Backlash Over WWE's Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal, Mainstream Media Attention, Petitions
As noted, WWE announced on Monday that the first-ever Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal will take place at WrestleMania 34 with female Superstars from WWE NXT, RAW and SmackDown competing, likely for a trophy. The match is named after WWE Hall of Famer and NWA Hall of Famer The Fabulous Moolah, a four-time WWE Women's Champion and a five-time NWA Women's Champion. Her last WWE match came on September 15th, 2003 as she defeated Victoria on RAW, a match that she was promised for her 80th birthday, making her become the first octogenarian to wrestle in a WWE ring. She made a few more non-wrestling appearances for WWE over the years before passing away at the age of 84 in 2007.
There has been significant backlash among fans on social media since WWE made the announcement on Monday night.
Moolah has been accused over the years of essentially being a pimp to younger women wrestlers back during her prime, taking advantage of them and screwing others out of work and pushes, among other allegations. The stories on Moolah come from shoot interviews with women's wrestling stars such as Luna Vachon, Wendi Richter, Leilani Kai and others, plus other industry talk. You can read a "Wrestler's True Colors" Reddit thread on Moolah at this link, which details some of the claims made about Moolah before and after her death, some of which have been denied by Moolah.
"Moolah did send girls out to this guy in Arizona and pimped them out," Jeannine Mjoseth, a former student of Moolah who briefly wrestled as Mad Maxine, told Slam! Wrestling in 2014. "I actually spoke to him on the phone and asked him what he was looking for. He said, 'If I'm spending all this money, you know what I want.' That was part of Moolah's way of making money. She was just a bad person. Moolah didn't have a good bone in her body."
Forbes has picked up on the backlash and fans have launched a Change.org petition to have the name of the battle royal changed. The petition has 3,165 signatures and counting as of this writing. There's also a petition to have the match canceled. That petition has 3,231 signatures and counting as of this writing. These Change.org petitions never force any actual changes in WWE but they are worth mentioning.
As seen below, fans have responded to various tweets from female Superstars regarding Moolah and the match, including tweets from Stephanie McMahon and WWE NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon. Liv Morgan had made a tweet on the match but it appears she deleted it due to the feedback from fans.
Can't watch that. Sorry, you ladies deserved better. #MeToo #WWE
??RAMBO?? (@RamboReality) March 13, 2018
Yup, naming it after Moolah is pretty incredible.#MoolahFacilitatedRape
Tim Wolf (@Smugtimw) March 13, 2018
Moolah is the very reason why it took so long for wom'n's wrestling to recover. It's appalling that you'd have to be in a match named after this awful person.
Jack W (@JackWIII) March 13, 2018
I'm ashame of you for supporting this. Moolah was nothing but an abuser.
Michael P. Williams (@The_MPW) March 14, 2018
I'm sad for you hugely talented and having to have your name linked with the likes if Moolah
Joanne Chapman (@SensationalJo) March 13, 2018
I am a fan @CarmellaWWE , but even if you don't do it publicly, you should take a stand against this. I guess all the recent movement towards women being treated better is forgotten about bc @VinceMcMahon likes Moolah?
FrankieNYC (@FrankieNYC_Biz) March 13, 2018
Hey Carmella, I get why you're forced to write this garbage but Moolah was hardly the original and was a deplorable excuse for a human being. I'm happy you women are getting this opportunity but having it named in Moolah's honor is pretty gross.
Sandro (@supersandro) March 13, 2018
She was a pimp who drugged her students so Mella needs to do her research before standing up and celebrating a woman like this, because she did nothing for Women's empowerment #RAW @WWE #WWE #Wrestlemania #Wrestlemania34 #Timesup
Jessie McFadden (@JessTheBud) March 13, 2018
Moolah represents the woman's division? That must be why it took 40 years for the women's division to get the respect it deserved? She took it to a dark place. Trail Blazers like Madusa, Trish, Lita, Beth and yourself MADE the woman's division what it is!
Darren Allen (@thedarrenallen) March 13, 2018
Please stop. Please don't enable this garbage. You in all your wrestling family glory, should know she was the worst possible thing to happen to women in wrestling. Don't advocate this.
Johnny Biscuits (@extrahamplease) March 13, 2018
I know that this is something you were presumably told to Tweet, but yeah. I hope this article gets passed around the entire locker room
Kevin Chiat (@kevinchiat) March 13, 2018
im huge fan of yours so i have to ask this... do you actually know what moolah did to female wrestlers???
Luccifer ???? (@LucciBlxck) March 13, 2018
She legit pimped our talent. She was a pimp and that's not even the worst part of her. The drugging and sexual assault of prospective talent that she allegedly did with her husband is inexcusable.
Tom Sherlock (@judgefunkyboy) March 13, 2018
You must know what Moolah did to many up and coming female wrestlers. Shame on you. You should be standing up for women, not celebrating abusers of women. #TimesUp
Selby (@magicgrl111) March 13, 2018
Unbelievable let Mae Young have your thoughts today without bringing that monster with her.
Snack Frost (@damujah) March 12, 2018
Moolah, the known sex trafficker/pimp/drugger of women 'under her wing,' celebrated during #WomensHistoryMonth Amazing. The blind eye this company turns towards stuff like this never fails to amaze me.
SD Leader (@sethleader) March 12, 2018
Preaching the #WomensEvolution when you're taking the spotlight away from an actual wrestler at #Wrestlemania + giving praises to a terrible human being like Moolah, who took women's wrestling hostage for decades & destroyed many careers. Way to go Steph. You can be proud. ????
Jonathan (@JonathanTurbide) March 12, 2018
@WWE she used other women as sexual pawns to ensure her safety and position. How DARE you honor her in this way.
GLITTER GLOW STICK (@illinoisemakers) March 13, 2018
Naming it after a woman who pimped out her students and saying she "empowered women". She did the polar opposite. Mae Young deserves this way more.
Doc McThuggins (@thezackmorgan) March 13, 2018
Yeah...not too enthused. A battle royal celebrating a tyrant who pimped out her wrestlers to men? Really? You DO realize we're not stupid and know how to read, right? We know Moolah's ACTUAL history and personality. You couldn't have picked Chyna or Mae Young or Sherri Martel???
??????????????!! (@PhoenixJustice) March 13, 2018
