During her retirement Moolah was the promoter for Ladies International Wrestling Association (LIWA) in 1990 based in North Carolina. [23] Moolah's first World Championship reign lasted over ten years. Amongst the narratives discussed on this show is the legacy ofMary Lillian Ellison, better known by her stage name The Fabulous Moolah, whichremains hotly debated within the pro-wrestling industry. The legacy of wrestling's biggest female star, The Fabulous Moolah, is re-examined after controversial allegations surface following her 2007 death. On the night of November 25, 1985, WWF Ladies Champion Wendi Richter entered . Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! [19] Moolah later left Pfeffer's promotion and began wrestling under Boston promoters Tony Santos and Paul Bowser. The name of The Fabulous Moolah will forever be etched in the annals of sport as the defining one in women's wrestling. (From left) Moolah (Lillian Ellison), a granddaughter and Mae Young. [4][18] Olivas was Mexican, but had very dark skin, which caused controversy when Ellison, a white woman, would kiss him on the cheek during their ring entrance routine. [90] She stayed at the intensive-care unit of the hospital for 24 days, during which she was unconscious for fifteen days. She continued to make sporadic appearances for WWF/WWE until her death, often in comedic roles with longtime friend Mae Young. The Fabulous Moolah, the legendary female wrestler who called Columbia home and became the first female inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, died Friday. In the book "Sisterhood of the Squared Circle" by Pat Laprade, former wrestler Penny Bramer also claimedMoolah acted as a pimp, renting out girls to various promotions as a form of sex trafficking. Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! [3][6] She won the WWF Women's Championship on July 3, 1986 when she defeated Moolah at the Brisbane Festival Hall on the WWF's 1986 Australian tour, but Moolah regained the title six days later at the Sydney Entertainment Centre (the only two times the WWF Women's Championship changed hands in the Southern Hemisphere).This title change was never acknowledged by the WWF though some websites like Facebook have a picture of McIntyre wearing the WWF's women title. They allegedshe had been repeatedly raped by clients of Moolah's, who had tortured her as a means of control. Johnson wasn't in the mood to listen to her rant about . [89], Beginning in 1991, Ellison lived with Mae Young in a house in Columbia, South Carolina. The match saw seventy-six-year-old Moolah defeat Ivory to regain the WWE Women's Championship, thus becoming the oldest WWF Women's Champion ever, though she lost . The decision sparked widespread criticismwithin the industry, with many claimingthe company's tradition of historical revisionism was at play. As the Fabulous Moolah, Ellison entertained generations of fans and was perhaps the greatest star of women's professional wrestling. [42], On the September 15, 2003, episode of Raw, Moolah won a match against Victoria. [26] They also appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien promoting the film. The Fabulous Moolah held the women's crown for 28 years. update: Great TV show, WWE multiple releases, Austin talks WWE Hall of Fame, Best night for Bellator, PPV predictions, NWA Hall of Fame, James Storm headlines benefit show, Devitt takes another title", "Ann Casey: More than just a pretty face", "Women's World Junior Heavyweight Title [by Jack Pfefer]", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Fabulous_Moolah&oldid=1141818171, People from Kershaw County, South Carolina, Professional wrestlers from South Carolina, Sportspeople from Columbia, South Carolina, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Women's World Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times), Beverly Shade and Natasha the Hatchet Lady, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 23:54. She was a trainer and booker too, controlling many of the top female wrestlers working in the US. In the early 1980s, Ellison opened Moolah's Hideaway, a bar and grill which was operated by her daughter Mary and frequented by Andre the Giant. Austin had also participated in an interview earlier on Thursday afternoon. Born Mary Lillian Ellison in Tookieboo, S. C., the daughter of Henry and Mary Ellison was raised by her Father and twelve . As 1987 came to a close, it seemed that the queen of women's wrestling had finally come to the end of her run. [51] A midget professional wrestler named Katie Glass also lived with Moolah for over forty years. She is overall an eight-time women's world champion and to this day holds the record as the longest reigning women's world champion in combination of all her reigns. Born and raised in the American south, by the 1930s Ellison was attending local wrestling shows with her fatherb seeing the polarizing women. The story claimed that on the road McCoy was 'raped, given drugs and made an addict'. The Fabulous Moolah's wrestling career began in the late 1940s, during which she faced opponents like the legendary Mildred Burke, according to David Shoemaker's book, " The Squared Circle: Life and Death in Professional Wrestling ." Nov. 6, 2007 Mary Lillian Ellison, whose flying drop kicks, flying head scissors and hair-pulling "flying mare" body slams brought her renown as the professional wrestler the Fabulous Moolah,. Known as Fabulous Moolah, she was the longest reigning Women's Champion in sports-entertainment history. Trivia In 1999, at age 76, she became the oldest WWF Women's Champion in history. Moolah won in a one fall contest. [18] She then served as the valet for the Elephant Boy (Tony Olivas). Because of an agreement amongwrestlers to maintain the narrative of wrestling storylines even outside the ring, Mjoseth said she felt unable to report Moolah's crimes to police or peers. The bout aired live on MTV, giving a whole new generation of sports-entertainment fans a glimpse of the greatest lady competitor in the game's history. Professional wrestler Shane Douglas said he never heard anybody speaking against Moolah during his career. If there was any pimping going on I assure u it was not done by my mother. [82] In addition, she appeared in one of Cyndi Lauper's music videos, "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough". [5] She later captained a team at the inaugural Survivor Series. She was previously married to Walter Carroll and Johnny Long. [14][50] In the 1990s, she spent most of her time training female wrestlers at her school in Columbia, South Carolina. WWF Sunday Night Heat #88 - TV-Show @ Compaq Center in San Jose, California, USA. [80] A 2019 episode of Dark Side of the Ring broadcast on Viceland examined the allegations against her in the aftermath of the battle royal name controversy. Sign up for BINGE to watch. "[62] Former trainee Princess Victoria said Moolah never pimped any women or used drugs, but she did take money from them. [28] During her quest to overturn the ban, she flipped football player Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier onto his back on The Mike Douglas Show. [60] Former female wrestler Beverly Shade also defended Moolah, claiming "Moolah wasn't that kind of person. In this bombshell interview , Moolah's daughter Mary , or Darling Pat Sherry as she was professionally known discusses: The Infamous Newspaper Article Behind the scenes at Camp Moolah Her. However, her legacy has since been damaged in the years following her death, when allegations surfaced that she had exploited female wrestlers under her tutelage both financially and sexually. "[59], However, several former co-workers have spoken out in Ellison's defense. You can't take away her history because she was an asshole! Who is the most popular female wrestler? [48] As a result, Ellison began selling cosmetics door-to-door and Lee opened a service station to make enough money to pay their bills. At the same time, the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements, social media campaigns responding to the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and harassmentagainst women, had begun gaining momentum throughout the United States. She broke into the industry in 1949, held the world title from . Velvet McIntyre (born November 24, 1962) is an Irish-Canadian retired professional wrestler. Inducted by then-Women's Champion Alundra Blayze, Moolah was recognized as the true pioneer -- and biggest legend -- in the history of women's wrestling. Fabulous Moolah her daughter Mary Austin, Mary's daughter Karyn, and today's Birthday Girl and Moolah's chosen daughter Diamond Lil Katie Glass Facebook Email or phone Password Forgot account? The Squared Circle: Life and Death in Professional Wrestling, an interview with Slam Sports, Mjoseth said, promised a revitalized focus on legitimate women's wrestling in 2016. [27] She also bought the legal rights to the championship in the late 1970s,[27] and after losing the championship for two days to Evelyn Stevens in 1978, began another long reign, defending her title for another six years. Moolah's daughter Mary Austin reached out to me via Facebook -- refuting coverage of the claims presented by the likes of Mad Maxine, Luna Vachon, Sweet Georgia Brown's family. "I knew Moolah well enough to know that she just wasnt that type of person," said Shade. [25] According to Ellison, Williams proposed to her,[25] but Williams's drinking and heroin abuse forced the couple to go separate ways. But apparently, her side isn't giving up. [11], When her mother died of cancer, eight-year-old Ellison went to live with her paternal grandmother and worked on her cousin's cotton farm to make money. [76] In 2016, after allegations against Moolah had become more prevalent, Luke Winkie of Sports Illustrated listed Moolah as the 69th greatest wrestler of all time because of her lengthy title reign but wrote that he "didn't feel great about it". [26] Nevertheless, Moolah dropped the belt on September 17, 1966, to Bette Boucher, although she regained the title just weeks later. But her career actually began outside the ring, where she served as one of wrestling's first female valets. She didn't hold the title gold for long, but it was a testament to her amazing tenacity and ability that she was able to make such a miraculous comeback in the first place. With a decades-long tradition of obscuring backstage realities in favor of building mythic legends, the pro-wrestling industry continues to grapple with the alleged shady behavior of some of itsmore iconic stars. [1] Wrestling barefoot subsequently became one of her trademarks, as well as her high flying wrestling maneuvers. [5] In the late 1990s, Pat Patterson and Ellison began jokingly discussing a comeback for her, which resulted in Patterson contacting WWF Chairman Vince McMahon about the possibility. [13][14] Mary wrestled briefly but decided against pursuing the profession. [8] Long later contacted promoter Jack Pfefer, who agreed to book some of the wrestlers at his shows. However, Meltzer noted that Moolah herself "stood the test of time" to remain culturally relevant long after the Japanese female wrestlers of the 1980s (more popular at that time) had faded from relevance. She became the first woman to be inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1995 and is also a member of the NWA Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. [20], On September 18, 1956, Moolah defeated Judy Grable in a 13-woman battle royal to win the vacant World Women's Championship, which shares a lineage with the NWA World Women's Championship. Dark Side Of The Ring S02E00 After Dark After New Jack. She was the longest reigning champion in the history of her chosen sport -- or any sport for that matter -- and she established a legacy that made her name synonymous with women's wrestling in a career that spanned over 50 years. Wrestler: Fabulous Moolah Real Name: Lillian Ellison Birthday: July 22, 1923 Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina Height & Weight: 5'5" - 138 lbs Debut: 1950s Previous Gimmicks: Slave Girl Moolah, SpiderLady (WWF) Finishing Move: School-Girl (rollup) Notable Feuds: Fran Gravette, Maria Perez, Leilani Kai, Wendy Richter, Cyndy Lauper, Ivory (WWF) [1] After finishing high school, she moved to Oregon in 1980 to train with Sandy Barr, under whom she trained with her future opponent and tag team partner, Princess Victoria. But her maneuvers wowed the crowds. [63] Michael McCoy, Sweet Georgia Brown's son, refuted allegations made by his sister, stating that she has an agenda and that the allegations are false. WWE offered no public apology or explanation for the name change. The release features a number of former wrestlers who were trained and booked by Ellison, including her own daughter, speaking out against the allegations that were brought . The Fabulous Moolah was only 5 feet 4 inches and 118 pounds when she began wrestling as a professional, and her physique did not seem particularly imposing. Moolah regained the Women's Championship on two further occasions before entering semi-retirement towards the end of the decade. Net Worth: Undisclosed. Dubbed "Slave Girl Moolah" by promoter Jack Pfeffer, she was an alluring presence at ringside for competitors such as the gruesome Elephant Boy and the United States Champion, "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers. "[81], An animated version of Moolah was included on Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling. [44], Ellison and her second husband Johnny Long began training women to become female wrestlers, including Ella Waldek, Daisy Mae, and Katherine Simpson. In 1999, she became the oldest champion in the history of professional wrestling, up to that point in time, when she won the Women's Championship for a final time at age 76.[a]. The Fabulous Moolah during a wrestling card in Tampa. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. She had rivalries with both The Fabulous Moolah and Sherri Martel and held the WWF Women's Championship and WWF Women's Tag Team Championship. 10: 04.04.2000: Mae Young & The Kat defeat Terri & The Fabulous Moolah. That October, the unthinkable happened: Moolah defeated reigning WWE Women's Champion Ivory to win the title for the fourth time and become the oldest titleholder in the history of the sport. [36] Afterwards Moolah would retire from wrestling. Ellison married at 14 and had a daughter during the two-year marriage. Since the story broke, several women who trained under Moolahhave came to her defense including Joyce Grable, who said that had Moolahpimped anyone out that she'd have been "number one on the list." 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