Rita Chatterton, better known by her stage name Rita Marie, is a professional wrestling referee. In 1984, she became the first female referee to work for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now known as WWE.
Chatterton accused WWF promoter Vince McMahon of raping her in a hotel room in 1986. The incident allegedly occurred during her final year with the company. Chatterton’s accusations against McMahon were made public, although no charges were brought.
File
- Full name: Rita Chatterton
- Stage name: Rita Marie
- Date of birth: January 22, 1957
- Age: 67 years old
- Place of birth: Albany, New York, USA
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Retired professional wrestling referee
- Height: Unknown
- Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Filicoski
- Siblings: Christopher
- Spouse: Unknown
- Children: 1
- Relationship: Single
- Net worth: Unknown
Early life and education
Rita Chatterton, real name Rita Filicoski, was born on January 22, 1957 in Albany, New York, USA. She was born and raised by her parents, known as Mr. and Mrs. Filicoski. She had an older brother named Christopher, who aspired to become a wrestler before his tragic death in a car accident in May 1979. Details about Rita’s educational background are unknown.
Career
Rita Chatterton made history in 1985 when she became the first female referee to work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). This accomplishment was met with opposition from WWF executives Pat Patterson and Jay Strongbow, who initially tried to prevent her from officiating her first match. However, Chatterton stood her ground and threatened to sue the WWF, eventually making her debut as a referee.
Although allowed to participate in the match, Chatterton claimed that Patterson, one of the WWF’s top executives, encouraged wrestlers to intentionally injure her, hoping that she would not want to work with her. more promotions. Fortunately, the wrestlers refused to comply with this directive and Chatterton was able to complete the match without incident.
After her initial foray into the WWF, Chatterton continued to do smaller promotional jobs, eventually making her television debut at a show at Madison Square Garden in January 1985. This marked her the beginning of her regular appearances in the WWF during the company’s Rock ‘n run. ‘ The era of wrestling connections.
During his time with the WWF, Chatterton’s presence was further highlighted through appearances in WWF Magazine and Cosmopolitan, as well as an interview on the popular show Tuesday Night Titans. She also said that she left her job at Frito-Lay due to promises of a lucrative future with the WWF.
In a shocking allegation, Chatterton claimed that in July 1986, WWF promoter Vince McMahon raped her in his limousine. While WWF lawyers claimed that she was “fired for cause” in 1986, another source said that she resigned from the company that year. Despite this, Chatterton remained a licensed referee, and the New York State Athletic Commission sent her to work several smaller WWF events, although she refused to participate in any of the shows that McMahon is expected to be present.
Chatterton eventually decided to quit wrestling after the death of her close friend, the legendary André the Giant, in 1993. WWF/WWE were later accused of trying to erase her from their history, when they promoting Jessika Carr as their first. female referee after debuting in 2017.
After decades away from the wrestling industry, Chatterton began making appearances and interviews in the early 2020s, when she was inducted into the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame . Although she has ruled out the possibility of working for Vince McMahon again, Chatterton remains open to wrestling in the future and she is currently working as a consultant at Leonard Inzitari’s wrestling school.
Personal life
Rita Chatterton has maintained a relatively private personal life since retiring from the sport. The media is unaware of her current relationship status as details about her romantic life are yet to be made public.
However, it is known that Chatterton is divorced and she has a daughter from a previous marriage. After her wrestling career ended, Chatterton transitioned into a youth mentoring role, where she devoted herself to supporting and guiding young people.
Social Media
Rita Marie (Rita Chatterton) does not have any active social media accounts.
Net worth
Rita Chatterton’s net worth is not publicly disclosed. However, she is known to have earned considerable wealth through her successful career as a professional wrestling referee. Despite her remarkable achievements in the industry, details about her net worth and current financial status are still unknown to the media.
