In the world of professional wrestling, we see so many different characters come and go. Some are fleeting for one reason or another, while others grab hold of us and never let go. This tends to happen more when we’re younger, as they can sometimes become an idol of ours that leads to us giving a shot at a different career than other expected. Most of the time, we remember them simply because they gave us a lot of joy. It’s for that reason that this day in wrestling history, June 15, we’re remembering WWE Hall of Famer “Sensational” Sherri Martel.
As a kid, watching wrestling had an air about it that was both circus-like and gladiatorial. We were smart enough to know that no way was someone going to walk away from whatever happened under their own power, but we were mesmerized. Still are if it’s done right. Other times, we were enraptured by whomever we were watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZampCrAaxs
Sensational, Queen, Scary all fit
It didn’t matter what moniker she was going by, or whether it was something the fans or a face gave her to put her over. She was always the one we paid attention to even if it was when Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, or Ted DiBiase that was talking. She was always energetic and made a show out of everything.
Even her screeching voice during promos and matches remains the best, with Stephanie McMahon trailing by a wide margin.
But Sheri was more than a character. She was one of the warmest, kindest, and gentlest people around. It’s a common claim made by most that had met her. She cared about the business and the fans, always wanting to put on the best show possible whether she was the manager/valet or wrestling herself.
In an interview with prowrestlingstories.com, she talked about several topics, but one in particular helped put into perspective what life was like in the WWE during her thirteen years there. The rest of the interview is awesome, so give it a read.
“It kind of starts out with you getting up, usually around 5:00. You catch the 6:30 flight. You always stay in the hotel close to the airport. That way you can sleep later. But anyway, you check out of the hotel, you go to the airport, check your bags and hope they don’t lose your baggage, you go down to the gate, get your seat you get on the plane and go to sleep. You land, get your bags, take them to the hotel and go to sleep a little while longer. Some of the guys go to the gym to work out. It’s just a crazy life and most of the time you don’t have time to eat, or whatever. You come back to the hotel and take it easy for a couple of hours and then go to work and come back and go to bed and then it starts over again the next day for like 12, 13 days. It pretty much takes a toll on everything.
“For 13 years, it was suitcases, my toothbrush, my hot curlers, my blow-dryer, airplane tickets, my briefcase and that’s about it. It’s just crazy. You get out there. You know you don’t want to leave home. You get on the plane. You get sick of packing that suitcase and you walk out of that door and you’re leaving everything there. You wonder if your fish are going to be okay or if any of them are going to croak while you’re gone. You worry about your mom and animals and everything while you’re gone, and then you got to get psyched for yourself. Everybody gives something up. Everybody that comes in this business knows what they are giving up. You really don’t appreciate what you have until it’s not there all the time. Besides, you get tired of worrying about the airplanes, or the automobiles when you’re driving long hours in-between the shows. I’m tired of the road. A hotel becomes like a prison cell after a while with room service and a TV and bathroom.
“It pretty much takes its toll on everything.
“After leaving the WWF, I just went home and recuperated, putting my life back together and actually finding out there is life after the WWF. I had been living out of a suitcase for 13 years with the WWF and the schedule was so crazy that I didn’t get to spend as much time at home as I would have liked.
“I didn’t see my son grow up.”
Missing out on seeing family is a familiar topic with any sports or entertainment star because of the hours they put in day in and day out, but wrestling is a combination of both, and that makes hearing this help us appreciate them all the more.
She even spoke on what it was like to wrestle with the Fabulous Moolah and others, and it’s a great insight to the mindset of women wrestlers then and now have.
“I had a couple of matches in Japan that went for an hour. One was a little bloody and everything, but it came out okay. That was for the AWA Championship. Each and every time I stepped into the ring with The Fabulous Moolah it was a challenge because you must remember one thing, the teachers never teach you everything. They never do. So, each and every time I get in the ring with my opponent, they were all tough, talented and competing in a male-dominated sport that they respect and care about and want to be a part of. Each and every one of them is hard and they work hard, and they really try to do their best and give their all.”
Everything comes to an end
Unfortunately, Sherri, like many other wrestlers we’ve lost over the years, had her own demons born from using drugs during her career.
On June 15, 2007, Sherri Martel passed away at the age of 49 from an accidental drug overdose. This brought to end one of the greatest performers professional wrestling has ever had, making this day in wrestling hers for all time.
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