The Fabulous Moolah American professional wrestler (diva) Date of Birth: 22.06.1923 Country: USA

Biography of The Fabulous Moolah

Mary Lillian Ellison, better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American professional wrestler. She was born in Kercheo-Kanti, Southern California and grew up in Tukido, twelve miles from Columbia. Ellison was the youngest of thirteen children and the only daughter in a family of Cherokee Indian and Irish descent. Her parents owned a company, a grocery store, and a gas station. When she was only eight years old, her mother passed away from cancer, and Ellison was sent to live with her paternal grandmother. At that time, she was already working on her cousin's cotton farm. By the age of ten, it became clear that the death of her mother still weighed heavily on the young girl. In an attempt to distract her from her sadness, her father took her to a wrestling match. Ellison enjoyed the matches, and when she saw Mildred Burke, the champion of that time, something clicked in her mind, and she realized she had found something very important.

Ellison returned to her home in Columbia to live with her father and brothers. After finishing school, at the age of fourteen, she married twenty-one-year-old Walter Carroll. They soon had a daughter, but the couple divorced a few months later. The fifteen-year-old girl left her child in the care of friends and set out to make a name for herself in the world of wrestling. Ellison's first match took place on May 26, 1949, against June Byers. Her manager, Billy Wolfe, was notorious for strongly recommending his protégés to engage in sexual activities with either him or the promoters of his competitors in order to secure more prestigious spots in matches. Ellison categorically rejected such methods. Soon enough, she also began a romance with fellow wrestler Johnny Long.

In the early 1950s, Mary worked with Buddy Rogers, accompanying him to matches and entertaining the male audience – and occasionally assisting in fights. However, this partnership did not last long, as Rogers, like Wolfe, persistently tried to pressure Ellison into things she adamantly refused. After the breakup, she came under the wing of Elephant Boy – Tony Olivas. On September 18, 1956, Moolah defeated Judy Grable and took the vacant World Championship title. She did not immediately gain recognition, as Billy Wolfe was still listed as her promoter, and she had a conflict with him at that time.

Soon, Byers attempted to take the title from Ellison, but Moolah defeated her easily. There were further attempts, but Mary retained the championship title for more than ten years. She faced renowned female wrestling stars like Judy Grable and Donna Cristanello, but Moolah stood her ground. When Byers retired again in 1964, Moolah automatically became the NWA champion, and her world champion status became even stronger. Unfortunately, two years later, she lost the title to Betty Boucher on September 17, 1966. A few weeks later, Mary regained the title, but the continuous reign was disrupted. During a trip to Japan in 1978, Ellison temporarily lost the title once again, this time to Yukiko Tomoe.

On July 1, 1972, Moolah became the first woman granted permission to wrestle at Madison Square Garden. After this match, the ban on women's wrestling in the venue was lifted.

In 1978, another era of Moolah's championship reign, this time for eight years, was interrupted. She was defeated by Mary Sue Green, once again at Madison Square Garden. Like before, Ellison quickly regained the lost title. Two days later, she lost again, this time to Evelyn Stevens. After taking the belt from Evelyn, Moolah entered a new era, this time lasting six years.

In 1983, Moolah joined the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and quickly became its full-fledged champion. Although the title was occasionally taken away from her, she often reclaimed it just as quickly. In the early 1990s, Ellison nearly retired from wrestling, only occasionally returning by special invitation from agents.

On June 24, 1995, Moolah was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame, becoming the first woman to receive such an honor.

In 1999, Moolah attempted to return to the ring, but she started experiencing serious heart problems. At a certain point, Ellison began training young female athletes, and she quickly achieved significant success in this field. Popular wrestlers such as Ella Waldek, Daisy Mae, and Katherine Simpson emerged from under her wing.

Ellison passed away on November 2, 2007. According to her daughter Mary, the cause of death was either a heart attack or a blood clot that occurred following a shoulder surgery.