This was much frowned upon by many wrestlers as it was seen as a sign of disrespect towards the younger generation. It wasn't long after this that she retired from professional wrestling.
Ella Waldek
Another great female wrestler to come from the 1950s boom was Ella Waldek.
Trained by the Fabulous Moolah, it wasn't long before she held multiple titles including the NWA Florida Women's championship and NWA Tag Team championship.
However, despite her many accomplishments, she became despised by many fans over her part in the accidental death of Janet Boyer Wolfe.
During a match with her, Waldek body slammed Wolfe, prompting her to roll to the out of the ring before collapsing. She died shortly afterwards.
As no cause of death could originally be established, Waldek, along with the other competitors in the ring at the time, were arrested and held on suspicion of manslaughter.
Despite being found innocent, she was soon given the moniker of 'Murderer' by the fans who felt that she had intentionally killed Wolfe.
This tag would follow her throughout her career until she retired in 1971 from several nagging injuries that were preventing her from performing safely.
Her prowess and skill made her one of the most difficult opponents for wrestlers to prepare for. It also gained her the respect of many of her peers who regarded her as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of the 1950s.
Penny Banner
Penny Banner was not only a respected athlete, but also a respected commissioner and ambassador for the sport.
Within three years of her debut in 1954, she had held the NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship three times with her respective partners, Bonnie Watson, Bettie Jo Hawkins, and Lorraine Johnson.
Banner also earned the honour of becoming the first-ever AWA Women's champion in the summer of 1961.
She also earned a second major honour in only losing twice in her last 20 years of active wrestling, being beaten only by The Fabulous Moolah and Belle Stuart.
After her retirement, she took on a backstage role, becoming the commissioner for the PGWA (Professional Girl Wrestling Association), a role she held until her death in 1992.
During her long and storied career, Banner excited thousands of fans with her innovative moves, such as the Dropkick, the Sunset Flip and the Inside Cradle.
These were moves that, although seen incredibly frequently now, were unheard of in the 1950s.
Achieving her place in history, as well as the respect of many of her competitors, Penny Banner is one of the most successful women to come from the 1950's boom.
Mae Young
One of the most recognizable names from any period of wrestling, Mae Young is a wrestler who is still looked at today with awe and respect.
Young got her start in the late 1930s, when she defeated the world renowned Gladys Gillem in a shoot fight requested by the promoter, Billy Wolfe.
It was after this that she began to extend women's wrestling to outside the United States. In 1941, she and Mildred Burke began to showcase women's wrestling in Canada, before touring Japan in 1954.
This was completely unheard of at the time, but Young wanted to capitalise on the lack of male wrestlers who had subsequently gone to fight in World War Two.
30 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete