#3 She was known for beating up and mugging men
When it comes to honouring the greats in Professional Wrestling, we inevitably have to turn a blind eye to some of the more questionable personal lives these legends have led. The WWE still continue to honour Jimmy Snuka despite a very strong case being made that he was responsible for the death of his former girlfriend back in the 1980s.
People like Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall, despite their many personal demons, always find their way back into the WWE’s good books sooner or later.
The point is, as fans, we learn to appreciate our favourite wrestlers on two separate levels. We see the in-ring personas that entertain us and make us cheer them on to victory, but we also hear bits and pieces about who they really are outside of the ring, and the two aren’t always complementary. Mae Young is no different.
While she is celebrated as a formidable woman, striving in a male-dominated industry, her aggression and strength have often gotten her into trouble with the law. Throughout the 1940's, Young faced numerous accusations of beating up and mugging men she met in bars.
In 1949, a man named Elmer J. Nelson found himself hospitalized after a night on the town with Mae. He claims the female wrestler also robbed him of $100. According to Young, she was merely teaching him a lesson due to some improper advances, and the charges were eventually dropped.
Regardless of what happened all those years ago, the WWE still see Young as an admirable figure, worthy of championing the cause of female wrestling. Whatever your views are on this, Young is certainly not the only professional wrestler with a complicated past, and she most definitely won’t be the last.
