Werner Sonntag wrote an article on kampfeslust.com  which based uppon a board question of a user in Catfight-Fans and Fightergirl . He asked, if at all, who or what could have a kind of cult status in our scene, because nothing come in mind to him in opposite to othere communities.

In his text Werner Sonntag wrote that a cult figure can not easy established in a secrerty acted affinity (secret fetish) and count further some for him relevant person and objects for these subjec. E.G. Judell du Long and some Super-8 movies.
At the finish the author give the advise, that it is more importand not to forget the growth stages, to keep an eye on continuity instead  searching a cult for cult sakes.

The translated article.

Cult for cult

In a April board posting a user complains about a lack of interests for the history our scene, especially on 80ths and 90ths. The author wrote: "In glaring opposite to other hobby comminuties  neither an event nor a  person comes at first go in my mind which get a status of cult in our community"
Is this so?

To come to know who or what has a cult status we should know what cult means. The term has originally something todo with religion. Church services are cult  (lat. cultus is the worship of a godhead). In Wahrigs german dictionary "Kult" means an adorable overstated accurately handling (remark of the translator: The original text was in german. Cult is written there as Kult).
It is recognised an enlargement of the term. In the last thirty years is cult becomes a buzzword and is used in a inflationary way. In this way i become myself the author of a cult book (no, not „Kampfes Lust“ but an ver more earlier book that is buyed yet, cause it marked a progress.

The outcoming of this ism that basically only the next generation decides what cult is, of course if the cult object is still in mind. Prognoses can be wrong, how I find out when I described the literaric excellent anthology of short stories "Catfight!" from Rainer-Maria Ringer after the release in 2002, as the for the futur cult book of the scene. Tha t it is not become surely related with the selective cognition of the community.

The first public acted female wrestler in Europa, probably had got it, to become cult figures. But because the wrestling affinity stayed a secret fetish there was no public memory. Most names are forgotten, just like the nams of the female profesional wrestlers, who travelled through the country in fifthies and sixties. Furthermore they did not cover the preferences of the later scene, but targeting the Catch-as-Catch-Lover. At the best the friends of female wrestling takes the ring-spectacle as surrogate for their needs to live fights.

Only personalized objects can become cult, not the producer but the movies itself. You can described "From russia with love“ justifiably as cult movie. It realized secred cravings for a catfight. That "Amazones" from Terence Young seen not as cult movie in this country realtes sure with the lack of a german release. „All the Marbles“, with the foolish german name "Breezy beens on mat (Kesse Bienen auf der Matte)", which  not exist in the movie become populat, but I would not call a story about the professional wrestling as cult movie of  the scene. (Translator remark: Have in mind, that the original text written in german)

The first text which was adequate for cult and probably reached cult status is "Hello, out there!" from Cherrytree, who epressed 1967 for first time litererily the curiuos lust affinity. Some americans saw him as  the "fater" of catfights, what is naturally not correct. was jedoch. Who do not know this text should search the reason at himself.

The label "cult figure" cann only attached if there is wide agreement. As this you have to ask behind everytime when names are told in bords, because borads represent as institiution as well as from their active members only a part of the scene.

We can get surely a consense on Bettie Page. Bur in the oppsite to sex symbol Marylin Monroe she became firtst in the eighties a cult figure, a and only restricted too, cause she was an actress not insider. She did the what Irving Claw told her.  And he too was not a lover of female wrestling, but he come throught the sado-maso-scene, which discovered him as customer of his photos,  to the apartment wrestling. The cartoonist Eric Stanton brought wrestling women to paper, to, but his main work are bizarre motivea of th SM-fetish.

Forgotten, at least too less appreciaced I think is the role of Judell du Long. She was an engaged pionieer of female wrestlingin  pin and submission style. By that reason I would admin her the grade of a cult figure. her reputation as spearhead of private wrestling has survived her activities. The name of younger women from her garage gym e.g. Nancy Scarvan oder Treena, are yet well known fore adepts of the scene. Her Super-8 movies do not have a minimal material value, but they are cult movies.

In Europe Béatrice Goffin can claim the status for cult. She embodyed the most the european szene; she is coined from her and her husband. Even if she retired because of denunciation three years ago, she stay the icon of private wrestling; yes she can count together with her training circle as connector to olympic wrestling.

Other meanwhile retired female wrestler, maybe still popular, but the are not cult figures. May be they will, if they do not let cut the connection  to the scene and e.g coined the scene permanently as coach. The next generation has to judge about this. You should nout cult with the cult; It iss sufficient not to forget growth stages, to keep an eye on continuity instead  searching a cult for cult sakes.

W. S.

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You can found the orginal german article here: http://www.kampfeslust.com/1.html.

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