Woman Crush Wednesday: Mimi Lesseos

Mimi Lesseos first came to my attention when she was competing in Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association as the Magnificent Mimi in the late 1980’s. I was mesmerized by the Magnificent Mimi. Mimi looked like a superstar and she had the perfect combination of beauty and brawn. The Magnificent Mimi had male viewers around the world, watching her compete on ESPN, wishing she had them down on the mat and in a head scissors.  To me  it was only a matter of time before a woman with her skills and her beauty was scooped up by Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation and put on the biggest stage professional wrestling had to offer.

But Mimi Lesseos had other plans. Mimi was going to Hollywood! Fellow professional wrestlers like Jesse “The Body” Ventura, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan had already made the jump from the ring to the silver screen, but Mimi can lay claim to being the first female wrestler to do so. Mimi is a true trailblazer!

Mimi’s first acting role was in the movie American Angels: Baptism in Blood. This professional wrestling themed movie was the perfect role to give her a taste of Hollywood, while keeping her in familiar territory. It is also a perfect movie for fans of Mimi’s oiled up body too, as she competes in wrestling gear that is nothing more than a glorified thong.

In 1992, Mimi would land supporting roles in two movies released by direct to video experts, the PM Entertainment Group. First was The Last Riders where she worked with Erik Estrada and William Smith. Then in Final Impact with Lorenzo Lamas and Michael Worth. Lesseos plays Roxy, the ex-wife of Lamas’ character, Nick Taylor in Final Impact.

But 1992 would also bring Lesseos her first starring role…

In Pushed to the Limit, Lesseos once again plays a professional wrestler, who driven by revenge, competes in an underground fight to the death! Lesseos would follow Pushed to the Limit with movies like Beyond Fear, Streets of Rage and Personal Vendetta. These were all movies she also wrote and produced. Mimi is a true renaissance woman!

As the 1990’s came to a close, Mimi Lesseos expanded her Hollywood career by getting into the stunt side of the business, essentially becoming the female equivalent of one of her mentors, “Judo” Gene LeBell.

I mentioned earlier that Mimi was a true trailblazer and I was not exaggerating. Long before wrestling Divas like Sable, Chyna and Torrie Wilson were featured in the fold out pages of Playboy magazine, Mimi Lesseos appeared in the Hugh Hefner publication. This image of Mimi in Playboy is one that is forever etched in my mind…

Mimi Lesseos was a goddess in the ring and would go on to be a woman of action in front of and behind the cameras in Hollywood! Mimi, you truly are magnificent!

As a bonus for your viewing pleasure I am including a video of Mimi strutting her stuff in a yellow bikini. This scene is from the opening credits of The Last Riders…