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Brian Damage
This edition of the ‘Answering the 10 Count’ is going to be a bit different. Instead of interviewing just one particular subject, we had the privilege to ask questions to five individuals! They include ECW’s Gary Wolf who many know as one half of the Pitbulls tag team with the late Anthony Durante, Angel Orsini who competed in ECW as The Prodigette, Sue ‘Tex’ Green wrestled since she was 15 years old and feuded with the likes of Fabulous Moolah and Donna Christanello. We also speak with Christopher Annino a former wrestler, stuntman, actor and filmmaker and lastly Vanessa Marchewka co founder of the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Ring the Damn Bell: So I see that the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame was established in 2021. Take us through the thought process of creating it and what eventually led to establishing such a well deserving place? Who was or were the people directly involved in its creation?
Christopher Annino: “The Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame’s creation began in 2021 while myself and my business partner ECW original Angel Orsini were in the beginning process of filming our documentary Circle of Champions and we had realized that despite us preserving all of these amazing female wrestlers’ history in this film. It’s our duty to justify and give worth towards both amateur and professional female wrestlers. So we assembled a team and involved the Director of Lady Wrestler Chris Bournea as well as NWA hall of Fame inductee Susan Tex Green , former WWE and NWA Women’s Champion Carlene “Jazz” Begnaud, historian Tom Burke, ECW original Gary Wolf, award winning filmmaker/ pro wrestling podcaster Mike Messier, Richie Sorrentino, Eric Simms, ECW original Jason Knight, Desiree Knight, Heidi Waters, GLOW historian Mike Rand, Vanessa Marchewka, pro wrestling historian and associate producer of The Wrestler Evan Ginzburg. It was a process to establish this however everyone who is involved has been a great help in selections and doing research. The first induction was at the ECW arena and we had gained international press instantly especially when Yahoo news did a piece on us https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jazz-madusa-luna-vachon-inducted-011613073.html
RTDB: Is there an actual brick and mortar establishment built for the inductees?
Vanessa Marchewka: “No, we want this to travel and each induction is recorded and available for free to watch on ECUSA Tv Angel Orsini’s streaming service. All the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductions will officially air on ECUSA Tv October 25, 2025.
RTDB: Who are some of the notable Hall of Fame names already inducted?
‘Pitbull’ Gary Wolf: “We would rather answer this question by explaining the value of what a pioneer or a trailblazer is. The most notable people we inducted as far as history goes is the first licensed female referee Rita Marie, first female olympic gold medalist in wrestling Iryna Merleni, the three women who broke the color barrier Ethel Johnson, Marva Scott, and Babs Wingo. The first female champion Cora Livingston. The first female superstar Mildred Burke. As far as famous “names” go, yes we inducted a lot of famous female wrestlers and they are on our website under inductees https://womenswrestlinghalloffame.com/inductees-1
Many of our inductees were Olympic, NCAA , WWE , TNA, and NWA champions. Our mission is to preserve the history of women’s amateur and professional wrestling. Our definition of the “names” that matter are the ones that took changes and broke barriers.
RTDB: For Angel Orsini… How did you get your start in professional wrestling?
Angel Orsini: I was in Japan fighting in MMA and Reggie Bennett convinced me to get into it and learn “strong style” So when I returned I found Liz Chase and began training with her which timed out perfectly for me to have my first match with Chyna. I continued my training with WWE Hall of Fame inductee Dusty Rhodes.
RTDB: As a woman, Did you suffer through harassment or any other kind of mistreatment simply based on your sex?
Angel Orsini: Yes, a lot of guys were great and they respected me as a pro wrestler. Everyone knew I was a “shooter” from BART Vale’s school. I learned this when People treat you poorly, don’t accept it. People respect people who stand their ground.
RTDB: What was the atmosphere like in the ECW locker room?
Angel Orsini: The ECW locker room was friendly but you had to earn your spot nothing was ever given to anyone. You earned and everyone respected everyone because of that fact. We were family. I love everyone of them and dearly miss those who have passed on.
RTDB: Getting back to the Women’s Hall of Fame, tell us about this year’s inductees and a little about why they were selected?
Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame Credentials
Credentials needed for nomination:
The nominee must have made a significant contribution to the history of women’s wrestling both amateur and professional in different eras. These eras include.
Era’s
-1800’s to 1910 Pre Radio-Era
History of women’s wrestling began in the 1800’s, and was featured in numerous carnivals, circuses, vaudeville and burlesque shows.
-1920’s-1950’s Radio Era
-1950’s to 1970’s Early TV Era
-1980’s to 2000 Modern TV Era
-2000’s-Present Internet Era
The following categories will be considered for being inducted to the Women’s wrestling hall of fame.
-Pioneer: This category is reserved for female wrestling trailblazers who helped pave the way.
-Amateur: This category is reserved for female Olympians and female NCAA Athlete’s.
-Professional: This category is reserved for all female professional wrestlers. “
-Non Wrestling: This category is reserved for non-wrestlers which include referee’s , coaches, managers, valet’s, promoters, executives, broadcasters, journalists, announcers, historians.
WWHOF class of 2025 include Wendi Richter, inaugural WWF/ WWE tag team champion Desiree Petersen of Canada, former WWF/ WWE tag team champions Jumping Bomb Angels (Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki), Mercedes Martinez, former WWE women’s champion Debra Marshall, former TNA champion Angelina Love, Saraya knight of England, former LPWA Champion Misty Blue Simms, original GLOW girl Jeanne Basone, NWA legend Ramona Isabella. Dark journey, ECW originals Dawn Marie, Francine, Kristina Laum of South Korea, and the first male inducted into the women’s wrestling hall of fame longtime announcer and broadcaster for LPWA Ken Resnick, NWA tag team champion Sandy Parker of Canada, Joan Marie Laurer aka Chyna, The Wingo sisters, and luchador legend La Dama Enmascarada of Mexico. The Olympic / Amateur category will include Agnieszka Wieszczek of Poland, Risako Kinjo of Japan, and Kaori Icho of Japan.
RTDB: How is each inductee chosen? Is there a committee and who is on it if so?
Christopher Annino: We have certain criteria that we base our selection on and it’s stated on the homepage. Yes there is a committee and it is made of members of the press as well as pro wrestling historians who wish to be anonymous so the nomination process can be fair. Some key people who are our ambassadors are Missy Hyatt, Jazz, Robert Jordan, filmmakers Thom DiMicco, Chris Bournea, official Chyna Cosplay Sarah Page, Carlene “Jazz”Begnaud, Susan Tex Green, historians Mike Messier, Mike Rand, Tom Burke, Evan Ginzburg, original GLOW Girl’s Cheryle Lighting Rusa, Tiffany Mellon, Marva Scott’s daughter Kim Goodwin Martin, and Lacy Traylor daughter of WWE legend Big Boss Man.
RTDB: As fans, can we attend the ceremony or watch it anywhere?
Gary Wolf: We have made it so that the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame is nomadic and it travels. There will be one more major surprise induction in September for Appalachian Championship Wrestling in Ohio https://www.youtube.com/@appalachianchampionshipwre9344 and one for ECW original Jason Knight’s Assault Championship Wrestling https://assaultchampionshipwrestling.com
RTDB: Any memorable road stories anyone willing to share?
Sue ‘Tex’ Green: January 1977 in Texas at the Historic Dallas Sportatorium for All-Star Wrestling, I beat the Fabulous Moolah in a legitimate shoot fight. I forced her to tap out and I took her title after she slapped me in the face. Before the match Mike Mazurki was the referee and gave instructions to both of us, and Moolah, instead of shaking my hand, slapped me in the face as hard as she could. I told her “Beat me if you can!” and I proceeded to put her in a Indian deathlock which puts pressure on the knees and legs. Within seconds Moolah (Lillian Ellison) was forced to tap out and squeal the words “I quit.” So her so called 20 year streak of being the champion wasn’t that legit.
The promoter was Fritz Von Erich, and the title actually wasn’t his; it was Moolah’s herself. So Moolah had contacted Vince Mcmahon Sr to ask to get the title back. Vince Sr was forced to buy the belt back from me, and both he and Moolah had to agree to my terms in regards to employment. My stipulations were I wanted the freedom to work anyplace I wanted and book anyplace I wanted to. I still worked for Moolah from time to time, but it was under the radar because I beat her in D prior to the incident for nine years, Moolah had Susan living on her property, and she was in charge of booking her. I lived on Moolah’s and she had 25 acres of property, and we were in charge of the upkeep of the place. We all had jobs. My job was to mow the lawn with a push mower. She would only book us if she needed money or if we owed her money. It was like slavery, and Moolah would take at least half her paycheck as she did with the other girls as well.
For more information on the Women’s Hall of Fame, here is the link to the website’s homepage www.womenswrestlinghalloffame.com
For past inductions you can watch ECUSA TV either live https://www.ecusatv.com/watch-live/ or download the app https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ecusa-tv/id1665898621 Check out the official preview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG8bFHnjXOM “
For more info on Christopher Annino go to his IMDB page…https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0030399/?ref_=fn_all_nme_2