Toni Rose

{{for|the member of the Texas House of Representatives|Toni Rose (politician)}}

{{Infobox professional wrestler

|name = Toni Rose

|names = Toni Rose

|image =

|image_size =

|caption =

|height = 5'5"

|weight = 143 lbs.

|real_height =

|real_weight =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|12|22}}

|birth_place = Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|resides =

|billed =

|trainer = The Fabulous Moolah

|debut = 1963

|retired =

}}

Toni Rose (born December 22, 1945) is an American retired professional wrestler. During her wrestling career, Rose captured the NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship on five occasions; three times with Donna Christanello, and twice with her trainer, The Fabulous Moolah. Rose is also a former one-time NWA Southern Women's Championship (Georgia version).

Professional wrestling career

Rose grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2VEVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cOUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2519,1210155&dq=toni-rose+wrestler|title=Wrestling to the tune of $68,000 a year|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=2009-08-17|date=January 5, 1972}} She decided to become a professional wrestler at the age of seven, but first attended Terre Haute High School and college.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/87019043/?terms=%22Toni%2BRose%22|title=Local Female In Mat Debut|publisher=The Terre Haute Tribune|accessdate=2017-06-25|date=November 17, 1963}} She trained under The Fabulous Moolah in 1965. During her first match, which occurred in Atlanta, Georgia, her opponent Bambi Bell knocked Rose unconscious.

During a match in Australia in 1969, Rose was injured and left partially blind in one eye. In the early 1970s, Rose held the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship twice with The Fabulous Moolah.Ellison, Lillian. First Goddess of the Squared Circle, p.143–145. They first won the title in May 1970, but lost it to Donna Christanello and Kathy O'Day. During a rematch in June, Rose and Moolah regained the title. Later that November, Rose won the title, this time with Christanello. In 1972 at the Superbowl of Wrestling, they defended the World Women's Tag Team Championship against Sandy Parker and Debbie Johnson. During their reign, there was an unrecorded title change; Susan "Tex" Green and Parker won the title from Christanello and Rose in November 1971 in Hawaii, but they regained it in February 1972 in Hong Kong.{{cite web|url=https://www.angelfire.com/wrestling3/thenandnow/interviews/SusanGreen.html|title=Interview with Susan Green|publisher=Wrestling Then and Now|author=Pierce, Dale|access-date=2009-01-11}} After a three-year reign as champions, they were officially defeated for the title by the team of Joyce Grable and Vicki Williams on October 15, 1973, in New York City. It was not until October 1975 that Rose and Christanello regained the title from Grable and Williams, holding it for approximately four years.

During this time, she also wrestled against Susan "Tex" Green in Leroy McGuirk's promotion.{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/03/25/pf-395809.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720105535/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/03/25/pf-395809.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 20, 2012|title=Susan Tex Green: Prodigy to pro|author=Johnson, Steven|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=2009-08-17|date=March 26, 2004}} During her career, Rose was also a contender for Moolah's NWA World Women's Championship, but never won the title.{{cite book|title=Pro Wrestling: From Carnivals to Cable TV|author=Greenberg, Keith Elliot|publisher=Lerner Publications|year=2000|isbn=0-8225-3332-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/prowrestlingfrom00gree/page/35 35]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/prowrestlingfrom00gree/page/35}} In December 1974, Rose was in a match to crown the vacated NWA United States Women's Championship, but lost to Ann Casey.{{cite book|author=Duncan, Royal and Gary Will|title=Wrestling Title Histories|publisher=Archeus Communications|year=2006|edition=4th|isbn=0-9698161-5-4|chapter=NWA Women's US Title|page=197}}

Personal life

Rose cites Penny Banner as her favorite wrestler growing up, who she later became friend with.{{cite web|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2022/05/02/a-rare-chat-with-toni-rose/|title=A rare chat with Toni Rose|work=Slam Wrestling|first=Christopher|last=Annino|date=May 2, 2022|access-date=July 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224032428/https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2022/05/02/a-rare-chat-with-toni-rose/|archive-date=December 24, 2022|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/wrestling/for-hall-of-famer-toni-rose-there-was-life-after-wrestling/article_ead1f08e-cfeb-11ed-9f38-97a7e2ac1204.html|title=For Hall of Famer Toni Rose, there was life after wrestling|work=The Post and Courier|first=Mike|last=Mooneyham|date=April 1, 2023|access-date=July 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529110728/https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/wrestling/for-hall-of-famer-toni-rose-there-was-life-after-wrestling/article_ead1f08e-cfeb-11ed-9f38-97a7e2ac1204.html|archive-date=May 29, 2023|url-status=live}} She was married to Jack Laughridge for nearly 35 years, until his death in 2016.

Championships and accomplishments

Carolina Wrestling Hall of Fame
Class of 2021{{Citation needed|reason=Lack of source|date=July 2023}}
Lifetime Achievement Award (2021){{Citation needed|reason=Lack of source|date=July 2023}}
National Wrestling Alliance
NWA Southern Women's Championship (Georgia version) (1 time)
NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Donna Christanello (3) and The Fabulous Moolah (2){{cite book|author=Duncan, Royal and Gary Will|title=Wrestling Title Histories|publisher=Archeus Communications|year=2006|edition=4th|isbn=0-9698161-5-4|chapter=NWA Women's World Tag Team Title}}{{cite web|title=World Women's Tag Team Title|url=https://www.wrestling-titles.com/world/world-wt.html|work=wrestling-titles.com}}
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
Class of 2018{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2017/12/07/22769304.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208004048/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2017/12/07/22769304.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 8, 2017|title=Oooooh yeaaahhhh! PWHF announces Class of 2018|last=Oliver|first=Greg|date=2017-12-07|accessdate=2017-12-07|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer}}
Women's Wrestling Hall of Fame
Class of 2023{{Cite web|url=https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=165040|title=FIRST INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED FOR WOMEN'S WRESTLING HALL OF FAME | PWInsider.com|website=www.pwinsider.com|accessdate=27 March 2023}}

Footnotes

References

{{cite book|author=Ellison, Lillian|title=The Fabulous Moolah: First Goddess of the Squared Circle|year=2003|isbn=978-0-06-001258-8|publisher=ReaganBooks}}