“She was strong as an ox,” her roommate Eileen O’Hara, a.k.a. She fought the paramedics and kicked open the cop car doors. Christy Smith, who played scary fundamentalist preacher Evangelina, slit her wrists when Cimber dropped her from the show during training. One, in fact, would rather have died than leave. That’s why she’s making $200 more than you!” Or, “You are more boring than a Sicilian funeral!” “Your butt looks like mashed potatoes!” he’d yell. He excelled at the art of casting aspersion. “It was twisted.”Ĭimber, the creative engine behind the show, was a veteran director of Broadway and blaxploitation films. The angrier the girls, the better the footage. “The boys” - meaning director Matt Cimber and producer David McLane - “liked to get us riled up,” Booher recalls. Everybody suffered cuts to the eyes from cheap glitter weaponized with dried hair spray. Look at those ta-tas on her.”Īngelina Altishin, who played Little Egypt, tore her anterior cruciate ligament. Her fingers, numb from nerve damage, are tipped with Band-Aids from burning herself while cooking. (Courtesy of Deanna Booher)ĭee Booher, who played German villainess Matilda the Hun, recalls that after a match, “these girls sometimes came out with handfuls of hair.” At her apartment in Seal Beach, Calif., in Orange County, she flips through an old photo album while sitting in a motorized wheelchair - the result of wrestling-related spinal deterioration. They were actors, dancers and models who answered casting calls for “a new sports entertainment show.”īooher, above, and the other women took on stereotyped characters, such as New Orleans voodoo queens, slutty cheerleaders and sexpot Russian communists. Virtually none of them started out as trained wrestlers. The joke, of course, is that professional wrestling is fake. For many, however, it was the best job they ever had. The pay was measly, the material was campy and racist. If the women feel proprietary about “GLOW,” it’s only because they gave so much of themselves to it. Meltzer continues: “They say it’s not about us, but then why are they using our name? Why not call it something else?” Yet wrestling is still very much on their minds. They are accountants, real estate agents, sales associates, tech support workers and pet groomers. Some girls you can’t even bring it up to,” she says. When asked about it, former wrestler Tracee Meltzer - whose character on the old show was Park Avenue princess Roxy Astor - rolls her eyes. You can leave a comment or ask a question about this or any post on my Facebook page and Twitter profile.(Courtesy of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) Many wrestlers were happy to see the talented “Farmer” retire. “Farmer” Burns would wrestle for ten more years before becoming a full time trainer. Among others, he trained Frank Gotch at this facility. Martin “Farmer” Burns must have liked Rock Island, IL because he established his wrestling gym there. He took the fourth and final fall along with the $150 purse in 12 minutes with a double armlock. “Farmer” Burns grabbed many holds but only put the finishing touches on the last fall when he felt comfortable Comstock was done. Comstock recovered a little but “Farmer” Burns picked him apart for the third fall after 25 minutes with another front nelson and hammerlock.Ĭomstock’s attendant’s tried desperately to fan him and restore some energy to his body but he was spent. Two minutes into the third fall, Comstock’s nose began to bleed causing a medical stoppage. The clearly fatiguing Comstock lasted only five and half minutes before Burns pinned him with a front nelson and hammerlock. It would be the only highlight for Comstock.Īfter ten minutes rest, the men came back for the second fall. With a strong effort, Comstock pressed “the Farmer’s” shoulders to the mat for the first fall. After 19 minutes, Comstock was finally able to get a hold on Burns and throw him. Comstock pressed Burns but couldn’t maintain a hold on the smaller Burns. The match was a three out of five falls affair. Comstock started strong but faded as the match continued. The $150 purse was on the line, when the men met on Thursday, April 30, 1891. On Friday, April 24, 1891, Burns and Comstock each put up a $50 side bet to supplement the $50 dollar purse from the Rock Island, IL Sports Club. Comstock, a true heavyweight, would have a significant size and strength advantage over Burns. Based on this victory, many sporting men thought Comstock could beat “Farmer” Burns. Comstock was coming off an impressive victory over Jack Carkeek, the Cornish Wrestling Champion from Michigan. Martin “Farmer” Burns from the Public Domain
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