John Cosper

RIP and respect for Elvira Snodgrass who passed awy on this date in Pro Wrestling History, September 28th, 1956 at the age of 44. She was a star of the 1940s and early 1950s, billed as a tough “hillbilly rassler.” Her real name is given in different sources as Gutherine Fuller or Catherine (Katherine) Hazelbaker/Duvall. She was from the South (Louisiana or Tennessee, depending on the account) and was often billed from whatever state the promoter needed. She debuted around 1941 and regularly challenged Mildred Burke for the women’s world title. She worked a rough, brawling style and was considered one of the toughest women of that era. Promoters sometimes claimed she and Burke drew huge crowds (the 18,000 figure in Louisville is considered exaggerated). In 1952 she was badly injured in a single-car accident near Covington/Florence, Kentucky, and lost an arm. That effectively ended her in-ring career. She is the subject of the book The Ballad of Cousin Elvira by @johncosper at eatsleepwrestle.com