The Princess Rant for “Dark Side of the Ring” Ep: 6

This is the final edition of the six-part series “Dark Side of the Ring” by Viceland network, It’s the most watched show in the history of the network and they are doing an “Extended Cut” of the first six shows and I believe they have officially green lit a second season.

This episode focuses on the career of The Fabulous Moolah.

And sometimes the things you have the least of expectations for yield the highest results.

Dutch Mantell is doing the narration.

Right away the soundbites are awesome.

“If she had not run the women’s wrestling business there might not have been women’s wrestling” — Jim Cornette

“Even to this day if you say women’s wrestling a picture of Moolah appears in my mind.” — Selina Majors

“If Moolah was alive today, I’d probably slap her.” – Victoria Otis

“She was so jealous of every woman that was younger than her in wrestling.” — Wendi Richter

Well when it comes to the Fabulous Moolah, born Mary Lillian Ellison, the only thing this cast of speakers agreed on was to disagree. There are a lot of different elements in this amazing 43-45 minutes of television so I’ll just introduce the characters as we get to them.

We start with Mary Austin, Moolah’s daughter and only child. She said her mother kept her out of the spotlight. But Moolah loved the spotlight and was determined to make it.

Selina Majors, who wrestled in the POWW and AWA as Bambi, grow up as a fan of Moolah. She used to dream of fighting Moolah one day. Moolah was a heel. She was hated. She drew pretty good heat that way. The meaner she was, the more the crowd liked it and liked to hate her.

Jim Cornette said Moolah went from being a wrestler to being the champion and then the booker of all the women wrestlers. He talks about his experiences with her when he was breaking into the business as a photographer. He said she pioneered the hair-pulling, cat-fighting wrestling style that the crowds wanted to see.

Majors said Moolah broke the glass ceilings. Cornette added that women’s wrestling was banned in MSG until she came along and remarkably when she’s near 60 she’s on MTV getting national attention as part of the Rock & Wrestling era. She went 30 years to make the big payoff in her career.

Austin looks through some memorabilia. Moolah’s mom died when she was 9 and was inspired to become a wrestler by watching Mildred Burke. Cornette said that Burke was the big attraction on the women’s side in the mid-1930s because she was a legitimate athlete. Behind the scenes, however, it was her husband Billy Wolfe that pulled the strings.

Moolah wanted to be under the Burke/Wolfe umbrella but in order to wrestle for that group she had to sleep with Wolfe and she allegedly refused.

However, she took their idea and decided to build her own troop of women’s wrestlers and she would house them for rent and control their bookings while getting a 25 percent cut. Cornette said it became crystal clear why Moolah wanted to get involved. She wanted all the money if it was going to work.

Fast forward to 2018 when the WWE announced the Fabulous Moolah Battle Royale at Wrestlemania. To say that announcement was met with a backlash is an understatement. Moolah was called everything under the sun from a pimp to a thief to a drug pusher, etc. etc.

Austin said she knew none of this was true. Sherrod Brown started the “Fight for Moolah” campaign to help fight off the blowback. WWE removed her name from the Battle Royale anyway. Majors said is was important to clear her name.

Brown said he interviewed over 20 women and they said there were no truth to the allegations.

So let’s continue down this road. There was a news article profiling a wrestler from the 1960s named Sweet Georgia Brown and in the process of the story they dug up some interesting tidbits on her career and the things she was forced to do.

Pastor Michael McCoy is introduced, he is the son of Sweet Georgia Brown, born Susan Mae McCoy. Brown’s daughter, Barbara Harsey is also introduced. McCoy said he’s still searching for the truth in regards to his mother.

Harsey and McCoy said they heard many stories about what their mother was forced to do in the business. McCoy said he isn’t necessarily sure what’s true but he’s heard the same stories from several different people and all of them can’t be lying.

Cornette said for the better part of 25 years all of the top wrestlers were trained, booked and controlled by Moolah.

Brown had all kinds of issues being one of, if not the only black female wrestlers around. She had all kinds of run ins with the KKK and other race-hating groups. McCoy said she was passionate and rose up in the world rankings but Moolah would never let a student beat her.

McCoy and Harsey hated Brown’s career. She left them with family members who didn’t like the fact that they were of mixed race. Hersey said she remembered her aunt scolding Brown for coming home with “half breed” kids.

Harsey relays to a story of Brown being drugged and forced to drink and sleep with another promoter or Moolah’s husband Buddy Lee.

Austin confirms Buddy Lee was an asshole. Moolah caught him in bed with one of the girls they were booking and kicked him out. Some of the wrestlers stuck with Moolah, some went with Lee. Brown went with Lee as she was one of his favorites.

McCoy said he heard a lot of rumors about Lee being his father and the only source that he could go to that was alive was Moolah. He admits he was a little fearful based on her reputation but to his surprise she was a kind woman. The general belief is Lee is McCoy’s father. Austin said Lee liked to sleep with Brown. McCoy said it is what it is and if Lee is his father, that’s what it is.

Harsey said Brown left the business and her uncle burned all her gear. Harsey said she felt her mom’s pain for what she endured in the business. McCoy said regardless of anything else his mom was South Carolina’s first black female professional wrestler and that deserves to be honored.

Cornette said Moolah’s compound was appropriately on a street called Moolah Drive in Columbia, South Carolina. Majors sugarcoats it by saying she took women from all walks of life and taught them a skill that allowed them to make money. (Basically Moolah was like Keiser University eh?). Cornette adds that Moolah controlled all the booking for women so if you weren’t aligned with her you didn’t work.

We get introduced to Wendi Richter and Victoria Otis, who wrestled as Princess Victoria and held the WWF Women’s Tag Championship in 1983-84 with Velvet McIntyre.

Richter saw a Moolah match and got her number from a referee. Two weeks later she was at the compound.

Victoria came from an abusive childhood and that’s why she got involved in wrestling. Her original promoter couldn’t get her work so he sent her to Moolah. She was warned not to go there and just get a job but she wanted to wrestle.

They talk a little about Moolah’s roommate, Diamond Lil a.k.a. Katie and add some stories about her drinking beer but it doesn’t really go anywhere.

Moolah roomed the girls in apartments and they trained in the gym every morning. Richter said she attempted hundreds of dropkicks and landed on the hard mat getting all bloodied up. Victoria said there were buckets strategically placed for when the girls had to puke. Richter said Moolah never trained her, she had the girls handle that.

Victoria talked about Moolah getting roughly $1,200/month rent for each apartment, with 3-4 girls in the apartment and about 5-6 apartments on the compound, and getting 25% of the girls payout. Moolah is quoted as saying she did all the work and all the girls had to do was “set your lazy butt in the car and go wrestle and give me my 25 percent.” Victoria also talks about Moolah giving her an expensive outfit for Christmas and doing it in front of the girls after getting them cheap gifts. It was a way to get the girls spiteful at Victoria.

Victoria broke her neck in a match. A few months later Moolah was trying to get her to take bumps again and it was painful. She relays a story of Moolah trying to whore her out to some guy in Holland for money because Moolah said she really needed a payday. Victoria went but didn’t sleep with the guy and Moolah kicked her out when she came back. Victoria claims that Moolah told the girls she left because she was arrested for dealing cocaine knowing that if they knew she was dumped because of injury they would know their eventual fate.

Richter said she loves wrestling and would do anything for the business. Victoria puts her over as a great woman and great wrestler.

Richter believes that Moolah was jealous of her because she was younger and attractive. She left Moolah around 1984 and told Vince that he didn’t want her checks to go to Moolah any more. Cornette talks about Vince attracting celebrities to the promotion and that Cyndi Lauper was a wrestling fan.

They jump into the “Rock & Wrestling” era and how Richter’s look changed to blend in. Cornette said that Vince wanted Richter to be the female role model of his promotion like Hulk Hogan was the male role model so they had to put the belt on her in the Brawl to End it All.

Cornette explains that Moolah giving up the title came at a price and Vince was willing to pay. And the fact that Moolah did business earned his loyalty to her for the rest of her life. That would come into play later. So Richter wins the belt after 28 years, although truth is she lost it a ton throughout that time to whoever she drew money with just to win it back on the next loop. But those were all girls associated with her. Richter was independent at this point. Cornette said it was a huge deal inside the business because they knew how much of a stranglehold Moolah had on the women’s business.

Victoria said Moolah couldn’t handle not being the star even though she was in her early 60s at this point.

Richter got over pretty huge. She was shocked to see that even when she visited her parents in small-town Indiana there were people the recognized her based off wrestling and her association with Lauper. She was becoming a household name but the numbers on those checks still read like a jobber.

She was trying to get a little more money for herself and the girls but she was the only one honking the horn and she appropriately said “one person can be replaced.” Richter said Moolah took some liberties in their matches because she was so bitter. She was also the only person that Richter was working with on the road.

(The exception being the couple matches with Leilani Kai, Richter lost to her at the War to Settle the Score and got the title back at Wrestlemania. My guess is Moolah didn’t want to do two high profile jobs and since she was getting a big cut a Kai’s check anyway, it worked for her either way.)

They go through the Spider Lady match. Wendi said she was a little bigger than normal (I believe Velvet McIntyre or Danny Davis was usually in the costume but who knows). Richter gets jobbed although she clearly kicked out at one. Spider unmasked herself and it was Moolah. Richter had been double-crossed. Cornette said that Moolah was the oldest, saltiest dog in the barn and if the double cross broke down she could handle herself.

Victoria believes Wendi knew Moolah was under the mask. (The crowd is clearly chanting “Moolah” early in the match so it wasn’t much of shock).

Richter was pissed and said if Vince was around she would’ve killed him.

Victoria said Wendi was over huge. She was part of the WWE core of performers. She was on the cartoons and in the marketing. Richter said the only thing she could think was an issue was that she was asking to get paid fairly.

Majors said yes Richter should’ve been paid more but you have to go with what the promoter wants. (What a fucking stooge she is)

Cornette said if everything had worked with Richter the women’s side of the business might have grown larger sooner. Richter said that Moolah effectively killed women’s wrestling at the time and Victoria added that Moolah was scared to see the business go on without her being at the top.

Funny moment when the producer asks Richter if she had even seen the Spider Lady match. She said she couldn’t bare to see it and “what good would it do? The bitch is dead! I don’t need to see it. I was there.” All righty.

Moolah was inducted into the WWF/E Hall of Fame in 1995 and by the end of the decade Moolah and Mae Young were back on television. Cornette said Mae Young was tougher than Moolah and that’s saying something.

(I can safely say that Mae Young is up there in terms of “stars” created by the Attitude Era. No one really knew who she was before she appeared on TV and then they used her in ridiculous ways for a bunch of years and eventually named their women’s development tournament after her. She did pretty well in the sports entertainment aspect of her career)

Cornette said it was amazing they were in their early 70s taking big bumps.

Victoria said it was shameful to watch Moolah in her advanced age wearing school girl outfits and taking guitar shots to the head.

Moolah died in 2007 at the age of 84. Austin said she misses her mom every day.

Cornette says women’s wrestling has undergone a rebirth and he credits women’s MMA and most notably Ronda Rousey for it. He said it’s much different now than in Moolah’s day because the athletic aspect of working really Moolah’s strong point.

Majors said there’s always blurred lines between the character and the person. And the fans might have that same confusion about Moolah.

Judy Martin, Leilani Kai and Peggy Lee all defend Moolah. Majors said will continue to defend Moolah and hopes to restore her name.

Richter says Moolah held women’s wrestling back for 40 years. She opened doors but quickly closed them.

Victoria said women’s wrestling would’ve skyrocketed with Richter at the top.

Cornette said Moolah wasn’t as big a star as Mildred Burke or Rondy Rousey but she was the placeholder for 30 years.

Harsey says people can remember Moolah anyway they said but she personally doesn’t have an opinion of Moolah…at least not one that she cares to share.

Victoria said she doesn’t have to like Moolah for the way she treated her but Moolah was an icon in the business. She adds “you can’t take away her history just because she was an asshole.”

Austin says all the girls she trained know they wouldn’t be remember how they are or have had the career and opportunities they did without her.

Victoria closes the book by addressing the rumors and saying anyone that calls Moolah a pimp is calling her a prostitute and that hurts. “If you were not on that property or in that room, you don’t know what happened and you need to shut up.”

Bottom Line: Ummm…this was mind-blowingly good. There are a lot of stories about Moolah and who she was and in this case I think they are all telling the truth. She treated everyone differently and they had different experiences. Do I believe she whored some of the girls out? Yes. Do I believe she was nice to some of them? Yes. Do I believe she was a mean-spirited asshole that looked out for number one? Absolutely. Do I believe that she was probably a nice woman at times and had a softer side? Sure. People can walk and chew gum at the same time. But this a fascinating look at this woman and her history. Well worth your time to watch.