Ursula Hayden

Ursula Hayden (born Ursa Bamby Hayden; March 8, 1966 – December 3, 2022) was an American professional wrestler, actress, and businesswoman. She was best known for her character Babe the Farmer's Daughter on the 1980s television show Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (also known as GLOW)[1] and being the owner of the company since 2001. She was also a series consultant on the Netflix original web series GLOW.

Ursula Hayden
Hayden signing autographs in 1987
Born
Ursa Bamby Hayden

(1966-03-08)March 8, 1966
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 3, 2022(2022-12-03) (aged 56)
Occupation(s)Professional wrestler, actress, businesswoman
Years active1986–2022
Known forOwner of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW)
Children1
FamilyHayden
Ring name(s)Babe the Farmer's Daughter
Donna Matrix
Goldie Ray
Princess of Darkness
Ursula Hayden
Trained byMando Guerrero
Debut1986
Retired2011
WebsiteGLOW official

Early life

Ursa Bamby Hayden was born in Santa Monica, California, on March 8, 1966,[2] and grew up in Los Angeles, California, where she was involved in gymnastics from a very young age.

Career
Hayden winning a "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" match in 1987.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Hayden did modeling jobs for various companies such as Sirkka T Fashion and Beno's Department Store. When Hayden was 17 years old, she entered into Southern California's Miss Perfect Teen Pageant and won first place.[3]

In 1986, Hayden started her professional wrestling career on the hit television show that was known for its colorful characters, strong women, and over-the-top comedy sketches, Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. She wrestled under the ring names "Babe the Farmer's Daughter", "The Princess of Darkness", and "Donna Matrix". In 1987, Hayden worked on a Faberge shampoo commercial while also being in her character Babe the Farmer's Daughter. She then continued her wrestling career by joining Powerful Women of Wrestling and portrayed the character Goldie Ray.

Hayden then went on to guest-star in hit television shows such as Hard Time on Planet Earth (1989), Married With Children (1990), and Family Feud (1992).

Hayden purchased the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) company from Meshulam Riklis in 2001.[4] Once taking over ownership, Hayden oversaw the restoration of archived GLOW episodes for viewing on the official company website. She then worked on her first wrestling adventure which was a sold out (2003) live event at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, California. After great reviews with the event, she put together another one that reunited original GLOW wrestlers in Las Vegas, Nevada. Then in 2012, Hayden worked on the documentary titled GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, which won the Best Documentary award at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con film festival. The documentary was later released on DVD in the United States and then became available for streaming on Netflix April 1, 2017.

She wrestled three matches in June and July 2011 in Edmonton, Alberta, in the independent circuit.

Hayden then started working with writers Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch in 2014, on creating a new GLOW Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling television show. In 2016 Netflix picked up the pilot for a full season and Hayden served as a series consultant on GLOW which was released June 23, 2017. She was then featured in articles such as The Washington Post,[5] Inverse, Sports Illustrated, and the LA Times.

In 2018, Hayden returned to television on The Bachelor with fellow original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling cast member Angelina Altishin (‘Little Egypt’), to train eight women how to wrestle and put on a live wrestling match. Each of the women were assigned their own wrestling personality, using wildly imaginative costumes and makeup. However, a few of the bachelorettes were upset by the aggressive nature of Ursula and Angelina’s wrestling personas.[6]

Personal life and death

Hayden died from cancer on December 3, 2022, at the age of 56.[7][8]

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRole
1986–1990GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of WrestlingBabe the Farmer's Daughter
1987POWW: Powerful Women of WrestlingGoldie Ray
1989Hard Time on Planet EarthBabe the Farmer's Daughter (episode "The Hot Dog Man")
1990Married... with ChildrenBabe the Farmer's Daughter (episode "You Gotta Know When to Fold Them")
2017GLOW (Netflix series)series consultant
2018The Bachelorherself [9]

Films

YearTitleRole
2012GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestlingherself

References
  1. Levine, Daniel S. (June 24, 2017). "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  2. "Ursula Hayden: Owner of GLOW". GLOW. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  3. LoRé, Michael (June 13, 2017). "Babe the Farmer's Daughter Talks GLOW and the Upcoming Netflix Series". Culture Trip. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  4. Francisco, Eric (June 27, 2017). "What Happened to G.L.OW. After Its Fall". Inverse. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  5. Alimurung, Gendy (June 20, 2017). "This '80s female wrestling league was dangerous and sexist — and the best job of their lives". Retrieved February 9, 2018 – via www.WashingtonPost.com.
  6. "Scoop: THE BACHELOR on ABC - Monday, January 15, 2018". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  7. Walsh, James (4 December 2022). "GLOW Trademark Owner Ursula Hayden, Babe the Farmer's Daughter Passes Away at 56". Wrestling Headlines. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  8. CHARLES KOFI AMOAKU (5 December 2022). "Ursula Hayden Children: Meet Alaska Renee Gieseler". GH Gossip. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  9. "'Desperation' on The Bachelor: Women Race to Kiss Arie Luyendyk Jr. After Surprise Eliminations". People.com. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
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