Debra Marshall

Debra Marshall in 1999

Debra Gale Marshall (born March 2, 1960 in Tuscaloosa) is an actress and former professional wrestler and manager. She was a star for World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1998 to 2002.

Early life

Raised in West Blocton, Marshall became a track runner, cheerleader, and homecoming queen at Holt High School before attending the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York. She then became a flight attendant and was selected runner-up in the 1984 Miss Texas USA pageant. She married Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael in 1985. He retired from football after the 1994 season and, two years later, joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Mongo".

Professional wrestling

Debra followed her husband into the WCW as one of the many women who would stand on the entrance ramp and cheer as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage entered the ring. Her role became more that of a manager when she was involved in the storyline framing the re-creation of the "Four Horsemen". Her stable or wrestlers disbanded in 1998 when she left WCW and divorced McMichael on October 12, 1998.

Debra started her WWF career in the role of a shrewd businesswoman, wearing business suits and rarely smiling as she managed wrestler Jeff Jarrett, whom she often helped through cheating and interference. During Jarrett's feud with Goldust and in numerous subsequent matches she would flash Jarrett's opponent or strip to a bra and g-string to cause a distraction. She also used Jarrett's guitar to bash opponents over the head, usually resulting in disqualification.

In February 1999 Debra entered the ring as the culmination of a feud with Ivory. She continued to participate in tag-team grudge matches with Nicole Bass. She won the WWF Women's Championship from Sable in a controversial "Evening Gown Match" on May 10. She lost the title to Ivory in a June 14 match featuring interference from Bass.

That summer Jarrett began blaming Debra for his losses even as he climbed to European and Intercontinental WWF championships. He favored her "assistant" Miss Kitty. Debra turned on him in a September 26 match against Chyna, smashing his guitar over his own head and causing him to win the match by disqualification. She and Chyna continued their feud with Jarrett and Kitty for the rest of the year, but made only a few appearances, including an 8-woman Sudden Death match. Marshall turned down an offer to pose for Playboy at the end of that year.

Marriage to Steve Austin

In 2000, Debra acted as ring announcer for a WWF Tag Team Championship match, but was not seen for most of the summer while Austin recovered from neck surgery. She made a full-time return in the fall of that year, playing the role of Lieutenant Commissioner under Mick Foley. On September 6, 2000, Debra married fellow wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and their marriage was incorporated into on-screen storylines.

Debra stood by him throughout his reign as WWF Champion during which he became a villain. She began wearing leather pants and tight black t-shirts with Stone Cold written on them for backstage segments and interviews. She also started baking cookies, which she served to the other Alliance members. The cookies supposedly tasted terrible, but no one told her, except a somewhat tactless Austin.

In early 2002, Austin feuded with Triple H, which led into an argument between Debra and Stephanie McMahon on January 14. The argument escalated into a catfight when Debra slapped Stephanie and pulled her down by her hair. They fought for about two minutes until WWF officials separated them.

For the rest of the year she made only a few incidental appearances backstage. Her final appearance was as a guest on "Excess", which aired two days after her last "Raw" appearance. She followed Austin in his departure from the then-renamed WWE in June 2002.

After the death of wrestler Chris Benoit, Marshall revealed that Austin had beaten her three times while using drugs. She told reporters that a "code of silence" in the WWF/WWE prevented her from seeking help publicly. Shortly after their departure from the WWE, police were called to Austin's house in San Antonio, Texas, finding Debra in a hysterical state with bruises and a bloodied nose. Austin was arrested and charged that August with domestic abuse. He pleaded no contest on November 25 and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to carry out eighty hours of community service and abstain from alcohol.

The couple were divorced in 2003, after which Debra auctioned her ring on eBay for charity. The winning bid of $34,0000 was donated to "SafePlace", a legal clinic assisting victims of domestic abuse. Marshall resurfaced in wrestling during 2009's WrestleMania weekend, participating in charity events and autograph sessions.

Later life

Marshall has had several small acting roles, starting with a bit part playing a police officer in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994). In October 2008 she moved back to Tuscaloosa.

Filmography

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994) as "Cop At Bud's Pizza"
• Beyond the Mat (1999) as "Herself"
• Biography (1999) in the episode "The Life and Death of Owen Hart"
• Stone Cold Steve Austin: What? (2002)
• Mad TV (2002) in episode 7.15
• Weakest Link (2002) in the episode "WWF Superstars Edition 2"
• Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story (2004) as "Herself"
• Just Another Romantic Wrestling Comedy (2006) as "Jennie/Dancer"
• Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
• Gathering of Heroes: Legend of the Seven Swords (2009) as "Reina"

References

• "Debra" (2007) Online World of Wrestling - accessed April 7, 2009
• "Pro Wrestling Wife Claims Drug Abuse, Domestic Violence 'Out of Hand in the WWE'" (June 27, 2007) Fox News - accessed April 7, 2009
• Reynolds, Brian (April 5, 2009) "Pro-wrestling diva returns home to Tuscaloosa." Tuscaloosa News

External links

• Debra Marshall at IMDB.com