,
From Ken Raftery--
I started watching WWE in 1984 when I was just a youngster. This was the height of the Moolah/Wendi Richter/Cyndi Lauper feud. I became a HUGE fan of Moolah’s at this time. I would go to the Madison Square Garden shows just to see her. I was jumping for joy when she won the belt back in 1985. Believe it or not, I actually had a Moolah birthday cake in the mid 1980s. Strange but true!
Of course, Moolah disappeared from WWE in 1987. Fast forward to 1999. She makes a comeback. I was so happy, since it reminded me of how I used to root for her in my grammar school days. To see her win the belt back again in 1999 was just awesome. It was like reliving a childhood moment!
Back in the 1980s, I used to have a WWF Superstars board game. It had little photos of the wrestlers. But there were no women wrestlers in the game. So I drew my own!! In 1998, when women’s wrestling was coming back, I once again started to draw cartoons of the WWE women.
In December 1999, I heard that Moolah and Mae Young were doing an autograph signing near me. I wanted to give Moolah a gift that would really make me stand out in her eyes. So I pasted all of my women wrestler cartoons on a piece of oak tag and I put hers on top. I wrote, “You’re the Top!” She loved it. She wound up giving me a business card that had her phone number on it. From time to time I’d give her a call and I’d always introduce myself as “the guy who gave you those cartoons.” I drew a few more cartoons during 2000 for her and Mae. I began doing cartoons that had a humorous theme to them.
In late 2000 I gave them a call. Mae said Moolah was gravely ill in the hospital. She said to me, “She loves your cartoons so much. It’d probably make her feel better if you sent one.” I immediately got to work. About 2 weeks later, my phone rang. It was Moolah thanking me for the card!
Around 2002 Moolah and Mae were going to an indie show in the area, and I asked if I could have dinner with them. I was so pleased when they said okay.
The rest is history. I began to know Moolah and Mae very well. I have been to their house four times, with my most recent visit being this past September. They asked me to sit with them when Mae was inducted into the Hall of Fame in upstate New York. I sat between them at the Lipstick and Dynamite premiere in New York City. Moolah got me a free ticket to Wrestlemania in 2006 and to Summerslam in 2005. During that Summerslam weekend, I had dinner with Moolah, Mae, Victoria, and Maria, and all of us got driven in a limo to the restaurant. In January 2006 my phone rang at 11PM at night and it was Moolah telling me she just found out she was going to New Year’s Revolution and she invited me to go. Just this past August I dined with Moolah and Mae three times since they were in New Jersey for Summerslam. During that weekend, I gave Moolah a new cartoon where I drew Vince McMahon saying he was going to reveal who his illegitimate child was along with the woman that he had the affair with. When you turned the page, you see that the woman is Mae, who is pushing her child (the rubber hand) in a stroller. Moolah loved it so much that she gave a copy to Vince himself and to Stephanie McMahon, and WWE Magazine is supposed to publish it in a future issue. All of these are memories that will stay with me forever.
I got the chance to speak to Moolah just this past Sunday. She had been telling me about her upcoming shoulder surgery. If only I knew it’d be the last time I’d speak to her. Despite the difference in our ages (I am in my thirties) I still considered her to be one of my closest friends, and I will never forget her.
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Growing up as a child in the 80's the first Survivor Series match I saw was the Ladies elimination match and I was just amazed at how well Moolah was as a wrestler. Ladies wrestling has never been as good since then. I always thought how wrong it is today that a lot of people say Trish Stratus was the greatest ladies champion ever and they don't have a clue. NO ONE can touch Moolah. I was at No Mercy in 1999 in the bleacher seats to watch her beat Ivory for the title and she recieved a standing ovation (rightfully so) but was always a class act. The ladder match still gets remembered for that night but to me watching Moolah become champion one last time was a longer lasting memory. Andrew Waters
Hi Bill,
I have been a fan of wrestling since 1983. I had gone to Moolah's
wrestling school from 1994-1995. Yes I know it was for women, but I
also attended Ivan Koloff's school when he had first opened it also. I
actually only wrestled once on a card she promoted in Columbia, South
Carolina, in the summer of 1995.
Being a big wrestling fan I was also
interested in their stories. One that blew my mind was when Moolah had
told me she was with David Von Erich in Las Vegas playing blackjack
while he was waiting for his flight to Japan. It was quite a story as
it was the tour he passed away on.--
Sincerely,
Kevin Taylor
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The Fabulous Moolah worked one of our indy shows in Milwaukee several
years ago. It was such an honor to be in the locker room with her as
she shared storied from not only years gone by, but the fairly current
WWE. She was the quintessential Southern Belle, charming and engaging,
and was so polite that our group of hardcore wrestlers immediately
dispensed with the filthy talk and spoke in quiet awe while in her
presence.
She made a point that she was so happy to be a part of our show,
while we were simply in stunned disbelief that she was actually in our
presence. She made sure that "the boys" received all the spots, and she
was just there as a bystander. How beautiful! After all her years in
the great sport of wrestling, she was, in her own way, passing the torch.
It was an incredible evening in Suds-City, and after her run-in, she
gave this ring announcer a peck on the cheek that will forever live on
in my life.
Moolah, your courage and dedication to the sport will never be
forgotten, and I am thankful that you took the time to make the trip here and
give us a night we will never forget! RIP, Lillian!
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My Moolah memory,
I had the opportunity to see Moolah live once about 22 years ago. She was the 30th entrant in a "30 person" battle royal at the Worcester Centrum (now the DCU Center) in Massachusetts. The match involved such past names as Lanny Poffo, Lou Albano, Mr. Fuji, etc. There was sort of a feud going between Moolah and Jimmy Hart at the time. The last to men in the ring were Terry and Dory (then Hoss) Funk. Hart was their manager at the time. Hart and Moolah were nowhere to be seen during the entire match. Hart ran into the ring and the Funks eliminated themselves, presumably giving Jimmy the win. But, then Moolah came out from under the ring, dropkicked Jimmy Hart over the top rope and won it. The place went crazy. Many years later, I befriended Dory Funk and mentioned this match to him in conversation. It was unique enough that even though he has worked countless matches, he remembered that night.
I'm not a fan of the current state of women's wrestling. It seems to be just models with.....how shall I say...."after market modifications" that they teach how to fall. It's unfortunate that Moolah paved the way for women in wrestling and over time, it's become a T&A show. Perhaps the loss of this great pioneer will shake a few people out of complacency where women in the business are concerned and realize they have FAR more to contribute than just eye candy.
RIP, Moolah--From
Brendan Millet
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from billy c. everytime i saw moolah on tv i was in for
a laugh like the backstage skit she did with mae young, mean gene
okerlund, and bobby hennen at w.m. 20 now that is the funniest thing i've
ever seen thanks for the all the memories and laughs moolah you will be
missed
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I never met Ms. Moolah but I remember watching her during my teens and into my adult years. My main memory was that she was always a lovely woman who, even when in full "heel" mode, always seemed classy. I even took grief from my little brother, Fred, when I admitted my admiration of Moolah. He was smitten with the Wendi Richters and Rockin' Robins, while I always waited for the chance to see Moolah. She was a credit to the business, a class act, and I will always regret that I didn't get to meet her, just once, to say. "You are a lovely lady with a ton of class. Thank you for being you."
Rest in Peace, Ms. Moolah. God bless you and keep you.
Jay Shannon
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I had the pleasure of working with Moolah on a few occasions and she was first class all the way. I held a wonderful reunion in May of 1998 in Charleston, SC with my good friend Mike Mooneyham and Moolah along with Mae Young and Diamond Lil were among our guests. We had the best time together and started a friendship that has lasted all these years. I always looked forward to her Christmas cards each year. She was very special. I also had the honor of being given the Independant Promoter of the Year Award from her Ladies International Wrestling Association convention that used to be held. She will be missed. God Bless you my dear friend.--
Andy McDaniel
