Mae Young was a pioneer of women’s wrestling and a WWE Hall of Famer. She had a remarkable career that spanned eight decades, from the 1930s to the 2010s. She was known for her toughness, charisma, and humor, as well as her willingness to take bumps and perform stunts well past the age of 80. She passed away on January 14, 2014, at the age of 90. What was the cause of her death and how did she live her life?
Early Life and Career
Mae Young was born on March 12, 1923, in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. She was the youngest of eight children and grew up during the Great Depression. Her mother was a single parent who struggled to provide for the family. Young had a passion for sports and wrestling since childhood. She joined her high school’s boys’ wrestling team at the age of 15, with the help of her brothers who taught her how to wrestle. She also played softball with Tulsa’s national championship team.
Young began her professional wrestling career in 1939, when she challenged then-champion Mildred Burke at a show in Tulsa. She was not allowed to wrestle Burke, but she defeated another female wrestler, Gladys Gillem, in a shoot fight. She then traveled across the United States and Canada, wrestling both men and women and winning multiple titles in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). She also toured Japan in 1954 with Burke and other female wrestlers, becoming one of the first women to do so after World War II.
WWE Fame and Legacy
Young joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1999, at the age of 76. She became part of a comedic duo with her best friend and fellow wrestler, The Fabulous Moolah. They appeared in various segments and matches with WWE Superstars, often involving slapstick humor and physical comedy. Young was not afraid to take risks and perform outrageous stunts, such as giving birth to a hand, getting powerbombed through a table by Bubba Ray Dudley, or kissing The Rock.
Young was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008, along with Moolah, who had passed away in 2007. She continued to make occasional appearances on WWE television until 2013, when she celebrated her 90th birthday on Monday Night Raw. She received a standing ovation from the WWE Universe and a cake from Vince McMahon.
Young is widely regarded as one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time and an inspiration for many generations of women in sports entertainment. In 2017, WWE introduced an all-female tournament named after her, the Mae Young Classic, to showcase new talent and honor her memory.
Natural Causes
According to WWE.com, Mae Young’s death was caused by natural causes. She had been hospitalized in December 2013 due to undisclosed health issues and was placed under hospice care at her home in Columbia, South Carolina. She died peacefully on January 14, 2014, surrounded by her family and friends.
Mae Young lived a long and extraordinary life that defied expectations and conventions. She was a trailblazer for women’s wrestling and a beloved member of the WWE family. She will always be remembered for her courage, charisma, and humor. Rest in peace, Mae Young.
