Farewell to a Princess
By Keith Elliot Greenberg
Courtesy: WWE Magazine

She was the Princess Di of sports-entertainment, adored for both her innocent beauty and a vulnerability that couldn't be masked by an evening gown, tiara or roaring arena. Even in front of the cameras, her kindness sparkled.

Her premature death inspires the type of sorrow admirers usually reserve for family members or close, dear friends.

In WWE, she was "Macho Man" Randy Savage's valet and love interest, arousing his jealousy by simply standing around and looking pretty. When George "The Animal" Steele became smitten with her and Hulk Hogan attempted to liberate her, Savage replied with a vengeance that made fans fear for her safety.

"Elizabeth was different from any other woman in wrestling," remembers Tito Santana, who Savage dethroned for the Intercontinental Championship in 1986. "The crowd felt very protective of her. When Savage would make an angry move towards Elizabeth, the fans wanted to jump over the barricade and stand in front of him."

But later, Elizabeth turned those same fans into Savage supporters. Through her, the public could disregard the Macho Man's flaws and somehow learn to love him.

"She won the people over," Santana says. "Their sympathy for her allowed them to see Randy as human."

It seemed like there was a little bit of Elizabeth in everyone. In their quiet moments, the public could empathize with the childlike trepidation sometimes betrayed on her face. Despite her glamour, she was real and accessible, the kind of person a fan could visualize as a loyal confidant.

"The thing about Elizabeth was that she was a genuine kind human being," recalls Kevin Nash, who got to know her when the worked together in WCW. "She'd been in this business a long time and had been through a hell of a lot. But I'll never get over how nice she wa to people. She was just a sweetheart. It's a shame that she's no longer with us, a real shame."

Like Princess Diana, the 42-year-old Elizabeth's life ended in a whir of confusion. Early on the morning of May 1, former WWE and WCW Superstar Lex Luger called a 911 operator in Marietta, Georgia to report that Elizabeth was unconscious in the home they apparently shared. Officials say that he accompanied Elizabeth in an ambulance to Kennestone Hospital, where she died.

"At this point, we don't know if it's a suicide," Cobb County Police Cororal Brody Staud told the press shortly after her death. "We don't know if it's a natural death. We don't know if it's a homicide." There were subsequent reports that surfaced about Luger being arrested for possession of "body-enhancing drugs" found in the home, and an Easter Sunday incident in which he was charged with battery after allegedly punching Elizabeth in the face.

As details trickled in, Savage's younger brother, Lanny Poffo, struggled with the news of another tragedy in the wrestling family. It was three months earlier that "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig was found dead in Florida.

"I never got over the death of Curt Hennig," says Poffo, who, as The Genius, managed Hennig. "Now this."

"Elizabeth was beautiful inside and out. I've always loved her. I"ll never forget the golden voice of [WWE ring announcer] Howard Finkel saying, 'And now, led down the aisle by his manager, Elizabeth.' The song "Pomp and Circumstance" would begin, and Randy would tear down the house. What a spectacle."

It was a spectacle that Elizabeth Ann Hulette never envisioned when she met Savage in a health club near her home in Frankfort, Kentucky. She'd studied communications at the University of Kentucky and could have become an on-air reporter; but when the charismatic "Macho Man" joined WWE in 1985, he chose her as his manager.

"What's wrong with Lou Albano?" Roddy Piper asked Savage on a segment of "Piper's Pit".

"Lou Albano doesn't have the same pizazz," a twitching Savage responded.

Santana claims that the characters the fans saw on the television were not that different from the ones the wrestlers knew in the dressing room: "Savage was a hot-tempered guy, and Elizabeth was a very shy person who wouldn't do anything to upset him. She seemed totally devoted to him."

But her on-air devotion was tested when primitive George "The Animal" Steele became obsessed with her. During one memorable episode of Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC, The Animal swept Elizabeth into his arms and rushed out of the arena, taking her into "protective custody."

"The fans were really pulling for me to steal her from Savage," Steele remembers. "Why? I don't know. I think it's because of the way they felt about Elizabeth. Even though they hated Savage, they could tell that she was a quality lady. There was so much interest in her that I just rode the wave with it. It probably kept me around for another five years."

It was Elizabeth who changed fan perceptions of Savage when she persuaded Hulk Hogan to rescue him from an attack by the Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation (Bret "Hit Man" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) in 1987. At WrestleMania IV, spectators applauded loudly when the "Macho Man" perched Elizabeth on his shoulders after beating "Million-Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase in the finals of a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion.

That August, Savage and Hogan - known at the Mega-Powers - beat DiBiase and Andre the Giant in the main event of the inaugural SummerSlam, when Elizabeth distracted the Powers' rivals, alond with special referee Jesse Ventura, by stripping down to a skimpy outfit. The exhibition was tame by today's standards, but with her mild display of sensuality, Elizabeth officially became WWE's premiere Diva.

The Mega-Powers were soaring - until Savage accused Hogan of "having lust" for Elizabeth. They decided to resolve the issue at WrestleMania V, with Hogan winning the WWE Championship- and Elizabeth's services- in the emotional clash.

Once again, the fans had turned against Savage, who began traveling to arenas with Sensational Sherri, whose shrewish traits clearly distinguished her from the reserved "First Lady of Wrestling." Then, at WrestleMania VII, Sherri attacked Savage, after he failed to conquer Ultimate Warrior. Suddenly, Elizabeth stormed the ring, knocking down Savage's tawdry companion and embracing him.

With this out-of-character- display, Elizabeth absolved the "Macho Man" for his sins of the past two years. And because she was so benevolent, the fans decided to forgive him too.

In 1991, the couple held a wedding ceremony at Madison Square Garnde, in the center of the SummerSlam ring. As the opened their presents afterwards, Savage was attacked by a cobra - sent to the couple by Jake "The Snake" Roberts, In the subsequent battles that followed, Savage received the retribution he craved. It all led up to WrestleMania VIII, when Savage recaptured the WWE Championship from Ric Flair.

But as the "Macho Man" was handed the title, Flair humiliated his opponent by snatching Elizabeth and kissing her. He soon began showing off doctored photos of the manager in compromising positions, boasting to the jealous Savage, "She was mine before she was yours."

As the gladiators clashed, behind the scenes, the tensions of living and traveling together destroyed the storybook marriage between Elizabeth and the "Macho Man". They divorced in 1992 and Elizabeth disappeared from the wrestling scene for four years.

When she returned in 1996, Savage had joined the old WCW. She intruded on him there, claiming that she was using the funds from their divorce to party with his old enemy, Ric Flair. Deep down, many fans didnt believe that Elizabeth could be so cruel and manipulative. But she looked great, and people were happy to see her back, managing Flair, Hogan, Sting, Chris Benoit and even her ex-husband and participating in a stunt that involved having Goldberg arrested following sexual abuse allegations.

Somewhere along the wat, Elizabeth remarried a man outside the business. But, like so many others who become indoctrinated into the closed society of sports-entertainment, she had difficulty relating to outsiders. The marriage dissolved, and she became romanitcally involved with another WCW protege, Luger.

"Lex and I rode together for years," says Luger's WCW tag team partner, Buff Bagwell. "Then, Liz came into the picture, and it was all three of us. We were inseperable- Liz even set me up with my wife. And when you were with the two of them, you could see that they were very close, very tight. They were friends, lovers, and business partners."

Today, those times have faded into the distant past, and those who knew Elizabeth must take comfort in the pleasure she gave to millions of fans. They can still watch her on video: accompanying Savage to the ring as he twirled his cape, twisted his mouoth and spun his finger in the air; clutching Steele as he raced with her toward the arena exit; raising the arms of the Mega-Powers at the height of their glory. But her friends sometimes wonder if they could have done anything to prevent her death and ask why this gentle soul had to leave us so soon.

"She was such a neat lady," reflects Steele. "It's sad."