One of the Nitro Girls in World Championship Wrestling, Sharmell signed with WWE upon the demise of her former employers and debuted for the company as a backstage interviewer on SmackDown. Soon, she was sent to developmental, where she twisted her knee and subsequently retired from the business to run then-boyfriend Booker T's business in his hometown of Houston. It appeared as though the beautiful young woman's career in the industry had come to an end before it ever began. Luckily, that was not the case. In 2005, the now Mrs. Huffman returned to WWE and was immediately thrust into a very controversial angle involving husband Booker T and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle. Angle called Sharmell some very unflattering things and even appeared to have sexually assaulted her to end one episode of SmackDown. Eventually, Booker got revenge by beating Angle at Judgment Day, then calling his wife into the ring to assault the handcuffed Angle herself. She showed great intensity in slapping the former WWE champion and proved that she had that special "it factor" that could help her star as a second to Booker. It was upon the former WCW champion's heel turn that Sharmell proved to be a valuable character for WWE. She accompanied Booker to the ring, acted as his mouthpiece on occasion and almost always found herself involved in his matches one way or the other. When Booker won the 2006 King of the Ring and officially recognized her as Queen Sharmell, the power couple became almost overbearing. "All hail King Booker!" she would repeatedly demand as they made their way into arenas across the country. That one sentence and the manner in which Sharmell announced it got husband and wife tremendous heat. Together, they became two of the most hated performers on SmackDown, which led to the biggest push of Booker's WWE career. Sharmell departed WWE with Booker in the fall of 2007, ending her run with the company as an on-screen performer. While her release may have been somewhat premature, fans are able to look back and realize just how effective her performances were. Whether she was berating her husband on his latest mistake, running from a worm-toting Boogeyman or bragging about King Booker's latest accomplishment, she excelled with the material given and proved that a non-wrestling female performer could still play a vital role in WWE.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
