The End is the Beginning: The Fabulous Moolah
by Johnny Owens
WWE's homecoming to the USA network will be special for a variety of reasons. Stone Cold Steve Austin will be making his long awaited return to WWE, as will Mick Foley, and Hulk Hogan. Edge and Matt Hardy will attempt to put an end to their feud with the "Loser Leaves Raw/Money in the Bank" ladder match. The card will also feature the reappearance of many WWE Legends and Hall of Famers. For the first time in years fans will get reintroduced to the likes of Chief Jay Strongbow, Koko B. Ware, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. However one person at the event who can honestly say she has been there longer than the rest; the incomparable Fabulous Moolah. So with this being the end of Ladies Month here at Icons of the Ring, let us take a look at the career that started it all for women in wrestling (Sorry Mildred Burke). Born Lillian Ellison in the small town of Tookiedoo, South Carolina; the outgoing Lillian was the youngest of 13 children. When she was ten years old, her mother passed away, leaving her father alone to deal with the massive Ellison brood. Her closest moments with her father would come every Tuesday night when they would go to the local wrestling matches together. The father and daughter would get caught up in the drama between the ropes. Lillian knew she loved the sport, but it wasn't until Mildred Burke came to town that she ever thought about it as anything more than a pastime.
However the dream would have to wait as 14 year old Lillian soon became infatuated with a local pharmacy worker named Walter Carroll. The two eloped and it wasn't long before Lillian was pregnant with her one and only child, Mary. Unfortunatly things with Walter did not work out and the two were divorced not long after Mary's birth. However she was not willing to let any of this stand in her way as she was intent on life as a wrestler. She made sure that Mary would be taken care of and went out to seek those who could help her get started.
After meeting Billy Wolfe, the preeminent women's wrestling promoter and one of the shadier characters in the history of the business, Lillian set out on her first tour of Montana in 1949. Before leaving however, Billy said she needed a better name. He asked her why she wanted to be in the business. Lillian replied "for the money, for the moolah." Hence Billy christened her the Fabulous Moolah. Moolah quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with. She won a one nigh tournament in 1956 that featured the likes of Mae Young and Judy Grable. The finals came down to Moolah and Grable. Grable was a tough competitor, but no match for the ferocious Moolah. "The Fabulous One" won the title that night and would not relinquish it until 1984. Interestingly enough it would be to one of her pupils, Wendi Richter.
The 1980s were kind to Moolah. Like Freddie Blassie, she had been a favorite of Vince McMahon Sr. The younger Vince Jr, remembered this and always found a place for her on his shows. She was at the forefront of the "Rock N' Wrestling Connection" Serving as a manager for Lea Lani Kai, she was a part of the inaugural Wrestlemania. She loved it; however circumstances soon called for an unscheduled return to the ring.
Wendi Richter had become one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, and I'm not talking women only. Some even said her popularity rivaled that of Hulk Hogan. However, many behind the scenes felt that Wendi was becoming too big for her britches. She had began demanding more money, which unless you were Hulk Hogan was a big taboo. Enter: The Spider Lady. A hapless Wendi strutted out to the ring one night against what she thought was going to be a run of the mill match. Little did she know that the Spider Lady was really Moolah under a hood. Moolah defeated Richter to once again become champion. She followed that up with a victory over Australian sensation Velvet McClyntyre at Wrestlemania II that lasted mere seconds. Velvet would briefly win the title in her native Australia later in 1986, only to lose it back within days. Moolah would finally drop the title to Sensational Sherri in 1987. After that she finally bowed to a long deserved retirement; if you can call training the future women wrestlers along with "Johnny" Mae Young a retirement.
Moolah was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the mid nineties. For many young fans it was their first exposure to the aging champ. However little did anyone know that it wouldn't be the last. In 1999 Moolah and Mae began showing up on WWE telecasts. This eventually led to a feud with than WWE Women's champion Ivory. At the No Mercy pay-per-view in 1999 Moolah captured her fourth Women's championship. The reign wouldn't last long, but for a legend North of 70 years old it was quite a feat.
Moolah and Mae have been semi-regular features on WWE TV for years now. They have participated in storylines with the McMahons, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, and a host of others. So when tuning in to Homecoming on October 3rd, keep an eye out for the unassuming looking woman in the mix with all of the other grizzled vets. Odds are she has more experience than a lot of the other wrestlers put together and could probably still whip a few of them as well.
