Sorry -- Make That 11 Dead Performers From 1991 WrestleMania

Blog reader Keith Harris posted a comment to today’s installment to the six-part series about World Wrestling Entertainment performers from WrestleMania VII, in 1991, who did not reach their 50th birthdays.

I accept the clarification on Curt Hennig’s cause of death and the note that “The Lovely Elizabeth” Hulette had a role at that year’s WrestleMania and therefore should be added to that year’s casualty list, not just the general casualty list. Below I’m reproducing the full text of Keith’s comment, for which I thank him.


Irv Muchnick


**************


January 7, 2010 at 11:59 am

“Hennig, a second-generation wrestler, overdosed on cocaine in a Florida hotel room on February 13, 2003.”

Technically Hennig died of acute cocaine intoxication, which is slightly different from an overdose. As I understand it, Hennig’s already weakened heart from years of drug abuse (not just cocaine, but also steroids) couldn’t handle the accelerated heart rate and blood pressure caused by taking the cocaine and led to a heart attack.

“One of the reasons Sensational Sherri was working as the manager of Randy “Macho Man Savage” Poffo in 1991 was that Poffo was estranged from his wife Elizabeth Hulette, who had acted as his manager under the name “The Lovely Elizabeth.” Poffo and Hulette divorced the next year.”

Your timeline is faulty here. Poffo wasn’t estranged from his wife Elizabeth Hulette at the time. Indeed at WrestleMania 7, Miss Elizabeth was reunited with Randy Savage in a memorable angle after he lost a “retirement” match to the Ultimate Warrior leading to the couple having an on-screen wedding at SummerSlam later that year. The storyline details are by the by, the important detail is that Elizabeth Hulette performed at WrestleMania 7, so should be considered as the 11th death of a performer on that show.

Keith.