The Fabulous Moolah, Born to be in the Ring

When most people think of wrestlers, they think of some of the top male wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Roman Reigns, and The Sheik. But there are a lot of women who have made their mark in the ring. Who can forget the Bella Twins, and of course, the iconic China? But none of the women would have seen the inside of the ring if it wasn’t for the Fabulous Moolah. Way before Vince McMahon began his career, the Fabulous Moolah was not only in the ring but also helping to train other young women who aspired to be pro-wrestlers.

Mary Lillian Ellison Transforms into The Fabulous Moolah:

Mary Lillian Ellison was born in 1923. Her mother died when she was still a young girl. Her father attempted to cheer her up and took her to a wrestling match where she was the World Women’s Champion, Mildred Burke; she had an immediate interest in wrestling herself. As her interest grew, she began working with one of the leading promotors of the time, Billy Wolfe. Wolfe introduced Ellison to some of the leading wrestlers at that time, including Jack Pfefer, who named her “Slave Girl Moolah.” She started her career as a valet, meaning she was a pretty girl who accompanied the wrestlers to the ring, first for Buddy Rogers and then for Tony Olivas. Around this time, she began wrestling and, in 1955, met Vince McMahon. Shortly after, in 1956, she began using the moniker The Fabulous Moolah.

From there, The Fabulous Moolah won numerous wrestling matches and received many prestigious titles. She became somewhat of a celebrity outside the ring as well and became friends with Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.

In July 1972 Moolah was the first woman to wrestle at Madison Square Garden, which had never allowed female wrestlers before. She was instrumental in overturning women’s wrestling in the state. The ban was lifted later that year thanks to her efforts.

As Moolah continued to raise awareness of women’s wrestling, she also found that many women didn’t have the right training for wrestling, so she began training other females that wanted their shot at the belt. 

Jim Cornette, who has a long history in the sport, mentioned in the Dark Side of the Ring TV series that for about 25 years, Moolah trained nearly every female professional wrestler. She also booked and controlled many of these female wrestlers, who she collected fees from, for her services.

By this time, Moolah was in the twilight of her career, but she continued to train young female wrestlers and made her mark on the sport.

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