Midget wrestling isprofessional wrestling involving people of exceptionally short stature. Its heyday was in the 1950s and 1960s, when wrestlers such asLittle Beaver,Lord Littlebrook, toured North America, andSky Low Low was the first holder of theNational Wrestling Alliance'sWorld Midget Championship. In the following couple of decades, more wrestlers became prominent in North America, including foreign wrestlers like Japan'sLittle Tokyo.
The attraction was very popular in wrestling promotions from the 1950s into the 1970s. Many cards included midget wrestlers and included tag team and women's midget wrestling. Television shows for promotions in various cities frequently included midget matches.
Midget wrestling began to wane afterWWF'sWrestleMania III. Afterward, promotions continued to feature midget divisions, but its popularity was slowly declining. By the mid-1990s, midget wrestlers mostly appeared in comical matches and segments, rather than serious competitive wrestling-type matches. In Mexico, this was not the case, as wrestlerMascarita Sagrada continued to compete in prominent Mexican promotions such asAAA andConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. By the mid-2000s in theUnited States, midget divisions once again were part of major wrestling promotions, and wrestlers such as WWE'sHornswoggle were competing for and winning championships made for average-size male wrestlers.
TheLittle People of America (LPA) have criticized midget wrestling as reinforcing stereotypes that little people are no more than entertainment, and the use of the word "midget", stating that it is as offensive as aslur.[1] Opinions on the term from performers competing in the events is mixed; some consider the term merely descriptive of their small size, and others considering it outdated or offensive.[2]
Midget professional wrestling had its early origins in thevaudeville shows of the United States.[3] In these shows, comedy was as important as athletics. The sport is also indebted to professional wrestling'scarny origins, where a premium was placed on the visually unusual.
In 1949,Sky Low Low won a thirty-manbattle royal to become the winner of the firstNWA World Midget Championship, a singles midget championship promoted by theNational Wrestling Alliance.[4] Sky Low Low, one of the most prominent midget professional wrestlers, had a longtimefeud withFarmer Brooks.[5]
The 1950s have been called the "golden age of midget wrestling".[6] During the decade, Sky Low Low,Little Beaver,Lord Littlebrook, andFuzzy Cupid all toured the territories of Canada, wrestling in promotions such asStu Hart'sStampede Wrestling.[7][8] The dominantpromoter andbooker for midget wrestling at the time was Jack Britton, who was stationed inMontreal, Quebec.[9] InOntario, Larry Kasaboski also promoted midget wrestling shows.[9] In Canada, Sky Low Low and Little Beaver earned up to 15% of the gate proceeds at their events.[8][10]
The midget professional wrestlers had manygimmicks to attract audiences and revenue. One of Sky Low Low's gimmicks was an open challenge to any other midget professional wrestlers to beat him in atwo out of three falls match for $100.[11] He often turned himself upside down and balanced on his head.[8] The duo of Sky Low Low and Little Beaver even squared off in a match forElizabeth II andKing Farouk of Egypt.[11] Sky Low Low also frequently teamed with Fuzzy Cupid in tag team matches. Meanwhile, Lord Littlebrook was credited as being one of the first wrestlers of any height to useaerial maneuvers in his matches.[12] In addition to North America, Littlebrook wrestled inAustralia,Japan, andThailand.[12] The midget wrestlers also performed in Cuba (prior to 1959), South America, Central America,England,Ireland,Scotland, and the countries on the mainland European continent.[9]
In the 1960s, Littlebook trained other midget wrestlers, including Cowboy Lang.[13] Female wrestler theFabulous Moolah also trained midget wrestlers at her home in South Carolina, including female midget wrestlerDiamond Lil.[14]
Female midget wrestlers were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Beginning in the mid-to-late 1960s, Diamond Lil wrestled Darling Dagmar, and in the 1970s, Lil mainly feuded with Princess Little Dove. Other prominent female competitors included Sheila Johnson, Cherrie Lamour, and Gypsey Rose. The women, as well as the men, competed regularly for promotions such asGeorgia Championship Wrestling.[15]
Midget wrestling continued to be popular into the 1970s and 1980s, with foreign wrestlers coming to the United States to compete.Little Tokyo, a Japanese professional wrestler, made his way to theNational Wrestling Alliance in the 1970s. British wrestlerLord Littlebrook continued to compete, but he became amanager forJack Victory andRip Morgan inWorld Championship Wrestling in the late 1980s.[12]
TheWorld Wrestling Federation included several midget wrestlers on theircards in the 1980s. AtWrestleMania II in April 1986, theHaiti Kid appeared in the corner of actorMr. T, who was in a match against wrestlingRoddy Piper.[16] On March 12, 1987, the WWF'sWrestleMania III event — which is considered the pinnacle of the1980s wrestling boom — included atag team match with midget wrestlers Haiti Kid andLittle Beaver, with average sized wrestlerHillbilly Jim defeating Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook, withKing Kong Bundy by disqualification.[17][18] During the match, Bundy slammed Little Beaver to the mat, which broke his back and forced him into early retirement.[3] Sky Low Low was also touring with the WWF in the 1980s.[11]
Promotions such asWorld Class Championship Wrestling andWindy City Wrestling also had midget divisions during this time.Grand Prix Wrestling in Canada employed midget wrestlers, includingFarmer Brooks until it closed in 1992.[5] In late 1992, CanadianClaude Giroux signed on with the WWF and teamed with theBushwhackers in their feud against theBeverly Brothers, both of which were teams of full-sized wrestlers.[19]
Competitive midget wrestling declined sharply in the United States in the early 1990s. Midget wrestlers began to show up in more comedic roles, which has been criticized by theLittle People of America as being "thoroughly degrading and puts little people out there as a sideshow and entertainment".[20] In these comedic roles, the wrestlers appeared as miniature versions of existing full-size wrestling stars. For example, Claude Giroux continued his tenure in the WWF by dressing up as a smaller version of larger wrestlers; most prominent was hisDink the Clown character, who was the "mini" ofDoink the Clown. As Dink, Giroux appeared at 1994'sWrestleMania X in a match where he teamed with Doink againstBam Bam Bigelow andLuna Vachon.[21] He made another appearance at that year'sSurvivor Series, teaming with Doink and two other midget wrestlers (Pink and Wink) in a match againstJerry Lawler and Lawler's "minis" (Sleazy, Queasy, and Cheesy).[22][23] In response to the growing popularity of using midget wrestlers as comedy,Lord Littlebrook, who was popular in the 1950s, stated, "I'm disgusted, I really am...I want midget wrestling, I don't want midget comedy."[24]
In the late 1990s, the WWF and Mexico's AAA had a talent sharing program that allowed severallucha libre midget wrestlers to compete on WWF television.[25] These wrestlers included Max Mini, El Torito,Mascarita Sagrada, Mini Vader, and La Parkita.[25] Like in the United States, these midget wrestlers played "mini" versions of WWF and AAA's full-size wrestlers. Sagrada, repackaged as a character named Nova, made his in-ring debut in a midget wrestling match atBad Blood in 1997 where he teamed with Max Mini against Tarantula and Mosaic. The midget wrestlers appeared onWWF Shotgun Saturday Night andWWF Monday Night Raw. The WWF's midget wrestlers also appeared in matches at theRoyal Rumble in 1997 and theRoyal Rumble in 1998.[26]
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) also had an influx of Mexican midget wrestlers. In late 1996, full-size wrestler Máscara Sagrada wrestled in adark match beforeStarrcade in 1996 where he teamed with Octagóncito (mini version ofOctagón) and defeated Jerrito Estrada and Piratita Morgan, the latter of which was also a little person.[27] The next day, the teams faced again, this time onWCW Monday Nitro.[28]
On theindependent circuit, there was an increased interest in midgethardcore wrestling matches, and groups such as theHalf Pint Brawlers began selling DVDs and opening for musical acts such asKid Rock.[3]World Wrestling All-Stars also included hardcore matches in 2002 through 2003, with performers such asMeatball, Teo, and Puppet competing in matches where they hit each other with trashcans and otherforeign objects. In the early days ofTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (NWA:TNA) in 2002, the promotion included a hardcore midget wrestling division. Although the division was later abandoned, atVictory Road in 2004—the company's first monthlypay-per-view event—Mascarita Sagrada defeated Piratita Morgan.[29]
In 2005,World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) announced the creation of a "juniors" division within theirSmackDown! brand, which consisted of wrestlers at or below five feet tall, but it was discontinued in March 2006.[20][25][30] Despite releasing many of the "junior" talent, they hiredDylan Postl in May 2006, who played aleprechaun character (named Little Bastard and later Hornswoggle), who accompanied Northern Irish wrestlerFit Finlay to the ring.[31] At theGreat American Bash in July 2007, he won theWWE Cruiserweight Championship, a title normally held by full size male wrestlers.[32] Finlay and Hornswoggle also challenged for theWWE Tag Team Championship atNight of Champions in June 2008.[33][34] During his tenure with the company, midget wrestlers employed in the independent circuit, includingShort Sleeve Sampson, were brought in to portray the mini versions of larger wrestlers with whom Finlay was feuding.
In February 2000, the Micro Wrestling Federation (MWF), a wrestling promotion made up entirely of little people, was established.[35] The promotion featured both serious wrestling matches and more comedic aspects.[35] In early 2008, the Entertainment Shack booking agency acquired the MWF. After the acquisition, the entertainment agency hired many new midget wrestlers, making the organization the largest midget wrestling show in the US. This show can be seen nationwide with a tour schedule that encompasses the entire US, Canada, and South America. The promotion usually books between 150 and 180 shows a year.[36]
In the 21st century, there has been substantial controversy surrounding the sport. The hardcore wrestling troupe the Half Pint Brawlers simulated sex, used staple guns as weapons, and performed using other hardcore antics in January 2008 during aDelta Upsilon fraternity event atNorthwestern University.[37] The event caused the fraternity to face disciplinary actions.[37] In August 2008, the female performers in the MWF caused a disturbance when they appearedtopless in a bar inCanton, Illinois.[38] In addition, the Little People of America began to frown upon the use of the word "midget" in 2007, considering it to be degrading.[3] The wrestlers involved in the sport do not always agree with this assessment, citing the longevity of the sport and the appeal of the term to audiences.[3]
In 2018, Texas-based organization Extreme Dwarfanators Wrestling, which has toured across the US for many years, decided to tour England and Wales in the UK due to the explosion of interest in the UK wrestling scene. They instructed Wales-based agency Degu Media to assist with the language, tone, and translational issues and began to eliminate the word "midget" from all UK marketing material. At launch, the word Dwarfanators was substituted on social media, posters, advertisements, and banners. TheRestricted Growth Association (RGA) opposed the event and describing it as a "freak show". The RGA's statement offended many in the wrestling community. Such notables in the Dwarf community such as James Luster (actor, former dwarf games participant, and councilor) spoke out against the organization, including former relatives of the founders of the RGA. Once three venues in England banned the dwarfs from appearing, a legal case for discrimination was started, quoting the Equality Act 2010. Coyote Ugly Saloons in the UK briefly suspended ticket sales while they took counsel on the matter, then gave the events their support.
In 2022,Major League Wrestling announced the creation of a midget division.
Mascarita Sagrada is the most popular midget wrestler inMexico and has also been featured inWorld Wrestling Entertainment andWorld Championship Wrestling in the United States.[39] In Mexico, he has competed in AAA,Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), and a long list of independent promoters over the years. He debuted in CMLL, where he was patterned after popular luchador Máscara Sagrada and given his ring name which is Spanish for "Little Sacred Mask".[40] During his first year working as Mascarita Sagrada he made guest appearances inPuerto Rico working for theWorld Wrestling Council (WWC) at their 17th Anniversary show teaming with Aguilita Solitaria in a losing effort against the team of Piratita Morgan and Espectrito.[41] This match was one of the early pairings of Mascarita Sagrada and Espectrito, a rivalry that lasted for a decade and spanned several promotions.
In the 1990s, when midget wrestling in the United States began to decline in popularity, it remained popular in Mexico. In fact, prominent Mexican promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) created their midget division the year before in 1989. In 1992, the promotion established its primary championship for midget wrestlers, theCMLL World Mini-Estrella Championship.[42] Mascarita Sagrada was the first champion.[42]
Mascarita Sagrada and Espectrito continued their feud in AAA, now with the newly createdMexican National Mini-Estrella Championship in the 1990s. In January 1994, Espectrito became the first champion after winning a tournament final.[43] In November 1994 Sagrada and Octagoncito teamed up to defeat Espectrito and Jerrito Estrada on AAA's firstpay-per-view eventWhen Worlds Collide.[44] In 2002, AAA established theAAA Mascot Tag Team Championship, which was a tag team championship that was held by a full-size wrestler and his "mini".[45] The initial champions were Mascara Sagrada and Mascarita Sagrada, who held the title for approximately two years before losing it to El Alebrije and Cuije.[45] The latter team held the championship until April 7, 2009 when they left the promotion and the title was vacated.[46]
Sky Low Low (Marcel Gauthier) who was theNational Wrestling Alliance's first World Midget Champion,Little Beaver (Lionel Giroux),Lord Littlebrook, andFuzzy Cupid all have been inducted into theProfessional Wrestling Hall of Fame. In addition, other awards were developed for the midget professional wrestlers. For example,Pro Wrestling Illustrated presented aMidget Wrestler of the Year award annually from 1972 to 1976.
TheNational Wrestling Alliance promoted theNWA World Midget's Championship from 1949 until 1999. Little Tokyo held the title more than any other wrestler, with a total of three reigns.[4] There was also a World Midget Tag Team Championship, which was held by wrestlers such as Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook.[47] There are also several Mexican midget titles, includingAAA World Mini-Estrellas Championship andMascot Tag Team Championship,Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre'sWorld Mini-Estrella Championship,Mexican National Mini-Estrella Championship, and theWorld Wrestling Association's Minis Championship.
