The Girls Behind 1950s Wrestling

I read a really interesting article about the birth of women's wrestling in the 1950s and the ladies that helped shape the sport to how we know it today.

June Byers was one of the first women to be featured in mainstream wrestling and was often seen guest starring on popular television shows.

Ella Waldek was regarded as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of the 1950s.

Penny Banner became one of the most successful women wrestlers to come from the 1950s boom.  After retiring from wrestling, she became the Commissioner for the PGWA (Professional Girl Wrestling Association) which she held until her death in 1992.

Mae Young started her wrestling career in the late 1930s and with fellow wrestler Mildred Burke, they were the first to showcase female wrestling outside the USA by touring Canada and Japan in 1954.

Mary Ellison also known as The Fabulous Moolah is known as the most famous of all women wrestlers.  She got her first break in the 1950s and went on to become the first female to wrestle at Madison Square Garden on 1st July 1972.