SHINE Wrestling announced yesterday that it would be honouring wrestling legends, though exactly who it would be were not revealed by the time yesterday’s Roundup was published. However, we now have the names – they’re Sabrina, Diane Von Hoffman, Joyce Grable and Leilani Kai, all trained at some point by the Fabulous Moolah.
Now, most of you will know who Leilani Kai is – former WWF Women’s singles and tag team champion, participated at WrestleManias I and X and also won the NWA World Women’s Title in 2003 at a TNA show. Joyce Grable adopted the name as she bared a resemblance to the original who retired in 1974, and won the NWA World Women’s Tag Team Championship on four occasions.
Von Hoffman still wrestles occasionally today – she originally portrayed herself as a German Nazi and then as Moondog Fifi, teamed with Kai and also made two tours of Japan in the early 1980s. Finally, there’s Sabrina, who still laces up the boots once in a while. She started wrestling under the name of Susan Stirling before changing her moniker and also held the NWA tag straps in 1982 with her partner Princess Victoria.
While Von Hoffman matches are hard to come by, we have video from the early part of the 1980s featuring Joyce Grable and a young Wendi Richter against the team that would become the Glamour Girls, Leilani Kai & Judy Martin, as well as a contest with Wendi Richter & Joyce Grable taking on Princess Victoria & Sabrina.
ringbellesarchive.wordpress.com 
It’s good to see a promotion give credit where its so badly due!!! Wit all due respect to todays workers, it’s just difficult to watch a lot of todays women’s matches because its mostly about eye candy…..and when I say “eye candy”….I dont speak of physical appearance. I speak of the ability to convince a crowd that the two wrestlers are actually involved in a wrestling match. You see more of the high flying….the matrix moves….the bronco busters… maneuvers that are there to just rile up a crowd without reason. I long for the days when psychology was key. That doesnt seem to be the case anymore. Dont get me wrong….theres a lot of women today that do bring it old skool…..unfortunately you’ll never see them in WWE. I salute the pioneers of womens wrestling. Congratulations to you all!!!!
LikeLike
i really love to watch leilani kai ‘s wrestler she’s really good better then anyone else i ever seen in the wrestling.i know you dont even know who i am leilani but i always like you when you play wrestling you really good…so me and friends and families we cheers for you leilani kai hope to see you play 2morow…go go go
LikeLike
Great article and it’s great to see that these ladies will be honored. Leilani is still going as well! She tore down the house at Wrestle Reunion with one of her former students. Leilani is back and ready to Shine!
LikeLike
Great,spotlight on these great ladies-Lelani Kai-what hasnt she done in wrestling,what belts hasnt she held?What piece of earth hasnt she had a match on?Who hasnt she wrestled?Joyce Grable-cowgirl from hell-single handed beat all top talent,not once but twice formed legendary tag teams-Vicki Williams and Wendi Richter.Sabrina-legend,who hoped to write the book.Finally Diane Von Hoffman-a superstar heel and Moondog Fifi-all wrapped in 1 killer package.Shine thanks for giving these ladies the honor they deserve
LikeLike
Lei Lanikai is best female worker ever. Female version of Harly Race !!
LikeLike
This is a great article on a great wrestler. Lelani Kai is one of the greatest women wrestlers of all time.
LikeLike
It’s great that this promotion gave credit to the women who paved the way in this business. Most of the women in today’s big leagues are merely hired for their looks. Even if they want to wrestle well, they don’t get a chance to do so since they get so little ring time. Yet people like Leilani, Joyce, Sabrina, and Diane not only looked great but they put on awesome matches too. I was actually there live in MSG for the match where the Glamour Girls fought the Jumping Bomb Angels. One of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen live…involving men or women!
LikeLike
Aside from being a true pioneer and champion of women’s wrestling, Leilani Kai is absolutely so much more. With a beautiful talented, and courageous spirit, she is a wonderful role model for women and girls everywhere, and shows them that barriers can and will continue to be broken, and that it can be done with class and style.
LikeLike
leilani kai,class at its best! when i think of watching flair,anderson rip hawk..she falls right in with the rest of the legends!!!
LikeLike
My name is Jason and I’m a big fan of Leilani! I watched her at turnbuckle promotion’s one time and she was in a mix tag. I seen the girl she wrestled had not been in wrestling long and Leilani made her look like a million dollars with a blink of an eye easy as pie. I could tell Leilani took her under her wing. It was very good match A true legend.
LikeLike