During a recent interview with Pro Wrestling Sheet, former wrestler and Fabulous Moolah student Mad Maxine gave her thoughts on WWE holding a Battle Royale match at Wrestlemania 33 in honor of Moolah.
As with others in the past, Maxine stated Moolah was very abusive towards her trainees. She also stated Moolah’s reputation for scamming money out of her students’ paychecks and being a pimp for wrestling promotions was true. Maxine felt WWE having a Wrestlemania match in honor of Moolah was a big mistake and there are plenty of other notable former female wrestlers who are more deserving of this honor instead.
The Fabulous Moolah was a real-life heel. A lot of women paid to train at her school and then went out on the road. They risked life and limb in their matches and she repaid them with the worst kinds of abuses. She skimmed their money, she ignored women who were badly hurt, she pimped women out to creepy men and on and on. She was not a mother figure. She was more like Kali, the Indian Goddess of Destruction. I met her in my early 20s and I had never met such a monstrous person.
I was smart enough to get the hell away from her and start my own independent career in Tampa as part of the Championship Wrestling from Florida. Luna Vachon, Peggy Fowler and I all left together, which I hope put a serious dent in her confidence, if not wallet.
I understand why Moolah was so grotesque. Her family was dirt poor and she determined that she was never going to be hungry again. But it doesn’t excuse her dog-eat-dog behavior. I’d much rather see WWE establish a named match for outstanding wrestlers (and decent human beings) like Susan ‘Tex’ Green, Beverly Shade, Leilani Kai, Wendi Richter, Princess Victoria or Joyce Grable. They all put their hearts and souls into wrestling for decades and helped others along the way.
But wrestling isn’t PC. It’s about generating heat. And you can’t draw more heat than naming a match for The Fabulous Moolah. May she be the last of her kind.