Ladies

Throughout the twentieth century, the roles of ladies in pro-wrestling have been varied and diverse. There have been ladies in practically every common role from Lia Maivia and Aileen Eaton promoting to Mike McGuirk and Tammy Sytch announcing. Predominantly, the women's involvement has been dependent on or tied to husband, boyfriends and lovers. Many were able to achieve a level of independence and fame that they never could have in the regular world, but their economic and professional opportunities were never as prevalent as their male counterparts.

In the the early years, lady wrestlers were a gimmick. Whether they were over-the-top acts of Jack Pfefer's, they were battling men on the At Shows or they were being used to hotshot a city, ladies were very rarely taken seriously. Things changes around World War II when promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife Mildred Burke took the pro-wrestling world by storm. She became the premier star and champion while he joined the NWA. Wolfe's association with the Alliance allowed his ladies to get steady work all over the US and Canada while preventing any competition. Their marriage fell apart and Wolfe spent another decade blocking Burke's attempts at success and promoting June Byers at the top of his troupe. After his death, the scene was destined to change.

The Fabulous Moolah proved to be Billy Wolfe's successor. She and husband Buddy Lee were outlaw promoters, but they worked and established their own stable of girls. After Lee and Moolah parted ways, she went on to become the predominant trainer and booker of ladies wrestling. Just like Billy Wolfe, she made and broke careers.

In the early 1980s, Vince McMahon took pro-wrestling to new heights and the Fabulous Moolah was a key player. She turned over her claims to her World Championship and put over Wendi Richter. The boom period of the 1980s caused a rippling effect, which led to several attempts to create a girls group. The WWF (now the WWE) narrowly focused on several Divas in succession, most of whom loved the attention and began to believe their hype. Nowadays, women fill many roles in the pro-wrestling game and there is a constant struggle between the idea of training athletic models or utilizing previously trained although less glamorous talent.

Baby Doll

Penny Banner

Ma Bass

Reggie Bennett

Lilly Bitter

Alundra Blayze (Madusa)

Verne Bottoms