10 Most Influential Wrestlers Ever
9. Mae Young
WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young passed away a few years ago at the ripe old age of ninety. A pioneering presence in the industry, Young was the first NWA United States Women's Champion, and claimed to have wrestled in nine different decades - although it's more likely that she ties with the legendary Lou Thesz at seven decades.
At the age of fifteen, Johnnie Mae Young broke down boundaries by competing on her high school boys wrestling team. It was a code she'd live by all her life, opening up the Canadian territories for female wrestling in her long-running series with the legendary Mildred Burke, and taking advantage of the lull in business during World War II to push female wrestling further into the spotlight in the absence of so many of the male stars of the time.
After the war, she became one of the first female wrestlers to tour Japan. Young also trained many of the young women who came after her, displaying an uncannily selfless attitude towards creating her own competition. Her best friend and perennial companion in later years, The Fabulous Moolah, was originally one of her pupils.
It's pretty likely that women's wrestling as we know it would be a completely different animal if it weren't for the inspiration and influence of Mae Young, as signified by WWE's annual tournament pioneering female wrestling across the globe.