The Fabulous Moolah

Ellison in 2001

Mary Lillian Ellison ( born July 22, 1923 in Kershaw County, South Carolina, † November 2, 2007 in Columbia, South Carolina), better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American professional wrestler. She was active for over forty years and is considered one of the pioneers of women's wrestling. She was the first woman recipient of the title of the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation. Ellison was with more than 76 years, the oldest person who carried the WWE Women's Champion.

Biography

Youth

Mary Lillian Ellison grew up as the youngest of 13 children. When she was eight years old, her mother died. To help her through the grief, her father Lillian took her to local wrestling shows. Lillian became the fan of the wrestler Mildred Burke, the then dominated the women's wrestling. After a brief marriage to a wrestler and the birth of a daughter, Mary Austin ( born 1938 ) who was active as a wrestler himself in the 60s as Pat Sherry Darling, Lillian Ellison began to train himself as a wrestler in the 1940s.

Early years

From about 1950 Ellison appeared as one of the first companions of male wrestlers on the ring. In the promotion of Jack Pepper accompanied them under the ring name " Slave Girl Moolah " wrestlers like the " Elephant Man " Tony Olivas or " Nature Boy " Buddy Rogers and reached into their wrestling matches, in order to help these smudges victories. From the middle of the decade, she used the ring name " The Fabulous Moolah " and stood more in the ring. In 1956, she won the title in a tournament of World Champions, who, however, was only years later recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance as such. Ellison began at this time to run your own wrestling school, were trained in the predominantly female wrestlers.

The years of dominance

" The Fabulous Moolah " had the talent to inspire the audience, rings talent and later the influence to keep the women's magazine with only minor interruptions for twenty-eight years. She traveled as the carrier of the NWA- Men titles between the different promotions of the NWA and defeated the local champions. Your first loss as a champion she suffered on September 17, 1966 to Betty Boucher, the title, however, a few weeks back won it. On a tour of Japan in 1968, she lost the belt against the Japanese Yukiko Tomoe and still won it back during the tour of this. There then followed eight years without defeat. 1972 succeeded Ellison and the promoter Vincent J. McMahon, the spell of the Madison Square Garden for woman wrestling fights for a fight with " The Fabulous Moolah " to break through. Ellison had in the meantime acquired by the NWA, the right to organize themselves title fights, as the organizer, they also determined the fight starting, which made them almost invincible. In 1976 she gave the title for a short time at the wrestler Sue Green, 1978 for two days to Evelyn Stevens. The victory in the rematch made ​​"The Fabolous Moolah " to five times title holder of the NWA.

The time in the World Wrestling Federation

1984 Ellison sold the rights which they had acquired the title of Woman of the NWA, to Vincent K. McMahon, who had shortly before his father, Vincent J. McMahon bought the wrestling promotion World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Ellison appeared in future exclusively for the WWF. The NWA title was declared woman seamlessly to the WWF women's magazine. The Shopping Moolahs with the title was a step in its expansion to the nation's top wrestling promotion for the WWF.

The following year, " The Fabulous Moolah " has been a major figure in the " Rock 'n' Wrestling " Connection, the inclusion of pop and rock celebrities in the wrestling business, to which WWF and MTV had come together. In the Ellison storyline concerned the musician Cyndi Lauper began a verbal confrontation with the wrestling manager Lou Albano, which ended in a match between a wrestler managed by Lauper and " The Fabulous Moolah " as a protégé of Albano. The match between Moolah and Wendi Richter, who had been trained in Ellison's wrestling school, found under the title The Brawl to End it All on March 23, 1984 as the main battle and was broadcast live on MTV.

" The Fabulous Moolah " appeared in a row at first only as a manager, but the following year came under a mask as " Spider Lady" again, and won the title. After the very questionable title win at Wrestlemania I ( supposedly the title holder Wendi Richter was promised another fight starting ) she was unmasked. Again as " The Fabulous Moolah " occurring they held the title for two more years, which was only interrupted by a six-day period during a tour of Australia, WWF, was in the "Velvet McIntyre " title holder. In 1987, Moolah the title again for a long time off, and only then came on as a manager.

Without Moolah, the Woman Wrestling lost much of its appeal, from 1990 put the WWF women's title for an extended period. 1995 " The Fabulous Moolah " introduced into the Hall of Fame of the WWF.

The comeback at World Wrestling Entertainment

Ellison, who still stood in the WWE, as the WWF for legal reasons called now under contract, was released in September 1999, together with one of their biggest rivals from the 60s in a program of WWF, with young stars the women's wrestling again had added to his broadcasts. According to the storyline Jeff Jarrett smashed a guitar during the broadcast on Moolahs head. Moolah had more cameo appearances, and received on 17 October 1999 under the Pay-Per- Views " No Mercy" again a title match and the title, making her the oldest person who previously won a wrestling title, made. A re-match against far smaller scale, a week later the title brought back to a younger wrestler.

Moolah had more appearances in broadcasts of the World Wrestling Entertainment. On 15 September 2003 she performed as part of a RAW broadcast a match, the promotion had promised her 80th birthday, after the match, Moolah still promoted the reputation of the heels "Legend Killer " Randy Orton by himself from this with his finishing move was stretch to the ground. The magazine " Pro Wrestling Illustrated " took Moolah 2003 in their Hall of Fame.

The last television appearance of "The Fabolous Moolah " was the pay -per-view SummerSlam on August 26, 2007.

Wrestling Title

• National Wrestling Alliance 5x NWA Women's Championship (First winner )

• World Wrestling Federation 4x WWF Women's Championship (First winner )
• WWF Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)

• Other 1x JWPA Women's Champion
• Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ( PWHF ) (2003 )