Photo: WWE's Natalya Shares Throwback Pic With Wrestling Legend Mae Young

By Danny Wolstanholme
The late Mae Young appearing on "WWE Raw" WWE

Yesterday, current WWE star Natalya remembered the late Mae Young on her birthday. Along with a classic backstage photo of her, Young, and Beth Phoenix, Natalya wrote on X, "I remember the first day I met Mae Young. She told me all about wrestling Mildred Burke. I loved hearing her stories and her perspective on women's wrestling. She was a one of a kind and a very strong woman inside and out. Love you, Mae. Happy birthday!"

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Natalya shared her photo and remarks on top of Bully Ray's birthday post for Young. The ECW legend — who once powerbombed the WWE Hall of Famer through several tables from the stage during an episode of "WWE Raw" — also pointed out that the former NWA United States Women's Champion would have turned 101 if she were still alive today. Although she played a comedic role during her run with WWE, Young had an illustrious career inside the ring, which began somewhere between the late 1930s and early 1940s. She wrestled all over the United States, before flying over to Japan in the 1950s to perform at various World Ladies Pro Wrestling Big Competitions shows. Notably, Young was one of the first non-Japanese female wrestlers to perform in Japan following World War II. 

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She later retired from the ring in the 1970s, but was convinced to put on her wrestling boots once again for the late Fabulous Moolah's Ladies International Wrestling Association promotion in 1993. Six years later, Young and Moolah signed with WWE. Young passed away in January 2014, but her legacy was honored when WWE created the Mae Young Classic Tournament in 2017, which featured some of the best female wrestlers from around the world. The tournament has been discontinued since 2018.

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