Buried deep in the annals of women’s professional wrestling history, hidden beneath the glitz and glamour of modern-day showmanship, lays the story of a true pioneer, one who paved a path for generations of competitors to follow.
Known as Muscles and the Kansas Cyclone, Mildred Burke dedicated her life to professional wrestling, creating and often struggling to maintain an outlet and opportunity for women to persevere in a sport dominated by muscle-bound, chauvinistic men.
Set against a scene of a Great Depression Era New Mexico Indian reservation, a young Burke, born Mildred Bliss on Aug. 5, 1915, found herself 18 years old, pregnant and slaving hours at a restaurant attempting to support herself and her unborn child.
With a sweeping marriage proposal, Burke found herself on the fast track out of the West, headed to Kansas City, Mo., where her destiny would take form.
It was there she discovered the art of professional wrestling and met Billy Wolfe, the Missouri state wrestling champion who would become her manager, groom, and eventual nemesis.
From Kansas City, Burke’s career would undergo a metamorphosis, transforming into a story for the ages, one complete with a championship reign spanning three decades, a fight against the monopolizing National Wrestling Alliance and a twisted story of romance involving her abusive manager, as well as his grown son.
Burke’s story, however, had also become one largely lost through the ages, preserved only in the minds of those who witnessed her grace the squared circle or appear on the pages of magazines and newspapers across the country.
Her story was one lost in time, until now.
For five years, Jeff Leen, head of the Washington Post’s investigative unit, traveled the country, researched legal documents and scoured the pages of Burke’s unpublished biography to uncover the true story professional wrestling’s female pioneer.
Leen’s work culminated in the publication of his second book, "The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend," released this week by Atlantic Monthly Press.
“I wanted to try to treat the subject really seriously and report to the ground truth on something that hadn’t been reported,” Leen said. “I wanted to do more than interview several people and ask their memories.”
Bonding with Burke
“To me, she was almost like a superhero character.”
Leen’s journey into the pro wrestling arena followed a much different path than that of his subject.
Raised in 1960s St. Louis, oft considered “the world capital of pro wrestling” at the time, Leen followed the careers and tales of legendary characters such as Harley Race and Dick the Bruiser.
Promoter Sam Muchnick ruled St. Louis and led the city in securing a concrete spot in the rich history of sports entertainment.
A young Leen flipped the pages of various wrestling magazines, always noticing that “in the back, there was this woman flexing her muscles.” The woman, featured alongside the women she trained, managed and wrestled, was none other than Burke, by that point a retired champion.
“She had this incredible reputation,” Leen said.
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