Today marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of Miss Elizabeth, arguably wrestling's greatest valet. In the Rock N' Wrestling Era of the 80s wrestling boom, Miss Elizabeth stood out as more than just a piece of eye candy like other women were being used in the role of valet/manager for professional wrestlers.
Miss Elizabeth debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (now the WWE) a little over a month after wrestling legend and Slim Jim peddler "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Savage was involved in a storyline where numerous managers vied for his attention and patronage, but Savage decided instead to reveal that he had a mystery selection for who would be his manager: the lovely Miss Elizabeth.
The magic of this pairing came from the fact that the Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth were married in real life. In an industry where acting is a must, real emotion and chemistry still cannot be topped. The most famous storyline Miss Elizabeth was involved in was the dissolution of the Mega Powers (a tag team of Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan).
Miss Elizabeth was at the height of her popularity, and she became the center of the feud between the Mega Powers and the team of Andre the Giant and Ted DiBiase (managed by Jesse Ventura). Miss Elizabeth turned the tide of their match by distracting the opposing team, netting the win for the Mega Powers. This is the start of the breakup between Hogan and Savage. Savage would be unconcerned when Hogan would get ganged up on, instead focusing solely on the safety of Elizabeth. Hogan would in turn "accidentally" eliminate Savage in the 1989 Royal Rumble.
In a match between the Powers and the team of Big Boss Man and Akeem, Savage would be thrown into Elizabeth, knocking her out. Hogan picked her up and carried her backstage for medical attention, leaving Savage to be, well, savaged by their opponents. After the match, Savage would go on to assault Hogan for the Hulkster's perceived transgressions against him.
This story would reach its apex when Savage accused Hogan of having "lust in [his] eyes and [his] black heart for Elizabeth." The two would have a match for Macho Man's WWF World Heavyweight Championship, with Elizabeth standing ringside unaligned to either wrestler. Hogan would defeat Savage, and Savage would fully turn his back on Miss Elizabeth, choosing to ally himself with the villainous "Sensational" Sherri.
Miss Elizabeth would be paired with numerous other wrestlers in her nearly two years apart from Savage on screen, including Hulk Hogan, Jim Duggan, and Dusty Rhodes. These matches she was involved in would invariably have Savage as the opponent for her managed wrestler. Elizabeth would also come to blows with Sherri, causing more tension between her and Savage.
Early in 1991, though, something miraculous would happen.
The Macho Man would lose a Wrestlemania match against the Ultimate Warrior. The devastating defeat was punctuated by Sherri assaulting Savage in the ring. All was not lost, however, as Miss Elizabeth would come to the Macho Man's aid, throwing Sherri out of the ring by her hair. A few months later, Savage would propose in character to Miss Elizabeth, which she would accept. The two had a marriage ceremony on screen that was crashed by Jake "The Snake" Roberts and the Undertaker, starting another storyline.
Miss Elizabeth and Randy Savage would, in real life, divorce in 1992, ending their relationship in and out of the ring. Elizabeth later became involved with Lex Luger during her time managing the wrestler. They would remain together in real life until her untimely death on this day 20 years ago. Elizabeth Hulette suffered acute toxicity after consuming vodka and painkillers.
To the woman some have described as the "Princess of Wrestling," rest in peace.