Rise of a Star

[Old School Fan]

On 2/14/2023 at 8:18 AM, kinnikuniverse said:

Huh...the anti-hippy promo is actually not as bad as i thought i would be. Just saying that they stink is, like, way less offensive than going on a boomer rant.

 

21 hours ago, same-old-davey said:

Followed. That interview and the subsequent Sisters match must have been a hilarious get-past-the-censors moment back then.

It's interviews/promos like those, where the more charismatic stars could get as creative as they could get away with on TV, that lasted right into the real-life Attitude Era but are now, sadly, largely missing in this current era of political correctness and "cancel culture" (and, in post-Attitude Era WWE at least until his retirement, Vince McMahon virtually micromanaging every promo given by the wrestlers so they all come out sounding pretty much the same).  It's times like this when I sure miss Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin...

On 2/14/2023 at 8:18 AM, kinnikuniverse said:

Also, I'm actually siding with Ascott here, and i daresay that booking a shooting star title match with renée actually is a stupid idea that shouldn't really happen in the first place, since she was already wrestling for three years and more. So yeah, big OSW moment there 😛

Looking back on it, I think Ascott just allowed that match to go ahead as a title bout just so he could use it for another "Take that!" moment against Renée when the opportunity presented itself (just as he did when he got Renée removed from the Mildred Burke tournament, as well as when his meddling denied Renée the chance to win the California Women's title from Betty Niccoli).

[Old School Fan]

At her Columbia, South Carolina estate, Fabulous Moolah was on her home office's desk phone, talking with someone at the other end of the line.  "So, things went off as planned over there, did they?" she said to the other party.  "She didn't win any titles while she was down there this time?  Good, glad to hear that.  Okay, next time she's out that way, keep me informed.  Alright, talk to y'all later, darlin'."

As Moolah hung up the phone, Donna Christanello, one of Moolah's lieutenants, came into the office carrying some mail.  "Oh, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Donna said.

"No, darlin', it's all good," Moolah replied with a grin.  "Just got off the phone with my new Los Angeles contact and I got a bit of good news - Renée Martel just left town after her latest tour of duty with Mildred Burke's outfit, and she didn't win any championships while she was down there.  She didn't even get to take part in Burke's tournament."

"Hmm, I remember Mr. McMahon mentioning you wanting tabs kept on her," Donna said.  "I don't get it, what's the big deal about her?"

"Remember hearing when she won Burke's tournament last year?" Moolah recalled.  "And how 'bout when she won that tag team title a few months later while she was wrestlin' for Burke?"

"Sure, I remember, that was about all you were talking about for a week after Yvonne failed to stop her and she got caught and exposed as your spy and saboteur," Donna pointed out.

"I don't wanna think about that part," Moolah said.  "What's done is done there."

"Now what I really don't get is why the animosity toward her," Donna then said about Renée.  "What'd she ever do to get stuck in your craw anyway?"

"She refused to join our camp when I offered her the opportunity to do so through McMahon," Moolah stated.  "She could've had the opportunity to really make it big under my tutelage, but nooo - she had to choose loyalty to Burke over a path to stardom under me.  Why question that, anyway?"

"Well, I also remember when I was teaming with her up in Canada two years ago," Donna said.  "I mean, I got to know her during my tour there and she seems nice enough - she doesn't come across as the type to brag non-stop about what she's accomplished either."  At least not like a certain someone I'm standing here talking with now, she then thought to herself, keeping the quiet part quiet.

Moolah then turned around in her chair and stood up.  "So what now, are you lettin' that Martel girl influence what y'all think of her too?" she said, sounding slightly annoyed.  "It's bad enough as it is that McMahon holds her in esteem even though she's never worked for him - I don't need my girls goin' soft over her too!"

Donna sensed jealousy - both professional and personal - coming from Moolah regarding Renée, but she was not about to call her mentor out over it.  "Okay, you're the boss," she said to Moolah as she handed over her mail, which included the latest issue of The Wrestler, one of the wrestling magazines Moolah subscribed to.

"Believe it," Moolah said as she took the mail and returned to her desk.  "Call the girls in on your way out, it's just about lunch time - oh, and there's a fresh case of Coca-Cola in the fridge if y'all wanna grab a bottle."

"Okay, sure," Donna said before stepping out of Moolah's office.  She made her way to the spacious kitchen and went right to the fridge to grab a bottle of Coke as Moolah indicated, then went to get a bottle opener from one of the kitchen drawers when she was caught by surprise as she suddenly heard a scream come from the office, followed by the sound of an object breaking.  Setting the Coke bottle aside on the kitchen counter, she dashed back to the office to see what the problem was.  

"Lillian, what happened?" Donna said as she came back into Moolah's office and noticed broken pieces of a small porcelain vase, which had been used as a pencil holder until that point, scattered across the floor near a wall, along with the pencils and pens it had held, and the magazine sprawled across the floor while a simmering Moolah was in her chair by her desk.

"Look for yourself, on the cover," a still-fuming Moolah said as she pointed at the magazine on the floor.  Donna picked it up and looked at the front cover, which had on it the headline "ALL-GIRL SUPERCARD IN MONTREAL: Girl Grapplers Make Headway in Canada", and below it a full-color photo of Renée putting a headlock on Françoise Hardy down on the mat.  Inside the magazine was extensive coverage of the women's supercard put on by All-Star Wrestling in Montreal last November, including the main event match in which Renée regained the Canadian Women's title from Hardy.

"What, is this what's bothering you?" Donna asked while pointing at the magazine.

"I was asked by Johnny Rougeau up in Montreal to appear at an event last November 11, and I made an excuse to avoid going up there as a way to turn him down because he wanted to have me face Martel," Moolah said.  "I didn't know that event was gonna turn out to be the one in the magazine!"

"Yeah, and?" Donna simply said.

"They were a success without me as part of the card!" Moolah replied emphatically regarding the supercard and the nearly 21,000 fans it drew to the Montreal Forum.  "I could've been part of that!"

"Well, what's done's done," Donna said with a shrug of her shoulders.  "Nothing you can do about it now."

Just then, Donna's comment turned on a figurative light bulb above Moolah's head.  "Maybe there is somethin' I can do, darlin'," she said as she eyed her desk phone with an evil grin.  "Maybe there is..."

[Captain Kremmen]

Hey! What are you doing booking the same arena (Anaheim CC) that I've booked for 21 years later?! 😋

[Old School Fan]

1 hour ago, piperrulz said:

Hey! What are you doing booking the same arena (Anaheim CC) that I've booked for 21 years later?! 😋

Simply sheer coincidence, my good man.  😉

[Old School Fan]

The newest issue of the All-Star Wrestling arena program is now out, detailing some big news:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[smartman]

Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! I've got a feeling that this match may end up being more of a mess than WCW was in 2001. 3 or more masked women jump Renee then the back empties to chase them away and Moolah goes "I don't feel safe wrestling here." and leaves.

[The Blonde Bomber]

This is a pivotal point. What will happen? Will we get a spider lady situation? Will Moolah injure Martel? So many possibilities. I never even expected that this could happen. 

[Old School Fan]

All-Star Wrestling TV taping @ Centre Georges-Vézina*
March 18, 1969 - Chicoutimi, Quebec (aired March 22, 1969 on Sur le Matelas and Superstars of the Mat)
Attendance - 4,650

 

Margot Bouchard planted France Gall into the mat with a spinebuster slam to get the three-count.

Gino Brito defeated Terry White by submission via a figure-four leglock.

Ivan Koloff used a top-rope kneedrop on Pierre LaBelle** for the pinfall win.

In a non-title match, NWA World Women's Champion The Fabulous Moolah battled Renée Martel to a time-limit draw in the first-ever meeting between the veteran heel champion and the rising fan favorite star.  True to form, Moolah resorted to dirty tactics during the match and even resorted to stalling to try to frustrate Renée when she attempted to tap into her amateur training to get the upper hand over Moolah, though she did her best to try and keep up with Moolah.***

Abdullah the Butcher defeated Paul Diamond**** by pinfall following a karate thrust to the throat.

Tony Baillargeon & Dale Roberts defeated Jos LeDuc & Eric the Red when Baillargeon pinned Eric following a top-rope dropkick.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* The Centre Georges-Vézina was originally known as the Colisée de Chicoutimi when it first opened in 1949 before it was renamed in 1965 in honor of Chicoutimi native and Montreal Canadiens goalie Georges Vézina, who played on that team from 1910 to 1925 before his death from tuberculosis in 1926.

** Pierre LaBelle was another ring name used in All-Star Wrestling by Yvon "The Beast" Cormier.

*** What happened behind the scenes at this card will be revealed in an upcoming chapter (including the first pre-match meeting between Renée and Moolah, which should prove to be interesting).

**** Not the 1980s Paul Diamond of AWA fame (real name Tom Boric), but the original Paul Diamond (real name Paul Lehman) who wrestled between 1960 and 1972.

 

[Old School Fan]

March 1969

Backstage in the locker room area at Chicoutimi's Centre Georges-Vézina, Renée Martel was busy tying the laces on her wrestling boots in the staging area when Michèle Richard came through the curtain after coming back from wrestling the opening match of the night's card.  "You know," an enthused Michèle said with a sigh of relief after stopping beside Renée, "I'm actually getting to enjoy wrestling France - doing that's just like a night off for me."

"Really?" Renée said as she looked at her friend.  When Michèle nodded, Renée then added, "Funny thing about that, France told me once that's exactly what she thought about you."

"Seriously?  Even though I wrestle pretty stiff sometimes?" Michèle said while raising an eyebrow.

"That's what she told me," Renée admitted.

Moments later, France Gall came through the curtain and stopped a moment to stretch.  "So, how's the back feeling after that slam?" Michèle asked.

"Oh, it's nothing a good hot shower can't relieve," France said, "but you go easy with those spinebusters anyway, so it's no big deal."

"Good to hear," Michèle remarked.  Turning to Renée, she then said, "So, how're you feeling about facing Moolah later on?"

"I'll tell you, this isn't even a title match tonight and I still feel pretty antsy about it," Renée replied.

"I don't blame you for feelin' that way," Michèle said.  "After all the crap she's been pulling against you since you first came on her radar and you refused to join her camp, who wouldn't have their 'spider sense' tingling with doubt about Moolah before meeting her the first time?"

While Michèle was talking, Renée took notice of something out of the corner of her left eye and looked over to see what it was.  "Speaking of which," she said as she gestured subtly to get Michèle and France's attention, "you see what's going on down the hall there?"  WIthout turning their heads so as not to be obvious about it, Michèle and France took a look and saw Fabulous Moolah at the junction between the staging area and the hallway to the lockers rooms, talking with a referee.

"Is that one of the referees Moolah's talking to?" France wondered.

"Whoever that guy is, he's not one of Johnny's regular referees," Michèle noted.  "When Moolah came to the arena earlier, I saw him at the wheel of her car.  I'm thinking he's not only her driver, he might also be working for her as her personal referee."

"Of all the dirty..." Renée commented as she glanced over at Moolah again.  "Does Johnny even know about this?"

"Knowing her from what you told me Ann Cavello, Penny Banner and Judy Arnold told you," Michèle said, "I'd bet that Moolah gave him some soft-soap explanation so she could weasel that guy she's talking to onto the lineup.  If that's true, you might want to watch your back and be aware of anything fishy she pulls out there, especially if she's got that guy in her back pocket."

"If I can help it, I won't let it happen," Renée said.

A moment later, Moolah finished talking with the man, who then headed down the locker room hallway, and she began walking up the staging area toward the girls.  "Well, good evenin', y'all," the veteran NWA World Women's Champion introduced herself to the trio.

"Hello," Renée replied, feeling a bit wary about her but doing her best to try to be polite, while Michèle only nodded curtly and France said nothing.

"Now, I guess y'all know who I am, so I won't need to introduce myself formally," Moolah said in her Southern drawl.  Turning to Renée, she then added, "I do remember who you are from what I've heard about y'all through the wrestling press and from other sources - Renée Martel, of course."

"That's right," Renée said with a nod.

"Good, now that we got all the formalities out of the way," Moolah said, "let's get down to business.  I arranged to come up here after hearing about how you've been doing in the ring these past few months, especially after what I heard happened with your boss's event in Montreal last November, which I understand helped catapult you into the top five overall in the women's ratings in all the magazines they publish."

"Uh-huh," Renée said with another nod.

"Now as y'all can probably guess, I make it my business to keep tabs on other women in the wrestling business," Moolah pointed out.  "I've heard about your win in last year's tournament with Mildred Burke and the title you won while wrestling for her.  I also know about your two wins of that hunk of brass and tin you call a championship that you now possess, and as you can also guess from that...  All that don't impress me worth a damn, 'cause it sure don't compare with my twelve-plus years as World Champion."

"Now just a minute..." Renée started to say, but Moolah cut her off.

"I'm not done yet," Moolah then said as she continued her psych-out job on Renée.  "Not only don't your accomplishments impress me, you don't impress me much as a wrestler either.  I asked you through my boss Vince McMahon to come join my camp so I could train you and make you more worthy of stardom, so you could wrestle for him, make big paydays and really get your name out there - but no, you had to stick by what y'all call your principles and stay loyal to Mildred Burke.  If that's what y'all wanna do, that's your business, but I can guarantee that y'all won't get nearly as far under her as y'all would under me."

Renée scoffed at Moolah's words.  "You done yet?" she then said.

"Not nearly, but if y'all wanna get your two cents in, go ahead," Moolah said.

"Good," Michèle then jumped in, "because the only reason you're telling her all this is because you're trying to pull a psych job on her..."

"What, do you let your attack dog do your barking for you?" Moolah interrupted and remarked snidely to Renée regarding Michèle.

"No, let her finish," Renée said, then she nodded to Michèle.

"And the only reason you're doing it is because I think you're feeling threatened," Michèle resumed.  "You've heard in the magazines and from your contacts about what she's been doing, and you don't like what you're hearing and you're feeling threatened by it - enough so that you needed to resort to sending one of your girls in as your contact to keep an eye on her when she's down in Los Angeles, and to even attack her on your orders when you think it's necessary."

"I don't know who's telling you these things, but y'all sure got a healthy imagination to make stuff like that up," Moolah countered, scoffing at the accusation while attempting not to let on that she realized Renée and the others knew the truth.

"Not when one of your former girls gave you up as the one giving your contact her marching orders after she overheard you talking and she quit you over it," Michèle continued, referring to Moolah's former employee-turned-Mildred Burke loyalist Joyce Fowler, "or when that contact confessed after she got caught and exposed by me, Renée and a few others," she added, referring to Yvonne, the former Burke trainee with a grudge against Renée who quit the Burke camp and defected to Moolah.  "The moment you got given up, your hand got exposed.  Not only that, other girls who had dealings with you in the ring in the past told Renée about you because none of them trust you and they were all looking out for her, just like I'm doing now - and I'm only doing this because Renée's too polite and modest to say what I won't hesitate to say.  You did all this to her because you're jealous of Renée and the attention she's getting and you're afraid she's gonna take your spotlight and push you out altogether because she's younger, better-looking, in better shape and has way more talent than you could ever dream of having thanks to who she got trained by."

Michèle's words, true as they were, cut to the quick for Moolah, but she was not about to let it show.  "Merely your opinion, Frenchie, merely your opinion," she then retorted.

Displeased by Moolah's insulting and dismissive remark, Michèle fired back.  "Hé, vous feriez mieux de regarder ce que vous dites ou vous allez vous faire botter le cul mais bon parce que je ne prends pas de merde de pissants comme vous..." she snapped at Moolah, switching to French while pointing a finger at her.

"Enough, I'm done with you," Moolah said dismissively to Michèle, then she turned her attention to France.  "Hmm, well now - fresh meat," she said as she eyed the young French wrestler.  "She looks like someone I could reshape to my will and make use of, given the opportunity."

"Qu’est-ce qu’elle a dit?" a confused France said as she looked to Renée while pointing at Moolah.

"Look, you leave her alone," Renée, stepping up for France, then also snapped sternly at Moolah while pointing a finger at the veteran.  "This is between you and me, understand?  You want to make it about me because of your jealousy, that's your choice, but you don't come at me by going through my friends!  When match time comes, I'll see you in the ring!"

Moolah let out a derisive laugh.  "Good, good," she then remarked.  "That'll make what I have planned all the better."  With a knowing smirk, she then walked off and headed back toward her dressing room.

The girls looked back at Moolah as she walked away.  "Man, just listening to Moolah talk makes me feel like wanting to take at least two showers after she's done," Michèle commented with a shiver.

"I didn't even understand much of what she said and I feel the same way," France agreed.  "It must be in the way she said it, especially after she turned and looked at me."

"Yeah, I agree," Renée admitted.  "The way she does what she does, getting under an opponent's skin like that, makes it seem almost like a disease.  But if she's the disease," she added, looking back in the direction of the locker room hallway Moolah had earlier walked down, "then I'm about to be the cure."

Edited February 23, 2023 by Old School Fan
Specification

[Old School Fan]

In the latest issue of the All-Star Wrestling arena program, Renée Martel talks about her previous dust-ups with the Fabulous Moolah as she readies for a title match against her in Montreal:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[Captain Kremmen]

Reading about Moolah's ref, I just have one question...

Is that Dave Hebner?! Or is that Dave Hebner?!

Or maybe it's just Nick Patrick! 🙃

Good stuff. The attention to detail is amazing.

 

[Lord Byron]

And, if Renee and the others knew the full extent of Moolah's evil (which I don't know if she had started doing by this time), they'd be even more creeped out, IMO...

[Old School Fan]

21 hours ago, piperrulz said:

Reading about Moolah's ref, I just have one question...

Is that Dave Hebner?! Or is that Dave Hebner?!

Or maybe it's just Nick Patrick! 🙃

Good stuff. The attention to detail is amazing.

 

 

I was inspired for that by seeing this match video, where Moolah likewise made use of a biased personal referee:

Fabulous Moolah vs. Nancy Kumi (from All Japan Women, 1979)

(Note: Commentary is in Japanese)

[Old School Fan]

On 2/23/2023 at 5:58 AM, Lord Byron said:

And, if Renee and the others knew the full extent of Moolah's evil (which I don't know if she had started doing by this time), they'd be even more creeped out, IMO...

Which was what I had in mind in the part of the post where Moolah had her eye on France Gall, after which Renée stood up for France against her (though Renée and the other girls had no idea just how bad Moolah really was at the time - from where she stood, Renée was simply sticking up for a friend).

ITTL, if Renée had ended up accepting Vince Sr.'s offer and joined Moolah, or if Moolah had gotten her way regarding France, it seems likely she would've done to them what she did IRL to Princess Victoria (as described in that Dark Side of the Ring episode - which I just finished watching a few minutes ago as you recommended, incidentally).  What had me confused near the end of that episode was Victoria's behavior - even after what she described happened to her after the neck injury that ended her career (i.e. being pimped out by Moolah to a foreign promoter in Holland), she still inexplicably defended Moolah, just as Selina Majors, that guy running the "Fight for Moolah" campaign and several other of Moolah's girls were doing (including even Judy Martin, despite her being herself financially victimized and sabotaged by Moolah) - I guess they just chose to ignore the abuse and other issues Wendi, Sweet Georgia Brown and others who spoke out against Moolah got put through by her (and even if Moolah were still around, she'd just deny all the things that happened and probably accuse her accusers of being "jealous" of her, as Beverly Shade claimed in defending her).

Edited February 24, 2023 by Old School Fan
Info added

[Lord Byron]

ITTL, when Moolah's behavior comes out (assuming she hasn't passed away before that), methinks Renee will not be shocked at all, IMO (or, alternatively, horrified at how far it went--similar to how Colin Baker reacted when he found out just how depraved Jimmy Savile was (1))...

She'll also be one of the early supporters of Moolah's victims coming forward, IMO...

Good diary, BTW, and keep it up!!!

(1) For further reference, Colin Baker was on Doctor Who in the mid-1980s (where he played the title role) and did a special with Jimmy Savile--whom he didn't like even before he was revealed to be one of the most horrible sexual abusers ever in British history.  He wrote a column where he summarized his experience with Savile which is linked here:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2230497/Colin-Bakers-verdict-Jimmy-Savile-His-eyes-cold-behaved-like-child-indulged.html.

Edited February 24, 2023 by Lord Byron

[Old School Fan]

On 2/17/2023 at 7:04 PM, The Blonde Bomber said:

This is a pivotal point. What will happen? Will we get a spider lady situation? Will Moolah injure Martel? So many possibilities. I never even expected that this could happen. 

We'll see what happens in the upcoming post...  😮

[Old School Fan]

All-Star Wrestling @ Paul Sauvé Arena
March 24, 1969 - Montreal, Quebec

 

Eddie Auger & Pierre LaBelle defeated Andy Martin & Ben Sharkey when LaBelle pinned Sharkey.

Tony Baillargeon used a top-rope dropkick to knock Dave Smith* to the canvas for the pinfall win.

Canadian Women's Tag Team Championship - Two Out of Three Falls**

Margot Bouchard & Miss X (C) held former champions Barbara LaMarche & Claire Lepage to a time-limit draw in the third fall after each team had scored one fall.

Abdullah the Butcher defeated Dale Roberts by pinfall following a karate thrust to the throat.

NWA World Women's Championship

Renée Martel got set for her title shot against the cruel and obnoxious Fabulous Moolah (C), who taunted the heavily pro-Martel crowd with anti-Québécois slurs to get them riled up before the bell rang to start the match.  Shown by her behavior, Moolah does not like the Montreal fans and the fans likewise don't like Moolah, and neither does Martel.  Despite deafening boos, Moolah stuck to her cunning plan to try to retain her title.  Skillfully eluding Renée's scientific maneuvers for a while, Moolah inflicted nearly 20 minutes of violent brawling (including kicks and punches) and cheating tactics on the popular challenger and refused to let up when inflicting pain on her, until Renée finally had enough of Moolah's dirty tactics and began battling back, putting the World Women's Champion on the defensive with her own onslaught of fists, kicks and a few suplexes, dropkicks and clotheslines that left the overwhelmed Moolah begging for mercy.  As Martel went to pick Moolah up off the mat near the ropes, however, the veteran heel displayed her treachery and viciousness when she suddenly lashed out with a palm strike directed at Renée's face, causing her to stagger backward and fall to the canvas.

When the referee (fortunately, not Moolah's personal referee this time) went to check on Martel and noticed that she was bleeding profusely from her nose as a result of the palm strike (which had hit her flush on her nose), he went to the timekeeper at ringside and called for the bell.  As the fans booed, Moolah raised her arms in victory and gloated, thinking she had taken the match due to a referee stoppage - but instead, she got a shock when the ref forced her arm down, then went over and raised Renée's right arm in victory to the delight of the capacity crowd, declaring that she had won the match via disqualification because of Moolah's intent to injure (although Moolah retained her title because of the DQ).  Moolah then grabbed her title belt from the timekeeper's table and required arena security to escort her as she beat a hasty retreat back to the locker rooms to avoid the outraged fans, while Barbara LaMarche and Claire Lepage, along with Julie Painchaud (who was not wrestling that night, but was on hand backstage to handle first aid for the wrestlers as needed), came to the ring and joined the referee in checking on Renée, whose blood continued spilling from her nose onto her blue-and-white striped tights as she was helped up and taken back to the locker room area.***

Jacques Rougeau & Gino Brito defeated Jos & Paul LeDuc when Rougeau pinned Jos LeDuc following a knockout punch.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Not Davey Boy Smith (AKA The British Bulldog, who would've only been six years old at the time of this match), but a local wrestler.

** Margot Bouchard and Miss X, taking advantage of Barbara LaMarche and Claire Lepage being worn down by their grueling series of title defences against Shirley Hardman and Diane Syverson across Western Canada during January and February, defeated LaMarche and Lepage to win the Canadian Women's Tag Team title at a TV taping on March 4, 1969 in Chicoutimi, Quebec.

*** What happened in the aftermath of this match will be revealed in an upcoming post.

[Old School Fan]

Renée Martel was feeling somewhat loopy as she was taken through the curtain into the staging area at the Paul Sauvé Arena by Julie Painchaud (who was holding a towel to Renée's face to absorb the blood coming from her nose because of the palm strike thrown at her by Fabulous Moolah) and Barbara LaMarche shortly after her match against Moolah.  "Hang on, Renée, we're gonna get you back to the lockers so I can get a better look at your nose," Julie said as she helped her friend down toward the hallway to the locker rooms.

Johnny Rougeau, who was going over the night's match notes on his clip board while standing in the staging area, was distracted by seeing the girls approach.  "Wait a sec, what happened to you, Renée?" he asked as he noticed the nosebleed she was suffering.

"Moolah happened," the referee who had officiated the match reported, pointing out Renée's nosebleed.  "She belted her right in the face and caused that."

Moments later, the realization of what had happened hit Renée the moment she saw her own blood on the towel Julie was holding and she broke away from Julie and Barbara.  "Moolah!  MOOLAH!!!" she began yelling as she sprinted toward the hallway.  "Where are you?!  Wait'll I find you, you..."  Just then, she spotted Moolah down the hallway as the latter emerged from her personal locker room, carrying her belongings.  "YOU!" Renée snapped, then started running toward her with the intent of exacting payback against her, only for Julie, Barbara and Claire Lepage to catch up to her quickly and restrain her.

"Well, now, y'all look like quite the sight, don't you?" Moolah crowed as she saw Renée and the blood coming from her nose on her lower face and her tights, the end result of Moolah's handiwork - which she had done intentionally in a shoot, in an attempt to publicly humiliate her.

"You did this to me!" Renée snapped as she pointed at Moolah while the other girls were struggling to restrain her.  "You're gonna pay for it!"  In the midst of the melee, Michèle Richard emerged from the girls' locker room, having heard the commotion outside, and saw what happened to Renée, then looked at Moolah.

"Oh no, you've already paid yourself," Moolah retorted.  "Y'all see this belt here?" she added, lifting up her personalized NWA World Women's title belt to show Renée and to taunt her with.  "Take a good look at it, 'cause that's as close as y'all are ever gonna get to it!  I also know about you and your boss ratting me out about my referee to the commission in Quebec City and you cost me $500 over it - and I also know y'all ratted me out to the commission here to keep him out of our match!  Well, y'all know how that sayin' goes, girlie - snitches get stitches!"

"C’est ce que vous allez vous procurer, salope!" an enraged Renée then snapped at Moolah in French before she tried again to lunge at her, forcing the girls, now joined by Johnny and the referee, to again restrain her, while Moolah taunted her.

In the middle of the commotion, Michèle broke away to walk up to Moolah and confront her.  "Walk away, now, before you do something you'll end up paying for," Michèle sternly told Moolah point-blank while pointing a finger at her.

"And if I don't?" Moolah said, attempting to get defiant.

"You really want to find out?" Michèle replied, indicating Renée still attempting to get at Moolah.

Moolah looked past Michèle to get one more glimpse at the damage she had done, then smirked.  "Whatever," she scoffed before turning to leave, satisfied at what she accomplished.

With Moolah's departure, Michèle turned back to Renée and the other girls.  "Moolah's gone, Renée, take it easy and relax," she said to her friend, trying to talk her down from the rage she had been feeling caused by Moolah's actions.  "I got rid of her, I told her to leave unless she wanted to face the music from you.  Come on, let's go sit down."

Finally settling down, Renée nodded as all others present let her go.  "Sure, I'll..." she started to say, but as the adrenaline rush she had experienced wore off, she suddenly felt light-headed and started to faint, forcing Johnny to catch her.  "Get a chair for her, quick!" the All-Star Wrestling owner said to all others present.  Claire saw a chair nearby and quickly went to get it, which Johnny then guided Renée to while Julie rushed to get a first-aid kit and returned with it.

Putting her nursing training to work, Julie took a penlight from the first-aid kit and shone it in Renée's eyes to check the light reflex of their pupils.  "Ah, too bright," Renée reacted as she moved her right hand up to shield her eyes.

"Well, at least we know it doesn't appear to be a concussion," Julie said, "just a momentary attack of lightheadedness caused by the blood loss you had from your nosebleed, and probably late onset of shock from the hit to your nose after the adrenaline wore off."  Grabbing some cotton balls from a bag of that item that came with the first-aid kit, she gave them to Renée, telling her, "Here, take these and put them in your nose, then pinch your nose and tilt your head forward."

Moments later, Barbara returned from getting an ice pack for Renée's nose, as well as a wet towel to clean off the blood from her lower face.  "Here, she'll need these," she said, handing the items to Julie.  Noticing her friend pinching her nose to stem the bleeding, she then asked, "Is pinching her nose really a good idea?"

"I wouldn't recommend it if her nose was broken, but it doesn't look like it is," said Julie, whose medical training gave her some qualification to make that judgement.  "How does your nose feel otherwise?" she then asked Renée.

"It doesn't feel broken," Renée said.  "I'd have known if it was the moment I pinched my nose."

"That's a relief," Michèle remarked.  "Other than that, how're you feeling?"

Renée paused a moment to let out a sigh.  "What I'm feeling right now," she admitted, "is the next time I see Moolah, she's gonna pay for what she did, both here and over the last few days."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Having already collected her pay earlier, after she left the arena, Moolah returned to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel* where she was staying in the downtown area, grabbed a shower and went to bed.  The next morning after breakfast, she checked out, then headed to Montreal-Dorval International Airport to catch a flight back to New York City, to go from there for some matches she had booked with the WWWF.  After the matches she had had against Renée, Moolah had made a determination then and there - she would avoid having to face her personally as much as possible, as she realized just how good of a wrestler Renée really was and she knew at that point that she could not risk losing face to the talented and charismatic rising young star by being outwrestled and beaten by her - especially for the championship she had held since the NWA first decided to recognize her as champion in 1964.  At the same time, she also determined that where and when necessary, she would make things as difficult as she could get away with for not only Renée, but anyone else connected to her - including even Mildred Burke.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* The Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, which opened in 1958, would, of course, later become famous as the site of a "Bed-In" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in May-June 1969.

[same-old-davey]

Seems like that's just a fraction of the injury Moolah could have caused intentionally, so it must have been her way of warning the poor gal to stay out of her business. Of course this war isn't over, but least Renee won't be forced out of action for a long time.

[Old School Fan]

9 hours ago, same-old-davey said:

Seems like that's just a fraction of the injury Moolah could have caused intentionally, so it must have been her way of warning the poor gal to stay out of her business. Of course this war isn't over, but least Renee won't be forced out of action for a long time.

Well, Moolah drew first blood (both figuratively and literally, per the Montreal card further up) and she figures she now has the upper hand in this war, but by doing the things she did during her tour through Quebec (particularly in Montreal), all she's done is light a fire under Renée, so we'll see what happens from there.

[Captain Kremmen]

The Moolah stiff/shoot cheap shot on Martel reminded me of the time Bearcat Wright legit KO'd Fred Blassie when Blassie was supposed to defeat Wright to regain the WWA World Title and Blassie was supposed to lose it a few days later to Carpentier. Ol' Bearcat got quite the surprise in his next title defense.

Check out the rest of the story. It's surreal.

[smartman]

17 hours ago, Old School Fan said:

Well, Moolah drew first blood (both figuratively and literally, per the Montreal card further up) and she figures she now has the upper hand in this war, but by doing the things she did during her tour through Quebec (particularly in Montreal), all she's done is light a fire under Renée, so we'll see what happens from there.

 The big question is what did the NWA think of all of that? They may very well demand Moolah drop the title, if not to Renee then someone else that isn't under her thumb, and she isn't going to be happy about that at all so what happens then?

[The Blonde Bomber]

4 hours ago, smartman said:

 The big question is what did the NWA think of all of that? They may very well demand Moolah drop the title, if not to Renee then someone else that isn't under her thumb, and she isn't going to be happy about that at all so what happens then?

At this time Moolah has all the power over the ladies. Most NWA promoters didn't care about the ladies. But with the popularity it has gained in the West Coast and Quebec ITTL I do wonder if some promoters will insist she drop the belt, maybe some stay loyal too her, maybe some try to build up their own ladies to take the belt? If Moolah is taken out a power vaccum could occur, all the ladies vying for the top would be very fun to see.

[Old School Fan]

April 1969

Not long after Renée Martel's series of matches with Fabulous Moolah in Quebec, Mildred Burke had put in a request to Johnny Rougeau to book Renée in the AGWA again for some events, starting in early June; to facilitate the booking, Renée had Johnny request one of Mildred's AGWA roster to come up to do a program with her to build up a feud over Renée's Canadian Women's title.  Remembering how well Jane O'Brien had worked with Renée in one match at a February AGWA house show in Albuquerque, Mildred recommended Jane for the program, which began at the following card in Montreal:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

All-Star Wrestling @ Montreal Forum
April 7, 1969 - Montreal, Quebec
Attendance - 17,965

 

Jos & Paul LeDuc defeated Eddie Auger & Gerry Dunsey when Paul LeDuc pinned Dunsey.

Ti-Blanc Richard defeated Chin Lee by submission with a bearhug.

Tony Baillargeon defeated The Assassin* by pinfall following a top-rope dropkick.

Jane O'Brien made her Montreal debut as she faced France Gall, who, despite giving a spirited effort, was overpowered and defeated by O'Brien by pinfall following a powerslam.

Tony Angelo & Eddie Creatchman defeated Dale Roberts & Pierre LaBelle when Angelo pinned Roberts.

Canadian Women's Tag Team Championship

Renée Martel & Claire Lepage defeated Margot Bouchard & Miss X (C) by disqualification when Jane O'Brien ran in and attacked Renée as she had Miss X caught in the Alligator Clutch.

Don McClarty defeated Wild Bull Curry by disqualification due to excessive violence by Curry.

Handicap match

The Mighty Igor defeated George Cannon & Mighty Ursus when Igor used a full-Nelson to force Ursus to submit.

ASW Canadian Heavyweight Championship

Marcel Martel (C) defeated Eric the Red when Eric submitted to Martel's figure-four leglock.

ASW World Tag Team Championship**

Ivan Koloff & Abdullah the Butcher (C) battled Jacques & Johnny Rougeau to a no-contest when both teams were disqualified for excessive brawling.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Not Jody Hamilton, Tom Renesto or John Hill, but an unknown masked wrestler.

** Ivan Koloff and Abdullah the Butcher defeated Gino Brito and Tony Parisi to win the ASW World Tag Team title at an ASW house show in late-March, some time following the Fabulous Moolah-Renée Martel NWA World Women's title match on March 24.

 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Old School Fan

[Old School Fan]

NWA All-Star Wrestling @ Exhibition Gardens
April 28, 1969 - Vancouver, British Columbia

 

Eric Froelich wrestled Johnny Kostas to a time-limit draw.

Dutch Savage pinned former tag team partner John Tolos in a hotly-contested bout following a running piledriver.

Canadian Women's Championship

Renée Martel (C) battled Jane O'Brien to a time-limit draw.

Steve Bolus & Earl Maynard defeated Gene Kiniski & Bad Boy Shields when Maynard pinned Shields.

NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver)

Dean Higuchi (C) defeated Bulldog Bob Brown by disqualification when Dutch Savage ran in and attacked Higuchi; Savage and Brown double-teamed on Higuchi for a few moments until John Tolos ran in to even the sides and helped the champion chase the heel duo out of the ring.