Early Life
Cora Svonsteckik was born in Hazard, Kentucky on March 17, 1923. While attending high school, she was a star on the girls' track team and won honors in the high jump category. On graduating, Svonsteckik moved to Nashville, Tennessee with the dream of singing at the Grand Ole Opry. A country western group called the Trail Riders were impressed enough with her vocal talents to make her a member.
During her time away from singing, Cora attended wrestling matches at the Hippodrome in Nashville. It was her first exposure to live professional wrestling and she was easily drawn to the spectacle. Here Cora witnessed the acclaimed Women's World Champion Mildred Burke. In 1949, Cora was able to get in the backstage area and meet Nashville promoter Nick Gulas, who introduced her to renowned women's wrestling promoter and trainer Billy Wolfe. Cora was inspired to become a professional female wrestler, put her music career to an end, and moved to Columbus, Ohio to begin an intense training regime at Wolfe's wrestling school.
Read more about this topic: Cora Combs
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