June Byers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids June Byers |
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| Birth name | DeAlva Eyvonnie Sibley |
| Born | May 25, 1922 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | July 20, 1998 (aged 76) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Sam Meneker |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | June Byers |
| Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Billed weight | 150 lb (68 kg) |
| Billed from | Houston, Texas |
| Trained by | Billy Wolfe Mae Young |
| Debut | 1944 |
| Retired | 1964 |
June Byers, whose real name was DeAlva Eyvonnie Sibley, was a famous American professional wrestler. She was very well known in the 1950s and early 1960s. June Byers held the Women's World Championship for ten years. She is also a member of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Overall, she won a world championship three times.
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Early Life and Start in Wrestling
DeAlva Eyvonnie Sibley was born in Houston, Texas. She was a tomboy and grew up around wrestling. Her uncle, Ottoway Roberts, worked for a local wrestling promoter named Morris Siegel. As she got older, she often spent time with wrestlers. She would ask them to teach her their moves.
One day, while DeAlva was playing in the wrestling ring, a women's wrestling promoter named Billy Wolfe saw her. He realized she had great potential. DeAlva accepted Wolfe's offer to train as a professional wrestler.
Becoming a Professional Wrestler
DeAlva used her family nickname "June" and her ex-husband's last name "Byers" for her wrestling name. She made her professional debut in 1944. For the first few years, she traveled across the country with Wolfe's wrestling group. She often won early matches but usually lost to more famous wrestlers like Mae Young and the champion, Mildred Burke.
Winning Her First Championship
June Byers slowly became more successful. In 1952, she won her first championship. She teamed up with Millie Stafford to win the Tag Team Title. They defeated Mae Young and Ella Waldek.
Later that same year, Mildred Burke, who was the world champion, left Billy Wolfe's wrestling group. This meant the world title was open. On June 14, 1953, June Byers, who was not yet widely known, won a tournament in Baltimore. Thirteen women competed in the tournament, and Byers won the championship belt.
A Popular Champion
June Byers quickly became a popular champion with the fans. She even appeared on famous TV game shows like What's My Line? and I've Got A Secret in August 1953.
After a year of discussions, Billy Wolfe convinced Mildred Burke to have a big match against June Byers. This match took place on August 20, 1954, in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a "two out of three falls" match, meaning a wrestler had to win two rounds to win the whole match. Byers won the first fall. The match was stopped after an hour during the second fall.
Even though the match ended without a clear winner, the Atlanta Athletic Commission eventually gave the win to Byers. Mildred Burke went back to her own wrestling group and still called herself world champion. June Byers, however, was seen by the media as the true world champion.
Byers' Impact on Women's Wrestling
For the next ten years, June Byers was the main face of women's wrestling. Her athletic skills and technical moves helped women's wrestling become more popular. She also helped improve how people saw women's wrestling. It became known as more than just a show. Byers was known for being a very tough wrestler. She was respected by other wrestlers, including Penny Banner. Byers said Banner was one of her toughest opponents. Banner called Byers the greatest wrestler of all time.
Retirement and Hall of Fame
In 1956, the Baltimore Athletic Commission took away Byers' NWA Championship. This happened when she said she planned to retire as champion. A new champion was chosen in a battle royal with thirteen women. After The Fabulous Moolah won the championship, Byers came out of retirement to challenge her. However, Byers lost that match.
On March 31, 2017, June Byers was honored after her death. She was added to the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Legacy wing.
Personal Life and Later Years
After Billy Wolfe passed away, June Byers moved to St. Louis. She worked for wrestling promoter Sam Menacker, who later became her third husband. In 1963, June Byers was in a car accident. She had trouble seeing and crashed into a tree. The injuries to her leg from this accident ended her wrestling career. She had to retire on January 1, 1964, when she was 41 years old. For the rest of her life, she had double vision because of the accident.
After retiring from wrestling, Byers moved back to Texas. She became a real estate agent. She had two children, Billy and Jewel. Her son, Billy, passed away in an accident. June Byers died from pneumonia at her home in Houston in 1998.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Independent
- Women's World Championship (1 time, final)
- Women's World Championship Tournament (1953)
- International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2023
- American Wrestling Association
- AWA World Women's Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA World Women's Championship (1 time)
- NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship (7 times) – with Ethel Johnson (1), Millie Stafford (2), Mary Jane Mull (2), Mars Bennett (1) and Barbara Baker (1)
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Women's Wrestling (Class of 2006)
- WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2017)
