Sherri was sensational

WWF Women's Champion
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

March 8 is International Women's Day. There have been a number of remarkable women in the world of professional wrestling. From the "Fabulous" Moolah to Elizabeth to Trish Stratus and current stars like Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair and Mickey James; the evolution of women's wrestling has been amazing.

Sherri in the AWA 

One woman who I've come to appreciate much more since her untimely death in 2007 is "Sensational" Sherri Martel. I remember when she first came onto my wrestling radar in the AWA. It was 1985 or so and women's wrestling was enjoying a bit of a resurgence thanks in part to Moolah and Wendi Richter in the WWF. One thing I learned was Sherri was not related to AWA World Champion Rick Martel. But another lesson learned was she was quite a talent in the ring.

Sherri vs. Moolah
Courtesy: WWE

Even though more women's matches were being broadcast on TV, the division was still grossly understaffed and underrated. Because of that (I'm assuming) Sherri transitioned into a manager too, leading "Playboy" Buddy Rose and "Pretty Boy" Doug Sommers to the AWA tag team championships. Meanwhile, in the WWF, the ladies were getting some more love and Sherri jumped ship, beating Moolah for the women's championship.

Sherri as Peggy Sue
Courtesy: WWE

It seemed that rebirth in the WWF was shortlived too, with Sherri once again returning to her managerial background. She donned a wig, sunglasses and a poodle skirt to be a backup for the Honky Tonk Man for a brief time. But she was most notable for managing the "Macho Man" Randy Savage, becoming "Sensational Queen" Sherri after Savage and Elizabeth split. But the kingdom crumbled and she took on Ted DiBiase as a client and later Shawn Michaels. 

Sensational Queen
Courtesy: WWE

Sherri would leave WWF and go to WCW to manage Ric Flair and Harlem Heat. Her time in the business was nothing short of impressive. Like I said, I've come to better appreciate Sherri posthumously, but I do remember when she was managing she often took bigger and better bumps than some of her male colleagues. Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Dusty Rhodes are just a few of the Superstars who felt Sherri's wrath or dealt out punishment to the former women's champion.

Sherri's HOF induction
Courtesy: WWE

In 2006 I was fortunate enough to be in the audience the night Sherri was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Sadly, a year later she was gone. But her legacy will live on not only as a professional wrestler but as one of the most beloved and talented managers of all time.

Foreign Object Friday: Sherri Martel's purse

Sherri's purse knocked out King Duggan
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Earlier this month, we marked the 10 year anniversary of the death of "Sensational" Sherri Martel. The WWE Hall of Famer will be remembered as one of the most talented performers to step in the ring. She was an amazing wrestler and manager, leading the likes of Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair and Harlem Heat into battle. 

Sherri tumbles in with the purse
Courtesy: WWE

The memorable thing about Sherri in this role was she was never afraid to mix it up with the Superstars. She got physical during matches with the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and Dusty Rhodes. As JR would say, Sherri was tougher than a two dollar steak. 

Hogan uses the purse
Courtesy: WWE

But sometimes Sherri relied on more than her talent and abilities in the ring or outside to help her man. A loaded purse would come into play. Who knows what was in it? Maybe a brick or some rocks... She attempted to help her team of Savage and Zeus in the main event of SummerSlam 89. But Hogan got a hold of the handbag and used it to blast Zeus and get the win. Sherri also got a taste of her own medicine and Elizabeth knocked out the Sensational One. Liz and Beefcake then cut Martel's hair.

Another time when the purse worked out for Savage was when he whacked King Hacksaw Duggan in the head with it and pinned him to win the crown. Sherri had been tussling with Duggan and Savage took advantage of the distracted Duggan. Sherri and Savage would go on to be the King and Queen of the WWF until Savage retired after WrestleMania VII, some 18 months after being royalty. 

Hall of Fame induction
Courtesy: WWE

Yes, the purse was dangerous, but Sherri's ability to manipulate and distract wrestlers was just as dangerous. A decade later, her presence is missed. I never got to see her wrestle in person, but was on hand in Chicago when she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the year before her death. Rest in peace Sherri.

SummerSlam A to Z: Fists Banned

 By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 
Check out other SummerSlam A to Z blogs

SummerSlam '92 featured an interesting match between two great competitors.  Many talk about the match up between Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith, but the one I'm writing about today was between Shawn Michaels and "The Model" Rick Martel.  Michaels had been wrestling as a heel for a short time at this point and the Model had been established as a bad guy for a few years by this point.  The heel vs. heel component was just one interesting side to this match as the WWE rarely booked these matches back then.

Courtesy: WWE

Both men were full of themselves and very interested in having Sensational Sherri with them.  Shawn and Sherri were the couple at the time, but when Martel started making advances; the Heartbreak Kid got mad.  So not only was a match signed between the two, but the stipulation was added that fists to the face were banned.  That was Sherri's idea.  

The two put on a great match as Shawn was on the cusp of super stardom and I always thought Martel was a top notch competitor.  Both men made it through most of the match without punching one another, but a slugfest ensued and the match ended in a double count out.  Rewatching the match, Michaels clearly throws the first punch, but the referee didn't disqualify him.

Courtesy:  WWE

Technically speaking, closed fists are not supposed to be a part of any wrestling match, but it's a "rule" that's often ignored.  The Michaels-Martel match helped to bring it to light, at least for a few minutes.  I don't remember this feud going anywhere after SummerSlam as Shawn would soon beat Smith for the Intercontinental title and have a mini-feud with Bret. 

Gone, But Not Forgotten: Sherri Martel

Sherri Martel as WWF Women's Champ
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Five years ago today I was on vacation in Mexico.  This was long before my smart phone, but because I knew our resort had Internet hookup, I packed our laptop to stay current on things in the news and of course wrestling.  I wasn't on Facebook or Twitter at the time, so I relied on regular ol' websites for information.

On the afternoon of June 15th, I logged in to WWE.com and read a headline that caught me off guard.  Legendary diva Sensational Sherri had died.  She was only 49 years old.

I remember very well watching Sherri Martel in the AWA.  It was the mid 80's and not only did she wrestle, she served as a valet for the tag team champions, "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers and "Playboy" Paul Rose.  This was the mid 80's, around the same time that Wendi Ritcher was lighting things up in the world of women's wrestling in the WWF.  The two never crossed paths and I think that's unfortunate.

Sherri did get to wrestle an aging Fabulous Moolah and beat her for the WWF Women's title when she arrived on the scene in 1987.  By then though women's wrestling was treated even worse than it is today, despite the fact that there were plenty of talented ladies.  Sherri dropped the women's title to Rockin' Robin in 1988 and I think that's pretty much the last we saw of the belt for a number of years.  Sherri stayed active in the WWF, most notably pairing up with the "Macho Man" Randy Savage when he and Elizabeth "broke up."

The King, the Queen, and Zeus
Photo courtesy: WWE

Sherri of course was the exact opposite of Liz.  As an active wrestler, she wasn't afraid to mix it up with the guys.  I can remember her getting involved in matches Savage had against Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Hulk Hogan, and The Ultimate Warrior.  I know on more than one occasion Hogan atomic dropped the Sensational Queen.  She wrestled a few times in that period but it was against Sweet Sapphire and no offense to her, she wasn't much competition.  In fact, I think she no showed the one singles match they were to have at SummerSlam 90, only meeting in that mixed tag match with Savage and Dusty Rhodes as their respective partners.

At Wrestlemania 7, Sherri and Savage split as the Macho Man and Liz reunited.  It didn't take long for the Sensational one to find a new mate though.  The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase hired her to replace Virgil.  The two made a good couple, but I liked her pairing with Savage the most I think, even though she got really outrageous with her makeup.  The partnership with DiBiase lasted for about a year, until a newly turned heel Shawn Michaels needed a valet.  Shawn became Sherri's "boy toy" even singing his theme song (which he still uses when he comes back to the ring)

Like all good relationships, the union with Shawn came to an end too after Sherri got hit in the head with one of the Heartbreak Kid's mirrors.  I think she briefly worked with Shawn's opponents, including Marty Jannetty and Tatanka.  She backed him at Wrestlemania 9 and brawled with Shawn's second Luna Vachon.  I know somewhere in her stint in the WWF she also played "Peggy Sue", the Honky Tonk Man's girlfriend, but she wore a wig and sunglasses so it was hard to tell it was her.

"Sister" Sherri & Harlem Heat
Photo courtesy: WWE

Eventually she left the WWF and briefly worked in ECW before heading south to WCW.  Instead of "Sensational" Sherri was "Sensuous" and aided Ric Flair in his feuds with Hogan and Sting.  Flair "retired" and Sherri moved on to Harlem Heat, even picking up the new name "Sister Sherri"  She played the part well, even dressing like Booker T and Stevie Ray.

In 2006 I was lucky enough to see Sherri get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.  At that point, she was only the second woman to receive the honor (Moolah was the first) Unfortunately though, there were some annoying fans in the crowd who continuously did cat calls and shouted while she tried to give her induction speech.  Since then, the WWE has cracked down on fans being obnoxious during the event.  She was so excited that night and seemed so full of life.  It's hard to believe that just over a year later she would be found dead.  I don't want to dwell on how she died, but instead would rather remember how she lived and made a difference in so many lives.

Hall of Fame Happiness
Photo courtesy: WWE

No doubt Sherri Martel influenced a generation of women wrestlers.  I think it's unfortunate she was in the WWF at a time when women's wrestling just didn't seem to matter.  But when she was in that ring, she always put on a great show.  Rest in Peace Sherri.  You are missed.