Jim Ross commented on the Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey match from Survivor Series on his most recent podcast. Needless to say, JR was as impressed as anyone with the performance of both athletes involved.

He also said that despite the athleticism and talent in the WWE locker room today, he still thinks the Fabulous Moolah was tougher than almost all of them.

“Moolah would probably go through the locker room if she wanted to, with the exception of maybe Ronda Rousey,” Jim Ross

“(Charlotte vs Rousey) was the most physically, most physicality, the most emotion, that I’ve ever seen in a women’s match ever,” Ross described the match.

JR made sure to mention there are some areas of women’s wrestling today which may not be ahead of where women’s wrestling has been previously, however.

“These women competing today are so far ahead athletically, aesthetically, and in many other ways,” he continued. “Maybe not fundamentally, maybe not toughness, I don’t know these things, than their predecessors.”

Then JR compared the Fabulous Moolah’s toughness to the modern day WWE women’s rosters.

“I’d suggest that in her heyday, Moolah would probably go through the locker room if she wanted to, with the exception of maybe Ronda Rousey,” Ross continued. “But that’s another story for another fantasy league.”

Jim Ross on Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series

Ross would continue to say he believes Rousey vs Charlotte was as good as it was because the fans went in with high expectations.

“As great as Rousey vs Charlotte was,” Ross said. “I believe it was because the audience was ready for it because they had high expectations. The women are smart, they are great athletes. They knew the expectations were going to be off the page, thanks to the angle with Rousey and Becky and the match with Becky and Charlotte at Evolution.”

Did an online mob-mentality unfairly rip apart the legacy of the Fabulous Moolah? There are a growing number of people in the industry who believe that is exactly what happened.

Earlier this year, WWE announced they were naming the women’s battle royal at WrestleMania after the Fabulous Moolah. This led to the resurfacing of allegations against Moolah for exploiting (both financially and sexually) her female students. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer details the discussion had at the latest Cauliflower Alley Club reunion regarding Moolah and her legacy.

In Defense of the Fabulous Moolah

The most serious allegations against Moolah are the charges she “pimped out” her female wrestling students. Wrestlers Luna Vachon and Mad Maxine are the two wrestlers most associated with these allegations. Meltzer recounted a discussion he had with Vachon on the matter before her passing, however.

“Her (Luna Vachon) actual claim later was that she was sent to a guy who paid her for a photo shoot, and other women said the same thing, but they said there was so sex involved, just a photo shoot.”

There were also the claims by wrestler Sweet Georgia Brown. She claimed she was raped and drugged while training to be a wrestler with Moolah. Georgia Brown’s son, however, spoke out against these claims in a video intended to help repair Moolah’s legacy.

Other allegations involve Moolah taking a high-percentage of her wrestlers’ earnings. She is generally believed to have earned 25% of her wrestler’s booking fees. This was then compared favorably to other promoters, such as Lord Littlebrook. In general, it seems to be agreed Moolah took a high-percentage but all her students were aware of the deal before they agreed to it.

Meltzer’s report notes the following names were in attendance for the discussion: Despina Montaguas, Vicki Tosi (Princess Victoria), Beverly Shade, Joyce Grable, Judy Martin, Peggy Lee Leather, Malia Hosaka, Sandy Parker, Debbie Combs, and Ramona Isbell.

The general consensus in the room as reported in the Observer is that Moolah’s name should not have been removed from the Battle Royal. Furthermore, many felt that WWE should apologize for having done so.

Was the Fabulous Moolah’s Legacy Unfairly Convicted by Social Meda? Tell us what you think below!

Former Glamour Girl Judy Martin recently did an interview with Nigel Sherrod to discuss the allegations against former WWE Women’s Champion Fabulous Moolah. There was a ton of controversy surrounding WWE naming the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal after Moolah.

The name was changed and all ties to her were removed after an uproar from fans and WrestleMania’s key sponsor, Snickers. Martin first discussed how she believes Vince McMahon and the WWE should’ve handled the situation:

“Vince should have come out with a press conference and said, “Mars and Snickers, let’s get the fact straight, because here’s a woman that worked for us for so many years and I stand behind her…Let’s see where this came from and who started this mess.”

In regards to the pimping allegations on Moolah, Martin says that she has had members of her own family ask her if it’s true and she explains how much that hurts her:

“I’ve had cousins ask, “Judy did you really do that…about Moolah pimping you out?” Nobody knows how that hurts you that you worked for somebody that pimped you out so you could get where you did…

“I never talked about how much I loved wrestling. That was something that I really loved. I don’t mean to cry but when you get older, you get a little sentimental. I tried my best to be as good as I could and that really hurt.”

As for the fans who signed the petition to have the Rumble match disassociated with Moolah’s name, Martin said she’s not sure if the people who signed are real wrestling fans:

“You really said that she pimped us girls out. That never happened. The drugs, I’ve never done drugs. I was tested way back then and I guarantee the only thing they found on me was a cigarette. It hurts. It really hurts.

“I don’t know if you guys are really wrestling fans…but you damaged a lot of girls that worked in this business at that time. You need to get to know who you’re talking about before you go out and screw up people’s lives…I hope Vince will take it upon himself to correct this matter.”

More testimony in defense of the Fabulous Moolah has come to light. Earlier this week, 9 former Moolah students came together to deny the allegations against their trainer.

Now, the son of Sweet Georgia Brown, Michael McCoy, has also come to Moolah’s defense. He has said his mother had an agenda for saying the things she did against Moolah. Brown’s statements against the former women’s champion played a key role in her name being removed from the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.

Sweet Georgia Brown’s Son Denies Allegations Against Fabulous Moolah

“I come to say today, that’s not true. That’s not true at all. Especially knowing the Moolah that I had grew to know.”

McCoy would continue to say members of his family may have an agenda for making the claims against Moolah.

“I’m not a fake. I’m not a phony and I’m not fronting today. And nobody is coercing me to say what I’m saying. Moolah did the right thing and she helped my mother.”

Former student of the Fabulous Moolah, Joyce Grable, has come to the defence of her former teacher, stating she does not believe the allegations against Moolah are true.

Moolah helped train Joyce in the early 1970s, and helped her get booked all over the country. Gable would go on to win the NWA Women’s United States championship and was elected to the NWA Hall of Fame in 2012.

She retired in 1991 at the age of 39 after having back surgery.

“If (Moolah) was gonna pimp somebody out, I’d have been number one on the list.” – Judy Grable.

Grable filmed the following YouTube channel to address the Fabulous Moolah allegations:

Joyce Grable Disputes Fabulous Moolah Allegations

“I never experienced [pimping],” Grable said. “As far as I was concerned, she never sent me nobody. And hey, I had a good body back then, I was kinda pretty, long blonde hair, especially when I was in Puerto Rico, Mexico… if she was gonna pimp somebody out, I’d have been number one on the list.”

– WWE Superstar Rusev recently held a live stream on his Instagram account. Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback joined in the stream and made a comment that forced “The Bulgarian Brute” to end the stream. Ryback said the following:

“Are you involved in this steroid scandal? I can’t have you involved in my company if you’re involved in this [Jonny] Bravo stuff.”

Rusev responded by saying that he was going to block Ryback on Instagram and told fans to thank him for being the reason he is ending the stream now. It was all captured on video by “The Top Rope” on YouTube, and you can watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pf5x15SQHE&feature=youtu.be

– WWE made the decision to change the name of the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal to simply “WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.” This came after a ton of backlash towards, not only WWE, but to WrestleMania sponsor Snickers. Shortly before the name change Mars Wrigley Confectionery US, who is the parent company of Snickers, issued out the following statement on the matter:

“We were recently made aware of the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc’s (WWE) decision to honor a former wrestler during the upcoming WrestleMania 34 event. As a principle-based business that has long championed creating inclusive environments that encourage and empower everyone to reach their full potential, this is unacceptable. We are engaging with the WWE to express our disappointment”

After the name change was made, another announcement was made by Mars Wrigley Confectionery US:

“We are very pleased that WWE has decided to proceed with the name ‘WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.’”

– We’ve noted that the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal announcement from WWE has received a ton of backlash from the professional wrestling world. Fans were so upset they started a petition to have the name changed, a petition that has received nearly 10,000 signatures. WWE seems to be aware of the backlash from fans now, as they have turned off commenting abilities on their YouTube video about the Battle Royal:

LOL pic.twitter.com/YJ09ABc4JB

— ????? ??????? (@ifyouseekcasey) March 15, 2018

– Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer was recently asked on Twitter why the WWE doesn’t have an actual, physical WWE Hall Of Fame. Meltzer responded by saying Vince McMahon doesn’t see the economic value in it and nobody else has offered to ‘foot the bill’:

No reason other than they don't because Vince doesn't see the economic value to it and nobody else has offered to foot the bill https://t.co/5Dg7bqVvJZ

— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) March 14, 2018

– Jeff Hardy’s wife, Beth, took to Twitter to note that she dropped Jeff off at his final physical therapy appointment this morning. Jeff has been recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum & torn rotator cuff:

Just dropped Jeff off at his last Physical Therapy appointment. ??????

— Beth Hardy (@BethBrittHardy_) March 14, 2018

Jeff later took to Instagram to thank the Pinehurst Surgical physical therapy department for assisting him in his recovery:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgTlRmjBgyg/

– There has been a ton of controversy surrounding the WWE’s announcement of the first-ever Fabulous Moolah Women’s Battle Royal. Former 80’s WWE Superstar and Moolah trainee Jeannine Mjoseth issued the following statement to Pro Wrestling Sheet on WWE naming the rumble after Moolah:

“The Fabulous Moolah was a real-life heel. A lot of women paid to train at her school and then went out on the road. They risked life and limb in their matches and she repaid them with the worst kinds of abuses. She skimmed their money, she ignored women who were badly hurt, she pimped women out to creepy men and on and on. She was not a mother figure. She was more like Kali, the Indian Goddess of Destruction. I met her in my early 20s and I had never met such a monstrous person.

“I was smart enough to get the hell away from her and start my own independent career in Tampa as part of the Championship Wrestling from Florida. Luna Vachon, Peggy Fowler and I all left together, which I hope put a serious dent in her confidence, if not wallet.

“I understand why Moolah was so grotesque. Her family was dirt poor and she determined that she was never going to be hungry again. But it doesn’t excuse her dog-eat-dog behavior. I’d much rather see WWE establish a named match for outstanding wrestlers (and decent human beings) like Susan ‘Tex’ Green, Beverly Shade, Leilani Kai, Wendi Richter, Princess Victoria or Joyce Grable. They all put their hearts and souls into wrestling for decades and helped others along the way.

“But wrestling isn’t PC. It’s about generating heat. And you can’t draw more heat than naming a match for The Fabulous Moolah. May she be the last of her kind.”

WWE announced on Monday’s RAW that the first-ever Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal will take place at WrestleMania 34. The match will feature women from RAW, SmackDown and NXT.

WWE’s decision to honor Moolah and tie her to the company’s Women’s movement has drawn strong criticism on social media. There have been long standing and widespread allegations about Moolah’s conduct in the wrestling industry as a trainer and manager of female wrestlers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4upD8cJtsZ8

Here is the updated card for WrestleMania 34, which takes place on Sunday, April 8th from New Orleans, LA at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

WWE Universal Title Match
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (c)

WWE Title Match
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles (c)

Olympians vs. The Authority
Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H

Triple Threat for the WWE Intercontinental Title
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz (c)

SmackDown Women’s Title Match
Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair (c)

RAW Women’s Title Match
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. TBA

Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Finals
Cedric Alexander or Roderick Strong vs. Mustafa Ali or Drew Gulak

First-Ever Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal