RF Video sat down with Sherri Martel in Fayetteville, NC on 8/15/04 to discuss her entire career in professional wrestling. She talks about before, during and after working in WWF then going to WCW. She emotionally discusses drugs in the business and how bad they affected her life and career. Listen to Sherri go in depth detail of everything she’s seen and done over the years. This is the best women shoot interview ever released by RFVideo.
-Did you play sports growing up?
-Earliest memories of being a wrestling fan?
-Did you train at all before you went to Moolahs?
-How did you go about tracking down Moolah?
-WHat was the training like
-Was there any kind of abuse at the camp
-What do you know about Billy Wolfe
-Have you ever seen the Gaea Girls/Chigusa Nagayo documentary and if so how can you compare the training
-What was the best advice Moolah ever gave you
-Once you started working were you prepared for the sexual harrassment that came with the job
-Early memories of working as a young girl in Japan, differences in there and here
-Thoughts on being managed by Jim
-Cornette early in your early career
-Initial impressions of Verne Gagne
-Were you overwhelmed to be working in front of a big crowd at Super Clash
-How did the crew feel about Wrestlerock? Were they excited, just another show, or think Verne was out of his mind?
-Thoughts on your series with Candi Devine
-Did Candi ever try and recruit you for Apt. Wrestling
-Did Verne change at all after Wrestlerock?
-How did the decision come about to put you as a manager of Rose and Somers
-Did Verne ever outright complain about Hogan or McMahon
-How did you handle the initial success personally of being on the road and a player on a national television show
-Early memories of Shawn Michaels and the bloodbaths with the Rockers and Rose and Somers
-Early memories of Scott Hall
-Thoughts on larry zbysko
-Were the boys cooperative in giving you spots in the matches
-Was there any jealousy or bitterness from veteran females over your success
-Inital impressions of Madusa and memories working her at Super Clash 2
-Is it true that Wahoo Mcdaniel recruited her to work with you
-Were you extra tough on her.
-Madusa credits you as being tough on her but she says so in a positive light.
-How did you wind up in the WWF
-How did Verne take the news
-Initial impressions of Vince
-How do you think Womens wrestling was regarded at that time by management
-What was it like to team with one trainer and work against the other at Survivor Series 87
-Thoughts on the Jumping Bomb Angels
-Did you know you were going to get the title that quickly
-Was Moolah proud to see you as her successor and put you over or was she bitter at all
-Early memories of Mae Young
-When you came to Titan were you under the impression youd manage or just wrestle or both
-Thoughts on Hulk Hogan at the time
-Big differences between WWF and AWA, Vince and Verne
-Thoughts on the Peggy Sue gimmick
-When you dropped the belt in Europe was it because they were moving you over to manager
-Thoughts on Jake Roberts
-How did you wind up with Randy Savage
-Did it bother you the way he had treated Elizabeth
-Did it also bother you that they seemed to phase out the Womens title in 1990
-Thoughts on the program with Dusty and Saphire
-Good road stories or ribs from this time period
-Favorite and least favorite people to work with during this run
-Was there ever any heat with the guy managers over your push
-Were the boys extra hard on Dusty because of Dusty’s past
-Thoughts and stories on the Ultimate Warrior
-Circumstances surrounding going from Savage to Dibiase
-Circumstances in being paired with Shawn Michaels
-Did you have any idea he would be as successful as he would
-Did you miss being an active wrestler
-How was Ric Flair viewed by the boys in the WWF? Bret Hart says a lot of the guys werent too impressed
-Thoughts on Bret Hart
-How hard was it being in the WWF and being on the road so often to have a relationship outside of the business
-What lead to you leaving the WWF
-Were you upset or ready to move on
-How did things change from when you arrived in 87 to 93 when you left
-Thoughts on the ring boy and steroid scandals
-Did you prepare yourself for a life outside of wrestling
-She did a very brief run in ECW, I dont know if I would even call it a run. In hindsight does she wish she had stayed with ECW
-Thoughts on Shane Douglas
-Early impressions of Eric Bischoff
-How diffferent were the political dynamics in WCW compared to the WWF when she first came
-Was Hogan any different
-Was there any kind of a stigma on her from the others for being an ex WWF talent
-Were you treated better, worse, or indifferent as a woman there.
-Did you have any plans to actively wrestle
-How did you wind up being paired with Ric Flair
-What was Ric like on the road Ric is old school, how was he to work with in terms of getting your spots in, etc.
-It seemed like you were toned down a bit in WCW compared to the promos you used to do in WWF. Any reasons?
-Any good Ric Flair road stories
-Ric talks in his book about stress and pressures of working with Bischoff. Do you recall Flair expressing this or having a nervous breakdown
-Thoughts on being paired with Harlem Heat
-Surprised at Booker Ts success?
-How were you treated by the Nasty Boys in the program
-Thoughts on her “love affair” storyline with Robert Fuller and the wedding
-What lead to you going to rehab in 1996, how tough was it
-Was it hard to stay clean and go back on the road
-How supportive were the boys and your crew
-How long have you been clean today
-Do you think there should be more of a crackdown on drugs and alcohol abuse inside of the business
-Did it feel like towards the end in WCW you were just wasting your time there
-What was the growing feeling about Eric Bischoff as the company grew
-What were your thoughts when they debuted Nitro
-How was it working with Elizabeth in WCW
-Thoughts on when Benoit and Nancy Sullivan wound up as a real couple out of the angle with booker Sullivan
-Did anyone ever try and get cute with you in the ring, here or WWF. Either a guy or girl (meaning shooting, fondeling her, etc)
-Did you feel insulted when WCW would do an angle to try and work the locker room
-Was Bischoff approachable
-You had a pretty lengthy run in WCW. How come you left in 99
-How hard was it to adjust to life out of the spotlight of a national promotion
-Did it bother you when Madusa dropped the WWF Womens title in a trash can on Nitro
-You came back in 2000 for a match with madusa, what were the circumstances behind that
-How different were things with Vince Russo running the show
-Thoughts on Russo
-Have you been contacted by NWA TNA
-Has Vince or anyone contacted you about putting you in their Hall of Fame
-Best Road story
-Best rib story
-Favorite and least favorite opponents overall
-Thoughts on the Japanese style of womens wrestling
-What do you miss most and least about being part of a national company
-What are your current goals as a person and career woman
-Thoughts on Sable
-Thoughts on the current WWE product and the use of women
-Does it bother you that they are looking for models and trying to train them to be wrestlers rather than using trained female wrestlers
-Was your family supportive during your years as a womens wrestler and manager
-Thoughts on Missy Hyatt….does she hurt the professional image of women wrestlers and talent
-Thoughts on Chyna
-Did you ever think about getting into acting or have you?
-With the latest craze in wrestling books would you be interested in writing one.
-Does the lack of kayfabe anymore bother you
-How do you feel about influencing so many of today’s independent female wrestlers
-Biggest mistakes you see made on the indys by girl wrestlers
-Ted Dibiase calls you a “losse cannon”, thoughts
-Would you ever want to go somewhere and book
-Biggest regrets or proudest accomplishments