Gladys Helen Nevins (February 26, 1926 – March 4, 1984), better known by her ring name Helen Hild, was an American female professional wrestler and model.[4] In her career, Nevins wrestled for extended periods of time for various wrestling promotions: All-Star Wrestling, Big Time Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Central States Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club, NWA Mid-America[5] and the World Wide Wrestling Federation.[5][2][1]
| Helen Hild | |
|---|---|
 Promotional photograph of Helen Hild | |
| Birth name | Gladys Helen Nevins |
| Born | February 26, 1926[1] Omaha, Nebraska, United States[2] |
| Died | March 4, 1984 (aged 58)[2] |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Ted DiBiase |
| Family | Ted DiBiase Jr. (grandson) Mike DiBiase (grandson) Brett DiBiase (grandson) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Betty Hild Gladys Galento Gladys Hild Gladys Wills Helen Held Helen Hild[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[3] |
| Billed weight | 128 lb (58 kg)[3] |
| Debut | 1946 |
| Retired | 1971 |
Early life edit
Nevins was born in Omaha, Nebraska and had a brother named Marv who played football for University of Nebraska Omaha.[6]
Professional wrestling career edit
Hild wrestled through the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.[7][8][9] One of the top female wrestling stars in the U.S. during the 1940s and 50s,[10] she challenged Mildred Burke for the NWA World Women's Championship several times between 1948 and 1951. Hild was often a rival to The Fabulous Moolah.[11][12][13][14][15] Their encounter in Seattle, Washington on August 9, 1957, was the first woman's wrestling match to be held in the city in 12 years.[16]
Personal life edit
Nevins gave birth to a son named Theodore Marvin, later known as wrestler Ted DiBiase, in 1954, fathered by Ted Wills, an entertainer and singer.[17][18] She later married fellow wrestler "Iron" Mike DiBiase, who adopted Theodore.[19][20][21][22][23][24] After Mike's death during a 1969 wrestling match, she became depressed and began to abuse alcohol.[4]
Championships and accomplishments edit
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked her # 37 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in PWI's The Women of Wrestling in 1996.[10]
- PWI ranked her # 38 of the best 100 female singles wrestlers in PWI's 100 Hottest Women of Wrestling in 2002.
- Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame (2019)
References edit
- ^ a b "Helen Hild". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
- ^ a b c d "Helen Hild". wrestlingdata.com.
- ^ a b "Helen Hild". cagematch.net.
- ^ a b "WRESTLER FROM Dl". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, IL: newspapers.com. May 14, 2009. p. 32.(subscription required)
- ^ a b "Helen Hild: Matches". cagematch.net.
- ^ Darren, Ivy (2015). University of Nebraska-Omaha Football. Arcadia Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 978-1467114615.
- ^ "Hanson Meets Red Devil: Mae Young Wrestles Helen Hild". news.google.com. The Deseret News. April 15, 1948.
- ^ "Hild Decisions Dotson In Wrestling Feature". news.google.com. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. January 7, 1953.
- ^ "Hild, Wright Take Girls' Wrestle Royal". news.google.com. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. February 4, 1958.
- ^ a b Melby, James C. (1996). "The 50 Greatest Woman Wrestlers of All-Time". Pro Wrestling Illustrated Presents: The Women of Wrestling. 1 (1). London Publishing Co.: 29.
- ^ Jesse Collings (January 9, 2016). "Introducing A New WINC Feature: The 50 Greatest Wrestlers Of The Last 50 Years". wrestlinginc.com.
- ^ "Stojack Winner In Feature Bout". news.google.com. Spokane Daily Chronicle. August 2, 1957.
- ^ "Frank Stojack Risks Mat Time". news.google.com. The Spokesman-Review. Aug 1, 1957.
- ^ "The Fabulous Moolah to Wrestle Again". news.google.com. The Spokesman-Review. Jul 28, 1957.
- ^ "Big Crowd Sees Women Graplers". news.google.com. The Spokesman-Review. Jul 25, 1957.
- ^ "WHOOPS, MY DEAR". Owensboro Messenger. Owensboro, Kentucky. August 9, 1957.
- ^ DiBiase, Ted (2008). Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man. Pocket Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-4165-5890-3.
- ^ DiBiase, Ted (1997). Every Man Has His Price. Multnomah Publishers, Inc. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-57673-175-8.
- ^ DiBiase, Ted (1997). Every Man Has His Price. Multnomah Publishers, Inc. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-57673-175-8.
- ^ DiBiase, Ted (2008). Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man. Pocket Books. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4165-5890-3.
- ^ Steven Johnson; Greg Oliver (2007). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels. ECW Press. p. 253 pp. ISBN 978-1550227598.
- ^ Greg Klein (2012). The King of New Orleans: How the Junkyard Dog Became Professional Wrestling's First Black Superhero. ECWPress. p. 89. ISBN 978-1770410305.
- ^ Slamthology: Collected Wrestling Writings 1991-2004. jnlister. 2005. p. 253 pp. ISBN 1-4116-5329-7.
- ^ Harris M Lentz III (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland & Company. p. 86. ISBN 978-0786417544.
Further reading edit
- Yenney, Pat (September 20, 2016), "Young girl cuts teeth on wrestling, becomes lifelong fan of the squared circle", UP THE CRICK, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
External links edit
- Helen Hild's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com
