Velvet McIntyre (born November 24, 1962) is an Irish-Canadian retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. After beginning her career in 1980, she wrestled in American

independent promotions In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor league for pro wres ...

before joining the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(WWF, now WWE). She had rivalries with both

The Fabulous Moolah Mary Lillian Ellison (July 22, 1923 – November 2, 2007) was an American professional wrestler better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildr ...

and

Sherri Martel Sherry Schrull (née Russell; born February 8, 1958 – June 15, 2007) was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri. Martel began her professional wrestling career in the ...

and held the

WWF Women's Championship WWF may refer to: Non-profit organizations *World Wide Fund for Nature or World Wildlife Fund, a nature conservation group *World Water Forum, an international forum for water issues *Working Women's Forum, a training, trade and credit union in In ...

and

WWF Women's Tag Team Championship The WWF Women's Tag Team Championship was a women's professional wrestling tag team title in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The belief its holders were considered world champions was expressed by Jesse Ventura, an announcer for s ...

. After the WWF's women's division went on hiatus in the 1990s, McIntyre wrestled in several Canadian promotions, holding several championships. McIntyre wore wrestling boots for the first four years of her career, but later wrestled barefoot when someone took one of her boots as a joke and she was forced to wrestle without them. Wrestling barefoot subsequently became one of her trademarks, as well as her high flying wrestling maneuvers.

Professional wrestling career

Canada (1981–1984)

Growing up in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, McIntyre had three brothers with whom she wrestled. After finishing high school, she moved to Oregon in 1980 to train with

Sandy Barr Ferrin Charles Barr (January 21, 1938 – June 2, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, referee, promoter and trainer who spent his career mostly in the Western United States and Canada. Under the name as Sandy Barr, he was best known for h ...

, under whom she trained with her future opponent and

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

partner, Princess Victoria. McIntyre made her professional wrestling debut in Idaho in 1980, and began wrestling full-time three months later. She then joined Vancouver's

All Star Wrestling All Star Wrestling (ASW) is a British professional wrestling promotion operated by Brian Dixon and based in Birkenhead, England. Founded as Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead in October 1970, it has also been known over the years as All Star P ...

in 1981, where she feuded with Princess Victoria. She continued to feud with Victoria for the remainder of the year in both singles and tag team matches in Vancouver and the

NWA Pacific Northwest Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. T ...

under promoter Don Owen. In 1982, she joined the

, where she began teaming with Princess Victoria, and in March, the duo lost a series of matches against the team of

and

Wendi Richter Victoria "Wendi" Richter (born September 8, 1961) is an American retired professional wrestler. She began her professional wrestling career in companies such as the National Wrestling Alliance, where she teamed with Joyce Grable, with whom she ...

. McIntyre defeated Richter in two separate matches in

Bill Watts William F. Watts Jr. (born May 5, 1939) is a retired American professional wrestler, promoter and former American football player. Watts garnered fame under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a promoter in the Mid-South Un ...

's Mid-South Wrestling Association. In November and December 1982, McIntyre worked for

Stampede Wrestling Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the prom ...

, where she teamed with Judy Martin against Richter and

Joyce Grable Betty Wade-Murphy (born November 9, 1952), better known by her ring name Joyce Grable, is an American former professional wrestler. She was the long-term tag team partner of Wendi Richter. She held the NWA United States Women's Championship once ...

; the feud between the two teams resumed in April 1983 in

Verne Gagne Laverne Clarence Gagne (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling ...

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...

. In May 1983, McIntyre returned to Stampede Wrestling, where she continued her rivalry with Richter and Grable. This time, she teamed once again with Princess Victoria. Victoria and McIntyre won the

NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship is a women's professional wrestling tag team championship defended in member promotions of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). History From the early 1950s through 1983, it was the first women's w ...

on May 13 in Calgary.

World Wrestling Federation (1982; 1984–1988)

In 1983, the World Wrestling Federation withdrew from the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

, and when McIntyre and Victoria rejoined the promotion in 1984, they were immediately recognized as holding the

. The duo defended the championship against the team of Wendi Richter and

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

Desiree Petersen Desiree Petersen is a professional wrestler. She was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and once held the WWF Women's Tag Team Championship. Wrestling career In 1982, Desiree Petersen met Stu Hart. Hart would not train her, but referred her for train ...

later replaced Victoria in the team when Victoria had to retire due to a neck injury and the new duo lost the title in August 1985 to Judy Martin and

Leilani Kai Patty Seymour (born January 23, 1960) is a semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Leilani Kai. She began training with The Fabulous Moolah right after finishing high school. In the 1980s, as part of the World Wrestling F ...

(known as

The Glamour Girls The Glamour Girls was a female professional wrestling tag team. The members were Judy Martin and Leilani Kai History Early career and training Leilani Kai was trained by The Fabulous Moolah in 1975 right after she finished high school at ' ...

) in Egypt. McIntyre then began wrestling as a singles wrestler, immediately feuding with

, unsuccessfully challenging her at

Wrestlemania 2 WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The event took place on April 7, 1986 (a Monday), making ...

(the referee counted the pin on McIntyre despite her left leg being draped over the bottom rope which should have stopped the count).It was necessary as her wrestling suit's right strap had broken during her failed top rope splash onto Moolah so they had to do this.Some speculated she was promised she'd win the title that night to get her to wrestle Moolah who she hated and cost her the chance to wrestle on an all women's wrestling tour of Syria. She won the

on July 3, 1986 when she defeated Moolah at the

Brisbane Festival Hall Brisbane Festival Hall was an indoor arena located on the southern corner of Albert Street and Charlotte Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It operated from 1910 to 2003, before being demolished to make an apartment building. History T ...

on the WWF's 1986 Australian tour, but Moolah regained the title six days later at the

Sydney Entertainment Centre Sydney Entertainment Centre (later known as Qantas Credit Union Arena) was a multi-purpose arena located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished in 1970 to make way for the E ...

(the only two times the WWF Women's Championship changed hands in the Southern Hemisphere).This title change was never acknowledged by the WWF though some websites like Facebook have a picture of McIntyre wearing the WWF's women title. Shields, Brian. ''Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s'', p.87 Years later, Moolah called McIntyre the best female wrestler in Canada. In 1987, McIntyre consistently lost matches to Moolah and

. She also competed at the

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...

, teaming with Moolah, Rockin' Robin, and the

Jumping Bomb Angels The Jumping Bomb Angels were a female Japanese professional wrestling tag team. The members were Noriyo Tateno and Itzuki Yamazaki, Itsuki Yamazaki. History Japan Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki formed one of the most well-known teams on th ...

against Martel, Leilani Kai, Judy Martin, Donna Christanello, and

Dawn Marie Dawn Marie Psaltis (born November 3, 1970) is an American actress, nurse and a retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling valet. She is perhaps best known for her appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the Smac ...

, herself eliminating both Christanello and Martel by pinfall before being eliminated by Kai. By 1990, the WWF women's division was again on hiatus.

Return to Canada (1993–1998)

After leaving the WWF, McIntyre continued to wrestle sporadically on the independent circuit. At that time, there were not many opportunities for females in the business. She competed in the Women's Pro Wrestling organization in the early 1990s. In November 1993, she won the Canadian Wrestling Alliance's Women's Championship from Iron Maiden, but lost it to Iron Maiden again in January 1994. They continued to feud into 1996, when the two women joined Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling, where the two traded the Women's Championship, which McIntyre held for two months. In September, they competed in a strap match—a match where the wrestlers must compete while connected via a leather strap—in which McIntyre was victorious. In November 1997, as a part of the International Championship Wrestling, she won the WWWA Women's Championship from

Bertha Faye Rhonda Ann Singh (February 21, 1961 – July 27, 2001) was a Canadian professional wrestler. After training with Mildred Burke, she wrestled in Japan under the name Monster Ripper. In 1987, she returned to Canada and began working with Stampede ...

. She also held the ICW Women's Championship, which she lost in July 1998.

Personal life

It is a common misconception that McIntyre is the daughter of professional wrestler Stan Mykietowich. McIntyre retired from wrestling in 1998 after discovering she was pregnant, and she later gave birth to twins. In her spare time, she makes and sells crafts.

Championships and accomplishments

* Canadian Wrestling Alliance ** CWA Women's Championship (1 time) *

Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) (formerly known as NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling and Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling) is a Western Canada-based professional wrestling promotion and a former member of the Nati ...

** ECCW Women's Championship (1 time) * International Championship Wrestling ** ICW Women's Championship (1 time) ** WWWA Women's Championship (1 time) *

NWA Texas Women's Championship The NWA Texas Women's Championship is the National Wrestling Alliance's women's professional wrestling championship in the state of Texas. Title history See also *Jim Crockett Promotions *National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestl ...

(1 time) **

NWA United States Women's Championship The NWA United States Women's Championship was a sporadically used women's professional wrestling championship in the National Wrestling Alliance from 1968 until 1987. Title history Footnotes See also *List of National Wrestling Allianc ...

(1 time) **

NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship The NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship is a women's professional wrestling tag team championship defended in member promotions of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). History From the early 1950s through 1983, it was the first women's w ...

( 1 time) - with Penny Mitchell *

( 1 time) **

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) - with Princess Victoria (1) and

(1)

Footnotes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McIntyre, Velvet 1962 births Canadian female professional wrestlers Irish emigrants to Canada Living people WWF/WWE Women's Champions Irish female professional wrestlers Stampede Wrestling alumni 20th-century professional wrestlers