Winona Littleheart
Winifred "Winnie" Childree[1] (September 5, 1955 – May 9, 2020) was a professional wrestler better known by the ring names Winona Littleheart (sometimes billed as Winona Little Heart and Wenona Little Heart) and The Lock.
| Winona Littleheart | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Winifred Childree |
| Born | September 5, 1955 Reynolds, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | May 9, 2020 (aged 64) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Winona Littleheart Princess Little Heart Cindy Lou The Lock |
| Trained by | The Fabulous Moolah & Susan Green |
| Debut | January 1, 1976 |
| Retired | 1988 |
Career
National Wrestling Alliance
Childree, stepdaughter of wrestler/booker "Dirty" Dick Barkley, debuted on New Year's Day, 1976, participating in a ten-woman battle royal at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] She began her wrestling career as Winona Littleheart with the standard "Native American" gimmick, including a fringe vest and feather in her hair. She became Girl's Wrestling Rookie of the Year for 1976. For the next several years, she would cut her teeth in various NWA territories such as Tampa, New York, Amarillo, Hawaii, Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Houston, St. Louis, Nashville, Atlanta, Knoxville, Dallas, Kansas City, Calgary, and Memphis. As Princess Little Heart, she was awarded the NWA United States Women's Championship in October 1980, before losing to the title to Judy Martin.
After leaving Moolah's group and the WWF in 1985, Childree returned to the NWA and its Tampa territory, this time under the name Cindy Lou, a young woman who used to be friends with Barry Windham and Kendall Windham while growing up. She had been abducted by Kevin Sullivan, who renamed her The Lock (because he kept her under lock and key). As The Lock, she eventually wore a mohawk and wore bizarre clothing and face paint. She joined Sullivan's "Army of Darkness" stable and frequently fought with Sullivan's other valet, Fallen Angel. Eventually Luna Vachon joined the stable and she formed a tag team with The Lock known as "The Daughters of Darkness".[1]
World Wrestling Federation
As Winona Littleheart, she frequently competed in the World Wide/World Wrestling Federation in the late 1970s and early/mid 1980s. She often feuded with The Fabulous Moolah and Judy Martin. She also worked as a trainer at Moolah's wrestling school and helped train Wendi Richter.
In 1985, two years after WWF finally broke away from the NWA, she challenged then WWF Women's Champion Leilani Kai for the title during Kai's short title reign.
Independent circuit
As the Florida territory started to wind down, Luna and Lock hit the independent circuit and won the World Tag Team title for the short lived Women's Championship Wrestling (based in Las Vegas, the predecessor to LPWA). They defended the titles against Candi Devine and Debbie Combs in Memphis in January 1987.[2] Later that summer, she returned to Georgia to compete for AWA Georgia.
The Lock wrestled for David McLane's Powerful Women of Wrestling in 1988, managed by Genie Beret.
Retirement
Barkley retired from professional wrestling. She provided back-up vocals for a song on Nasty Savage's 1987 album "Indulgence".
She died on May 9, 2020. She was believed to have been 64 years old.[3]
Championships and accomplishments
- National Wrestling Alliance
- Women's Championship Wrestling
- WCW World Women's Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Luna Vachon
References
- "Winona Littleheart Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
- http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/memphis/jarrett/1987.html#011187
- Meltzer, Dave (May 10, 2020). "Former Moolah stable wrestler Winona Littleheart passes away". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved May 11, 2020.