Molly Holly is the Most Complete Women’s Wrestler in North Amercia!
December 11, 2000
By: Chris Sabga
Chris Sabga examines Molly from all angles. Plus – why a match with Lita would be so important.
In World Championship Wrestling, the loveable gal now called Molly Holly was Miss Madness ’99, otherwise known as Mona. She was by the side of one of the most celebrated sports-entertainers in the history of the business, multi-time World Champion Randy Savage. She was alongside a star. It seemed that her time in the spotlight would eventually come.
In WCW, it never did.
After Mona’s union with Savage dissolved, WCW made almost no attempt to mold her into an individual name. Outside of a few meaningless women’s matches on Nitro and Thunder, the blonde bombshell was relegated to the third-tier tundra of WCW television — the now called WCW Saturday Night. Without a belt to vie for, women’s matches in the company were meaningles sideshow attractions — seemingly positioned so that fans would be forced not to care about them.
With the future Molly Holly getting barely any television time, she was asked to help train girls at the WCW Power Plant. Being the best all-around female worker in the company, it was a natural request. However, molding a plethora of unproven beauties (such as Ms. Hancock, Torrie Wilson, and Paisley) is easier said than done. At the time, there were rumors that WCW was unhappy with how the ladies were procressing under Mona’s watchful eye. Whatever the case was, the cheerful former valet was released from her contract soon after. Because of how badly WCW used her, it wasn’t considered a great loss.
Without anyone in WCW able to tap into Mona’s enormous skills, she was left to languish on the roster, nearly invisible to most mainstream viewers. When she signed with the WWF, we all wondered what they’d be able to do with someone that indeed had great ring skills, but seemed to possess little in the way of personality.
Boy, were we wrong.
Molly Holly (pre WWF and WCW) as Starla Saxton.
Personality is one attribute Molly Holly certainly isn’t lacking. It may have taken a while for the name to grow on me, but the performer behind the moniker has always been one of my favorites. Her WWF matches – while short – have proven that she hasn’t lost a step since having the door slammed on her by WCW.
Molly’s union with “cousin” Crash is simply a joy to view. The two “youngsters” are seemingly innocent to the naked eye, but once they step into the ring — watch out! With big bad Bob Holly protecting them from afar, then can target behemoths like Test & Albert and cunning “witches” like Trish Stratus without much of a problem.
More than just T&A.
Women can get over as more than just T&A attractions. Being easy on the eyes helped Lita, but it was her wild top rope stunts and compelling feud with Stephaine McMahon-Helmsley that gained her significant fan base in the WWF. The pre-surgery Chyna also had a rather big cult following. Good looks are nice, but ability and quality angles are even more instrumental in rounding out a woman’s popularity. Being paired with the very-likeable Crash has certainly done wonders for Molly in that regard.
The “money” match.
In the ring, Molly proves that she’s anything but the naive country girl she portrays on TV. Even better than Lita and miles ahead of Chyna, Molly Holly is the most complete female wrestler in North America today. All she needs now is the proper opponent. While some have criticized Lita for “only knowing her high spots.” Ms. Holly would be able to capitalize on the fiery redhead’s strengths and pull out one hell of a match. However, it seems that the two crowd pleasers are purposely being kept away from each other. Together, they could complete in a wide variety of matches and really sizzle up the ring.
As limited as current WWF’s Women Division is, Molly vs Lita has the potential to be the “money” match of the division. A war between the two at the upcoming Wrestlemania X-Seven would help make the undercard look quite strong. Unlike previous Women’s Champions (Sable and Debra come immediately to mind), the assets Molly and Lita are praised for aren’t chest related. They are respectable standard bearers in a division that has been soiled by pudding matches and other nonsensical stipulations. When Lita agreed to a “bra and panties” contest earlier this year, it made sense — she was angry enough with Trish to compromise her beliefs for one night.
Overall.
Molly is incredible in the ring and energetic outside of it. Her well-rounded skills will make her a force in the WWF for years to come.