As tough as the previous women on this list were (and in many cases still are), none of them compare to Mae Young. A wrestler since the 1940s, Mae was in the business for seven decades before her earlier this year. Mae was a pioneer and helped open up a lot of doors for future female wrestlers. Mae had something of a 'second career' starting in 1999 and it was here that Mae really proved how tough she was. As well as schooling the younger generation of Divas, Mae would also get into it with the men. Considering her age (76 in 2000) the things she let herself go through are truly astonishing. Let Bubba Ray Dudley powerbomb her off the top rope and through a table? Check. Have Bubba then powerbomb her off the stage through two tables later in the week? Check. Let Hardcore Holly give her his stiffest possible clothesline? Check. Slammed and splashed by a three-hundred-plus pound Samoan? You get the idea... Mae was not only willing to subject herself to this but she encouraged it and told any wrestler who was thinking of taking it easy on her that they would pay for it if they did. There will never be another like Mae Young.
