Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling Wiki

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For the Netflix series, see GLOW (TV series).
Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
Acronym G.L.O.W.
Founded 1986
Style Women's professional wrestling
Headquarters Las Vegas, Nevada (1986-1992)
Founder(s) David McLane
Owner(s) Meshulam Riklis (1986–2001)
Ursula Hayden (2001–present)
Website gorgeousladiesofwrestling.com

Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, also known as GLOW or G.L.O.W., is a women's professional wrestling promotion begun in 1986 (the pilot was filmed in December 1985) and continued in various forms after it left television. Colorful characters, strong women, and over-the-top comedy sketches were integral to the series' success. Most of the performers were actresses, models, dancers or stunt women hoping to enter show business.

Original promotion[edit | edit source]

GLOW was created by David B. McLane, based on his seeing the reactions of fans to women's wrestling when he was an announcer and promoter with the World Wrestling Association, run by Dick the Bruiser. The Bruiser didn't think it would work in his home town of Indianapolis. Women's wrestling was regarded as a novelty act and McLane was advised to drop the idea.

McLane went to Hollywood, posting casting notices in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Over 500 women showed up to audition at Gold's Gym.[1] From that group, a dozen women began six weeks of training in a gym at 108th and Broadway in Watts. Mando Guerrero initially trained the women before McLane brought in wrestling veteran Cynthia Peretti, known in wrestling as Princess Jasmine, to do the training. Peretti also wrestled as the character known as Pepper.

McLane formed a partnership with the television distribution company known as the Independent Network Incorporated (INI), headed by former Lorimar-Telepictures executive, Irv Holender. Holender's previous credits had included producing Gumby, which was revived about the same time. It was through Holender that McLane met Meshulam Riklis, chairman of Rapid-American Corporation, a conglomerate of companies, which included ownership of the Riviera Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Riklis arranged for GLOW to be hosted from the Riviera Hotel. Holender’s firm was in charge of distribution and McLane headed the venture. Matt Cimber, who had recently directed the movie Butterfly, starring Riklis' then wife Pia Zadora, was brought in to provide creative services and direct the shows.[2]

A number of the original dozen GLOWs moved to Las Vegas[3] and were supplemented by local girls, many who had been showroom dancers. Lauri Thompson, now a Las Vegas attorney,[4] played Susie Spirit. She was lead dancer in the Folies Bergère at the Tropicana. Thompson recruited other dancers, creating a recruiting chain of other friends and dancers.[1] One of those, Lorilyn Palmer, who played Colonel Ninotchka, took over training the new women.[3]

The show was introduced at the 1986 NATPE Convention. Following the successful initial sale to 30 major television markets in the US and 6 other countries, McLane brought in Jackie Stallone, mother of Sylvester Stallone, to play kayfabe GLOW owner and the manager of the Good Girls. Kitty Burke as Aunt Kitty, was the manager for the Bad Girls. Stallone had been promoting a physical fitness gym for women only.

The syndicated GLOW TV show was produced for four seasons (1986–1990). Season 1 and 2 were shot at the Riviera on Saturday afternoons with a casino crowd. McLane and the majority of the original cast left the company in a dispute over the domination of low brow, blue, Hee Haw style comedy Cimber had infused into the show. McLane's new promotion became Powerful Women of Wrestling. Seasons 3 and 4 were filmed at a former warehouse building approximately three miles east of the Riviera hotel, currently a Harley-Davidson outlet. Cimber cast new actresses to play the wrestlers.

They wrestled approximately eight matches per live event.[3] The show itself differed from Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in that the venture held live events only for the purpose of taping television programming, versus running live shows in various city locations each week. They had actual television seasons consisting of 26 episodes that were each rerun once to complete the year, with a total of 104 episodes produced and aired. As Cimber focused on producing, Andrew Hecker directed later episodes. A fifth season was being shot when the show went off the air in financial turmoil. Hecker directed an initial revival attempt in 1991, which became the pay per view special GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling: Canvas Carnage, which included clips from every performer in the company's history including McLane's return as host.[5] McLane later created Women of Wrestling, also directed by Hecker, in 2000.

McLane performed as the ring announcer and host for Seasons 1 and 2. McLane’s announcing voice was replaced in Season 2 to add more comedy feel to the episodes, using Miles Headlock (a computer generated knock-off of Max Headroom),[6] and "Motormouth" Mike Morgan (who sounded a lot like Howard Cosell). Steve Blance was the senior referee in Season 2 before becoming GLOW's "commissioner" in Seasons 3 and 4. He was the regular recipient of a GLOW Girl beatdown in Season 2. Johnny Cafarella (as "Johnny C.") hosted Seasons 3 and 4, was the figurehead owner (buying David McLane's "interest" in a storyline) and also served as company manager after the departure of McLane in 1987.

James Maybury of Lowell, was President and founder of the "GLOW Fan Club" from 1987 to 1990. He has the world's largest collection of GLOW memorabilia and is currently seeking funding to open a GLOW museum in Dracut, Massachusetts.[7]}}

Each of the GLOW performers had their own rap song (personalized lyrics using the same backing track). It was shown on videotape prior to that wrestler's match. Similar to other wrestling promotions' use of wrestler-specific entrance themes, this gimmick may have been influenced by the Chicago Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle". The music for the rap was written by Hank Doing, who did the music for the first two seasons supervised by Morris I. Diamond. Music for Seasons 3 and 4 was created by Brian Bogle and Ed Ryba under the name "Music out the Yang".

Revival[edit | edit source]

The GLOW company has been owned and operated since 2001 by Ursula Hayden, who portrayed Babe the Farmer's Daughter, Princess of Darkness and Donna Matrix. Her first venture with GLOW was a sold out 2003 live event at the El Rey Theater in Hollywood California. Followed by a DirecTV pay-per-view produced by Ursula Hayden and Johnny Cafarella Glow's ring announcer season 3 & 4.

In April 2012, GLOW returned to Las Vegas for a show that reunited former GLOW participants Hollywood, Babe the Farmer's Daughter, Gremlina, Lightning, Thunder Bolt, Melody Trouble Vixen (MTV), Ashley Cartier, Godiva, Daisy, and Corporal Kelly. The show also featured new GLOW wrestlers, including Sara Deathray and VH1.

Documentary[edit | edit source]

A documentary film entitled GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling was completed in late 2011. The film was directed by Brett Whitcomb, written by Bradford Thomason, and features the music of ESG. GLOW: The Story of The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling premiered at Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival to positive reviews, and has since been featured in New York Magazine, LA Weekly, RogerEbert.com, VICE, /Film, The Village Voice, and Mental Floss magazine. The film recently won the Best Documentary award at Comic-Con International Film Festival in San Diego, CA, and Audience Choice Best Documentary at Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL.[8][9][10]

Alumni[edit | edit source]

Character Actress(es) Seasons
Americana Cindy Maranne 1, 2
Amy The Farmer's Daughter Trudy Adams 2
Angel Andrea Laird 2
Ashley Cartier Nadine Kadmiri 1, 2
Attache Laura Fisher 1, 2
Babe The Farmer's Daughter Ursula Hayden 3, 4
Beastie Kelle Favara 3, 4
Big Bad Mama Lynn Braxton 3, 4
The Brat Brittany Astor 5
Broadway Rose 1 Eva Chirumbolo
Broadway Rose 2 Andrea Janell 3
Brunhilda Deann Murray 4
The California Doll 2 Jane Hamlin 1, 2
The California Doll 1 Lynda Aldon Pilot
Cheyenne Cher Dee Chocktoot 3, 4
Colonel Ninotchka Lori Palmer 1–4
Corporal Kelly Olympia Hartauer 1
Corporal Kelly 2 Lillian Weaver Crabtree 3
Daisy Helena LaCount 3, 4
Dallas Debi Pelletier 1
Debbie Debutante Ann LaBree 1, 2, interim 3
Dementia 2 Nancy Daley 3
The Widow Nancy Daley 4
Dementia, Sugar Michelle Duze 2
Ebony 1, 2
Evangelina Christy M. Smith 3
Godiva Dawn Maestas 3–5
Gremlina Sandy Manley 3, 5
Habana Christina Garcia 3
The Heavy Metal Sisters
The Housewives, Arlene and Phyllis
The Hicks, Sara and Mabel
Sharon "Spike" Wilinsky and Donna "Chainsaw" Wilinsky 1, 2
Hollywood Jeanne Basone 1–5
Jailbait Trish Casella/Trish King Casella 3 (Unaired), 5
Jungle Woman Annette Marroquin 1
Justice Narice Crockett 3, 4
Liberty Penny Johnson 3
Lightning Cheryl Rusa[11] 3–5
L'il Mama Jerrie Micheline Swoopes 5
Little Egypt Angelina Altishin 1, 2, 5
Little Feather Kuno 1
Little Fiji Nha Woo 1–3
Major Tanya Noelle Rose 3, 4
Matilda the Hun Dee Booher 1, 2
Melody "Trouble" Vixen (MTV) Eileen O'Hara 3–5
Mika the Headhunter Mikaela Karr 1
Mina the Headhunter 1
Mana the Headhunter 1, 2
Mountain Fiji Emily Dole 1–4
Olympia Debbie Pavlica 1
Palestina Janeen Jewett 1, 2
Pepper Cynthia Peretti 1
Princess of Darkness Janet Bowers 1, 2
Roxy Astor Tracee Meltzer 3–5
The Royal Hawaiian April Homm 1
Sally The Farmer's Daughter Beckie Mullen 1, 3
Salt Charli Haynes 1
Scarlet the Southern Belle Janice Flynn 1
Shannon Obrien Tresha Bowers Unaired Episodes
Sneaky 3, 4
The Soul Patrol, Envy and Adore Carmen "Envy" Campbell, Teressa "Adore" Sherrod 1, 2
Spanish Red Ericka Marr 1, 2
Star Suzanne Duplessis 3, 4
Stinky Michelle Javas 3, 4
Sunny Patricia Summerland 3
Susie Spirit Laurie Thompson 1, 2
Tammy Jones Debbie D'Amato 1
Tara the Southern Belle Shiela Best 1, 2
Thunderbolt Dana Felton Howard 3
Tiffany Mellon Sandra Margot 3–5
Tina Ferrari Lisa Moretti 1, 2
Tulsa Jody Haselbarth 2 (interim), 3, 4
Vallerie Vendetta Sarah Del Ray 5
VH1 Taeler Hendrix (wrestler) 2012 Battle Royal
Vicky Victory Peach Janae 3, 4
Vine Janet Bowers 1–3
Zelda The Brain Marie Moore 3, 5

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lawrence, Christopher (2017-06-21). "A look back at Vegas wrestling show 'GLOW' before Netflix debut – Las Vegas Review-Journal". Reviewjournal.com. Retrieved 2017-06-26. 
  2. Fleming, Kirsten (1988-05-04). "These 'Gorgeous' ladies were the true pioneers of women's wrestling | New York Post". Nypost.com. Retrieved 2017-06-26. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Oliver, Greg (April 13, 2000). "'Slop' matches haven't stopped Ivory". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-08-16. 
  4. "Lauri S. Thompson - Intellectual Property attorney - Greenberg Traurig LLP". Gtlaw.com. Retrieved 2017-06-26. 
  5. GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling: Canvas Carnage (Video 1991), retrieved 2017-06-27 
  6. G.L.O.W. Line-Up of Show #07 (Season 2), YouTube video, 2009-04-11, retrieved 2017-06-21 
  7. "Hollywood Flashback: GLOW Smashed Pro Wrestling's Glass Ceiling in 1986". Hollywood Reporter. 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2017-06-26. 
  8. "The Woman Who Invented Phone Sex and Wrestled Bears - VICE". Vice. Retrieved 2017-03-15. 
  9. Cruz, Araceli (2012-06-21). "Angelina Altishin, GLOW Female Wrestler, on GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling". Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/news/angelina-altishin-glow-female-wrestler-on-glow-the-story-of-the-gorgeous-ladies-of-wrestling-6665854. 
  10. Babayan, Siran (2012-08-22). "G.L.O.W.'s Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, the Female WWF From the '80s, Reunite at Cinefamily". L.A. Weekly. http://www.laweekly.com/arts/glows-gorgeous-ladies-of-wrestling-the-female-wwf-from-the-80s-reunite-at-cinefamily-2371864. 
  11. "THE WORLD OF GLAMAZON QUEEN KONG | The World of Glamazon". queenkong.com. Retrieved 2017-03-15. 

External links[edit | edit source]


Category:1986 American television series debuts Category:1990 American television series endings Category:1986 establishments in Nevada Category:American professional wrestling promotions Category:American professional wrestling television series Category:Companies disestablished in 1990 Category:Entertainment companies established in 1986 Category:First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Category:Performing groups established in 1986 Category:Professional wrestling in the Las Vegas Valley Category:Women's professional wrestling promotions