Sherri defended the gold against Debbie Combs, Velvet McIntyre and Desiree Peterson. Sherri rose to prominence as a performer by way of her first real national exposure in Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association. During this period, she began honing her skills as a manager, while taking "Playboy" Buddy Rose and "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers to the AWA Tag Team Championship. New Orleans, Louisiana [13] When the WWF phased out its women's division in 1990, Martel remained with the company and turned her attention to managing male wrestlers.[10]. [5][9][10] At the Survivor Series in 1987, Martel's team consisting of Martel, Women's World Tag Team Champions The Glamour Girls (Leilani Kai and Judy Martin), Dawn Marie, and Donna Christanello lost to The Fabulous Moolah's team consisting of Moolah, Velvet McIntyre, Rockin' Robin, and the Jumping Bomb Angels (Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki). She was married and divorced at least twice during her life, and Booker Huffman gave her away at one of her weddings. While his in-ring work was never in doubt, he was struggling to find his feet as a performer and really needed someone to help guide him early on. Sensational Sherri Martel is a legendary manager and a pioneer for women's wrestling. On October 22, 1993 at the NWA Weekend of Champions, Martel accompanied Terry Funk against Kevin Sullivan (with Woman). Her first client was "Macho Man" Randy Savage. BrandontheWrestlingGuy. On June 15, 2007, Sherri Martel passed away at her mothers home in McCalla, Alabama, at the age of 49. To this day, the love of The Sensational Sherri knows no bounds amongst industry fans and wrestlers alike. At the Survivor Series in 1987, Martel's team consisting of Martel, The Glamour Girls (Leilani Kai and Judy Martin), Dawn Marie, and Donna Christanello lost to The Fabulous Moolah's team consisting of Moolah, Velvet McIntyre, Rockin' Robin, and the Jumping Bomb Angels (Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki). In the early 90s WWE phased out the Women's Division, leaving Sherri to focus on managing the male wrestlers. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Shawn Michaels Recalls Being Paired With Sensational Sherri In 1974, Martel approached Grizzly Smith for advice on becoming a wrestler. [1] During a mixed battle royal, Martel suffered an injury that removed her from wrestling temporarily. The display led to Sherri fainting at ringside and a no-contest decision. Sherry tragically passed away on June 15, 2007 from an accidental drug overdose at the home of her mother in Birmingham, Alabama. Near the end of the match, Martel confronted Michaels outside the ring and slapped him. Martel would suffer a similar embarrassment to that which she had suffered at the hands of Warrior when she ran in the ring to aid Savage in a steel cage match in Memphis against his old enemy in the area, Jerry "The King" Lawler, but after accidentally knocking Savage from the ring, she had her dress yanked off by Lawler as she climbed the cage to escape. 8 Things Fans Should Know About Sherri Martel In WCW Whether she was accompanying "Macho King" Randy Savage to the ring or assisting Ric Flair to another underhanded victory, Sherri was an elite manager whose presence at the side of a competitor added legitimacy and credibility to them even if they already had both in spades. This account has been disabled. She's a former champion whose career is worth retelling! Sherri held the championship for 15 months before losing it to Rockin' Robin. Failed to report flower. [20] The storyline, however, was cut short as Jannetty was released from the company in the midst of the feud. She later made appearances in WCW aiding Kevin Sullivan and Dave Sullivan in spring 1994. 8 Backstage Stories Fans Should Know About Sensational Sherri Martel In 2000, she made three wrestling television appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Managing was the main role with quite a few interesting storylines helping her and the talents she worked with. Martel re-emerged in Smoky Mountain Wrestling later that year and feuded with Tammy Sytch. WCW pitched the idea of Martel managing a young Triple H and William Regal when the duo was experimenting as a team. He is the adopted son of wrestler "Iron" Mike DiBiase, who married his mother when he was 4 years old. Bigelow and Luna attacked Martel, and Tatanka yet again saved her. Joined on: Jun 6, 2011. In 1991, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase enlisted her services. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Martel hit her head on the mat and suddenly fell in love with Parker. . She was an actress, known for WWE Smackdown! When the WWF phased out its women's division in 1990, Martel remained with the company and turned her attention to managing male wrestlers. [30] Also in 1999, she was awarded the AWA Superstars Women's Championship.[3]. At the same time, her mere presence by the side of Michaels lent him much-needed credibility. Two reasons have been given for Sherri's departure: her decision to enroll in cosmetology school and failed drug tests.[21][22]. This was during the promotion's short-lived attempt at recreating a women's division. On June 28, 1986, Martel would win the AWA Women's Championship for a third and final time form Candi Devine. From then until her final day in the company, Sherri managed Booker T and Stevie Ray as they collected titles and staked their claim as the greatest tag team in WCW. [4] Moolah claims that Martel frequented night clubs and liked to party, which resulted in Moolah kicking her out of the school. Martel signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. Bambi, Jenny Taylor, Malia Hosaka & Wendi Richter defeat Amber O'Neal, Krissy Vaine, Peggy Lee Leather & Sherri Martel. His adoptive father Mike died of a heart attack in the ring when DiBiase was 15. . He grabbed Shawn's mirror (a mirror that Sherri carried in before matches for Shawn to admire himself in before the fight), and when he swung the mirror at Michaels, Michaels pulled Sherri in front of him, and she was smashed with the mirror. This is a carousel with slides. Instead, Martel began managing Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) using the name Sister Sherri. Sign up for BINGE to watch. Please reset your password. Martel said in later interviews that working with Ric Flair was an honor (she considered him a friend and says she learned a lot from him), and she called Harlem Heat her "two big brothers" and she maintained a friendship with Stevie Ray and Booker T after leaving the company for the final time. Backstage, Michaels confronted her, and Jannetty came to her rescue. . Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? She joined the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the mid-1980s and held its AWA World Women's Championship three times. Sensational Sherri, who earlier in the night had turned on a . On June 28, 1986, Martel would win the AWA Women's Championship for a third and final time form Candi Devine. Sherri Martel / Sensational Sherri: Profile, Career, Face/Heel Turns