After Sensational Sherri was unable to regain the WWF Women�s Title from Rockin Robin, she saw an opportunity to move from wrestling to managing when former WWF Champion Randy "Macho Man" Savage fired his devoted manager, Miss Elizabeth, in a fit of jealous rage. Savage thought Elizabeth was too close to Savage's tag-team partner, Hulk Hogan. Hogan and Savage met for the WWF Title at Wrestlemania V where Hogan won. It was this event that sent Savage over the edge and caused his split with Elizabeth. Savage claimed Elizabeth's presence at ringside had been the reason he lost the WWF Title to the Hulkster!
Angry and consumed by a thirst for revenge, Savage joined forces with Sensational Sherri. She was introduced as the Macho Man's new manager on the Brother Love Show in April of 1989. When she was introduced, Sherri claimed she was more woman than Miss Elizabeth had ever dreamed of being! Sherri also had another message for Elizabeth: "Eat your heart out!" This speech by Sherri showed that she would be a very different manager than the quiet, sweet Miss Elizabeth! Her trashy clothing and screechy voice were a big change from Elizabeth, and most WWF fans took an instant dislike to Savage's new "Sensational" manager.
Unpopular as she was with fans, Sherri proved to be a valuable ally in Savage's struggle against Hogan. Unlike Elizabeth, Sherri saw nothing wrong with interfering in matches and using underhanded tactics to help her man win a match. Together, Savage and Sherri were ruthless in their quest to capture the WWF Title from Hogan. Sensational Sherri would often enter the ring and attack the champion, giving Savage a chance to recover. The two villains would then double-team the Hulkster, risking disqualification. Elizabeth sometimes came to assist Hogan in these matches.
Although they came close on many occasions, Savage and Sherri were never able to take the title from Hogan. Soon, they also found themselves in the middle of a feud with Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake as well. On the Brother Love Show, Beefcake insulted Sherri by calling her "Scary Sherri." He even got the crowd to begin chanting her new nickname! This taunting by Beefcake delighted fans but infuriated Sensational Sherri. Within minutes, Sherri and Savage responded by attacking
Beefcake and subjecting him to a humiliating haircut with his own scissors! This wasn't enough for the treacherous duo, however. They wanted to really make Beefcake pay for what he had said. Sherri, especially, had plans for him!
To put these plans into effect, Savage and Sherri decided they needed some help. They brought in a secret weapon; one that they hoped would allow them to destroy both Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake! The weapon was "Zeus," a huge man who had his own beef with Hulk Hogan. Zeus had starred opposite Hogan in the movie No Holds Barred and the two men had developed an intense hatred for each other. Randy Savage and Sensational Sherri saw the opportunity to use Zeus to their advantage. Nicknamed "The Human Wrecking Machine," Zeus was unleashed against Beefcake and Hogan during a match on Saturday Night's Main Event, a national television show. His awesome strength made him seem invincible!
Savage, Sherri, and Zeus also challenged Beefcake and Hogan to a tag-team match at Summerslam 89. Hogan and Beefcake accepted the match, but it did not look promising for Hogan and all the "Hulkamaniacs" as Summerslam drew closer. Sherri and her men had all the momentum, and it appeared as though they might be the ones to finally put an end to the legend of Hulkamania.
Unfortunately for Sensational Sherri and her men, it was not to be. As he had so many times before, Hogan rose to the occasion and met the challenge. Sherri, Savage and Zeus were sent to a crushing defeat at Summerslam. It was particularly devastating for Sensational Sherri- after the match was over, she was captured and atomic dropped by the Hulkster and then knocked out with her own purse by Hogan's manager, Miss Elizabeth! To make matters worse for her, Sherri was then given a haircut by Brutus Beefcake! The crowd roared its approval as the vile manager was punished!
Even though she had been defeated and humiliated, Summerslam 89 marked a high point in the career of Sensational Sherri. For the first and only time, she was featured in a main event at a WWF pay-per-view. In her first few months as Savage's manager, Sherri had nearly led him back to the WWF Title and she had posed a serious threat to Hulkamania! Hogan and WWF fans were fortunate that Elizabeth was in the corner of the champion. Before, during, and after Summerslam, Elizabeth foiled Sherri's evil plans time and time again. There was even speculation that Elizabeth and Sherri would face each other one on one in the ring! Elizabeth's courage and goodness were proving stronger than Sherri's villainous treachery and WWF fans loved her for it!
Eventually, Savage and Sherri became frustrated by their failure to regain the WWF Championship and began to look elsewhere for the glory and success they so desperately wanted. They found it by defeating the "King" of the WWF, Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Naturally, Sensational Sherri's interference played a key role in winning the crown. After the victory and their ascension to the throne, the pair became known as "Macho King Randy Savage" and "Sensational Queen Sherri." They even had an official coronation where the newly crowned couple were presented with a royal sceptre!
Sensational Sherri and Randy Savage had become royalty!
Sherri's new title didn't make her any kinder to the Macho King's opponents. On the contrary, it seemed to compel her to be even more ruthless. Sherri viciously defended her crown and what Savage called "The Kingdom of the Madness." Sherri would continue to interfere in matches and break rules, choking, kicking and punching the Macho King's adversaries when they came in range. Sensational Queen Sherri was merciless!
After capturing the crown, the first order of business for the new King and Queen was to fend off the challenge posed by the former king, Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Duggan was understandably enraged at Savage and Sherri for "stealing" the crown and he desperately wanted revenge. A match was set for Survivor Series 89 between Savage's team, "The King's Court" and Duggan's team, "The Four-by-Fours." Fans hoped that the forces of good would win out, but Sensational Queen Sherri's interference again played a role in her team's victory at Survivor Series. Hacksaw was never able to become King again. Night after night, Sherri and Savage successfully defended the crown largely due to the evil Queen's illegal actions.
Secure in their position on the throne, the Macho King and Sensational Queens' confidence grew. They even joined forces with Zeus again and took one last run at Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake in a steel cage match in December of 1989! Hogan pinned Zeus, forcing him into retirement, but the Kingdom of the Madness remained intact.
With her new royal title, Sensational Queen Sherri became even more arrogant. She clearly enjoyed being carried on a throne, chauffeured around in limousines, and riding first class on airplanes. She and Savage were even featured on the popular TV show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous! Queen Sherri basked in her own glory, looking down on WWF fans. To her, they were "common" people and she considered them "peasants." The King and Queen even demanded fans bow down in servitude to them when they entered arenas! The royal couple were loudly booed and jeered by crowds, who did not appreciate being treated with such contempt!
Queen Sherri's stuck-up attitude angered other WWF superstars as well, in particular "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and his female manager, "Sweet"
Sapphire. Sensational Queen Sherri considered Sapphire and Rhodes commoners and the snobby Queen was extremely hostile toward Sapphire when they were interviewed together at the 1990 Royal Rumble. The Queen cruelly insulted Sapphire, making fun of her appearance and weight. To the delight of fans in attendance, Sapphire hauled off and slapped the foul-mouthed Queen so hard she rolled right out of the ring! This brought the Macho King running to the ring to defend his Queen. Of course, the American Dream responded and a new feud was born! The Sensational Queen and Macho King were stunned that Sapphire would dare to put her hands on royalty and began to plot revenge!
Sherri and Savage thought they could teach Sapphire and Rhodes a lesson if they got them in the ring. The first-ever mixed tag team match in WWF history took place at Wrestlemania VI. The royal couple, the Macho King Randy Savage and the Sensational Queen Sherri, were set to face the common couple, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and Sweet Sapphire. Sherri and Savage were shocked by a surprise appearance at Wrestlemania. The First Lady of the WWF, Miss Elizabeth came out to a thunderous ovation from the audience and was in the corner of Rhodes and Sapphire for the historic match! Sherri did not like this one bit, but Elizabeth again got the better of the Sensational Queen in this match- Sapphire pinned the Queen with help from Elizabeth! Even after Wrestlemania, Elizabeth often showed up at Sapphire's matches against the Queen to lend her support. Again, Elizabeth was a thorn in the side of Sherri, and usually was instrumental in Sherri's defeats! The fans loved Miss Elizabeth standing up to the wicked Queen!
Sensational Queen Sherri's battles with Sapphire came to an end in an unexpected way at Summerslam 90. Sherri and Sapphire were supposed to have a match but Sherri won by forfeit when Sapphire failed to come to the ring! Sherri gloated about her "victory" afterward, claiming that she won because Sapphire was afraid of her! She said that Sapphire didn't want to take a "sensational beating" at the hands of the Queen! It turned out later that Sapphire had a different reason for not appearing- she was leaving Dusty Rhodes to join "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase! In any event, Sensational Queen Sherri could claim an "official" victory and her feud with Sapphire was over.
Summerslam 90 also marked the end of the Macho King's feud with Dusty Rhodes. Devastated by the loss of Sapphire, Rhodes was unable to put up much of a fight in his match with Savage later that evening at Summerslam. Much to the dismay of the crowd, the King scored an easy victory over a heart-broken American Dream, due in large part to illegal interference on the part of the Queen!
The King and Queen, having consolidated their positions by turning back this latest challenge, found themselves looking for a new target. The only question was "Who would the Kingdom of the Madness go after next?" It soon became clear- they were aiming for the "ultimate" prize. Savage had never let go of his dream of winning back the WWF Championship, and speculation began to build that he and Sherri were plotting a strategy to regain the coveted title. The champion at the time was the Ultimate Warrior, who had won the title from Hogan at Wrestlemania VI. Soon, the Macho King and Sensational Queen had him directly in their sights!
Sensational Queen Sherri first got the Ultimate Warrior's attention by slapping him several times across the face during an interview! Much to everyone's surprise, the Warrior didn't respond physically. Later, he said that he held back because he did not want to hit a woman! Sherri had succeeded in getting his attention, however. The Warrior vowed to get even with Sherri by destroying the Macho King. He asked Sherri to stay out of the way so he and Savage could settle the issue themselves.
Rather than respect the Warrior's wishes, Sherri kept up the pressure and saw his refusal to hit her as a sign of weakness! Sherri, who described herself as a queen with "claws," prepared to sink them into the Ultimate Warrior! At Royal Rumble 91, the Warrior reached the breaking point. Sherri demanded that the Warrior grant the Macho King a title shot. When he refused, the King and Queen plotted his downfall. Later in the evening, during the Warrior's title match with Sergeant Slaughter, Sherri and Savage interfered. The King and Queen distracted the Warrior from the match and Slaughter took advantage. Their meddling resulted in a controversial victory for Slaughter and the Warrior lost his title because of the actions of the royal couple! The loss of the title sent the Warrior over the edge. He became a man on a mission.
Enraged, he lost his restraint and began responding physically when Queen Sherri involved herself in matches. His number one priority became destroying the Kingdom of the Madness! The hatred between the Warrior and the Macho King and Sensational Queen became so intense they decided that the WWF wasn't big enough for both the Kingdom and the Warrior. The Macho King and the Ultimate Warrior decided to put their careers on the line in a "Loser must retire" match at Wrestlemania VII!
Wrestlemania VII would prove to be the end of the reign of Sensational Queen Sherri. The Macho King was pinned after a long, hard battle and forced to retire. Sherri couldn't believe she had lost her crown and was furious with Savage for losing the match and ending her reign as Queen. She entered the ring and began venting her anger on the exhausted former King, kicking him repeatedly and slamming his head into the canvas!
As the crowd gasped in disbelief at Sensational Queen Sherri's despicable actions, Miss Elizabeth came to the rescue of Randy Savage! She raced down the aisle, entered the ring, grabbed Sherri by the hair and threw the hated manager out of the ring and onto the arena floor! The crowd roared its approval. With several fans weeping tears of joy, Elizabeth and the Macho Man were re-united! The Kingdom of the Madness had been destroyed and the evil Queen was banished! Savage and Elizabeth got married a few months later, but Elizabeth never forgot how she felt about Savage choosing Sherri as a manager. In an interview with WWF Magazine, Elizabeth said that seeing the Macho Man and Sherri together was like a huge stake being driven through her heart. |
