WWE Hall Of Fame member Sensational Sherri Martel died today at age 49. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports that she was found dead in her home in Jacksonville, FL. Cause of death is not yet known. She was born Sherri Russell Feb. 8, 1958 in New Orleans. She was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2006. She was primarily known for her Sensational Sherri character in early 90s WWF managing wrestlers like Randy Savage & Shawn Michaels. She was a great performer as a manager but I suspect a lot of fans aren't aware that she was a pretty good wrestler long before that. She is a former AWA World Womens Champ and a former WWF Womens Champ. So I wanted to concentrate my obituary on her wrestling career.
As Sherri said in her WWE HOF induction speech, she went to Butch Moore in Nashville to learn pro wrestling. Once Moore decided she was tough enough for the wrestling business, he sent her to The Fabulous Moolah in Columbia, SC for training. Sherri made her debut in 1980. WWE 24/7 recently showed her first Madison Square Garden match. It wasn't very good but that's what it was. She spent some time in Memphis and was managed by Jim Cornette. Check out this video of her very first match in Memphis against Velvet McIntyre. And yes, she did go on one of Moolah's tours of Japan to work for All Japan Women in 1982. I have a match on VHS of Sherri beating up a young Noriyo Tateno from the Jumping Bomb Angels.
Sherri left Moolah in 1983 and went to the AWA. Her primary rival there was Candi Divine. The above picture is from a 1983 match between the two and is courtesy of Tinadiane. Sherri first won the AWA World Womens Championship from Candi at the 1985 AWA Superclash. The girls traded the title a couple of times. Meanwhile, Sherri got into managing with the tag team of Playboy Buddy Rose & Pretty Boy Doug Somers. She continued to hold the AWA belt until she left the AWA for the WWF in 1987. Sherri won the WWF Womens Title from The Fabulous Moolah in her very first WWF match in Houston. She held the title until losing it to Rockin' Robin in Paris, France in Nov. 1988.
In the spring of 1989, the WWF decided to shut down the womens division. But they saw Sherri's value as an outrageous manager and she rarely wrestled for the rest of her time in the WWF. She left the WWF for the WCW in 1993 and though she managed Ric Flair for a while, she was most memorable while managing the tag team Harlem Heat. After leaving WCW, Sherri continued working for indy feds as a wrestler and manager. Whether working as a wrestler or manager, Sherri Martel was always a very hard worker and her only goal was to entertain fans to the best of her ability. She did a damn good job. And if you haven't seen it, you need to check out Sherri's WWE HOF induction ceremony speech. It's a laugh riot. The wrestling community suffered a terrible loss today with the death of Sherri Martel at age 49. A ten bell salute has been well earned. R.I.P.
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