While we often hear about the struggles Wrestlers have in pursuing their dream without the support of friends or family. And, success or not, following your wrestling passion should be celebrated. However, Wrestlers who do have that family backing should also be celebrated. Don’t worry: Mr. Ryder will have his moment in the sun next month; we’re going to discuss Mothers, some of the most unsung heroes in wrestling.

At FWE’s “Back to Brooklyn” show in October 2012, we watched Jorge Santi face off against Chris Mordetsky, formerly Chris “The Masterpiece” Masters. Santi, who was unknown to us before that night, became our favorite wrestler, due to the positive nature of his cheering section, led by his mother. She wore a Santi t-shirt (also available for purchase) and never sat down (We sat right next to her). The Santi bandwagon grew with each passing move…  until Santi pulled down Chris’ pants! Knowing she raised him better than that, we pleaded with her to make her son pull those pants back up. Mordetsky ultimately won the match but Santi – specifically, the Mrs. Santi – won the evening.

This kind of dedication is not limited to local promotions. The WWE has a feature on their site about Superstars’ and Divas’ Mother’s Day Tributes, which is a reminder that the support of a Mother never runs out. But for our first Mother’s Day, there is one woman whose passion we need to showcase: Judith Bagwell, mother of Marcus Alexander Bagwell.

Image Courtesy of WWE.com

Chances are, you were probably know Marcus Alexander Bagwell when he was Buff Bagwell. Well, Judy supported him during not only through the ‘Buff Era’ (although I’m sure she still called him ‘Marcus’) but also through his previous incarnations, his tag team partners – including ‘American Males’ Scotty Riggs and ‘Totally Buffed’ Lex Luger -, and his haircuts.  If that wasn’t enough, Mrs. Bagwell cemented her legacy in two ways:

1. She teamed with Rick Steiner to defend the WCW Tag Team Championships … against her son.
2. She inspired a match: The infamous “Judy Bagwell on a Pole Match.”

For better or worse, Judy Bagwell will go down in professional wrestling’s history books. And while her… um, signature(?) match is a source of derision, her dedication to her son and to wrestling cannot be denied. This is true of all mothers of Wrestling, whether they teamed with the Dog Faced Gremlin or not.

Image Courtesy of old-school-wrestling