| Long before Lillian Ellison became the ‘Fabulous Moolah’, a transformation that led to her dominance in the women’s division of wrestling, Mildred Burke carried the torch. It can be argued that she actually lit it, as she began a seventeen year reign as World Champion in 1937. Married to women’s wrestling promoter Billy Wolfe, Burke used the relationship to her advantage and led the way for Moolah to later similarly control the ladies end of the business. She defended the title until she lost it to June Byers in an Atlanta match on August 20, 1954. It has long been said that the bout was a shoot, but it can be argued that the win happened by accident, as Burke was injured during the second fall. Since Byers had won the first fall, the referee had no choice but to declare her as the winner. After her upsetting loss to Byers, Burke formed the WWWWA and continued to book herself as champion for any promoter who would use her as such. Needless to say, Burke’s final match in Georgia was the Byers loss in 1954, ending a nearly eighteen year string of visits to Georgia. |
