Ida Mae Martinez
| Ida Mae Martinez | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Birth name | Ida Mae Martinez |
| Born | September 9, 1931 New London, Connecticut |
| Died | January 19, 2010 (aged 78) |
| Residence | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Ida Mae Martinez Ida May Martinez |
| Billed height | 5'2" |
| Billed weight | 125 lb (57 kg) |
| Debut | 1951 |
| Retired | 1960 |
Ida Mae Martinez Selenkow (September 9, 1931 – January 19, 2010) was an American professional wrestler in the 1950s, known as Ida Mae Martinez. After her retirement in 1960, she appeared in the 2004 documentary Lipstick & Dynamite about the early years of Women's professional wrestling in North America. In addition to wrestling, Martinez was a yodeler, releasing the CD The Yodeling Lady Ms. Ida also in 2004. Martinez also obtained a Master's Degree in Nursing and was one of the first nurses in Baltimore to work with AIDS patients.
After watching a female professional wrestling match between Johnny Mae Young and Gloria Barattini, Martinez sought out promoter Billy Wolfe. Wolfe invited her to train in Columbus, Ohio. She debuted professionally in August 1951 in Ohio. She won the Championship of Mexico in 1952. She held the title until 1953.
She retired in 1960 after remarrying. In the 1980s, she became a board member for the Cauliflower Alley Club. Martinez also was featured in the 2004 documentary about women's wrestling, Lipstick & Dynamite. In 2006, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame awarded her the Senator Hugh Farley Award for her contribution in and outside of the ring.
Ida Marilyn St. Laurent was born in New London, Connecticut and raised in North Stonington, where she lived with relatives after her mother abandoned her. She never knew her father.
Her guardians were reportedly abusive and she left home sometime between the ages of 13 and 15 to live with her cousin. She attended Norwich Free Academy, but eventually dropped out of high school. In addition to school, she worked as a yodeler and singer at country and minstrel shows. She married at age 17 and claimed that her husband was abusive. Her wrestling career began in 1948, when a customer, who was a wrestler, asked her if she wanted to wrestle. She said yes.
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