June Byers

Professional wrestling career Taking her family nickname of "June" and her ex-husband's last name of "Byers" for her ring name, Sibley made her professional debut in 1944. She spent the first years of her career traveling the country in Wolfe's promotion, sometimes winning preliminary matches but regularly losing to the more established stars such as Mae Young and champion Mildred Burke. Slowly rising in the ranks, she first won gold in 1952 when she and partner Millie Stafford won the Tag Title over Young and Ella Waldek.

After a year of tense negotiation, Wolfe finally coaxed Burke into meeting Byers in a definitive two out of three falls match on August 20, 1954, in Atlanta, Georgia. Byers, for her part, stressed that "Mildred claims she wasn't defeated, but I pinned her in the first fall. During the second fall, she left the ring and refused to come back. Regardless of what she told people, it was a shoot." Byers competed in multiple matches with Penny Banner, with whom she maintained a professional rivalry characterized by mutual respect. Byers regarded Banner as one of her most formidable opponents,

In 1956, the Baltimore Athletic Commission stripped Byers of the NWA Championship when she announced her plans to retire as champion. A thirteen-woman battle royal was used to determine the new champion.

On March 31, 2017, Byers was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the Legacy wing.

Personal life The Fabulous Moolah alleges that while traveling with Billy Wolfe's troupe of female wrestlers, Byers often slept with Wolfe (despite his marriage to Burke) in order to get better bookings.

Upon Wolfe's death, Byers moved to St. Louis to work for wrestling promoter, and later TV ring announcer, Sam Menacker, who became her third husband. In 1963, while attempting to drive after being hit in the head with a Coke bottle, Byers experienced quadruple vision and collided with a tree. The leg damage from the auto accident cut her career short at age 41 and forced her to retire on January 1, 1964.

Byers returned to Texas after retirement from the ring, becoming a real estate agent. 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)