Former Wrestlers Speaks Out Against Allegations That Led to WWE Removing Fabulous Moolah's Name from Battle Royal

[Victator]

I said weeks ago, that we can't find one notable female wrestler from the 60s and 70s says a lot about Moolah as a promoter and trainer.

[Victator]

 

The Moolah controversy always struck me as virtue signalling. Even if we are to assume all the bad things claimed about her are true and she did nothing good for anyone, it is far too late to get outraged about it when she's already been dead for a decade and her heinous acts happened 30-60 years ago. About the only tangible effect is making the Redditors who complained to Snickers about it feel good about themselves.

 

I'd say stopping a very large, publicly-traded company from honoring her on a show viewed by millions of people is a pretty tangible effect.

 

It stops them from convincing a bunch of people who don't know any better (most of their viewership) that she was some trailblazing saint.

 

Horse is outta the barn on that.

[Matt D]

I certainly feel better.

[sek69]

Are we also forgetting that Moolah brought ZERO positive qualities as a performer and set back women's wrestling in the U.S. to a point where it's only now recovering? She has zero good matches, zero good interviews, was tangentially involved in maybe one good angle (the Richter feud, where Lou Albano did 90% or more of the heel work). It would be a disgrace to name it after her even if she lived up to the WWE's grandmotherly presentation of her. It would be akin to naming the Palme d'or at Cannes after Herschell Gordon Lewis.

 

 

This. Even setting aside the allegations, it was baffling to me they would honor someone who did so much damage to women's wrestling. She stuck out like a sore thumb in the Richter angle (everyone including Cyndi Lauper ran circles around her), and her playing the HBK role in the orginal screwjob seems to pretty much been forgotten.

[FMKK]

Maybe this is already well known but how is it that Moolah was able to attain so much power over womens wrestling when she was so shitty?

[Mad Dog]

Connections and the fact that they were mostly a special attraction. Wanted to bring in some women for a show. You could either get Penny Banner and then try to find someone to wrestle her or you could call Moolah and have your pick of a whole squad of them.

[flyonthewall2983]

To consider it a little deeper, you also can't discount the fact that she was so motivated by greed and power that can only come from the kind of upbringing that lives from check to check like her family did.

[Victator]

Connections and the fact that they were mostly a special attraction. Wanted to bring in some women for a show. You could either get Penny Banner and then try to find someone to wrestle her or you could call Moolah and have your pick of a whole squad of them.

She was married to promoter Billy Wolfe who controlled women's wrestling before. She gained control after divorcing him. Wolfe was not exactly a peach of a person. So he had engendered no loyalty.

[TravJ1979]

 

 

Sherri had nothing but nice things to say about Moolah in her RF interview. Did she change her tune subsequent to that?

 

Conversely, and it's been several years since I watched it, but from memory I'm sure Leilani Kai was quite negative about Moolah in her interview with RF. Is she another who's changed her turne?

 

 

She wasn't happy with how things played out her last year or so as the Glamour Girls, and blamed Moolah for that. She said Moolah tried to become the manager for the Glamour Girls rather than Jimmy Hart, and then she had them regain the WWF belts from the Jumping Bomb Angels on the last show of a Japan tour when they were supposed to do it at WM4. Then Vince got pissed and cancelled their PPV match. But that's just wrestling business stuff, not even close to what the other handful are claiming. You'd think if she thought any of that had gone on, that'd been a good time to air her dirty laundry.

 

 

I never bought this. The match in Japan happened in June of 1988, well after WM 4. I can't imagine them being upset because they couldn't do the blow off at WrestleMania 5, which was about eight months away.

 

1. The match happened in Japan. They could have easily ignored the title change and the fans wouldn't have been the wiser.

2. JBA vs. Glamour Girls happened infrequently on television after the JBA's won the belts, so fans wouldn't have even missed it.

3. Glamour Girls vs. JBA ran from June '87 to June '88. Sounds like a deal to bring over Tateno and Yamazaki for a year contract with no plans past mid 1988.

4. Leilani Kai didn't wrestle after June 1988 until early 1994 when she came in for Blayze. However, Judy stayed on and worked Rockin Robin for the next year until the women's division was scrapped.

 

I do believe Moolah probably wanted to be their manager as she was off TV for good after Survivor Series 1987 and likely wasn't getting a booking fee any longer. It's also possible that she called them in Japan and lied to them. But Vince and Pat getting hot over it and scrapping plans? I doubt it.

[Victator]

Pritchard said Vince told Moolah when he brought Sherri in she was not going to get a booking fee from them. That he was going to pay the girls and she would have to get the money from the girls.

I believe it was suppose to be Summerslam 88 where the match took place. I think the anger from the office would be more on the idea they did a title change without permission.

If two guys swapped the IC belt on a house show, the office would be hot, even if could be ignored.

[Johnny Sorrow]

Moolah wasnt the only person who grabbed control of their tiny piece of a shitty business to control a troupe. Lord Littlebrooke ran the midget racket with a tiny iron fist.

[Al]

 

 

Connections and the fact that they were mostly a special attraction. Wanted to bring in some women for a show. You could either get Penny Banner and then try to find someone to wrestle her or you could call Moolah and have your pick of a whole squad of them.

She was married to promoter Billy Wolfe who controlled women's wrestling before. She gained control after divorcing him. Wolfe was not exactly a peach of a person. So he had engendered no loyalty.

Moolah wasnt married to Billy Wolfe, that was Mildred Burke. Im hazy on how exactly Moolah conquered the womens circuit. But Moolah was married to Buddy Lee who went on to be a bit of a mogul in country music.

[The Thread Killer]

Maybe this is already well known but how is it that Moolah was able to attain so much power over womens wrestling when she was so shitty?

 

I had the same question. Questions like this are why I love Jim Cornette's "other" podcast, Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru. Unlike "The Jim Cornette Experience" it's the one where he (generally) talks only about wrestling and wrestling history, not ranting about Trump, gun control, Republicans, Vince Russo, and everything else under the sun that makes him go psychotic. Whether you like Cornette or you don't, even his detractors have to admit the man knows a ton about the history of Pro Wrestling.

 

In this case, he actually knew Moolah, and in this clip he talks about the controversy and Moolah's history in the business. Agree with it or not, it's an interesting listen...

 

[Ricky Jackson]

 

 

 

Connections and the fact that they were mostly a special attraction. Wanted to bring in some women for a show. You could either get Penny Banner and then try to find someone to wrestle her or you could call Moolah and have your pick of a whole squad of them.

She was married to promoter Billy Wolfe who controlled women's wrestling before. She gained control after divorcing him. Wolfe was not exactly a peach of a person. So he had engendered no loyalty.

Moolah wasnt married to Billy Wolfe, that was Mildred Burke. Im hazy on how exactly Moolah conquered the womens circuit. But Moolah was married to Buddy Lee who went on to be a bit of a mogul in country music.

Meltzer explains a lot of this in the latest Observer. Basically after Burke and Wolfe split, there was disorder and an opening for a power grab, which Moolah and Buddy Lee did. Eventually, Moolah and Buddy Lee split, he went into country music, leaving Moolah with a pretty good grip on women's wrestling

[Victator]

 

 

Connections and the fact that they were mostly a special attraction. Wanted to bring in some women for a show. You could either get Penny Banner and then try to find someone to wrestle her or you could call Moolah and have your pick of a whole squad of them.

She was married to promoter Billy Wolfe who controlled women's wrestling before. She gained control after divorcing him. Wolfe was not exactly a peach of a person. So he had engendered no loyalty.

Moolah wasnt married to Billy Wolfe, that was Mildred Burke. Im hazy on how exactly Moolah conquered the womens circuit. But Moolah was married to Buddy Lee who went on to be a bit of a mogul in country music.

 

Ricky covered it. I got the names mixed up, sorry.

[iamthedoctor]

 

 

 

Sherri had nothing but nice things to say about Moolah in her RF interview. Did she change her tune subsequent to that?

 

Conversely, and it's been several years since I watched it, but from memory I'm sure Leilani Kai was quite negative about Moolah in her interview with RF. Is she another who's changed her turne?

 

 

She wasn't happy with how things played out her last year or so as the Glamour Girls, and blamed Moolah for that. She said Moolah tried to become the manager for the Glamour Girls rather than Jimmy Hart, and then she had them regain the WWF belts from the Jumping Bomb Angels on the last show of a Japan tour when they were supposed to do it at WM4. Then Vince got pissed and cancelled their PPV match. But that's just wrestling business stuff, not even close to what the other handful are claiming. You'd think if she thought any of that had gone on, that'd been a good time to air her dirty laundry.

 

 

I never bought this. The match in Japan happened in June of 1988, well after WM 4. I can't imagine them being upset because they couldn't do the blow off at WrestleMania 5, which was about eight months away.

 

1. The match happened in Japan. They could have easily ignored the title change and the fans wouldn't have been the wiser.

2. JBA vs. Glamour Girls happened infrequently on television after the JBA's won the belts, so fans wouldn't have even missed it.

3. Glamour Girls vs. JBA ran from June '87 to June '88. Sounds like a deal to bring over Tateno and Yamazaki for a year contract with no plans past mid 1988.

4. Leilani Kai didn't wrestle after June 1988 until early 1994 when she came in for Blayze. However, Judy stayed on and worked Rockin Robin for the next year until the women's division was scrapped.

 

I do believe Moolah probably wanted to be their manager as she was off TV for good after Survivor Series 1987 and likely wasn't getting a booking fee any longer. It's also possible that she called them in Japan and lied to them. But Vince and Pat getting hot over it and scrapping plans? I doubt it.

 

 

Thats a very interesting story. Was always a fan of the JBA. The Survivor Series match probably my fav and often wondered how many televised matches these two teams had. I know there is one on one of the Best of WWF tapes.

[SomethingSavage]

Listening to Jericho's podcast on my commute today, and he noted that he shot Vince a text to suggest the "Sensational Invitational" as a name and a nod to Sherri. Would've worked well enough, and it certainly sounds better than what they're using.

[iamthedoctor]

In the latest interview from wrestling insider Nigel Sherrod, pro wrestling legend Beverly Shade spoke out against the allegations of prostitution, drugging, & stealing that have been directed against her former colleague, the late Fabulous Moolah (Lillian Ellison). With Beverly Shade’s testimony, she is now the 12th former women’s wrestler to denounce the allegations against Moolah, including Leilani Kai, Joyce Grable, Susan “Tex” Green & others, who were trained by and worked directly for Moolah. WWE Superstar Del “The Patriot” Wilkes, who was also trained by The Fabulous Moolah, has also recently spoken out against these allegation.

 

Accusations that Moolah drugged female wrestlers: “I don’t no more agree with that then donkeys can fly… because Moolah didn’t even like for you to smoke a cigarette around her… So I just can’t picture her doing it… I just don’t believe that.

 

Moolah cheating women wrestlers out of money: “She got a percentage of what they (promoters) paid. I don’t know what the percentage was. I know what she paid me.. But if you stop and think about, it’s no different than being an actor, and they’ve got an agent… At the end of the day, I’m the one that took the bookings. She’s the one that offered and I’m the one that went. So if I got screwed, then poor, pitiful me, shame on me… They were talking about Moolah not paying them right, they should’ve worked in the 50s or 60s, they should’ve worked for Nick Gulas… Christine Jarrett was working in the office. And she handed me my envelope, and I opened it up, and I looked, and I called Johnson, Tennessee and I said, “Oh, [Expletive]! We drove all the way to Johnson City & back for $15 and we paid $6 in trans… So if someone wants to complain about money, go work for Nick Gulas.”

 

Ever hearing about Moolah pimping women out: “No, never did… When you’d get bookings you’d say, “Well, I got pimped out on that one.” If you didn’t think what you thought youwas going to make… But never, like you’re talking about. Like pimping the girls out to guys and stuff like that… I knew Moolah well enough to know that she just wasn’t that type of person. Now they may have used the word pimping as far as what they got, moneywise… and somebody took it, some screwball, that’s brains are sitting in the bottom of their feet somewhere, took it as pimping them out to men or something… If you knew Moolah, you’d know that’s just not true.

 

The cyber bullying on social media that lead to pressure on Snickers & WWE to remove Moolah’s name from the Women’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34: “I don’t know who started this… I can’t believe that anybody is that jealous, or that stupid. I don’t know what they thought they were accomplishing. To take somebody that can’t speak for theirself, and them through the mud like they’re doing her. She’s not here to defend herself, which is not right. I just don’t understand what they think they’re accomplishing.

 

Claims that Moolah was not inclusive, was a racist and a bigot: “I don’t think she was a bit racist… I have never heard Moolah say anything prejudice against anybody.

 

What is Moolah’s legacy in pro wrestling: “I think that she was women’s wrestling. She’s the one that really got all the girls going… Leilani Kai, and Judy Martin. All the different tag teams that she had. Velvet and all them. Look at the exposure those girls got, because of her. They got a lot more exposure than us independent girls did… and I think she did a great job for women’s wrestling.

[The Thread Killer]

It seems very bizarre to me that you're so desperate to defend Moolah just because she was a star when you were growing up watching wrestling.

[sek69]

 

 

What is Moolah’s legacy in pro wrestling: “I think that she was women’s wrestling. She’s the one that really got all the girls going… Leilani Kai, and Judy Martin. All the different tag teams that she had. Velvet and all them. Look at the exposure those girls got, because of her. They got a lot more exposure than us independent girls did… and I think she did a great job for women’s wrestling.

 

So basically she's saying because Moolah had a stranglehold on women's wrestling, and froze out women who weren't part of her stable people should have been just happy they got what they got? Okay.

[Bix]

"Cyber bullying"

 

Nigel is literally the worst.

[Victator]

 

What is Moolah’s legacy in pro wrestling: “I think that she was women’s wrestling. She’s the one that really got all the girls going… Leilani Kai, and Judy Martin. All the different tag teams that she had. Velvet and all them. Look at the exposure those girls got, because of her. They got a lot more exposure than us independent girls did… and I think she did a great job for women’s wrestling.

 

So basically she's saying because Moolah had a stranglehold on women's wrestling, and froze out women who weren't part of her stable people should have been just happy they got what they got? Okay.

 

This is a sincere question, so please do not take it as hostile. Is there anything she or one of Moolah's contemporaries could say that would change your mind at all?

[Mad Dog]

 

 

What is Moolah’s legacy in pro wrestling: “I think that she was women’s wrestling. She’s the one that really got all the girls going… Leilani Kai, and Judy Martin. All the different tag teams that she had. Velvet and all them. Look at the exposure those girls got, because of her. They got a lot more exposure than us independent girls did… and I think she did a great job for women’s wrestling.

 

So basically she's saying because Moolah had a stranglehold on women's wrestling, and froze out women who weren't part of her stable people should have been just happy they got what they got? Okay.

 

This is a sincere question, so please do not take it as hostile. Is there anything she or one of Moolah's contemporaries could say that would change your mind at all?

 

 

You didn't ask me but I will answer. No. Just because she didn't abuse some people doesn't change things like the Sweet Georgia Brown story. Like I said earlier, systematic abuse endangers the scam. If she was only pimping 10% of the women that came through her school, she's still a fucking scumbag.

[El-P]

If she was only pimping *one* of those girls, she was a scumbag. The old "Well, I have nothing but good things to say about her, she never did anything bad to me" ain't worth shit as far as telling what Moolah was really about (it reminds me of some of some actresses telling how Harvey W. never did anything to them and how he was a professional in their presence. Well, good for them, but that doesn't say much about what he actually did to others.).

 

There's enough crummy stuff about her to not care about some probably semi-senile "legend" (really ?) blabbing about how Moolah "did a great job for women’s wrestling." when she actually, and that's a fact, destroyed it for her own benefit. For that reason and that reason only, it was ridiculous to name anything after her.

[Mad Dog]

I said this earlier in the thread and it needs to be repeated. If you came to Moolah and you had a family and a strong social support network, chances are you were going to be fine. She isn't going to abuse you if your family is going to find out and expose you. If you came in with no family, you were prime for being taken advantage of. People like Moolah aren't stupid. Part of the scam is recognizing who are your marks and who poses a threat to you.