May 12 marked the loss of one of the pioneers of womens wrestling,
Penny Banner.

Banner, a St. Louis, MO native born Mary Ann Kostecki on August 11,
1934 selected the name Penny Banner, because according to her, "Penny,
because I felt so insignifigant and Banner, because Charlton Heston
was my favorite actor and he played in a role where his name was Banner".

Penny Banner was always athletic, and as a young woman competed in
judo tournaments. Witnessing her impressive athletic credentials on a
local TV show, then-National Wrestling Alliance President Sam Muchnick
convinced her to check out Billy Wolfe's school for wrestling. Wolfe
was already gaining notoriety for training Mildred Burke, then one of
the top women in wrestling, and future rival, June Byers, and could
see the value in a good female wrestler, and an attractive one to
boot. Penny traveled around the country, making a name for herself
taking on some of the most celebrated female wrestlers in the sport's
history, such as Burke, Byers, and Fabulous Moolah.

Some of Banner's accomplishments in our sport include being the first
American Wrestling Association World Women's Championship; winner of
the George Tragos/Lou Thesz International Wrestling Institute Frank
Gotch Award (2008); NWA Southern Women's Championship (Georgia
version); NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with
Bonnie Watson, Betty Jo Hawkins and Lorraine Johnson; NWA Texas
Women's Championship; Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee
(Class of 2005); Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame and the St. Louis
Wrestling Hall Of Fame (Class of 2007).

Banner's accomplishments reflect her dedication not only to her chosen
sport of wrestling, but also to her athletic nature, as she claims
that in her 25 year career, she never missed a match. Even after she
left the ring behind, she maintained her athletic nature, competing in
the Senior Olympic Games doing swimming, shot put and Discus throws.

Banner might have actually won the NWA Womens World Championship, but
the Champion at the time, June Byers, did not show up for their
scheduled match. As a result, a new Championship was created, and on
August 26, 1961, Penny Banner would be crowned the first AWA World
Women's Champion, a Championship that would later be held by such
talents as Sherri Martel and Madusa Miceli. Although June Byers and
Penny would battle each other across the country, their mutual respect
for their skills gave way to a deep friendship when they finally left
the ring wars behind.

Although an oustanding singles wrestler, Penny was equally adept at
tag team wrestling, and maintains that her very first tag team
partner, Bonnie Watson, helped her along in her career, as well as
her second partner, Betty Jo Hawkins, who ended up as being her best
friend. Together, these dynamic duos won the world tag team title
beginning in 1957, ending in 1960 with her last Tag Team Championship
partner, Lorraine Johnson. The fans responded to Penny and Lorraine's
matches by calling them the Glamour Girls of the ring. Penny is as
proud of her tag team championships as any that she won on her own,
specifically because of the women with whom she won them.

In 2005, she would complete her autobiography, Banner Days, (available
from SFP) and appeared in the feature film about women wrestlers,
Lipstick and Dynamite. She would keep up with friends and
acquaintances through the Cauliflower Alley Club.

Aside from her fame in the ring, Banner also earned a small degree of
fame for dating a then-unknown Elvis Presley from 1956 to late 1958.
She was married to wrestler Johnny Weaver (himself having a degree of
fame for creating the "Weaver Lock", now known as a "sleeper hold")
for 35 years before divorcing him in 1994. She has one child, a
daughter named Wendi.

In late 2007, Penny suffered several health crises, and ultimately
passed away in her sleep at the home of her daughter, Wendi, in
Charlotte, North Carolina on May 12.

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src="http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/DIESEL0759/Miscellaneous/Wrestling/Tr\
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