10. Sherri Martel (February 8, 1958 - June 15, 2007)
When "Sensational" Sherri led a wrestler down to the ring, you knew that guy had instantly credibility. Sherri was always associated with top talent and she had the ability to elevate her clients to a new level and put heat on the match every time. The fact that she was a woman never stopped her from getting physically involved in a match and guys had no problem selling for her because she was so effective in her role. After being trained by the Fabulous Moolah, Sherri went to the AWA where she captured their version of the women's title and managed Buddy Rose and Doug Somers against the Midnight Rockers. On the recommendation of Jesse Ventura, Martel was hired by the WWF in 1987 and quickly captured the WWF women's title from her old mentor, the Fabulous Moolah. With the decline of women's wrestling in the WWF, Sherri moved to the managerial ranks and aligned herself with Randy Savage during his feud with Hulk Hogan. Sherri was instrumental to Savage's heel turn as she was the exact opposite of Miss Elizabeth and gave fans a reason to hate Randy. When Savage lost a retirement match to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII, Sherri realized her meal ticket was gone and attacked Savage after the match. Miss Elizabeth made the save to a huge reaction and helped to provide one of the best moments in Wrestlemania history. Sherri then moved on to the newly heel Shawn Michaels, helping to establish him as a singles star. Soon after, she moved to WCW and became the manager of Ric Flair, continuing her rivalry with Hulk Hogan. She then took the reigns of Harlem Heat, accompanying them to the ring until 1997. She made a few one-off appearances with WCW, WWE, and TNA after that but never returned full-time to wrestling. Unfortunately, Sherri struggled with substance abuse problems in her later years and they would ultimately lead to her demise. In June 2007, only a year after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Sherri Martel was found dead at her mother's house in Alabama at 49 years old. Doctor's blamed a drug overdose for her death, as multiple drugs were found in her system along with a large amount of oxycondone.
