Heidi Lee Morgan talks to VOC Nation’s In the Room Podcast

80s and 90s WWF and LPWA Star Heidi Lee Morgan was a recent guest on VOC Nation’s In the Room podcast.  She spoke openly about how difficult it was to be a student of the Fabulous Moolah, on how women wrestlers owe much of their success to Stephanie McMahon, and much more.  Here are some highlights:

On Stephanie McMahon being the reason for the Women’s Revolution in WWE:  “Had it not been for Stephanie McMahon being born – I’m sorry people, people can get (ticked) off at me, I’m going to keep it (very) real – It’s because of her and him having her that (WWE’s view of women) has changed.  That is why it’s changed, because his own daughter took an interest in (wrestling), I really don’t think they’d be where they’re at.  She is the one who allowed the movement.  Think about it:  Go back and watch and research; see when they really started giving women notoriety like it should have been… These women would not be where they are now (without Stephanie McMahon)… It’s because he had a daughter and she made him open his eyes.”

On today’s women needing to remember who blazed the trail for them:  “She (Stephanie) saw that other women could be marketable.  And those women ran with it…I would have ran with it too if they opportunity was given… Some of those women ran with getting that publicity (from Total Divas) and took advantage of it.  And why not?  Dwayne Johnson did and nobody criticized him for it…. As long as these young ladies that are in this industry that are trailblazing for the next generation, they just need to not forget who helped make them.”

On whether she could have had success in today’s generation:  “Some things in my life I was a late bloomer and other things I was ahead of my time.  I was one of the first women willing to step out on how I dressed.  There was a lot controversy – ‘Oh she shows her (butt), Oh she shows her tummy’ – No boo, I never showed my (butt).  I had legging on underneath my g-string; nothing hung out, you never saw my crotch.  I was an athlete.  I could wrestle.  I had abs that I trained my (butt) off for, so I was showing them… I was small for my generation.  Now all the women (are the size that I was) so it’s mainstream.  I was (also) a big aerialist.  I did a lot of gymnastics, a lot of crazy maneuvers.  I probably would have fit right in with the way I wrestled.  I just think I was ahead of my time for what they were looking for at that point in time.”

On being trained by the Fabulous Moolah:  “I was the last (of Moolah’s students) in 1986.  I went to the Fabulous Moolah’s school… Moolah herself spent one whole month training me in the ring, and at the time the Fabulous Moolah herself was 64 years old.  I thought that was incredible that a 64 year old women was still taking bumps and was able to articulate and teach me the fundamentals of what I needed to know.”

On the experience of going to Moolah’s school:  “I did not have the greatest experience when I was down there.  I had a six month contract.  There’s a lot of mental games that would be played.  But I didn’t have it bad like some of the girls.  But I also had a family that I knew I could go home to that would support me mentally, physically, and emotionally.  And I knew I could make it without her.  Her biggest thing for all the women was that they would never work for WWE unless they lived on her property, and she booked them from there.”

On Moolah taking a large percentage of pay and requiring a lot of dedication:  “We would have a couple of weekend warriors that would come down, but they never made it to the level that some of these women did.  The ones that trained five days a week, five hours a day – Sherri Martel, Judi Martin, Leilani Kai, Velvet McIntyre, Wendy Richter, Luna Vachon – these girls all trained at her school five hours a day, five days a week – and on the weekend we would wrestle and 25-50% of whatever we earned we would have to turn it over to her.  We were lucky that we could even pay for our gas by the time that was all done… Moolah (also) relied on those girls living there because she charged them rent.”

Link to the episode here:
http://vocnation.com