Miss Elizabeth

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Miss Elizabeth
Elizabeth in 1986
Born
Elizabeth Ann Hulette

(1960-11-19)November 19, 1960
Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedMay 1, 2003(2003-05-01) (aged 42)
Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Burial placeFrankfort Cemetery
Frankfort, Kentucky
Alma materUniversity of Kentucky
Occupation(s)Professional wrestling manager; professional wrestler; professional wrestling announcer[1][2][3]
Spouses
  • ​
    (m. 1984⁠–⁠1992)​
  • Cary Lubetsky
    ​
    (m. 1997⁠–⁠1999)​
PartnerLex Luger (1999–death)
Billed height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[4]
Billed weight115 lb (52 kg)[4][5]
Billed fromLouisville, Kentucky[6]
Debut1983 (as TV announcer)[4][1][2][3]
1985 (as manager)[5]
Retired2000

Elizabeth Ann Hulette

World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and from 1996 to 2000 in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), in her role as the manager to wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage, as well as other wrestlers of that period. She died as a result of an acute toxicity on May 1, 2003, in the home she shared with wrestler Lex Luger.[7]

Early life

Hulette was born in Frankfort, Kentucky.[8] She graduated from Franklin County High School[9] and the University of Kentucky with a degree in communications.[5]

Professional wrestling career

International Championship Wrestling (1983–1985)

While working at a gym, she met Randy Poffo, who wrestled under the ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage.[5] They married in December 1984.[5]

Later Hulette worked at International Championship Wrestling shows as a TV announcer where Poffo was employed.[1][2][3][4]

World Wrestling Federation (1985–1992)

Managing Randy Savage (1985–1988)

On June 17, 1985,

WWF Intercontinental Championship
.

Miss Elizabeth's first major angle was during Savage's feud with

George "The Animal" Steele in 1986.[5] In the angle, Steele fell in love with Elizabeth, angering Savage and leading to a series of grudge matches between him and Steele.[5] Their feud was one of the WWF's most popular of the 1980s; it carried on for more than a year, thanks to the feral Steele's continued innocent crush on Elizabeth.[5]

After "injuring"

Slammy Awards, Honky named Elizabeth "Woman of the Year," but the honor was only to harass her and anger Savage; Savage quickly ran Honky off.[5]

In February 1988, Hulk Hogan, who had been the champion and the foundation upon which the WWF's popularity was built, lost the

WWF World Heavyweight Championship to André the Giant.[5] André then sold the belt to the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase due to an arrangement that they had prior to the match.[5] President Jack Tunney declared that the title cannot be forfeited to another individual.[5] A tournament was held at WrestleMania IV to declare a new champion, which Macho Man Randy Savage won, pinning DiBiase in the finals.[5]
Throughout mid-1988, Elizabeth accompanied Savage to ringside for his lengthy series of title defences against DiBiase.

Mega Powers (1988–1989)

See also: Mega Powers
Miss Elizabeth played a central role in the storyline between WrestleMania IV and WrestleMania V.

At the inaugural

Jesse "The Body" Ventura.[5] Most of the pre-match build-up centered on Elizabeth, who by this time was at the peak of her popularity.[5] The tease for the match was that if things got bad, Elizabeth, billed as the secret weapon of The Mega Powers, was going to wear an "itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikini" under her fancy clothes.[5] Towards the end of match, André and DiBiase were in control, so Elizabeth got up on the apron and ripped her skirt off to reveal her panties which distracted André, DiBiase and Ventura, giving Savage and Hogan time to recover after being knocked out of the ring.[5]

Elizabeth became the catalyst in the uneasy – and ultimate breakup of – the Savage–Hogan relationship, particularly due to Hogan's overfriendly, overprotective attitude toward Elizabeth.

Big Boss Man when they began stalking Elizabeth. During a climactic point in the match where Hogan was being brutally beaten by Akeem, Big Boss Man grabbed Elizabeth and placed her in handcuffs, stopped only when Savage ran out to make the save; although he checked on Elizabeth's well-being, Savage appeared to be unconcerned about Hogan.[5]

Concurrent with the Mega Powers' feud with the Twin Towers was Savage's feud with Bad News Brown.

The Brother Love Show" talk segment, alleged that Elizabeth was "doing favors" for WWF President Jack Tunney
(implying she wanted to protect Savage and his WWF World Heavyweight Championship reign from Brown). Savage quickly got revenge against Brown.

The tension between Hogan and Savage continued to build at the

1989 Royal Rumble
when Hogan "accidentally" eliminated Savage. An angered Savage then confronted Hogan in the ring, causing Elizabeth to rush to the ring to play the role of peacemaker. After the match was over, Jesse Ventura interviewed Savage and claimed he could see problems between the Mega Powers, something Savage unconvincingly denied.

Meanwhile, tension continued to build within the Mega Powers, and on

slapped
Hogan in the face and, after having some choice words, left him to face the Twin Towers alone (Hogan went on to win the match single handed). Following the match, Savage and Hogan had a loud verbal argument backstage while Elizabeth was receiving medical attention, which culminated with Savage striking Hogan with the championship belt and beating him down, thus splitting the Mega Powers.

The dissolution of the Mega Powers led Hogan to challenge Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of

Sensational Sherri
as his new manager.

Rivalry with Randy Savage (1989–1990)

For the remainder of 1989, Elizabeth's appearances were sporadic. She continued to mainly appear on the house show circuit managing Hulk Hogan in his matches with Randy Savage from April 1989 through October 1989. Elizabeth appeared at

WWF Wrestling Spotlight with Vince McMahon
.

After Savage and Sherri began a heated feud with

mixed tag team match. When Sherri attempted to help Savage double-team Rhodes, Miss Elizabeth grabbed Sherri by the hair. While the two women faced off, Sapphire took advantage of the situation, kneeling down behind Sherri just as Miss Elizabeth pushed her. Sherri lost her balance and gave Sapphire enough advantage to pin Sherri for the win.[11] Elizabeth continued to appear on the house show circuit with Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire from May 1990 until August 1990 in mixed tag team matches against Randy Savage and Sherri Martel, with Savage and Sherri adding Brother Love
to their corner to counteract Elizabeth. From August 1990, she took a hiatus from appearing at WWF events.

Reunion with Randy Savage (1991–1992)

Miss Elizabeth did not appear on WWF television until

retirement match between Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. After Savage lost the match, Sherri began beating and kicking the defeated Savage until Elizabeth entered the ring and defended Savage by grabbing Sherri by the hair and throwing her out of the ring.[6]
Savage punctuated the reunion by holding down the ring ropes for Elizabeth after years of her doing it for him.

On June 17, 1991, during the taping of

Saturday Night's Main Event XXX
, Roberts, with a steel chair in tow, was waiting in the backstage area for Elizabeth and Savage to come through the curtain after a match. Roberts was about to strike Elizabeth with the chair, but Undertaker stopped him. This started Undertaker's feud with his former ally.

In early 1992, WWF Champion

WWF Magazine. It was later revealed that the photos were in fact pictures of Savage and Elizabeth, which Flair had doctored. Flair, with Mr. Perfect as his "executive consultant", said that they were going to show a nude photo of Elizabeth on the screen at WrestleMania VIII
, although this did not occur. Nonetheless, Flair's claims set up his WrestleMania VIII match with Savage. During the match on April 5, 1992, Elizabeth made her way to ringside, against the wishes of WWF officials. After Savage pinned Flair to win the WWF Championship, an angry Flair cornered Elizabeth and forcibly began to kiss her; Elizabeth slapped Flair away, and Savage began beating Flair until ring officials separated them.

Elizabeth's final WWF appearance took place at UK Rampage on April 19, 1992, during an overseas tour of England; in that match, Savage pinned Shawn Michaels after Elizabeth, who had earlier been sent backstage, returned to prevent Sherri's interference on Michaels' behalf. The Savage-Michaels match from England was aired on WWF Prime Time Wrestling in June; the publication of the actual Savage-Elizabeth photos in WWF Magazine came at about that same time. In August 1992, she and Savage divorced. After the decree was finalized late that summer, Savage issued a statement that was printed in WWF Magazine revealing that he and Elizabeth were no longer together and thanking the fans for their support through the years. The publication of Savage's statement marked, at the time, a rare acknowledgement of the wrestlers' private lives for both the WWF and its flagship publication. Savage continued with the WWF for two more years, and except for the statement in WWF Magazine, his divorce from Elizabeth was neither referred to nor figured into any of Savage's future feuds. Elizabeth retired from wrestling and disappeared from the spotlight for a few years.

World Championship Wrestling (1996–2000)

The Four Horsemen (1996)

See also: The Four Horsemen

On January 23, 1996, Miss Elizabeth returned to wrestling as manager for Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan at

Clash of the Champions XXXII. Only 3 weeks later, on February 11, 1996, Elizabeth turned on Randy Savage by helping Ric Flair defeat him at SuperBrawl VI and then became Flair's co-manager in the Four Horsemen along with Woman
.

New World Order (1996–1999)

See also: New World Order
Miss Elizabeth in 1998 after a taping of WCW Monday Nitro.

In September 1996, Elizabeth joined the

nWo Hollywood. Then, she accompanied Eric Bischoff
on his way to the ring for the next few months, and derided Savage. Savage coldly reminded her that he "got over her a long time ago" and did not need her.

On the January 4, 1999 episode of Nitro, Elizabeth was seen talking to police detectives. According to the storyline, she claimed that Goldberg was stalking her and that he even accosted her by the water cooler. She then filed charges against Goldberg. Goldberg was arrested later that night for aggravated stalking and taken into custody by police. However, later that night, Elizabeth admitted that she was lying. As it turned out, Elizabeth was a pawn for the nWo so that Goldberg would be unable to have his scheduled title match with Kevin Nash later that night. Due to Goldberg's apparent absence, the returning Hulk Hogan took Goldberg's title shot in the match.

Elizabeth remained part of the New World Order until taking a leave of absence from WCW in April 1999.

Managing Lex Luger (1999–2000)

In September 1999, Elizabeth returned to WCW television as the manager of

Scott Hall
as Kevin Nash's tag team partner for the tag team match at Superbrawl IX.

She then took time off from the road to be with Lex Luger during his recovery from a biceps injury.

After Lex Luger recovered from his biceps injury, Elizabeth would make her return to WCW programming on the September 27, 1999 edition of

Starrcade 1999 when she struck Sting
with his own baseball bat.

In February 2000, Elizabeth managed the short-lived partnership between Lex Luger and Ric Flair. The three of them were known as Team Package. Shortly thereafter, Team Package went their separate ways as they fought various members of

The New Blood
.

Elizabeth engaged in short-lived feuds with Vince Russo and Kimberly Page. On May 8, 2000, Elizabeth wrestled in her first official match against Daffney. Elizabeth worked with Kimberly Page for the remainder of May 2000.

Elizabeth's final WCW appearance was on the May 29, 2000 edition of WCW Monday Nitro and Elizabeth quietly left World Championship Wrestling on August 17, 2000, when her contract with WCW expired.[13]

Later life

Elizabeth briefly married Cary Lubetsky, a

South Florida attorney, on December 6, 1997. The wedding was held at the Cuban Hebrew Temple in Miami Beach. The marriage was short-lived, as the couple soon separated and were officially divorced on April 19, 1999.[14]

Elizabeth and Luger stayed together as a couple after leaving WCW in 2000. After her departure from wrestling, Hulette began working at the front desk at Main Event Fitness in Marietta, Georgia, a gym that Luger had owned for years after he and Steve Borden (Sting) opened it during their wrestling heyday.

Elizabeth was advertised to make her first wrestling appearance on television since her departure from WCW in 2000 during the World Wrestling All-Stars tour of Europe in November 2002 and December 2002 alongside Luger.[15] She accompanied Luger on the tour overseas, but did not appear on a single show.[16][17] Elizabeth never made another wrestling appearance on television after she left WCW. Lex Luger ended up winning and losing the WWA World Heavyweight Championship in matches with Sting during the tour.[17]

On April 19, 2003, Elizabeth was involved in a

9mm Luger handgun in the car. Elizabeth was a passenger in the vehicle, and was sent home in a taxicab. Luger was also driving with a suspended license for not appearing in court on March 5, 2003, for a hearing on a previous offense – driving with expired tags and having no proof of vehicle insurance.[18]

Other media

Miss Elizabeth appeared in four

WCW video games: WCW/nWo Revenge, WCW Nitro, WCW/nWo Thunder and WCW Backstage Assault
.

She has also appeared in three WWE video games as an NPC and made a cameo in the 1989 arcade game WWF Superstars, WWE 2K14, WWE 2K16 and WWE 2K24 as a selectable manager.

Death

Hulette's grave

On May 1, 2003, in Marietta, Georgia, Luger called

9-1-1 to report that Hulette was not breathing.[19] She did not respond to mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and paramedics rushed her to the WellStar Kennestone Hospital Emergency Room, where she was pronounced dead at the age of 42.[19] A medical examiner listed the cause of death as "acute toxicity", brought on by a mix of painkillers and vodka. Her death was ruled an accident.[19] Hulette was buried at Frankfort Cemetery.[20]

Awards and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Miss Elizabeth – Online World of Wrestling". Archived from the original on June 26, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "KAYFABE THEATER: ICW hosted by Miss Elizabeth [1985]". March 3, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Greenberg, Keith Elliot. "The Final Days of Randy 'Macho Man' Savage". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Shields, Brian (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s.
    ISBN 978-1-4165-3257-6
    .
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "Miss Elizabeth's profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Miss Elizabeth's WWE Alumni Profile". WWE. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  7. ^ Autopsy: 'Miss Elizabeth' dies from overdose of pills, alcohol AP. The Tuscaloosa News – August 3, 2003
  8. ^ "Kentucky Vital Records". 130 Cert. No. 64633. 1960. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ "Defense keys Franklin past Bourbon, 6-0". The State Journal. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  10. ^ "WWF @ Poughkeepsie, NY – Mid-Hudson Civic Center – July 30, 1985". The History of WWE. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  11. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0
    .
  12. ^ "Did You Know?!?". WrestleView. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  13. ^ "Miss Elizabeth 2000 Updates". Official Women Of Wrestling. August 17, 2000. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  14. ^ "Managing at all levels suits Liz fine". Miami Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2007.
  15. ^ "WWA welcomes 'The Godfather' & 'Perry Saturn'". Lords of Pain. November 11, 2002. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  16. ^ "Miss Elizabeth Dead At Age 42". Mike Mooneyham. May 2, 2003. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  17. ^ a b "World Wrestling All-Stars Information". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  18. ^ "Luger's arrests". Marietta Daily Journal. May 4, 2003. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  19. ^ a b c "Elizabeth Ann Hulette autopsy report" (PDF). Autopsyfiles. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  20. ^ Ryan (September 5, 2015). "Miss Elizabeth Death – Drug Overdose 1960–2003 (age 42)". Wrestler Deaths. Retrieved June 29, 2018.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miss Elizabeth.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miss_Elizabeth&oldid=1212790812"