Insane Insights: Dark Side of The Ring Sensational Sherri
Dark Side of the Ring Season 5 Episode 8 focused on Sensational Sherri Martel. Besides the Chris Colt episode, this was number two on episodes that I was looking forward to the most coming into season five.
I was never alive during Sherri Martel's prime as a pro wrestler and manager. However, she was one of my favorites when looking back at her old matches and managing career in WWE and WCW. She wasn't Bobby Heenan great at managing but was absolute number 2.
The talking heads in this episode are Jim Cornette, Rockin Roband, and Madusa, aka Alundra Blayze. Jake The Snake Roberts, Eric Bischoff, Kathy Fitzpatrick (Sherri's best friend), Leroy Gonzales (Sherri's ex-husband), and Jarred Gonzales (Sherri's son).
I knew a lot about Sherri's in-ring career, but I learned a lot more while watching this.
Sensational Sherri Was First Wrestler Jim Cornette Managed
This is something that I did not know about. I was never alive during this time, and I don't know Jim Cornette's early career.
So, Jim Cornette has been in the business for a while. He started as a photographer and constantly took photos of old-time wrestlers like the Fabulous Moolah. Around 1982, Cornette started working with the Continental Wrestling Association and was starting to get into management.
So, the first client he decided to take on was Sensational Sherri, who was also starting her first year in the business. The booker paired them together as they had little experience and thought they would both benefit from each other's being green on the mic.
I legit chuckled when Jim Cornette himself stated that “she was greener than goose sh**, and I was worse.” Say what you want about the guy, but Cornette is super funny with the stuff he says.
Sherri Martel Left Her Husband And A Three-Month-Old Baby
Sherri Martel was married to Leroy Gonzales, and the documentary interviewed him, which was cool because it gave a real early look at Sherri's life.
They both met in 1976 while he was working at a restaurant. She complained to him about a roach in the booth, and Leroy made a joke, wishing that he was the roach. It worked, as Sherri invited him to have a drink. It is kind of crazy that a single roach got a man to start a relationship with Sherri Martel.
Eventually, they both got a trailer together and got married. In 1977/78, she wanted to start a family, and eventually, she got pregnant with her son Jarred. However, it seemed Sherri wasn't ready to be a parent and wanted to go party and explore.
This upset Leroy, and he said, "You wanted a child, and you got one. It’s time to put your big girl pants on and take care of the child.” So, what does Sherri do? She leaves Leroy and their three-month-old baby to pursue a wrestling career.
Wow, I did not know that she left a three-month-old baby behind, which is ridiculous. I get she wanted to do wrestling, but how can you leave a three-month-old behind? I don't have kids, but that would cripple me to leave a child behind like that.
Sherri Martel Wasn't Grizzly Smith's Type
When anyone asks me who the biggest piece of garbage is and what the definition of pure evil in the pro wrestling business is, many people always mention Vince McMahon, which is a great answer, but it is not mine. My answer will always be Grizzly Smith, as the dude is a pedophile.
The darkest Dark Side of the Ring episode ever made was on Grizzly Smith, and it is just disturbing.
Sherri Martel went up to Grizzly to wrestle when she was 16 years old, and he said, "Come back when you are 21." When she was 21, Grizzly asked her why she wanted to do this but eventually trained her and even sent her to the Fabulous Moolah training location.
Something disturbing was that both Jake The Snake Roberts and Rockin' Robin (Grizzly's kids) said that Sherri was a little old for his dad’s wheelhouse. My gosh, that gave me the chills.
Leroy Hired A Private Investigator To Follow Her
At this point, Sherri Martel is all in on wrestling and training. Leroy was stuck raising his kid alone, and he was trying to get her to come home. Which is understandable after she left A THREE-MONTH-OLD BABY behind.
What is kind of going overboard is hiring an investigator to follow her. What is crazy, too, is that a few guys walked up to him and told him to leave Sherri alone. She had to have known that somebody was following her and sent three guys to tell Leroy to leave him alone.
These guys even said to Leroy, "She belongs to us." This was Leroy's wake-up call, and he left Sherri alone after that. Smart man.
Sherri's Son Never Saw Her Sober
At this point, we meet Sherri's son, Jarred. Now, he sounds rough in this episode, and Kathy (Sherri's best friend) believes it's cancer, but he never confirms it. I won't assume what it is, but he sounds in bad shape, and they needed subtitles.
Jarred often got the opportunity to visit his mother when he was of proper age in the 90s. He would even go on the road with her, but he could never tell what he saw while on the road. If he did, he would never see her again.
Here is a big problem: Sherri was hooked on drugs, and even Jarred himself can't remember ever seeing her sober. Think about that; think about how scary that is that her son never saw her sober, and it is just sad. Seeing your mother in that state and never seeing her in the right state of mind must have been tough.
While marijuana was her favorite drug of choice, I doubt that it was the only drug she was taking at that time. Especially as she was in constant pain and failed multiple drug tests until she got fired from WWE in 1993. Which is a shame.
It was a big shame, and this was not mentioned in the documentary, but she was going to have a big feud with Luna Vachon. This was a match I would have loved to see in WWE, and they were getting the story ready. At WrestleMania 9, during the Shawn Michaels vs. Tatanka match, Luna and Sherri were fighting at ringside. Unfortunately, it never happened because she was in really bad shape with drugs.
Eric Bischoff Did Not Care About The Reason Sherri Left WWE
Eric Bischoff was interviewed and introduced. I mean, he always comes off like a complete malcontent, and Hulk Hogan suck up every time I hear the man talk. However, he came off pretty well in this episode and put over Sherri Martel.
When Sheri was brought to the company, Eric couldn't believe WWE had let her go. When he realized she was a free agent, he picked her up once she was finished with Smokey Mountain Wrestling.
I did not know when Sherri joined WCW that Eric Bischoff apparently could not care less about the real reason why Sherri was let go. This is kind of a problem, and I get why he did it, as she was talented, but when somebody is released from a big company like WWE out of nowhere, it's probably important to figure out why that occurred.
It is the same reason why I was kind of iffy on AEW signing Jeff Hardy. Look at how that eventually backfired for them. I still don't 100% know the full reason as to why Jeff was gone, but I doubt it was any good.
Sherri Was Never In Her Right State Of Mind With WCW
Now, Sheri Martel is in WCW, and her peak was managing Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray). However, she did not do well outside the ring and was clearly not in the right state of mind.
Madusa said that Sherri was more lost and uncertain during her time with the company. Sherri's son Jarred remembers her begging for forgiveness during her WCW days.
WCW released her in 1997 as she constantly showed up high on drugs. She could not perform on camera, and rewatching her during that time, it was obvious she was on some type of narcotic.
Even Madusa said she had no issue with this being done, as it was only a matter of time before Sherri was gone. She was only mad that it should have happened with other men in the company as well, which I 1,000% agree with.
They did not mention that WCW had the bright idea to bring her back in 2000. It was a bad idea as her drug problems got much worse, and she heavily used oxycodone. Even with independent bookings, she wasn't reliable.
Martel Didn't Handle The Normal Life Well
Martel's career was long over, and since she had gotten out of the spotlight, she had to settle into normal life. She even got married a second time, and this person had nothing to do with wrestling. In fact, this guy, Robert Schull, was not even a celebrity.
This could have been an opportunity for her to rebuild her life. However, it did not happen. She could not handle being normal at all. She fell deeper into her addictions, and the second marriage was a disaster.
From all these stories I have heard, this Robert guy really comes off like a piece of work. Leroy did not like him, and even Jarred (Sherri's son) was not a fan of him either. Apparently, Robert was trying to put a deeper wedge between her and the family, especially his first son, and I don't understand why someone would do that. One thing I do know is that Sherri Martel could not adapt to normal life when her career in the ring ended.
The Last Time Jarred Ever Saw His Mom
We jumped into the WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2006, and Sherri Martel was in it. This is well deserved, given how great a manager she was. You can tell she spoke from the heart during her speech. I am glad that she was alive to see her in the Hall of Fame, as she deserves it, and not too many wrestlers get that privilege.
The worst part about her Hall of Fame induction, and something I did not know, is that it was the last time Jarred saw his mother alive. That is sad. He did not get the opportunity to spend more time with her after this amazing moment.
Sherri actually passed away a year later. Which just sucks, and according to her friend Kathy, Sherri was about to be brought in as a coach/trainer. They were going to pay for her back surgery and get her on payroll. That is awesome, but I doubt that would have lasted long with her drug issues. Then again, this is the same company that kept rehiring Marty Jannetty, and we all know how much of a trainwreck that guy is.
A Majority Of People At Sherri's Funeral Were Coked Up
So, Sherri Martel passed away in 2007 due to a drug overdose. It was a sad death as she passed on the porch of her mother's house.
This fact was not mentioned in the documentary, and I understand why because of time. A week later, the Chris Benoit incident happened. Sherri's death was a time when it was not pleasant to be a wrestling fan.
During the aftermath, there were a lot of conspiracy theories that her death was connected in a way. A lot of people believe it is including certain news anchors. Especially Nancy Grace, who is a real piece of work; go look her up and see why. But yeah, a lot of conspiracies were growing when that happened.
The documentary discusses her funeral and wake, and it was super strange. According to pro wrestler Madusa, while at the funeral, she said that almost everybody who showed up to Sherri's funeral was on cocaine. Which is super sad as these were the people she was mostly surrounded by.
A notable person at the funeral who was a mess was Jake the Snake Roberts. He was taking Sherri Martel's death hard as he immediately drove from where he lived to Alabama to pay his respects.
At the funeral, he was leaning over the casket, super upset, and he was just mentally out of it. He even got to speak at the ceremony and he legit said while all drugged up, "How dare you leave me behind". Jake admits he was at his lowest at that point, and it's clear that Jake missed Sherri. Apparently, they also had a fling back in the day which is something I did not know either.
Thank god for DDP, man, because he saved Jake the Snake Roberts' life. Given all the drugs that man has taken, it's a miracle that he is still alive today.
Jarred Forgives His Mom
Jarred Gonzales is the star of this documentary. The ending was super emotional, and I really teared up when it ended, especially as he forgave his mother for everything she did, including leaving when he was three months old.
He was still upset that she had left, but he was still emotional reading letters that his mom had written. Jarred called his dad a great provider and his stepmom Sherri's tag team partner. We actually get to see Jarred's stepmom, and it was really emotional. In the end, he says that Sherri is his mom, and wrestling is all she knows, and I don't hate her for it.
At least Jarred shows some forgiveness, and while he may be brittle with his health issue, he does not harbor any hate. This was a tougher watch than I thought, but it was a really well-made episode. I like how this episode was more focused on Sherri, the person, and not mainly on her pro wrestling career.
As I just said, her son is the star of the show, and Leroy, his dad, came off well, too, in this episode. The talking heads were all great in this. Sherri's story is super sad, and I just wish that she was around today.
While her leaving a three-month-old baby was really awful, her work in pro wrestling was so awesome. The drugs she took were insane, but she was trying to mask the pain from her back issues. She is the greatest female manager of all time, and I wish she had received more recognition for her work. I do wonder how she would have done if she got the opportunity as a trainer in the WWE, but we will never know.
Rest in Peace, Sherri Martel. The next episode will be on ECW wrestler The Sandman. That is going to be crazy, given all the stuff he did and the insane stories I have heard regarding this man.
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