘‘This is what we like to do,’’ Sartori said. ‘‘Some girls like to do yoga on their spare time, but we prefer to beat each other up.’’

The 15 women of BLOWW choose stage names and learn professional wrestling techniques. Their characters, a disgruntled hippie, a housewife seeking revenge, a feisty librarian, battle it out at various venues around the Boston area to become the next league champion.

Since the Boston League of Women Wrestlers formed five years ago, its popularity has exploded, attracting a diverse group of combatants and a legion of fans. The group has had a solid following from the start, Sartori said, but has grown steadily the past two years. A typical night attracts a couple hundred fans to the monthly shows, which go on throughout the year.

‘‘It’s been near sellouts and packed-out shows,’’ Sartori said. ‘‘In the past two years the audience is growing all the time, and more girls are signing up.’’

But why do these women want to wrestle? And what do they do when they’re not in the ring

SKANK WILLIAMS Jr.

Jenna Henson, 35

Day Job: Accountant

Jenna Henson is an accountant, but she wouldn’t call herself a number cruncher - more like a Whole Foods accountant with a mean body slam.

“I am the freak in my department,’’ she said. “I have a lot of tattoos, and I like to beat people up for fun. Some people are shocked at first at work, but it’s a good outlet to have.’’

After earning her bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Texas A&M, she moved to Boston with a few friends in search of something different. Once she found BLOWW, this native Texan’s shy personality was tested.

“I like to make fun of myself,’’ Henson said. “Some friends of ours have ‘white trash parties,’ and I thought I would embrace my Southern roots and make fun of myself a bit.’’

Her alter ego, “Skank Williams Jr.’’ (left, top), supposedly hangs out at 7-Eleven, swears, and has no problem speaking her mind, a trait Henson has learned to embrace outside of the ring. She won’t often be found at the convenience store, but her crude character’s outgoing demeanor has grown on her.

“I think as my character evolved throughout the years,’’ Henson said, “she has become more like me, minus being blunt and crude. But it’s easier for me to be more outgoing, and I have made a lot of friends through BLOWW.’’

THE PENNSYLVANIA DUCHESS

Jaime Knudsen, 24

Day Job: Pain Researcher

There aren’t many hobbies Jaime Knudsen hasn’t mastered. After acting in theater, becoming a mime artist, and getting involved in martial arts, Knudsen was getting bored.

“I like to try new things,’’ she said. “I guess you would call me an adventurous person. Wrestling was something I always had an interest in.’’

She graduated from George Washington University and moved to Boston to work for McLean Hospital in Belmont as a pain researcher. Shortly after that, she joined BLOWW, and along came the one-liners from her co-workers.

“They all think it’s funny,’’ Knudsen said. “They get a good laugh. But my lab group is really supportive, and they come out to the matches to cheer me on.’’

Her character, “The Pennsylvania Duchess’’ (left, bottom), hits close to home: Knudsen grew up near an Amish community in Reading, Pa. The Duchess’s blue apron, bonnet, and cold exterior poke fun at the Amish stereotype.

“My character disapproves of everything, and I am always upset with people because they are showing their ankles,’’ she said. “I don’t like anyone, and I don’t approve of modern cultures.’’

Her signature move, “the Butter Turner,’’ is “like an atomic drop,’’ she said.

Knudsen said she loves her job at the hospital, but she always ends up talking about wrestling with her family and friends.

“I can’t keep it a secret,’’ she said. “I talk more about it than my real job. It’s been great, and it’s been something fun to brag about.’’

THE WRATHALIE, THE THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER

Athalie Paynting, 29

Day Job: Interior Designer

After an old boyfriend failed to show up to Athalie Paynting’s art show, she got angry - so angry that “The Wrathalie’’ made her debut.

“The guy I was dating was supposed to come, and he stood me up, and so my friend was like, ‘Oh crap, the Wrathalie is coming out,’ ’’ Paynting said. “And so I used it, and being from Australia added to the rest.’’

Wrathalie’s (left) gray football shoulder pads, red face paint, and fur overcoat make up the “outback loudmouth’’ look that Paynting describes. If she seems too tough in the ring, she’s just the opposite in her day job as an interior designer.

“I have always been into style, and I love fashion, art, and music, so I started my own interior design company called Rebel Yell Designs,’’ she said. “I would say it is modern meets rock ’n’ roll. What I really like doing is restoring old furniture and specializing that piece for that specific project.’’

Even though Paynting has to convey two such different images in her professional life and her wrestling hobby, she says the latter is nothing she is ashamed of. In fact, “The Wrathalie’’ has grown so popular that fans have started to show up at matches with red paint over their eyes or the Wrathalie’s face on T-shirts.

“I think it’s awesome,’’ she said. “People care and have a good time and just want to show their support.’’