WWE Diva Rewind: Mae Young

"She was a lunatic and after she caused me to lose the match, she beat the shit out of me and it hurt." -Chris Jericho

Most WWE fans know her as the crazy old woman that has competed in an evening gown match, had an affair with "Sexual Chocolate" Mark Henry, and participated in a "Bra and Panties Gauntlet" in 2006...among other things.

However, the career of Johnnie Mae Young has spanned 70—yes, that's 7-0—years, a span in which she wrestled during World War II, trained arguably the greatest women's champion in wrestling history, became one of the first woman to tour in Japan post-war and so on.

Young was born March 12, 1923 in the small town of Small Springs, Okla. She was the youngest of eight children (seven surviving), and was most raised by her singer mother, Lilly, after Young's father left to find work and never returned home.

Her love for wrestling began when she joined her high school wrestling team with the help of her older brothers.

Shortly afterwards, Young went to a wrestling show featuring champion Mildred Burke, who the teenager challenged to a fight. While she wasn't allowed to wrestle Burke, Young did wrestle Gladys Gillem, a woman who wrestled bears and alligators as part of her gimmick, and even had one of her eyes knocked out of its socket during a match.

So what did Young do? She defeated Gillem in seconds, in a shoot fight, leading her to leave home at 17 to become a professional wrestler.

"When I first started it was tough," Young says. "You had to know how to wrestle. I beat most of the girls I came in contact with—and some men too."

Burke and the new star went to Canada in 1941, a first for women's wrestling, working with legend Stu Hart. Young worked in Memphis when Pearl Harbor was attacked, an event that would help women gain a more prominent role in the wrestling business. Young and Burke would also tour post-war Japan in the 1950's.

Young went on to become the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) first Florida Women's Champion, as well as becoming the first NWA United States Women's Champion in 1968. She also wrestled for Burke's World Women's Wrestling Association—the promotion that broke ground for All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling Association.

Her tenure in what is now World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) didn't begin until just 10 years ago, 1999, when Jeff Jarrett smashed a guitar over her protegee, the Fabulous Moolah's head.

The appearance led to the two making their presence known on RAW and SmackDown! Young was even in Moolah's corner when she defeated then Women's Champion Ivory.

From then on, Young has made her presence known on WWE television, from becoming "Miss Royal Rumble" in 2000 to giving birth to a hand, appearing at WrestleMania 22 with Gene Snitsky, and being the guest timekeeper at the 25th anniversary of WrestleMania.

She would leave wrestling for a short time to become a Christian evangelist and to care for her ill mother before moving to South Carolina with Moolah, until her death in 2007.

In 2004, Mae Young entered the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, followed four years later by her induction by Pat Patterson into the WWE Hall of Fame.  

"Several people have said to me, `You're going to get killed in that ring,' " Young said. "Do you know what I say to them? `Best way to go, because at least I'm going out doing the thing I love."

"I would like to see all the senior citizens take the attitude that, `Hey look, I'm going to live forever,' instead of sitting down in a rocking chair, waiting for the morgue and creeps to come pick me up.

"They're going to have to catch me."

All quotes from BNET Today.