The facts, then. In the 1950s, three sisters from Decatur, Georgia, stepped into a wrestling ring and changed the sport forever. Their names were Babs Wingo, Ethel Johnson, and Marva Scott. They were the first Black women to break into professional wrestling. Their story, lost for decades, is finally being told.
The Rise of the Wingo Sisters
Babs was the first sister to sign with promoter Billy Wolfe. Wolfe was looking for Black women to draw bigger crowds, inspired by Jackie Robinson’s integration of baseball. Babs started training and her sisters followed.
Ethel Johnson, born May 14, 1935, debuted at 16 years old. She became the first African-American women’s champion. Promoters billed her as “the biggest attraction to hit girl wrestling since girl wrestling began”.
In 1952, the sisters worked three matches in Baltimore, including a tag team main event that drew a record crowd of 3,611 fans . By 1954, Ethel and Babs received top billing alongside the legendary Gorgeous George, drawing 9,000 fans at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Athletic Pioneers
Ethel Johnson was known for her athleticism. She was one of the first female wrestlers to perform a standing dropkick. She also pioneered a variation of the flying headscissors . Babs Wingo worked a more mat-based technical style, often playing the “heel” or villain to Ethel’s fan-favourite “babyface”.
They wrestled each other so often that many fans had no idea they were sisters . The younger sister, Marva Scott, born November 21, 1937, debuted in 1954 and teamed with Ethel to capture the Ohio Women’s Tag Team Championship.
All three sisters challenged Mildred Burke for the NWA World Women’s Championship . Ethel won multiple titles, including the Colored Women’s World Championship three times and the Texas Colored Women’s Championship twice . Marva continued wrestling until 1979.
Facing Racism and Danger
The racism the Wingo sisters faced was severe. Babs was reportedly threatened with a gun by a police officer. In Mexico and Japan, a fan attacked her with a piece of glass. Her sister Marva was threatened with being thrown from a skyscraper if she refused to lose a match.
Despite these dangers, they continued to perform and draw massive crowds. Ethel Johnson’s dream of wrestling at Madison Square Garden never came true. New York banned women’s wrestling during her prime years. She retired in 1976 without ever performing at the Garden.
Later Years and Legacy
Ethel Johnson died of heart disease on September 14, 2018, at age 83 . Marva Scott died of cancer on August 15, 2003, at age 65 . Babs Wingo also died in 2003.
For decades, their story was almost completely forgotten. Then, in 2017, director Chris Bournea released the documentary “Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring”. The film brought their legacy back to light.
In 2021, Ethel Johnson was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a Legacy inductee . In 2023, all three sisters were inducted into the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame . In 2024, the film “Queen of the Ring” featured the Wingo sisters, with WWE star Naomi playing Ethel Johnson.
Babs, Ethel, and Marva paved the way for every Black woman who ever stepped into a wrestling ring. They were pioneers. They were champions. They were sisters. And after seventy years, they are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Sources:
- Diva Dirt – Black History Month Spotlight: The Wingo Sisters (2026)
- Wikipedia – Ethel Johnson (wrestler)
- Wikipedia – Marva Scott (wrestler)
- Wikipedia (Spanish) – Ethel Johnson
- Diva Dirt – WWE’s bewildering exclusion of first black women wrestlers (2019)
- Wexner Center for the Arts – Lady Wrestler film page
- The Indian Express – Ethel Johnson obituary (2019)
