Miss Anna - A Female Pro Wrestler/Promoter in France in 1868

The first female pro wrestling promoter?

A random discovery that I made, which I think is interesting. On 10 and 14 October 1868 there were a pair of pro wrestling events in Saint-Etienne, France. The first event was held at Salle du Prado and the second one at Vaux-Hall. It's not explicitly stated in the press, but these must have been Greco-Roman pro wrestling specifically since this was the most popular professional wrestling style in France at the time.

Back in those days in France there were touring troupes of wrestlers who would travel up and down the country putting on wrestling events. The most famous troupe was the one headed by promoter Rossignol-Rollin. What is notable about this pair of events in Saint-Etienne is that the person in charge of the troupe putting on the shows was a woman. In other words, the promoter and matchmaker was a woman. Or least that's what was reported in the contemporary French press - there's no way to know for sure how things worked behind the scenes. Firsts in professional wrestling are very difficult to verify, but as far as I'm aware this is the earliest reported example of a female professional wrestling promoter.

The woman in charge was a lady by the name of Miss Anna. Reportedly, she was a wrestler and also a strength athlete. Her nickname was "The Terrible Marseillaise", which suggests she was from the port city of Marseille (or at least was billed that way). Reportedly, she would juggle 20 kg (44 lbs) weights like they were apples, could lift 60 kg (132 lbs) with her teeth, and could easily defeat any man. Or such was the hype in the local press.

Her shows were advertised around town by way of huge 4-meter (157-inch) posters, imitating the Rossignol-Rollin style of promotion. The first show featured the local wrestlers Frugier, Daclin, Albert and Rivolon. Said to be part of Anna's troupe were the following wrestlers (identified in the press by their monikers): The Copper Man, The Iron Body, The Rampart of Puy de Dome, The Rampart of Rhone, The Rampart of Nimes, Without Pity, The Hercules of Saint-Etienne, The Intrepid Serpent of Loire, The Swedish Hercules, The Prussian Colossus, The Marseillaise Eel, and The Amiable Driver. It's worth pointing out none of these ring a bell for me, except maybe one guy, so I don't think these guys were particularly well-known. Still, the 10 October show drew what the local press described as a "considerable crowd". On the 14 October show Anna herself was going to wrestle a male opponent, known by the moniker The Prussian Colossus.

Newspaper advert for Anna's first show in Saint-Etienne

Newspaper article about Anna's second show in Saint-Etienne

I haven't searched super deep, but I wasn't able to find any further mentions of Anna in Saint-Etienne or anywhere else, which suggests to me her run in pro wrestling probably wasn't long.