SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Rhonda Sing / Monster Ripper
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Rhonda Singh blows kisses to the crowd. -- Photo by Jim Divito
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Tuesday, January 9, 2001
The woman behind Monster Ripper & Bertha Faye
Rhonda needs no help
REAL NAME: Rhonda Sing
BORN: February 21, 1961 in Calgary, Alberta
5'8", 260 pounds
DIED: July 27, 2001
AKA: Monster Ripper, Rhonda Singh, Bertha Faye
By STEPHEN LAROCHE --
SLAM! Wrestling
One of the most fearsome women to ever enter a wrestling ring, Rhonda
Sing has lead a long and fascinating career few North American wrestling
fans are aware of.
While growing up in Calgary, Sing knew she wanted to be a wrestler from
an early age and attended numerous Stampede Wrestling cards as a child.
"Stampede Wrestling was a big influence because you had it on TV
Saturday mornings," she told SLAM! Wrestling. "My mom used to go and
took us if we had been good through the week. She always had four
ringside tickets for about 20 years. When I was five, I wanted to be a
wrestler. I was in kindergarten beating up the other kids. Everyone who
knows me in my neighbourhood remember me telling them I was going to be
a wrestler. It's like a lot of the wrestlers in the business now -- they
knew it when they were kids."
As a teenager, Sing approached members of the Hart family asking to be
trained. Despite being rejected, she still dreamed of becoming a
professional wrestler. A trip to Hawaii in 1978 changed her life forever
as she saw Japanese women's wrestling on television.
"I was actually in Hawaii on vacation and zapping through the channels,
I stumbled on Japanese women's wrestling. They were hitting each other
with chairs and everything! It was an all-girl company, and I thought it
was the coolest thing. It sparked my interest. This was definitely what
I wanted to do," said Sing.
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Monster Ripper
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A friend gave 17-year-old Sing a wrestling magazine which contained
contact information for Mildred Burke's training facility in Encino,
California. She wrote the women's wrestling legend and sent along a
biography and photo. After recieving a reply from Burke, she made a
decision which changed her life.
"I cleaned out my bank account and told my parents this is what I wanted
to do," she recalled. "I said to my parents, 'give me three months, let
me see if I can do this.'"
After a few weeks of training with Burke, Sing was scouted by All-Japan
who wanted to bring her in despite her inexperience.
"Some of the Japanese girls came to L.A. to train and scout some talent.
Burke was the only U.S. trainer having women go over to Japan at the
time. They were saying 'Hey! A fat girl! We like her,'" she laughed.
"That was in November, and by January I was main eventing in Japan. I
could tie my boots and do a backdrop. I was pretty limited."
Her first match in Japan was with partner Mami Komeni against Beauty
Pair (Jackie Sato and Maki Ueda) on January 4, 1979. She recalled it
fondly, but knew how significant the win was.
"It was my first match, and I won. The Japanese girls resented it
because they never had to lose. If they lost, they lost to each other.
They never lost to a foreigner."
A combination of youth and inexperience made life in Japan somewhat
difficult for Sing during her first few months there.
"They literally kicked the s**t out of me," she said. "I was the first
foreigner they had to lose to, and they didn't take it kindly. You were
working seven, eight times a week. You had to roll out of bed and
bit-by-bit get up because you were just dead."
Many of the established Japanese wrestlers were unwilling to share their
experience with the young Canadian wrestler. It was not until she ran
into a touring Dynamite Kid that she was able to gain a greater grasp of
how to deal with her fellow wrestlers.
"It was just a matter of defending yourself and saying 'I'm not going to
take this anymore!' Once you got respect, it became very easy. They
always respected you and feared you."
Sing's first run in All-Japan peaked when she won their Women's World
Title from Jackie Sato on July 31, 1979 -- a little over six months
after her professional debut. Despite losing the title to Sato six weeks
later, she regained it on March 15, 1980 via countout after outside
interference from the Black Pair (Mami Kumao and Yumi Ikeshita). The
title was vacated in August 1980 after another epic battle with Sato.
A brief return to Calgary in the early '80s allowed Sing the chance to
finally perform in front of her hometown crowd.
"I didn't want to wrestle there until I knew I was going to be good
enough," she said. "This is your hometown crowd and people you grew up
with. The first time I came through, I was with a Mexican girl (Rita
Moreno) that was in Japan as well. We were only going to do two weeks.
Stu (Hart) liked us so much, he kept us for four. He wanted us longer,
but we had to go back to Mexico."
After another stint in Japan, Sing returned to Stampede on a regular
basis in late 1987 and was named their Women's Champion as she had
defeated Wendi Richter before coming back to the territory. She held the
title until September 22, 1988, losing to Chigusa Nagayo.
The camaraderie of Stampede appealed to Sing at the time, and she does
not see the same level of it in today's locker rooms.
"This was one of the best territories anyone could work in," she said.
"The people you met there are still your friends. Everyone had a good
time. You didn't have the problems you have in the dressing room now.
There was never anything that ever escalated into a major problem."
Over the next few years, Sing would once again travel throughout the
world and wrestle for a number of promotions, holding several titles.
She feels lucky to have been able to see many parts of the world.
"In this business you're really fortunate because it allows you to see a
lot of the world you would never see," she said.
In 1995, Sing was contacted by the WWF to add depth to their fledgling
women's division. However, she was repackaged as Harvey Whippleman's
trailer park-dwelling girlfriend Bertha Faye. Sadly, this is how many
North American fans remember her.
"It was the best and worst of times. Because I started in Japan, I had a
reverse philosophy than those who start in the States, and their dream
is to wrestle in Japan. Mine was to wrestle in Madison Square Garden,"
said Sing.
Strangely enough, Sing did have an opportunity several years before to
fulfill her dream, but chose to wait.
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Monster Ripper: Japanese success story.
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"I had that opportunity years ago when they had Wendi Richter," she
said. "Moolah called me up and said she wanted me to do a couple of
pay-per-views with Wendi. The thing was, Moolah wanted half my money.
Why would you take my money when you're doing nothing? I didn't even
know her! You wanted to go, but you knew it was going to be a guaranteed
loss."
The original plan was to be part of an angle with Bull Nakano, who she
had many epic battles with in Japan, which was meant to develop fan
interest in the women's division.
"We had big heat in Japan, so this is what they wanted to do," she
recalled. "Madusa was going away, and she was getting new boobs and a
new nose. For three months, it was going to be Nakano and I. She was
going to drop the belt to me, Madusa was going to come back after a
while, we'd add a few more girls and make it a legitimate women's
division. Eventually, Madusa and I would battle for the belt and it was
undecided from there. I had a two-year contract, so we were going to
space it out over that time"
But that isn't how it happened. Nakano was found in possession of
cocaine which prompted a change of plans. She made her WWF debut on an
episode of Monday Night Raw participating in a sneak attack Madusa
making it appear as if they had broken her nose. Sing was not pleased
with the development.
"The whole storyline went down the toilet," she said. "The only way we
could save it was if we were to hurt Madusa because she was still
scheduled for surgery. We had to get rid of Nakano and get me in at the
same time."
Sing was also hesitant to work with Madusa after hearing numerous
rumours about how she behaved behind-the-scenes and focused on Madison
Square Garden.
"I sort of saw through her before I even worked with her," she said. "I
hit Madison Square Garden in September 1995 and I didn't care after
that. I went in a champion and left as champion. It was one of my better
matches with her. None of the others were anything you'd write home
about compared to what you could do."
During her stint with the WWF, she also developed a great friendship
with the late Owen Hart.
"I was working in Calgary when he and (Chris) Benoit started," she
recalled. "Owen really saved me when I was with the WWF. I rode with the
Canadian guys, so I travelled with him a lot when I was on the shows.
There's no one you'll ever be able to replace Owen with."
Despite the ridiculous antics of Whippleman and Faye, which included
wearing garish outfits and hideous makeup, she did notice how his
character was essentially an extension of his own personality.
"He actually did live in a trailer park. He was that guy, that's who he
is. He's never bought a roll of toilet paper in his life. He'd always
take it from a hotel or a truck stop."
Sing also found it incredibly difficult to adopt a new persona after
spending almost all of her career as Monster Ripper.
"They put me in that character, you're not doing something you want to
do. I was Monster Ripper for 15 years. It was hard to walk away from
that personality."
With her character creatively restricted, Sing was also limited to what
moves she could perform in the ring. She was not allowed to used an
overhead press or a powerbomb as other WWF stars were utilizing them at
the time.
"I couldn't do these moves because certain guys were doing it," she
said. "You went in every night with one arm tied behind your back
because someone else laid claim to it. I was doing these moves on a
daily basis for 15 years, and now I couldn't do it. No one wanted you to
look better than they did. I did power moves, that's who I was. It sort
of stripped my identity. You're going to the ring skipping and blowing
kisses, looking goofy. You just went to the bank and cashed your cheque.
You felt like you were pimping yourself out. You were like a prostitute
for Vince. The guys were doing it too, so you know what people will do
for money."
Fan interest in women's wrestling sunk once again as the year closed,
even with the addition of Japanese star Aja Kong. Sing believes there
are several reasons why the women's division ultimately failed.
"There was no real storyline," she said. "There was nothing really going
on. We were just there. In the background, you'd have Madusa calling
Vince all the time asking why we weren't on TV. When you only have two
girls, you can only do so much. She had very limited skills, she did
basically the same thing all the time. I think she sort of sabotaged
everything."
After a year as Bertha Faye, she had the WWF release her from her
contract. She briefly returned to Japan, but found it difficult to
adjust to a new system without guaranteed payouts.
In late 1999, she made a brief return with World Championship Wrestling
and appeared on several telecasts to generate some interest in a women's
division. While her stay was brief, Sing appeared to enjoy her time with
the promotion.
"I like them," she said. "They're an upfront organization. When I called
them, they knew what they wanted me to do. There's no secret agenda."
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Preparing to crush an opponent. -- Photo by Jim Divito
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Women's wrestling had changed greatly in the time since Sing was last
with a major North American promotion, and she was well aware of the
limitations her opponents had.
"It's a different era. None of them can last as long. You used to be
able to wrestle 55 minutes. These girls can't wrestle more than 10. Now
the they only know five holds, and that's all they have," she remarked.
However, Sing does believe it is possible for a woman to become an elite
competitor if they train with organizations which allow them to develop
properly.
"They all have the potential to do more. If you send any of the girls
working now to Japan, they'll come back the best wrestler ever turned
out. They have basic body skills, they just need the ring sense."
Despite the fact she has not wrestled in several months, Sing would not
hesitate to return to another major promotion as long as she was treated
properly.
"Oh yeah, you'd work for anybody," she said. "I've got no loyalty. It's
whoever is going to pay me. It's always been my philosophy. As long as
you pay me and treat me fairly, I'll work for you."
Stories
Aug. 4: Bret Hart: Singh earned much respect within wrestling circles
Aug. 4: Mourners salute Sing
Aug. 1: Rhonda Sing dead at 40
Memories
When I heard the death of my favorite woman wrestler and friend I cried my
eyes out and started rememebering her days in the WWF and WCW where I
remembered her. I also knew about her times with Stampede but never saw her
wrestle cause I am only 17 and never seen her there. My memory of her is a
day while she was in WCW. It was against Miss Elisabeth. This was Liz's first
actual real match and Rhonda tried not to be rough on the fragile Liz and I
don't really remember who won this match but I do remember I had a few laughs
out of it. Sadly I would never her see her in WCW after that.
ChrisBrgstrm@aol.com
I remember when I was growing up in Edmonton and my parents would take
me to Stampede wrestling at the Agricom and everytime Rhonda saw me she
would come pick me up and must keep giving me kisses on the cheek and
take me in the back with her. I was about 14 years old and I was Stu
Hart's birthday show in Calgary and Rhonda Singh saw me and she
remembered me and gave me great big kiss on the cheek and she made me
promise her that I would get into wrestling when I was old enough. Well
it was Rhonda's Birthday and we were both booked on a Can/Am Wrestling
card in Edmonton and I was the ref for the evening and when she saw me
in the ring ready to ref her match she was almost in tears and from that
time on I had many more chances to work with Rhonda and she will always
be my favorite lady in the business to work with and she was a true
champion and friend in my life. God Bless you Rhonda.
Sqiggy Magoo, Alberta Referee
OK, so I was one of the people who laughed at The Bertha Faye gimmick and thought nothing of her abilities, but after her WWF debut, I watched previous
matches and was impressed with Singh. I had the pleasure of seeing her wrestle
Alundra Blayze in Madison Square Garden for the WWF Women's Title. The saying
is true, you don't know what you got until you lose it. As a huge fan of
women's wrestling, the loss of Rhonda Singh is indeed a great one. Rest In
Peace, Rhonda. We, the fans, and the world of professional wrestling will never
forget you.
IvoryHHH@aol.com
Rhonda will always be alive in my memories. In my view, she really
solidified what women's wrestling is today. After seeing her World
Wrestling Federation debut as Bertha Faye, I was really impressed with
Rhonda's talent in the ring, as was proven when she won the WWF World
Women's Championship from Alundra Blayze at SummerSlam '95. Along with
Ted DiBiase, Fred Blassie, and Jerry Lawler, Rhonda Singh will always
and forever be a role model in my life.
rekonken@webtv.net
I never met or knew rhonda, but if she was a friend of the
Harts, she would of been a friend of mine. I AM SOOOOOOoooooo sorry to hear of Rhonda's
passing. SHE HAD TO BE " GREAT" ...I only wish I
could of met her.
PENNY BANNER (RETIRED WRESTLER who LOVED THE HARTS AND THE CANADA TERRITORY). 1954-1960
I am a long time fan of women's wrestling, and Rhonda was one of my all time
favorites. Unlike the women "wrestlers" nowadays, Rhonda did things the
right way by training with the legendary Mildred Burke, and then travelling
the world to Japan, Mexico, Canada, Europe, and the United States in order to
become arguably the top woman wrestler around. I draw cartoons of women
wrestlers as a hobby, and I have sent out color copies to many women
wrestlers. I sent them to Rhonda last year, and I hope she liked them. I
also hope she was not offended by the fact that I drew her in her Bertha Faye
persona, but to be honest with you, I thought she did a fine job in that
role. She will fondly be remembered by us fans.
Ken Raftery
