Posted on by bdamage1
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 that deals more with the seedier side of wrestling like arrests, murders and suicides. Grappling looks more at particular tragic incidents that have in some instances altered pro wrestling in some way.
Mars Bennett
She was born Maude Audrey Foreit in Michigan in 1922. As a teenager, she joined the circus and renamed herself ‘Mars Bennett’ as a stage name. As an entertainer, she preformed as a clown, acrobat and trapeze artist for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. As she got older, Bennett became one of the first female weight lifters and boxers in the country. She was also a talented singer and worked as a stunt double on Hollywood films.
In 1950, she began her career as a professional wrestler. Mars Bennett was dubbed “The Girl With the Iron Jaw” due to her indelible toughness. During her career, she faced several legendary female wrestlers like Cora Combs, Penny Banner, June Byers and Helen Hild. Bennett won versions of the NWA women’s title in both Texas and Florida.
On August 23rd, 1957, while working in the Nashville, Tennessee territory….Bennett was involved in a car crash which crushed her sternum. She died approximately thirty minutes after the crash occurred. Mars Bennett never married and never had children. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered along the Gulf of Mexico. Mars Bennett was just 35 years old at the time of her death.