Show me the Moolah or maybe not

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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By now you've seen the news that WWE had announced the first ever Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal. It was designed to be a tribute to the longest reigning champion in women's wrestling, and a female version of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal that was established in 2014. However, there was fan backlash and WrestleMania sponsor Mars (Snicker's) released this statement:

We were recently made aware of the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc’s (WWE) decision to honor a former wrestler during the upcoming WrestleMania 34 event. As a principle-based business that has long championed creating inclusive environments that encourage and empower everyone to reach their full potential, this is unacceptable. We are engaging with the WWE to express our disappointment.

The battle royal will still happen, but now will be called the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal. I like the idea of honoring a legend in this way. Several of Moolah's trainees have accused the now-deceased Superstar of keeping their earnings and pimping them out to male wrestlers. But is this the right call to make. I'm simply going to play Devil's advocate for the rest of this discussion.

Mad Maxine, a Moolah trainee and accuser
Courtesy: WWE

Yes, change the name

Because of everything going on in Hollywood and beyond, reacting to allegations of abuse is the right thing to do. Moolah has been dead for more than a decade and obviously can't defend herself against the allegations.

Frankly, I was surprised the company made the plan in the first place. When the women's tournament last year was named after Mae Young and not Moolah, I made the assumption it was due to the past allegations. This situation is not new.

Moolah
Courtesy: WWE

No, leave Moolah alone

Remember innocent until proven guilty. Society typically takes the word of the accuser over the accused. That's not to say we shouldn't. But in my own personal experiences, I've seen reports of sexual abuse reported and the accuser later recant their statement. Lives are destroyed in these situations.

Pro wrestling is an interesting form of entertainment. In my 1-2-3 cents, many fans don't separate the character from the person playing that character. Case in point, Mary Lillian Ellison is the woman behind the Moolah character. She's the one who allegedly treated her trainees, not the woman we came to love to hate to love again on WWE programming. 

I'll lump that in with the Ultimate Warrior too. I know he legally changed his name to Warrior and years ago made several homophobic and other statements that some people found offensive. Now he's in the WWE Hall of Fame and has an award named in his honor. But again, I view the statements made by the man different than what was done in the ring.

It's not unlike the Bill Cosby situation.  I know some networks have pulled the plug on the Cosby Show. Dr. Cliff Huxatable isn't accused of drugging women and taking advantage of them, Cosby is. Plus when pulling the show the other actors, writers and crew members are being punished.

No one discredits the Joker for Heath Ledger's overdose death. However, when Sherri Martel's name was brought up to have the Battle Royal named after her, some discredit Sherri because of her addiction issues. But to that, I say addiction is a disease and would we be critical of someone who had cancer due to years of smoking? Or liver problems because they're an alcoholic? I realize I'm on a slippery slope at this point and a whole different argument can be made for addiction and substance abuse issues. I'll save that discussion for another day...

Again, I get that wrestling is different from the rest of Hollywood. Changing the name is probably the best for everyone involved. I'll close with this. I applaud WWE giving the Women's Division more opportunities. However, instead of copying everything the men have done (Money in the Bank, Elimination Chamber and Royal Rumble) I'd like to see some other kind of new and innovative match that's exclusive for the women. Let the male Superstars play catchup in that regard. I have no ideas for this women's match, just something I'd like to see WWE Creative come up with soon.

Sherri was sensational

WWF Women's Champion
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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March 8 is International Women's Day. There have been a number of remarkable women in the world of professional wrestling. From the "Fabulous" Moolah to Elizabeth to Trish Stratus and current stars like Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair and Mickey James; the evolution of women's wrestling has been amazing.

Sherri in the AWA 

One woman who I've come to appreciate much more since her untimely death in 2007 is "Sensational" Sherri Martel. I remember when she first came onto my wrestling radar in the AWA. It was 1985 or so and women's wrestling was enjoying a bit of a resurgence thanks in part to Moolah and Wendi Richter in the WWF. One thing I learned was Sherri was not related to AWA World Champion Rick Martel. But another lesson learned was she was quite a talent in the ring.

Sherri vs. Moolah
Courtesy: WWE

Even though more women's matches were being broadcast on TV, the division was still grossly understaffed and underrated. Because of that (I'm assuming) Sherri transitioned into a manager too, leading "Playboy" Buddy Rose and "Pretty Boy" Doug Sommers to the AWA tag team championships. Meanwhile, in the WWF, the ladies were getting some more love and Sherri jumped ship, beating Moolah for the women's championship.

Sherri as Peggy Sue
Courtesy: WWE

It seemed that rebirth in the WWF was shortlived too, with Sherri once again returning to her managerial background. She donned a wig, sunglasses and a poodle skirt to be a backup for the Honky Tonk Man for a brief time. But she was most notable for managing the "Macho Man" Randy Savage, becoming "Sensational Queen" Sherri after Savage and Elizabeth split. But the kingdom crumbled and she took on Ted DiBiase as a client and later Shawn Michaels. 

Sensational Queen
Courtesy: WWE

Sherri would leave WWF and go to WCW to manage Ric Flair and Harlem Heat. Her time in the business was nothing short of impressive. Like I said, I've come to better appreciate Sherri posthumously, but I do remember when she was managing she often took bigger and better bumps than some of her male colleagues. Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Dusty Rhodes are just a few of the Superstars who felt Sherri's wrath or dealt out punishment to the former women's champion.

Sherri's HOF induction
Courtesy: WWE

In 2006 I was fortunate enough to be in the audience the night Sherri was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Sadly, a year later she was gone. But her legacy will live on not only as a professional wrestler but as one of the most beloved and talented managers of all time.

Thoughts on Ivory's WWE Hall of Fame induction

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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WWE has announced plans to add Ivory to the Hall of Fame Class of 2018. She'll join Goldberg and the Dudley Boyz in the honor this WrestleMania weekend. WWE has included women in the induction ceremony for the last several years, long before the Women's Revolution started. 

Before she even landed in WWE, Ivory, whose real name is Lisa Moretti, was a part of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. I'll admit I don't remember her alter ego of Tina Ferrari. But I was only a sporadic watcher of GLOW. I do remember her arrival in the WWF in early 1999. She went from being one of Godfather's hos to serving as a valet for D'Lo Brown and Mark Henry. 

Courtesy: WWE

She also formed an alliance with fellow Hall of Famer, Jacqueline and future HOFer Terri Runnels called Pretty Mean Sisters. PMS was a hit during the Attitude Era. My guess is this pairing was the brainchild of Vince Russo. It wasn't long before Ivory picked up key wins and ended up having three reigns as WWF Women's Champion. She had a brief feud with the Fabolous Moolah, in what I believe Moolah's last reign as champ.

Courtesy: WWE

In my 1-2-3 cents, Ivory's shining moments came when she joined Steven Richards in the group Right to Censor. The Godfather became the Goodfather and Val Venis changed his porn star ways. Bull Buchanan also joined. Ivory went from her more revealing wrestling attire to more of an old-time schoolmarm. The character was great and the group got a ton of heat as a result. While I missed Godfather and his hos, it was time for something new in WWF and this group delivered.

It was also at this time Ivory feuded with Chyna for the Women's Championship. Despite being a talented wrestler, Ivory was womanhandled in this feud and didn't have a lot to put up against the Ninth Wonder of the World. She remained with the company through the WCW/ECW invasion and continued to work in various roles before finally parting ways. 

I'm happy to hear Ivory is getting the nod. Her work in the ring was always solid and her ability to take on different roles helped her stand out in a time when women's wrestling wasn't always taken so seriously.  

Saturday Morning Memories: Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Growing up a wrestling fan, you can imagine the excitement I felt in 1985 when it was announced Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and the Junkyard Dog would be joining the Saturday morning lineup on CBS. I was going into 7th grade and probably should have been outgrowing the cartoon phase of life, but reality check, I'm a 43 year old man with a collection of new Smurf toys, Simpsons t-shirts and wrestling pajamas...

Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling was only on two seasons, producing 25 episodes. The cartoons were cheesy like everything was in the 80s. The Hulkster and a handful of other WWF good guys would have misadventures with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and a group of bad guys. Women's wrestling was going through a rebirth at the time and Wendi Richter and The Fabulous Moolah were animated as well.

The series usually featured two shorts with a real life "skit" sandwiched in between. Years after it ended, I found it interesting to learn that Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond fame voiced Hogan and James Avery who played Uncle Phil on The Fresh Prince of Bell Air was the voice of JYD.

More than 30 years later, WWE has returned to the animation world with Camp WWE. I admit it's my new guilty pleasure. And eventually I'll check out the Scooby Doo and Flintstones crossovers with WWE Superstars too.

What If Wednesday: Survivor Series 1985

Hogan vs. Piper
Photo courtesy: WWE 

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Doing a little fantasy booking from my childhood today and looking back at 1985, the year Wrestlemania made its debut.  Of course we all know two years later, Vince McMahon introduced the world to his second pay per view idea, Survivor Series.  Since it's the season for Survivor Series, I figured I'd share some thoughts on how I would have put together the first event, based on the WWF roster in the fall of 1985.

I looked at house show results in late October and November 1985 on the History of WWE website. Interesting notes: King Tonga (Haku/Meng) and Dino Bravo teamed up briefly as baby faces, that's why they're on the British Bulldogs team.  I noticed the heel tag team division was quite lacking that year, as you'll see too.  Wendi Richter lost the women's title three days before Thanksgiving, the night this event would have been held, and left the company.  That's why she's not a part of the show.

Hulk Hogan, Captain                       vs.              Roddy Piper, Captain 

Paul Orndorff                                                       Bob Orton

Ricky Steamboat                                                  Don Muraco

Bruno Sammartino                                               Adrian Adonis

Tony Atlas                                                            Hercules

Andre the Giant, Captain                  vs.              Big John Studd, Captain

Hillbilly Jim                                                          King Kong Bundy

Tito Santana                                                          Randy Savage

Junkyard Dog                                                        Terry Funk

George Steele                                                        Jesse Ventura

The British Bulldogs, Captains         vs.             Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake, Captains

Uncle Elmer & Cousin Junior                              The Hart Foundation

The Killer Bees                                                    The Moondogs

Mike Rotundo & Danny Spivey                           Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff

King Tonga & Dino Bravo                                   Mr. X & The Gladiator

Velvet McIntyre, Captain               vs.               The Fabulous Moolah, Captain

Linda Gonzalez                                                   Donna Christanello

Susan Starr                                                          Leilani Kai

Dawn Marie                                                        Judy Martin

Jean Kirkland                                                      Mad Maxine

Boo: She's Maddening

Mad Maxine & Moolah
Courtesy: WWE.com

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents

In the mid-1980's the world of women's wrestling forever changed.  The beautiful baby face, Wendi Richter defeated longtime champion the Fabulous Moolah for the gold.  The aging Moolah needed to come up with a plan to get the belt back.  Though Leilani Kai filled the void briefly, it didn't take long for Richter to dominate again.

That's when Moolah got mad.  Mad Maxine that is.  She was a six foot four mountain of a woman.  She wore a green mohawk and looked like something out of a punk rock bar.   Not only did she tower over the women she wrestled, she was much stronger than them as well.

Moolah & Maxine
Courtesy: WWE.com

Despite her gruesome looks and prowess in the ring, she never was able to complete the task at hand.  I have very few memories of Maxine's time in the WWE, and I don't recall her ever actually getting a shot at Richter.  She didn't wrestle much longer after that stint either, but I know she showed up in the AWA as well.

For her towering physique and menacing looks, I couldn't pass up a Boo blog on Mad Maxine this year.

Gone, But Not Forgotten: Sherri Martel

Sherri Martel as WWF Women's Champ
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Five years ago today I was on vacation in Mexico.  This was long before my smart phone, but because I knew our resort had Internet hookup, I packed our laptop to stay current on things in the news and of course wrestling.  I wasn't on Facebook or Twitter at the time, so I relied on regular ol' websites for information.

On the afternoon of June 15th, I logged in to WWE.com and read a headline that caught me off guard.  Legendary diva Sensational Sherri had died.  She was only 49 years old.

I remember very well watching Sherri Martel in the AWA.  It was the mid 80's and not only did she wrestle, she served as a valet for the tag team champions, "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers and "Playboy" Paul Rose.  This was the mid 80's, around the same time that Wendi Ritcher was lighting things up in the world of women's wrestling in the WWF.  The two never crossed paths and I think that's unfortunate.

Sherri did get to wrestle an aging Fabulous Moolah and beat her for the WWF Women's title when she arrived on the scene in 1987.  By then though women's wrestling was treated even worse than it is today, despite the fact that there were plenty of talented ladies.  Sherri dropped the women's title to Rockin' Robin in 1988 and I think that's pretty much the last we saw of the belt for a number of years.  Sherri stayed active in the WWF, most notably pairing up with the "Macho Man" Randy Savage when he and Elizabeth "broke up."

The King, the Queen, and Zeus
Photo courtesy: WWE

Sherri of course was the exact opposite of Liz.  As an active wrestler, she wasn't afraid to mix it up with the guys.  I can remember her getting involved in matches Savage had against Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Hulk Hogan, and The Ultimate Warrior.  I know on more than one occasion Hogan atomic dropped the Sensational Queen.  She wrestled a few times in that period but it was against Sweet Sapphire and no offense to her, she wasn't much competition.  In fact, I think she no showed the one singles match they were to have at SummerSlam 90, only meeting in that mixed tag match with Savage and Dusty Rhodes as their respective partners.

At Wrestlemania 7, Sherri and Savage split as the Macho Man and Liz reunited.  It didn't take long for the Sensational one to find a new mate though.  The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase hired her to replace Virgil.  The two made a good couple, but I liked her pairing with Savage the most I think, even though she got really outrageous with her makeup.  The partnership with DiBiase lasted for about a year, until a newly turned heel Shawn Michaels needed a valet.  Shawn became Sherri's "boy toy" even singing his theme song (which he still uses when he comes back to the ring)

Like all good relationships, the union with Shawn came to an end too after Sherri got hit in the head with one of the Heartbreak Kid's mirrors.  I think she briefly worked with Shawn's opponents, including Marty Jannetty and Tatanka.  She backed him at Wrestlemania 9 and brawled with Shawn's second Luna Vachon.  I know somewhere in her stint in the WWF she also played "Peggy Sue", the Honky Tonk Man's girlfriend, but she wore a wig and sunglasses so it was hard to tell it was her.

"Sister" Sherri & Harlem Heat
Photo courtesy: WWE

Eventually she left the WWF and briefly worked in ECW before heading south to WCW.  Instead of "Sensational" Sherri was "Sensuous" and aided Ric Flair in his feuds with Hogan and Sting.  Flair "retired" and Sherri moved on to Harlem Heat, even picking up the new name "Sister Sherri"  She played the part well, even dressing like Booker T and Stevie Ray.

In 2006 I was lucky enough to see Sherri get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.  At that point, she was only the second woman to receive the honor (Moolah was the first) Unfortunately though, there were some annoying fans in the crowd who continuously did cat calls and shouted while she tried to give her induction speech.  Since then, the WWE has cracked down on fans being obnoxious during the event.  She was so excited that night and seemed so full of life.  It's hard to believe that just over a year later she would be found dead.  I don't want to dwell on how she died, but instead would rather remember how she lived and made a difference in so many lives.

Hall of Fame Happiness
Photo courtesy: WWE

No doubt Sherri Martel influenced a generation of women wrestlers.  I think it's unfortunate she was in the WWF at a time when women's wrestling just didn't seem to matter.  But when she was in that ring, she always put on a great show.  Rest in Peace Sherri.  You are missed.

Boo: Web of Deception

Spider Lady comes to the ring

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Spiders.  They're creepy crawlers who freak a lot of people out.  I don't mind spiders though.  They've never really bothered me.  But I thought they're a part of Halloween, so let's find some wrestling spider gimmicks.

For old school fans like myself, the first person I'm going to talk about is a no brainer.  Spider Lady.  She was a masked women's wrestler back in the 1980's.  She dressed in all black, complete with a mask.  Her costume had large spider webs all over.  Spider Lady wasn't around long, but her impact is still talked about today.  Or at least it is for this blog.

Hey, it's Moolah!

In 1985, Wendi Richter was the women's champion.  She was set to defend against the Spider Lady at Madison Square Garden.  At one point in the match, Spider Lady rolled up Wendi, but the champ kicked out at one.  However, the referee counted three and awarded the title to the heel.  Richter was beside herself and grabbed the new champ, ripping off her mask only to reveal the Fabulous Moolah.  Now these two had feuded prior to this over the title.  There are some who say this was the "original screw job", saying that Richter was not in on the title change or the fact that Moolah would be wrestling under the mask.  If my memory serves me, it was the last time we saw Richter (until her Hall of Fame induction in 2010) or the Spider Lady in the WWE.

Arachnaman vs. Firebreaker Chip

Another spider inspired character in wrestling was WCW's Arachnaman.   He was played by long time jobber to the stars Brad Armstrong.  The costume was pretty silly.  It was a purple and yellow version of the Marvel Comic Book hero Spider Man.  In fact, the costume looked so much like the real Spidy, that Marvel sued WCW and the gimmick came to an end.  This was in 1991, and I don't really remember Arachnaman having any sort of standout matches or feuds.  He enjoyed some minor success under the mask, including a couple of close calls against WCW TV champion "Stunning" Steve Austin.

You can see why Marvel had a beef with the costume.  But he also shot webs out of his wrists when he entered the ring.  Arachnaman was also billed from "Web City", not sure what state that's in though.  Brad was always a good worker I thought, he just never really caught a break.  And don't get me started on Buzz Kill...

She's So Unusual

"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"

By Kevin Hunsperger

Happy 58th birthday to Cyndi Lauper.  If you didn't start watching wrestling until the Attitude Era you probably have no idea why I'm wishing the Grammy award winner a happy birthday.

Back in the mid-1980's Lauper played an important role of wrestlings boom.  She was (as far as I know) the first big celebrity to be involved in a wrestling angle.  Capt. Lou Albano played her father in the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun video.  That lead to a crossover appearance by Lauper on an episode of Piper's Pit.  I'm going on memory here, but I think Albano turned his back on Cyndi, saying he made her a star and was responsible for her success.  The segment ended with Lauper whacking both Piper and the Captain with her purse and leaving in tears.

Courtesy: WWE

Albano got behind the Fabulous Moolah, while Lauper started "managing" Wendi Richter.  The two would meet on MTV's "Brawl to End it All."  That was in July 1984.  Months later, Lauper would make amends with Captain Lou and feud with Piper. The Rowdy One had smashed a framed record over Albano's head, body slammed Lauper's boyfriend David Wolfe, and kicked Cyndi in the middle of the ring.

After that, Richter dropped the women's title to Leilani Kai, when Richter was distracted by Moolah who was choking Lauper outside the ring.  This all happened on MTV's "War to Settle the Score."  These shows on MTV were all a big buildup to the first ever Wrestlemania, where Lauper and Richter would join forces again.  Richter won the women's title back, and she and Cyndi danced around the ring in celebration.

Because the rock n wrestling connection was proving successful, more wrestlers were added to Lauper's "Goonies R Good Enough" video.  Piper was in it, as well as Richter.  They were joined by Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, "Classy" Freddie Blassie, and Moolah.  I'm pretty sure it was shortly after that, Lauper kinda disappeared from the wrestling scene.  Richter dropped the title again to Moolah who was wrestling as Spider Lady.

Courtesy: WWE

Now that the WWE has a Celebrity Wing of the Hall of Fame, I definitely think Lauper deserves a spot in it.  She was certainly a big player in the whole rock n wrestling connection and helped the WWF gain all kinds of main stream media coverage at a time many just reduced wrestling as a side show attraction.

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Thanks!