June Byers earned worldwide acclaim by upending legendary world champion Mildred Burke in Atlanta, Georgia,

on August 20, l954. After that fabled contest went to the one-hour time limit, Byers was declared undisputed

champion, having scored the only fall. The match was actually regarded as a title-unification bout, as Byers had won

partial title recognition by winning an elimination tournament in Baltimore the year before.
 

Byers began training to become a professional wrestler at the tender age of seven with her uncle, lightweight

wrestler Onoway Roberts. A world-traveler, she often defended the title not only in the U.S. and Canada, but also

as far away as Australia. For a number of years Byers was married to wrestler/promoter Sammy Menacker. A darling

of sportswriters, Byers became famous not only for her wrestling talents, but also for her large collection of diamonds and furs.

Obituary

June Byers, a Pioneer and Legend, was born in Houston, Texas, started her wrestling career in 1945. At the age of 27, she was trained by The Great Mae Young, after hard work and a lot of training, June became a top attraction in the wrestling business. In 1952, in Atlanta, Georgia she beat The Worlds Champion Mildred Burke for the title in 2 out of 3 Fall Match.
 
 

June held the belt from 1952 until 1956, She truly was a credit to the sport and will always be remembered as a great inspiration to all the young ladies who had a desire to be a professional lady wrestler. June loved wrestling and was very dedicated to her career, June passed away July 21, 1998. She will be missed and will go down in history as one of the great ladies and legends of professional lady wrestlers.
 
 

YOU WILL BE MISSED