Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Death Takes Down the Fabulous Moolah

First Lady of pro wrestling dead at 84

By Lucas Laursen, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 5, 2007 4:45 AM CST

(Newser) – Pro wrestling’s "Fabulous Moolah," 30-year champion of World Wrestling Entertainment, has died at 84. Mary Lillian Ellison was the first female wrestler inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame. When a promoter asked her why she wanted to wrestle, she answered: “For the money! I want to wrestle for the moolah!” and her stage name was born, The State reports.

Ellison’s wrestling infatuation began with her father’s weekly visits to pro matches in South Carolina. She trained in the 1940s and took the championship in 1956, holding it with brief interruptions until 1984, and recaptured it two more times after that. She was featured in the documentary Lipstick & Dynamite: The First Ladies of Wrestling, and wrote a tell-all autobiography.

This 2001 photo provided by World Wrestling Entertainment, shows professional wrestler Lillian "Fabulous Moolah" Ellison. Ellison died Friday, Nov. 2, 2007, according to Dunbar Funeral Home in Columbia,... (Associated Press)

(World Wrestling Entertainment)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

'Macho Man' Randy Savage Killed in Car Accident

WWF wrestler has heart attack while driving

(NEWSER) - "Macho Man" Randy Savage, the WWF wrestler and Slim Jim spokesman, has died in a Tampa car accident, TMZ reports. The 58-year-old had a heart attack while driving, said his brother. The Jeep sped through oncoming traffic and struck a tree head-on, highway officials said. Savage died in the hospital; his wife, Lynn, who was also in the car, suffered minor injuries and was treated in a different hospital. More»

Wrestlers Smack Down McMahon Senate Run

WWE offered no health insurance, made sport seedy, scandal-ridden

(NEWSER) - A raft of former WWE wrestlers hope some well-aimed punches at ex-CEO Linda McMahon will send her Senate campaign to the mat. In addition to not providing health coverage—the wrestlers are independent contractors—they fault McMahon, a Connecticut Republican running for Chris Dodd's seat, for coarsening the spectacle. "The vulgarity, the nudity, the profanity, all that kind of crap," says one. "It bothers me." More»

Wrestling Dynamo Captain Lou Dead at 76

Manager's celebrity helped wrestling crossover to the mainstream

(NEWSER) - “Captain” Lou Albano, a professional wrestler who also enjoyed success as a mainstream entertainer, died today at 76. Starting in the late '50s as one-half of tag team “the Sicilians,” Albano’s wrestling career spanned four decades. With his signature look—Hawaiian shirt, rubber-band goatee—and a landmark decision to mix music and wrestling, Albano’s celebrity helped push the WWE itself into the mainstream. More»

GOP Lukewarm on Wrestling CEO's Senate Bid

McMahon has money to burn, but may not be able to unseat Dodd

(NEWSER) - With Linda McMahon eying him as the ultimate takedown of her takedown-filled career, Sen. Chris Dodd has reason to be nervous. The former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has sharp business acumen, star power—and, perhaps most significantly, $30 million she’s willing to spend to wrest his Connecticut Senate seat from him. But McMahon makes Connecticut Republicans nervous, too. If she becomes the candidate, her past with the WWE could prove a political liability. More»

WWE Offers Kanye $10M to Get Into Ring

West would have to do some 'light wrestling,' sources say

(NEWSER) - World Wrestling Entertainment has offered Kanye West nearly $10 million to step into the ring, sources tells MediaTakeOut.com. The rapper, swamped by a wave of disastrous publicity following his award-show interruption of country star Taylor Swift, would be on the hook for some “light wrestling” in three events under the proposal from WWE chief Vince McMahon. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Death Takes Down the Fabulous Moolah

First Lady of pro wrestling dead at 84

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

obituary • wrestling • professional wrestling • World Wrestling Entertainment • Fabulous Moolah • Mary Lillian Ellison

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

'Macho Man' Randy Savage Killed in Car Accident

WWF wrestler has heart attack while driving

Wrestlers Smack Down McMahon Senate Run

WWE offered no health insurance, made sport seedy, scandal-ridden

Wrestling Dynamo Captain Lou Dead at 76

Manager's celebrity helped wrestling crossover to the mainstream

GOP Lukewarm on Wrestling CEO's Senate Bid

McMahon has money to burn, but may not be able to unseat Dodd

WWE Offers Kanye $10M to Get Into Ring

West would have to do some 'light wrestling,' sources say

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Death Takes Down the Fabulous Moolah

First Lady of pro wrestling dead at 84

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

obituary • wrestling • professional wrestling • World Wrestling Entertainment • Fabulous Moolah • Mary Lillian Ellison

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

'Macho Man' Randy Savage Killed in Car Accident

WWF wrestler has heart attack while driving

Wrestlers Smack Down McMahon Senate Run

WWE offered no health insurance, made sport seedy, scandal-ridden

Wrestling Dynamo Captain Lou Dead at 76

Manager's celebrity helped wrestling crossover to the mainstream

GOP Lukewarm on Wrestling CEO's Senate Bid

McMahon has money to burn, but may not be able to unseat Dodd

WWE Offers Kanye $10M to Get Into Ring

West would have to do some 'light wrestling,' sources say

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?