Sherry Lynn Schrull (née Russell; February 8, 1958 – June 15, 2007) was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri.

Martel began her professional wrestling career in the Mid South after training in Columbia, South Carolina. She joined the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the mid-1980s and held its AWA World Women's Championship three times. In the late 1980s, she joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where she held the WWF Women's Championship. Also in the WWF, Martel continued to act as a manager to wrestlers such as Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, and Shawn Michaels. She appeared in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1990s. In the latter, Martel acted as the manager for the tag team Harlem Heat. After leaving WCW, she made few wrestling related appearances until her death in 2007. She also appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in September 2006 as a manager for Bobby Roode which ended up being her last televised wrestling appearance. Her titular ring name, "Sensational Sherri", was used as the episode title in the fifth season of Viceland's docuseries, Dark Side of the Ring, aired on April 23, 2024.

Early life

Sherry Lynn Russell was born on February 8, 1958, in Birmingham, Alabama, and grew up playing basketball and participating in track and field.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1980–1985)

Martel was first introduced to professional wrestling as a child, when her mother took her and her sister to shows in Mississippi. who defeated Rose and Somers for the tag team title on January 27, 1987, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

World Wrestling Federation (1987–1993)

Debut & Women's Champion (1987–1988)

thumb|Sherri with the WWF Women's Championship, 1987

After former AWA wrestler Jesse Ventura referred her to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), When the WWF phased out its women's division in 1990, Martel remained with the company and turned her attention to managing male wrestlers. Martel then attacked Hulk Hogan from behind as he came to Miss Elizabeth's rescue, leaving him open to a chair attack from Savage, Throughout the remainder of 1989, Martel and Savage feuded with Hogan and Miss Elizabeth. After the match, Miss Elizabeth knocked out Martel with Martel's purse, and she, Hogan, and Beefcake cut Martel's hair. During that same year, Martel and Savage appeared on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with Robin Leach. After Savage lost the match, an irate Martel attacked Savage but was thrown from the ring by Miss Elizabeth, who had been watching from the audience. In February 1992, during Paul Bearer's interview segment The Funeral Parlor, Sherri declared she was now "in love" with Shawn Michaels, who had just turned on his longtime tag team partner Marty Jannetty. She also sang Michaels' theme song called "Sexy Boy". As part of his gimmick, Michaels would admire himself in a full-length mirror before his matches. At Summerslam in 1992 Sherri was ringside for a rare heel vs heel match involving Michaels and Rick Martel. The stipulation of the match was that neither man could hit the other in the face which was attributed to the arrogant yet handsome characters of both men. Both Michaels and Martel fought for the affections of Sherri after the double count out result of the match when Sherri feigned fainting requiring both men to come to blows and attempt to carry Sherri backstage. In 1992, before a match, Jannetty grabbed the mirror and attempted to hit Michaels with it, but Michaels pulled Martel in front of him.

United States Wrestling Association (1993)

Towards the end of her time in the WWF, Martel participated in a WWF invasion angle in the United States Wrestling Association, reuniting with Savage. Martel would suffer a similar embarrassment to that which she had suffered at the hands of Ultimate Warrior when she ran in the ring to aid Savage in a steel cage match in Memphis against his old enemy in the area, Jerry "The King" Lawler, but after accidentally knocking Savage from the ring, she had her dress yanked off by Lawler as she climbed the cage to escape.

Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1993)

After her WWF release, Martel had a brief spell in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, siding with Tracy Smothers in a feud with Tammy Sytch, Brian Lee, as well as several intergender matches with Jim Cornette.

Eastern Championship Wrestling (1993–1994)

She began working in Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1993, managing Shane Douglas. At November to Remember on November 13, Martel faced Malia Hosaka in a match. Sherri continued to manage Douglas until the spring of 1994.

World Championship Wrestling (1994–1997, 2000)

Managing Ric Flair (1994)

Martel signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. The original plan for her was to manage Kevin and Dave Sullivan against Missy Hyatt and The Nasty Boys, but after Hyatt was fired in February 1994, the proposed rivalry went on with no managers for either team.

Martel made her debut on the April 23 edition of WCW Saturday Night, under the name Sensuous Sherri, this was because the name Sensational Sherri was trademarked by the WWF. In an interview with Gene Okerlund, she said her goal was to find a man that can bring her the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. She was ringside at Slamboree on May 22, during the WCW World Heavyweight Championship match between Ric Flair and Barry Windham. On June 24, a title unification match took place at the Clash of the Champions XXVII between WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair and the WCW International World Heavyweight Champion Sting. Although she revealed in the beginning of the match she sided with Sting (including wearing his signature face paint), it turned out to be a double cross, as she sided with Flair, who won the match and unified the titles, double-teaming Sting, until the newly signed Hulk Hogan made the save.

At Bash at the Beach, Martel tried to help Flair to defeat Hogan in a match by giving him brass knuckles, but failed. At the feud's climactic battle, a steel cage match at Halloween Havoc, Martel climbed the cage to aid Flair and in the process had her dress pulled off by Jimmy Hart, Hogan's manager, leaving her dangling from the cage in black lingerie.

Managing Harlem Heat (1994–1997)

Next, Martel began managing Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) using the name Sister Sherri.

Return and final appearances (2000)

In 2000, she made three wrestling television appearances with WCW. The first was at the Souled Out 2000 pay-per-view event, watching at ringside during the Chris Benoit vs. Sid Vicious matchup for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The second was on the January 19, 2000, edition of WCW Thunder where she had a match with Madusa, which she lost. In her third and final appearance in WCW, she had a match with Mona, which she also lost.

Later career and WWE Hall of Fame (1997–2006)

After leaving WCW, Martel won the IWA Mid-South Women's Title defeating Debbie Combs on August 28, 1997. A few weeks later she dropped the title back to Combs.

Early in 1999, Martel competed in a mixed-tag team match for the Apocalypse Wrestling Federation's Heavyweight Championship, a title held predominately by men. In October 1999, she appeared on the Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view managing Greg Valentine in a match against George Steele. Also in 1999, she was awarded the AWA Superstars Women's Championship. She was cremated after her death.

Championships and accomplishments

  • American Wrestling Association
  • AWA World Women's Championship (3 times)
  • International Wrestling Association
  • IWA Women's Championship (1 time)
  • Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2022
  • Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2014
  • Southern States Wrestling
  • Kingsport Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2003)
  • Women Superstars Uncensored
  • WSU Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)
  • Women's Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2024
  • World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWF Women's Championship (1 time)