Ohhhhh Babyyyy...Mae Young's Back In Action (Figure Form)

It's hard enough to get figures of legends produced, much less female legends, but "ohhhh baby" here's another one for the Mattel roster. Joining Sherri, Alundra, and Wendi is The Great Mae Young. I'll refrain from bashing the Social Justice Warriors who caused The Fabulous Moolah not to be part of this lineup, but catch me on Twitter where the mood is always ugly and I'd be glad to rant with you. We're here to celebrate Mae's second entry into the figure world, and what a representation it is!

Mae is the "Collector's Edition" release to be shipped with Mattel's WWE Elite 81 series. It's the first series in awhile where I refrained from pre-ordering the entire set. Aside from Stunning Steve Austin (a pre-order for me solely for the WCW Tag Team Championship Belt), the rest of the series felt very passable. Starting with this wave there's a new feature on the packaging. The WWE hologram is circled by a logo signifying that the figure is "Certified Authentic." Ummm...what else would it be? It's not an AEW figure as they fly off of the shelves. Heck, maybe it's to quell the shock of actually finding a decent WWE figure in a store? Who knows. Once again, we're here to celebrate Mae and not for bitterness.

I love Mae. She was a great character in the world of wrestling and was always fun at appearances, too. Seeing as that I was the proud recipient of a Mae Young smooch, I would be biased even if this figure was awful. But it isn't. It's great. It's also lovingly packaged with the Mae Young Classic tournament trophy. Seeing as that Mae was small, the inclusion of the trophy makes sure that the figure doesn't "float" in the package. After Mae's prototype was unveiled, I was wondering if the upcoming Dusty Rhodes figure was going to include his tournament trophy. It doesn't seem to be the case but is certainly an avenue to be explored in the future.

Included with Mae along with the trophy are an "open" set of hands, ring jacket, and crown. Yes, Queen Mae Young reigned in the 1960's and I recall her wearing the crown occasionally in her later years as well. Mattel teased us with a "Queen Mae" doll prototype some years ago, but rumor suggests that it wasn't ever planned for release. The Jakks version of Mae was great and I'm certainly thrilled to have gotten one signed by the lady herself, but it seems sort of barebones now that we have this release. The jacket is soft goods and allows for various poses. The crown is unique to this figure and fits perfectly on her head.

Mattel really nailed Mae's unique posture as well. The molds for the legs certainly look like their new for this figure alone, but I haven't had the opportunity to check. The expression on her face is perfect and conveys the joy that she always seemed to be having in the wrestling business. An extra cool detail is that Mattel even included the tattoos on her left forearm. This is the quintessential Mae. Years ago no one would've predicted that the Mattel-WWE relationship would yield us several legendary women, but here we are with definitive versions. While it's obvious that Mae and Wendi were made due to the popularity of eras in which they were involved, it's still nice to know that the door is open for such releases.

While this is a "Collector's Edition," I don't see the demand for it being as high as some of the others. Superstar Billy Graham ended up hanging around in stores. If the shipments are the same for this figure, you may just end up running into her. Since I can't really see them ever producing Mae again, you may not want to risk it. The trophy could cause some additional interest from modern-only collectors. Ultimately this is a figure that makes you sit back and forget about the bitterness caused by SJW's "cancelling" Moolah and Mattel cancelling the fun of collecting due to some of their practices.

Ohhhhh baby!

Your Guide To An Evolution

Programs. A collectible that is produced less and less as the years go by, especially by WWE. Sure there are those produced for WrestleMania each year. There have been a few for SummerSlam in the past decade and even the 2011 Survivor Series had one. But in a world where pay-per-view lineups change continuously until the day of the event, the era of the program is largely done. However, out of nowhere, we have a new one. To coincide with the first WWE-branded all-women's pay-per-view event, we have a program for WWE Evolution.

The program itself is very much like the other ones that have come along in this era. It's oversized and glossy with thicker-stock pages than a magazine-style program would have. This design first appeared in the very early 2000's. It is also more of a roster guide for the women rather than displaying actual match-ups. Again the pay-per-view lineups change too much for them to be accurately printed too far in advance.

The first page is a shot of the folks who brought you this show, Triple H, Stephanie, and Vince McMahon. Let's all thank them. Then, of course, we get to Ronda Rousey. Obviously she will begin the program being the center of the women's division. So far, she seems to have dedicated herself to the business in a way that many of us wouldn't have imagined. She has largely been a plus for the product, or so it has seemed in the little that I follow the weekly product. All of the larger stars such as The Bella Twins, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch get their own pages, as well.

The interesting portions come later in the book. We get pages with a smattering of smaller pictures of NXT stars and even trainers Sara Del Rey and Serena Deeb! The Mae Young Classic tournament is also chronicled with results of both the 2017 edition as well as the 2018 version which saw its finals held at the Evolution show itself. And yes, "spoiler alert," winner Toni Storm is shown here in all of her British glory.

My favorite portion, of course, is the section featuring the legends. Not only do we get Wendi Richter, Mae Young, and my friend Leilani Kai, but also shown are Cyndi Lauper, Sapphire, Bull Nakano, Rockin' Robin, Mildred Burke, Bertha Faye and Velvet McIntyre just to name a few. The biggest shocker? An inclusion that shouldn't be shocking at all. In fact, she should be front and center. Yes, folks, The Fabulous Moolah is here. Did somebody call Snickers? I think we have a program to burn. Get Twitter on it...

A cool collectible for a first of it's (WWE) kind event that not only looks at the current stars but pays respect to the past as well. It's hard to say what value this will attain. Some of the larger programs such as this have held or risen in value while others just languish. To me, any event-specific program is welcome in a collection. While the live event programs are rather cookie cutter, these are at least specific to a show even if they don't necessarily reflect the matches. If you want one of your own, grab it while you can. There could be an Evolution in demand before you know it.

Mae Young Lives On...

She was WWE's crazy old grandmother. An elderly woman who was as endearing as she was unpredictable. Tough as nails, but with a heart of gold. She was "The Great" Mae Young. Without checking, I would imagine that the last time Mae had been mentioned in this blog was following her passing in 2014. We all thought that Johnnie Mae would go on forever, but all good things must come to an end. Or do they?

At press time, WWE had just finished up the Mae Young Classic. The 32-woman tournament, an exclusive to WWE Network, was won by Japanese star Kairi Sane. Could Mae herself have imagined that she would one day have a tournament named after her? If you'd have asked her a half century ago, chances are she'd have said no...and you may have been handed an ass-whooping in the process for even mentioning it.

What's interesting about Mae Young's earlier career is that the records do exist, but you have to look. She simply did not attain the press that many of her contemporaries got, despite collecting many accolades during her career. Was it her rough-and-tumble nature that saw her featured far less than other lady grapplers of the era? Perhaps she was too busy living the often wild and crazy stories that she seemed so proud of later in life.

Speaking of later in life, there's no question that Mae achieved her greatest fame in her twilight years. That being said, it did not keep her out of the ring or away from the splinters of a wooden table that she was just put through. It was in this period that Mae finally saw an action figure, trading cards, and Hall of Fame inductions. Indeed, Mae Young made it big. And while her companion The Fabulous Moolah is the more celebrated name, Mae emerged as the wilder of the bunch and, to many, the more beloved.

Mae certainly loved meeting the fans, as well, and was no stranger to planting one of her famous kisses on them. I'm not sure that I'd feel as if my wrestling fandom was complete had I not been the recipient of a Mae Young smooch. It's just something that you had to do...

With the success of the Mae Young Classic and the popularity of women's wrestling today, I would not be surprised to see more editions of this tournament. It is a wonderful tribute to a woman who brought a lot of joy to fans and whose contributions to the in-ring side of wrestling are essentially lost to time. While she may be marveling at what the female wrestlers of today are doing, there's no doubt in my mind that "The Queen" is looking down with that classic smile on her face, ready to jump right in with them and kick some ass.

The Fallen Warriors of 2014

As the year comes to a close, we once again remember those from the wrestling business that left us over the past twelve months.  Although a few were still very young considering longevity in this day and age, many that were lost had actually lived long, full lives.  That is something rare for the wrestling business, an occupation that has a tendency to eat up those who give so much to it.  That being said, so many notable names that fans had an opportunity to see in a public capacity not long before their deaths (one in particular, just hours earlier) make the losses all the more shocking. 

The wrestling deaths of 2014 included Billy Robinson, George Scott, Rodger Kent, Mae Young, The Ultimate Warrior, Nelson "King Mabel/Viscera" Frazier, Lee Marshall, Jerry Kozak, Cowboy Bob Kelly, Sean O'Haire, Bob Geigel, Larry Nelson, Ken Lucas, Ox Baker, Ricki Starr, Bonnie Watson, Jimmy Del Ray/Jimmy Backlund, Dr. Ken Ramey, and Don Chuy.

The AWA fraternity took a huge hit with the loss of one it's biggest stars, Billy Robinson, as well as three very memorable voices from the promotion.  Robinson was still very active in training young athletes for the mixed martial arts.  In the several instances that I was able to meet Mr. Robinson, he seemed very proud that wrestler/MMA fighter Josh Barnett was one of his pupils, mentioning it since my first name is Josh as well.  Rodger Kent, Larry Nelson, and Lee Marshall are all well remembered for their work hosting various AWA events.  Marshall may be even better remembered for his work on WCW Monday Nitro and most recently as the voice of Tony the Tiger in Frosted Flakes commercials.

Nelson Frazier was still very active on the independent scene, and one could almost guarantee that appearances as Mabel, Viscera, and Big Daddy V would have continued for WWE.  Struck down by a heart attack at just 42, that would not end up being the case.  Due to his massive size, it's hard to believe that Frazier was just in his early twenties for his biggest run in the WWF as King Mabel.  His agility and ability to make all of his various characters come to life will always be remembered fondly.  Personally, he will always hold a special place in my own fandom as he main evented SummerSlam 1995, the first pay-per-view event that I attended live.

It's become a sad fact over the past few years that Mid-Atlantic Fanfest often becomes the final place that wrestlers make a public appearance.  80-year-old Ox Baker did not look well at the event this past summer, but he was still signing autographs, taking photos, and crooning ditty's to his many fans.  Just a little over two months later, Baker was gone.  David Ferrier, best known as either Jimmy Del Ray or Jimmy Backlund, made his first modern-day convention appearance at the same event, reuniting with his "Heavenly Bodies" tag team partner Dr. Tom Prichard and their manager Jim Cornette.  Though his appearance was much different than in his wrestling days, Ferrier seemed to enjoy the event.  On December 6th, the former Florida and SMW star died in a car accident that may have been caused by a heart attack. 

As always, this is just a small listing of some of the more notable wrestling deaths of 2014.  For all of its faults, the wrestling community always shows a great amount of respect and dignity when one of the seemingly larger-than-life names has fallen.  This final look serves as a last remembrance of their passing, so that we, instead, can continue to remember the greatness of their lives.

"The Great" Mae Young

 Despite often being the oldest superstar on the roster, Mae Young always lived up to her last name.  How would an elderly woman do the things that she did?  Why would she?  Certainly a woman of such an advanced age would be content watching the next generation of her rough profession?  Not "The Great" Mae Young.  If someone was taking a powerbomb off a stage through a table, it was her.  Perhaps she should have been nicknamed "Mae Young-At-Heart."

When Mae passed away on January 14th at the age of 90, it was not unexpected.  Due to various stories of ill health and an erroneous report of her death a few days earlier, the wrestling community had already begun to say their goodbyes.  It was the fact that this tough-as-nails woman could possible be mortal that stunned most fans.  As she often spoke of her wish to compete at the age of 100, most of us thought that the legendary female grappler would be around forever.

Although she competed in nine different decades, much of the existing career of Young is from her WWF/WWE career that began in 1999.  As the tag team partner and companion of The Fabulous Moolah, Young's appearances on Raw, Smackdown, and various pay-per-view events catapulted her from an unsung legend to one of the most beloved characters in the history of the company.

Little footage is known to be available of Young's early career.  Even photos from her wrestling days are few and far between.  Many fans are surprised to see that Young was a beautiful young woman whose toughness probably took many off-guard.  She was often seen wearing a crown even into her WWF days and was sometimes billed as "Queen" Mae Young.  The May 1969 issue of Wrestling Revue magazine featured a multi-page spread on the "Queen."  It's hard to believe that Mae was already three decades into her career at that point.

The stories told by Young herself and those who were around in her earlier career certainly paint a picture that mirrors her later years.  Wild, unflinching, and even pioneering seem to best describe Mae's days on the road, and we'll probably never begin to hear the craziest tales surrounding her life and times.  If ever a wrestler's life could translate into an entertaining motion picture, it just might have been Mae's.

Her wild past aside, Young seemed to truly enjoy the admiration of her peers and fans.  It has been said that her 2008 induction into the WWE Hall of Fame was one of the greatest days of her life.  Showing off her ring recognizing that honor, as well as her ring from the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, was something that she loved to do.  Though some observers may only view her induction as reliving her often hilarious WWF/WWE exploits, the educated fan recognizes that this honor was for a woman who succeeded at her craft at a time when it was not a popular vocation for her gender to participate in.

Mae is often associated with The Fabulous Moolah, but many of Moolah's students did not have the same association with Young.  Although Mae trained many wrestlers (including Moolah) during her career, she was not part of the golden age of Moolah's school that produced such women's wrestling stars as Donna Christanello, Toni Rose, Judy Martin, Leilani Kai, and Joyce Grable.  The west coast-based Young instead came to live at the Moolah estate in the early 1990's.  Although Christanello lived there for a number of years, it was Katie Glass, aka midget wrestler Diamond Lil, that Mae became particularly close to.  Our thoughts go out to  Ms. Glass at this time.

Every wrestling entity and even some mainstream news outlets have paid their respects to Mae Young in an outpouring not seen since the passing of Paul Bearer in 2013.  While it is undoubtedly a testament to her famous WWF/WWE role of the past fifteen years, it also gives hope to myself and many other true wrestling fans that her earlier contributions to the business will continue to be learned.  Godspeed, Johnnie Mae Young, and "Muah!"...

The Matriarch's of The Ring: Mae & Moolah

When I meet a name in the game I love so dearly, I usually keep the gushing to a minimum. I say hello, ask them to sign my item and/or pose for a photo, say a few words if they ask/tell me something or if I have something to say them, thank them, and I'm on my way. This weekend, I met one that I felt I had to gush over. True ring royalty (She was Queen of the ring at one time...) and great-grandmother figure to today's stars, the one and only, Mae Young.


Mae was scheduled for a rare appearance in New Jersey, so my crew and I had to go. While many other stars were at the signing, and while Exotic Adrian Street and Miss Linda were incredible to meet, Mae Young was my sole reason for being there. I told her that, and while I'm not sure she could hear all of my gushing, she pretended to anyway. She did that with all of the fans, though. Sweet, endearing, and grandmotherly, it was positively awesome to see all of the other wrestlers and fans alike pay homage to the octogenarian ring legend. A few of us crowded around at the time even got to see Mae pop Ox Baker right in the ol' boiler!

While Mae is much more widely known for her antics in the past decade on WWF/WWE television, it's largely forgotten that her ring career spans back to 1939! The woman wrestled on December 7, 1941! Aside from photos and a few magazine articles, her career is largely confined to her crazy skits and bumptaking on Monday Night Raw, but sweet Johnnie Mae seems okay with that.

And if she wasn't, I may not have gotten my kiss picture...

Thanks, Mae!