Debra Marshall

Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA

Biography

Debra Gale Marshall (formerly McMichael and Williams) is an American actress, and retired professional wrestling valet. Well known by her ring name Debra, she is notable for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Queen Debra between 1995 and 1998 and WWE as Debra between 1998 and 2002. She began her career in professional wrestling in 1995, accompanying her husband Steve "Mongo" McMichael to the ring in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). She joined WWE in 1998, where she managed the tag team of Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart, until the evening of Hart's in-ring death in May 1999. She won the WWF Women's Championship from Sable in an Evening Gown match in 1999. She later appeared on-screen with her second husband Stone Cold Steve Austin until 2002, when the duo left the company. During her tenure with the WWF she was known for her distinctive Southern drawl and large enhanced breasts. Marshall has also attended the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York. She graduated from the University of Alabama with honors (Cum Laude) and as of 2013 was pursuing her master's degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama Marshall's marriage to National Football League alumnus and professional wrestler Steve McMichael lasted thirteen years. McMichael's mother, whom Marshall met on an airplane, set up their first meeting as a blind date. They divorced on October 12, 1998. Debra met Steve Williams, known on-screen as Stone Cold Steve Austin, in 1998; they moved in together in 2000.On September 13 of that year, they married at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, and she changed her name to Debra Williams. On June 15, 2002, police responded to a call to the couple's residence in San Antonio, Texas, and found Debra with bruises and a bloody nose. On August 14, the authorities arrested Austin and charged him with misdemeanor assault. He pleaded no contest on November 25 and received a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and an order to carry out eighty hours of community service. Austin filed for divorce from Marshall on July 22, 2002, and the divorce was finalized on February 5, 2003 Marshall later auctioned her wedding ring off on eBay for $27,100 and donated a portion of the proceeds to "Safe Place", an organization which assists the victims of domestic abuse. In June and July 2007, Marshall made several appearances to discuss the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide. She described steroids and drugs as the cause of Austin hitting her in June 2002 and suggested links between such substances and the death of Benoit and his family She also alleged that Austin beat her three times

Movies

WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001. Production ceased shortly after WCW was purchased by the WWF. The debut of Nitro began the Monday Night Wars, a ratings battle between the WWF and WCW that lasted for almost six years and saw each company resort to cutthroat tactics to try to compete with the competition. In mid-1996, Nitro began to draw better ratings than Raw based on the strength of the nWo storyline, an anarchist wrestling stable that wanted to take over WCW. Nitro continued to beat Raw for 84 consecutive weeks, forcing WWE owner Vince McMahon to change the way he did business. As the nWo storyline grew stagnant, fan interest in the storyline waned, and Raw began to edge out Nitro in the ratings. The turning point for the organizations came during the January 4, 1999 broadcast of Nitro, during which lead commentator Tony Schiavone gave away the results of matches for that night's Raw broadcast. As Raw was taped and Nitro was live, Bischoff believed that knowing the outcome would dissuade viewers from watching the program. Excited by the prospect of seeing perennial WWF underdog Mick Foley win the WWF Championship, a large number of Nitro viewers changed channels to watch Raw, switching back to Nitro after Foley won the title. From that week forward, Raw beat Nitro in the ratings by a significant amount, and WCW was never able to regain the success it once had.

More info
WCW Monday Nitro
1995