Ann Casey
Encyclopedia
Lucille Ann Casey better known by her ring name
Ann Casey, is a retired American
professional wrestler.
, she met The Fabulous Moolah
, who offered to train Casey to wrestle. Casey soon decided to take Moolah up on her offer and moved to South Carolina to train. Her first match was a tag team
match that pitted her and Judy Grable
against Rita Cortez and Brenda Scott that fall. Casey also wrestled Miss Brenda in a two out of three falls match for the opening of a December 1962 card
also featuring Fred Blassie. While working under Moolah, Casey traveled all around the United States; she was also one of the first women to ever compete in a tag team match in the state of Hawaii
. While in Hawaii, Casey fell in love with a local champion surfer and took a brief hiatus from wrestling.
Two years later, Casey returned to the continental United States and professional wrestling. She worked for promoters Vince McMahon, Sr., Vince McMahon, Jr., and Leroy McGuirk
. During this time, she wrestled Donna Christanello
at Madison Square Garden
in New York
. In 1964, she had a match that pitted her and Penny Banner
against Cara Combs and Kathy O'Brien. The following year, she defeated Kay Noble
in a match, but was defeated in another match by Bette Boucher. She was also defeated by Mae Young
in a 1968 NWA United States Women's Championship
match.
With Vivian Vachon
as her partner, Casey defeated Donna Christanello and Cara Combs in a 1970 match. In 1972, Casey discovered that her son had gotten involved in drug trafficking with a truck driver, and after she forced him to stop, the truck driver shot her five times. Although the doctors told her that her professional wrestling career was over, Casey was able to wrestle again within several months. In 1974, Moolah offered to let Casey win the USA Women's Wrestling Championship from her, and Casey was subsequently never defeated for the belt. Later that year in December, Casey also won the vacated NWA United States Women's Championship by defeating Toni Rose
in a match. She held the championship for approximately four years before losing it to Joyce Grable
. Meanwhile, wrestling magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated
recognized Casey as the "Girl Wrestler of the Year" in 1975.
Casey's last match occurred in 1990, when she defeated Judy Grable to retain the USA Women's Championship. In 2004, she was honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club
, an association for retired professional wrestlers.
, one of nine children to John and Viola Casey. John was of Irish ancestry; Viola was a Creek Indian. After the family moved to a Mississippi cotton farm, Casey attended an Agricola
Indian school. Once she graduated, she married and had a son, but soon divorced.
Casey remarried and had a daughter in the 1970s. She still occasionally wrestled, and from 1980 to 1985, she worked for the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Afterward, she received her paralegal
license, as well as a bachelors degree in criminal justice
with a minor in psychology
from the University of South Alabama
. After divorcing her second husband, she began working as a bail bondsman. Subsequently, she opened a restaurant and drove trucks.
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Ann Casey, is a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler.
Professional wrestling career
In 1962, while working at the ticket counter for a professional wrestling promotionProfessional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, she met The Fabulous Moolah
The Fabulous Moolah
Mary Lillian Ellison , better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American female professional wrestler. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildred Burke, as well as working alongside professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Buddy...
, who offered to train Casey to wrestle. Casey soon decided to take Moolah up on her offer and moved to South Carolina to train. Her first match was a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
match that pitted her and Judy Grable
Judy Grable
Nellya Baughman was an American professional wrestler who was best known by her ring name Judy Grable. She was an active wrestler during the 1950s and 1960s...
against Rita Cortez and Brenda Scott that fall. Casey also wrestled Miss Brenda in a two out of three falls match for the opening of a December 1962 card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
also featuring Fred Blassie. While working under Moolah, Casey traveled all around the United States; she was also one of the first women to ever compete in a tag team match in the state of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. While in Hawaii, Casey fell in love with a local champion surfer and took a brief hiatus from wrestling.
Two years later, Casey returned to the continental United States and professional wrestling. She worked for promoters Vince McMahon, Sr., Vince McMahon, Jr., and Leroy McGuirk
Leroy McGuirk
Leroy Michael McGuirk was an American wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He was involved in professional wrestling for more than fifty years. As one of the longest surviving members of the National Wrestling Alliance , he was affiliated with the promotion from 1949 to 1982.-Early...
. During this time, she wrestled Donna Christanello
Donna Christanello
Mary Alfonsi , better known by her ring name Donna Christanello , was a professional wrestler trained by The Fabulous Moolah...
at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1964, she had a match that pitted her and Penny Banner
Penny Banner
Mary Ann Kostecki , better know by her stage name Penny Banner, was a professional wrestler. She was best known for her time spent in the American Wrestling Association...
against Cara Combs and Kathy O'Brien. The following year, she defeated Kay Noble
Kay Noble
Mary Charlene Noble , known from childhood by her nickname Kay Noble, was an American female professional wrestler. Her career spanned from the 1950s to the 1980s, during which time she was known for her toughness in the ring...
in a match, but was defeated in another match by Bette Boucher. She was also defeated by Mae Young
Mae Young
Johnnie Mae Young is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler and currently a WWE Ambassador.Young was an influential pioneer in women's wrestling, helping to increase its popularity during World War II and training many generations of wrestlers...
in a 1968 NWA United States Women's Championship
NWA United States Women's Championship
The NWA United States Women's Championship was a sporadically used title in the National Wrestling Alliance from 1968 until 1987.-Title history:...
match.
With Vivian Vachon
Vivian Vachon
Vivian Vachon was a female professional wrestler. She was the sister of wrestlers Maurice and Paul Vachon. She was also the aunt of wrestler Luna Vachon...
as her partner, Casey defeated Donna Christanello and Cara Combs in a 1970 match. In 1972, Casey discovered that her son had gotten involved in drug trafficking with a truck driver, and after she forced him to stop, the truck driver shot her five times. Although the doctors told her that her professional wrestling career was over, Casey was able to wrestle again within several months. In 1974, Moolah offered to let Casey win the USA Women's Wrestling Championship from her, and Casey was subsequently never defeated for the belt. Later that year in December, Casey also won the vacated NWA United States Women's Championship by defeating Toni Rose
Toni Rose
-Professional wrestling career:Rose grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She decided to become a professional wrestler at the age of seven, but first attended high school and college. She trained under The Fabulous Moolah in 1965...
in a match. She held the championship for approximately four years before losing it to Joyce Grable
Joyce Grable
Betty Wade-Murphy is a American former professional wrestler better known by her ring name Joyce Grable. She was the long-term tag team partner of Wendi Richter...
. Meanwhile, wrestling magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
recognized Casey as the "Girl Wrestler of the Year" in 1975.
Casey's last match occurred in 1990, when she defeated Judy Grable to retain the USA Women's Championship. In 2004, she was honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club
Cauliflower Alley Club
The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America....
, an association for retired professional wrestlers.
Personal life
Casey was born in Saraland, AlabamaSaraland, Alabama
Saraland is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, in the United States, and a suburb of Mobile, Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 13,405. It is a part of the Mobile metropolitan area. Saraland is the third largest city in Mobile County....
, one of nine children to John and Viola Casey. John was of Irish ancestry; Viola was a Creek Indian. After the family moved to a Mississippi cotton farm, Casey attended an Agricola
Agricola
-People:*Agricola , Western Roman statesman*Agricola , son of the Western Roman Emperor Avitus*Saints Vitalis and Agricola , martyrs*Saint Agricola of Avignon , bishop of Avignon...
Indian school. Once she graduated, she married and had a son, but soon divorced.
Casey remarried and had a daughter in the 1970s. She still occasionally wrestled, and from 1980 to 1985, she worked for the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Afterward, she received her paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
license, as well as a bachelors degree in criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
with a minor in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
. After divorcing her second husband, she began working as a bail bondsman. Subsequently, she opened a restaurant and drove trucks.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Airplane spin
- Signature moves
- DropkickDropkickA dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
- Dropkick
Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley ClubCauliflower Alley ClubThe Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America....
- Honoree (2004)
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA United States Women's ChampionshipNWA United States Women's ChampionshipThe NWA United States Women's Championship was a sporadically used title in the National Wrestling Alliance from 1968 until 1987.-Title history:...
(1 time)
- NWA United States Women's Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- Girl Wrestler of the Year (1975)
- Other titles
- USA Women's Wrestling Championship (1 time)
- Southern States Ladies Championship
- Mississippi State Ladies Championship
External links
- Official Facebook Page
- Profile at Online World of Wrestling