Candi Devine (Former AWA Womens Champion) Has Passed Away

 

Former AWA World Women's Champion Candi Devine, real name Candace Rummel has passed away.  Devine was 63 years old at the time of her passing.  We are not aware of the cause of her death but have been told that she had just gone into hospice recently.

A Nashville native, Devine first got involved in the business running a fan club for Lanny Poffo and working as a ring girl for the Poffo family's ICW promotion in Kentucky.  She was trained by Don Fargo, Joey Rossi and Owen Henley and broke into the business in 1976.

While working for Verne Gagne's AWA, Devine held the AWA Women's Championship on several occasions, feuding with the late Sherri Martel and was a regular babyface performer for years.  She worked with the promotion through 1990, working with Madusa, last winning the AWA title from Judi Martin to determine the new champion after Wendi Richter exited the promotion.

Devine also worked for Herb Abrams' UWF promotion, losing to Rockin' Robin to establish Robin as the first-ever Women's Champion at the Beach Brawl PPV in 1991.  When the promotion later began popping up for additional events in the mid-1990s, Devine was crowned the champion.  Devine also worked for the LPWA promotion, billed as The Goddess. 

Devine also held the WWC Women's Championship in Puerto Rico, feuding with the late Monster Ripper.  True to Devine's reputation of doing anything necessary for the business, WrestleReunion promoter and former referee Sal Corrente relayed a tale that while working the territory, there was an advertised appearance from movie character Robocop on a big show.  He went backstage to see who was playing Robocop and it was Devine in the suit, having just wrestled Monster Ripper.

Devine was a true journeywoman of the business and traveled endlessly, continuing to wrestle through the late 1990s and appearing for every wrestling promotion you could imagine, from WWF on down.

She also wrestled Diane Von Hoffman aka Moondog Fifi for 2 summers in Canada 1983-1985. Moon Dog Fifi defeated Candi for her belt in 1994 in Evansville, IN.

Devine defeated Bambi on a USWO card on October 14, 2005.