Brian Damage
Grappling with Tragedy is a series of articles that deal with unfortunate, tragic incidents that have occurred throughout the history of professional wrestling. It is unlike the Wrestling with Sin series, which deals more with the seedier side of wrestling, like arrests, murders, and suicides. The Grappling with Tragedy series looks more at particular tragic incidents that have, in some instances, altered pro wrestling in a way.
Princess War Star
Margaret Ann Shocklee was born in San Bernardino, California in 1958. Her mother Betty was a professional wrestler nicknamed ‘Panama Franco.’ In 1972, Margaret decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a pro wrestler herself. She was trained by the legendary women’s wrestler Mildred Burke.
When Margaret debuted, she adopted an Native American gimmick named ‘Princess War Star.’ Princess War Star wrestled in the United States, Canada and did a couple of tours in Japan. She held the WWWA tag team titles with Hiroko Onishi in 1973. By 1976, Margaret Shocklee began to dabble a little in acting. Securing roles on the TV show The Bionic Woman and a movie entitled ‘Below the Belt.’
On June 5, 1988, Margaret and her husband were out boating in Sacramento, California when the vessel was involved in a crash at sea. She was killed in the accident. Margaret Ann Shocklee McDowell was just 30 years old at the time of her death.
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David Fullam
Keep illuminating these lesser known stories. They deserve to be remembered.