Beulah "Cora Combs" Szostecki (March 17, 1927 – June 21, 2015),Obituary for Mrs. Beulah "Cora Combs" Szostecki
''Springhillfh.com.'' better known by her ring name as Cora Combs, was an American

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 ...

. She was the last survivor of the

Billy Wolfe William Harrison Wolfe (July 4, 1896 – March 7, 1963) was a professional wrestling promoter who was active from the 1930s to the 1950s. Wolfe was the husband and manager of Mildred Burke and ran a traveling troupe of women wrestlers alongside ...

troupe. She mainly wrestled in Indianapolis.

Professional wrestling career

Combs was born in 1923 in

Hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would allow them, even just theoretically, to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probab ...

, Kentucky. Before she was a professional wrestler, Combs was a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

singer. In 1949, she attended a pro wrestling show headlined by

Mildred Burke Mildred Burke (August 5, 1915 – February 18, 1989) was an American professional wrestler. She is overall a three-time women's world champion under different incarnations and recognitions. Burke's heyday lasted from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950 ...

, then the biggest star in women's pro wrestling.

Nick Gulas Nick Gulas (September 3, 1914 – January 21, 1991) was an American professional wrestling promoter in the Southern United States, partnered with Tennessee promoter Roy Welch for decades. Gulas was also known as "The King of Managers", "King B", ...

presented her to pro wrestler

, who trained her. Combs also wrestled her own daughter,

Debbie Combs Debbie Szostecki (born April 18, 1959) is a retired professional wrestler better known as Debbie Combs. Early life Her mother, Cora Combs, was also a professional wrestler. Debbie Combs made her wrestling debut at Louisville Gardens for Angelo ...

, under a mask as Lady Satan. In 2007, Combs was inducted in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Personal life and death

Combs had a daughter,

, who also was a professional wrestler. Combs died on June 21, 2015 in Nashville at the age of 88. She had pneumonia in the week preceding her death.

Championships and accomplishments

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

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 ...

(4 times) ** NWA Southern Women's Championship (Florida version) (2 times) *

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas currently closed to water leaks. The museum was founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, and was previ ...

** Class of 2007 *

WWE 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 var ...

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously ...

(

Class of 2018 ''Class of 2018'' is a 2018 Filipino teen suspense– thriller film directed by Charliebebs Gohetia. It stars Sharlene San Pedro and Nash Aguas. The film was produced and distributed by T-Rex Entertainment. It premiered in the Philippines on ...

)

References

External links

* *
Official page
at DDT Digest * {{DEFAULTSORT:Combs, Cora 1927 births 2015 deaths American female professional wrestlers Sportswomen from Kentucky People associated with physical culture People from Hazard, Kentucky WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductees Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Stampede Wrestling alumni 21st-century American women Deaths from pneumonia in Tennessee 20th-century professional wrestlers