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Victoria " Wendi" Richter (born September 8, 1960) is an American occupational therapist and former professional wrestler. She began her professional wrestling career in companies such as the National Wrestling Alliance, where she tag team with Joyce Grable, with whom she held the NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship twice. In the 1980s, she joined the WWE (WWF). She held the WWF Women's Championship twice and feuded with The Fabulous Moolah over the title. She was also involved in a storyline with singer Cyndi Lauper called the "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection". Richter, however, left the WWF after losing the championship in controversial fashion. She then worked in the World Wrestling Council and American Wrestling Association, where she held both companies' women's titles.
It was reported that the plan to rid Richter of the title was concocted by WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, who brought in Moolah after Richter refused to sign a new contract with the WWF.
Richter surfaced in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1987 to challenge champion Debrah Miceli for the AWA Women's Championship, winning the title in December 1988. On December 13, 1988, she participated in a mixed tag team match at SuperClash III with partners The Top Guns (Ricky Rice and Derrick Dukes) against Badd Company (Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka) and Madusa Miceli. Richter's team won the match when she pinned Miceli.
She wrestled only a few times in the 1990s.
On January 29, 2005, Richter appeared at WrestleReunion in an eight-woman tag team match (teaming with Selina Majors, Malia Hosaka, and Jenny Taylor) wrestling against Sherri Martel, Peggy Lee Leather, Krissy Vaine, and Amber O'Neal. In August of that same year, Richter appeared at the second WrestleReunion event, WrestleReunion 2, in a six-person tag team match.
On the June 16, 2012 episode of WWE Raw, Richter appeared in an in-ring segment along with Cyndi Lauper, Roddy Piper and then-Diva's Champion Layla El as part of the "1000th episode" buildup. Piper expressed his gratitude to Richter and Lauper for their "Rock 'N Wrestling" angle and presented Lauper with a gold record, with which she eventually hit Heath Slater, who at the time had a gimmick of insulting veteran Superstars before getting his comeuppance.
On December 31, 2023, during the Worlds End 2023 post-show press conference, the AEW Women's Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm was asked if there are any free agents that she would like to see Tony Khan sign to AEW.
“Tony, I don’t care how much you’re going to yell at me for this after, but yes, there is quite the free agent out there, isn’t there?” she said. “There is money written all over it. Wendi Richter … I’m going to fuck you up!”
After leaving the wrestling business, Richter worked as a real estate agent. She also returned to school for 13 years, earning a degree in physical therapy and a master's degree in occupational therapy. Aside from therapy, Richter competes in dog shows, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. She was once married to Hugo Savinovich, a former Spanish announcer for the WWF. In 2019, she was featured in the documentary Circle of Champions: The History of Women's Pro Wrestling directed by Christopher Annino.
She currently works as an occupational therapist for Rehab Partners Inc.
Graham Cawthon (2025). 9781492825975, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781492825975 Richter, however, claims she was still under her original five-year contract, but that she regularly had disagreements with McMahon about her compensation. She also claims that when she arrived at the arena that day, she was surprised to find Moolah backstage, as she never showed up to events at which she was not scheduled to wrestle. After the match, an infuriated Richter left the arena in her wrestling gear, took a cab to the airport, and booked herself on a flight out of New York. Afterward, she never spoke to Moolah again.
Later career (1987–2005)
Upon leaving the WWF, Richter wrestled in Puerto Rico, Japan, and throughout the United States in independent promotions. In Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council, she traded the WWC Women's Championship with Rhonda Sing, holding the belt twice: once in May 1987 and once in July 1987.
Life after wrestling and WWE Hall of Fame (2005–present)
In the years after her retirement, Richter was uninvolved with wrestling. In a 2005 shoot interview, she expressed disgust toward the portrayal of women in the WWE product, and was still hurt over her WWF exit. In 2010, Richter was offered induction in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2010, which she accepted. She was inducted by Roddy Piper. In contrast of her shoot interviews, her speech spoke fondly of her wrestling career and how the WWE Divas thanked her for her influence. Richter's speech ended joyfully, exclaiming "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!"
Personal life
Born in 1960, Richter grew up in Dallas, Texas, and before she entered the sport of professional wrestling, she worked on her family's ranch and took part in rodeo competitions. She attended Bossier High School, where she participated in volleyball, track, and cross-country. She later majored in computer programming at Dallas's Draughon's Business College. In the 1980s, she moved to Crystal River, Florida.
Championships and accomplishments
Footnotes
External links
Categories: 1960 Births, American Expatriate Sportspeople In Germany, American Expatriate Sportspeople In Japan, American Female Professional Wrestlers, American People Of German Descent, Awa World Women's Champions, Living People, People From Crystal River, Florida, Professional Wrestlers From Dallas, Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame And Museum, Wwe Hall Of Fame Inductees, Wwe Women's Champions, Stampede Wrestling Alumni, 21st-century American Women, 20th-century Female Professional Wrestlers, 20th-century American Professional Wrestlers, Nwa World Women's Tag Team Champions, 20th-century American Sportswomen, Wwc Women's Champions, Nwa United States Women's Champions
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