Actress/ pro athlete Deana “Dee” Booher aka Queen Kong aka Matilda the Hun passed away on January 7, 2022 the age of 73. She was famous for being on the 80’s hit TV show Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) broke down a lot of stereotypes being the first all-female pro wrestling show in television history. The one two punch of writer Steve Blance and creator Dave Mclane was the reason for the show’s success. Mclane later went on to create Woman of Wrestling (WOW) https://wowe.com/ , and GLOW later got a second wind when the hit Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/80114988 series starring Marc Maron https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0549505/ was created in 2017.
In a Instagram post David Mclane said “She broke down so many barriers and brought so much fun and laughter to so many people” he also added “what a gracious person and oh what gut shaking laughs were shared. To the champion of charisma may you rest in peace Queenie”.
GLOW, first aired on television in 1986 and lasted until 1990. GLOW empowered and inspired women because it welcomed different shapes, sizes and nationalities. The women were trained by pro wrestler Mando Guerrero of the world famous Guerrero pro wrestling family.
Fellow GLOW Girl Jeanne “Hollywood Basone said “she was a true pioneer and legend. I was truly honored to work with Matilda the Hun. I will always remember the good times we had, and we are all going to miss you dearly. Dedicated to you Queenie – Matilda the Hun https://www.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR0d-LQObq4d5NVoyxiyNN1aK6_5ZgoXVSDCoiNu9euYnFWZHCLmJeCaU04&v=xbhCPt6PZIU&feature=youtu.be “Basone was one of the few GLOW Girls who were on all four seasons including the pilot episode.
Standing over six feet tall and weighing an impressive 315 pounds, Booher would go against or team up with such GLOW greats as Ninotchka, Spanish Red, Farmers Daughter, Justice, Lady Godiva, Americana, Susie Spirit, Lightening, Thunderbolt, Hollywood, Vine, California Doll, Jody Haselbarth (Tulsa), Former Raiderette Annette Marroquin (Jungle Woman) WWE hall of Famer Lisa Moretti aka Tina Ferrari https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ivory , Royal Hawaiian, and Emily Dole aka Mt Fiji. Both Matilda and Fiji were harsh rivals in the ring as seen in this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug0o02CZWmI
However in real life Dee would visit Mt. Fiji who in real life were friends as seen in this video from Christmas of 2012. This truly shows how kind Dee was as a person https://www.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3m8ss0nNrspdUOI6JYCaBWqUFo0X_YgO5qe9kxyeqYq31Amw5bVUdVaoc&v=ih0K7DseGhs&feature=youtu.be
“A true legend was lost yesterday. G.L.O.W. Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling star Matilda the Hun (also known as POWW: Powerful Women of Wrestling’s Queen Kong) has passed away. Her matches against Mt. Fiji were classic. My condolences to her family, friends, fellow wrestlers, & fans” said Mike Rand official GLOW Historian.
Dee grew up in the 60’s during the height of the sexual revolution and discusses in her autobiography how that helped her later in her career. She got her start in professional roller derby and was on the world famous Chicago Hawks, the New York Bombers, Detroit Devils, the Texas Outlaws, and Los Angeles Thunderbirds team where she got her stage name “Queen Kong.” In pro wrestling she learned her signature big splash by watching legendary British pro wrestler Big Daddy aka Shirley Crabtree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh65F7WVIZQ
Dee had a notable acting career https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095338/ some of her notable roles were in Night Court, Mel Brooks “Space Balls”, Mamma’s Family starring Vicki Lawrence, Theodore Rex starring Whoopi Goldberg, and “Married with Children” starring Ed O’Neil, where she played “The Biker Chick” in an episode titled The Weaker Sex. The scene can be watched on this youtube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBcGzwXFbi8
“I remember the 1st time we met, I was catching a flight home from Vegas for the weekend, I had just started filming with GLOW and, I was barely (Lightning ⚡) I spotted her she was with Angel (Andy) , they were also flying back from a gig in Vegas , I walked over to say hi, of course I knew Matilda wouldn’t recognize me because we were just starting to filming . At first they thought I was a fan. So I eventually told her who I was. She introduced Angel to me and said when I was done with GLOW to call her, we exchanged contact info. The next thing you know we were working together on random projects while running into each other on other projects. I got to work with her on The Late Show with Ross Shafer and many others. She had a Big Heart and was both incredibly talented, and outspoken. She was a true original and fun to work with. She was an Icon, the perfect counterpart to Mt Fiji. She will be missed” said Cheryl “Lightening” Rusa GLOW, LPWA, Model, Actress and Stuntwoman https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0750550/
Dee also wrestled for POWW (Powerful Women of Wrestling) and released the rock song “I eat raw meat”. In 2017 she along with her fellow GLOW girls were honored with the highest honor in pro wrestling. They were honored with the Women’s wrestling award at the Cauliflower Allecy Club www.caulifloweralleyclub.org this was the first time that the historical organization honored a group. The Cauliflower Alley Club is pro wrestling’s only 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. They are famous for financially helping numerous people in pro wrestling during difficult times.
“In 2017, I was thrilled to meet her and host the GLOW seminar at Cauliflower Alley Club. The picture of me in the “knocker locker” is one of my favorite pictures ever. By this point she wasn’t very stable on her feet. It was all she could do to stand up and choke me. I was supporting her, but I was more than happy to do it and sell for her. It was an honor. Dee was 73 years old. RIP Queenie Booher. You are a legend” sad Pro Wrestling Broadcaster and CAC Courage award recipient Jim Valley.
By Christopher Annino Filmmaker/ Pro Wrestler/ Actor https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0030399/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
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