Initially a makeup artist at CNN, Terri Runnels would enter the wrestling business in the late 1980s, first by doing makeup for wrestlers in WCW on the weekends and then becoming an on-screen character as the heel manager Alexandra York. However, most wrestling fans remember Runnels for her run in WWE, which lasted from 1996 to 2004.

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Working as a manager, in-ring competitor, TV host, and backstage interviewer, Terri Runnels has done nearly everything a performer can do on pro wrestling television. Fans might not know much about her, so let’s take a look at the essentials of Runnels’ pro wrestling career.

10 Debuted In WWE As Goldust’s Manager, Marlena

Goldust Marlena

Terri Runnels married Dustin Rhodes in 1993 and ended up joining him in WWE after he signed on in 1995 and became Goldust. Runnels’ debut came in early 1996 when she made her debut at Royal Rumble 1996 under the ring name Marlena. With Goldust having a cinema theme in addition to his androgynous gimmick, Marlena functioned as a director of sorts as his manager, smoking a cigar at ringside and giving Goldust direction during matches. On top of that, Marlena reflected Goldust’s gimmick by wearing gold dresses and carrying gold items.

9 Terri Runnels Created Marlena

Marlena and Goldust 1996

The concept for the Marlena character didn’t come from any member of WWE creative, but rather from Terri Runnels herself. Inspired by actress Marlene Dietrich and fashion designer Bob Mackie’s special “Sun Goddess” Barbie doll as well as her own enjoyment of cigars, Runnels pitched the concept to her husband, who in turn encouraged her to pitch it to WWE. In recent years, figures like infamous WWE stooge Bruce Prichard have credited the character to Vince McMahon, but Runnels stresses that it was her idea.

8 Goldust & Brian Pillman Feuded Over Her

Goldust vs. Brian Pillman

When it comes to character-specific managers like Marlena, it’s inevitable that a feud ensues over who gets to be associated with her, and in 1997 Goldust found himself in a rivalry with Brian Pillman for just that. However, Pillman would come out on top in the feud, beating Goldust at In Your House 17: Ground Zero and winning Marlena in the process.

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Unfortunately, Pillman tragically died in October of that year, putting an end to the storyline, which was to involve an in-ring wedding. To salvage the angle, a twist was devised where Goldust would end up leaving Marlena for Luna Vachon.

7 Member Of The Pretty Mean Sisters

Pretty Mean Sisters

In 1998, Terri Runnels would find a new gimmick, first as the kayfabe lover of Val Venis until she said she was pregnant and he dumped her. From there, she formed a faction with two other disgruntled women, Jacqueline and Ryan Shamrock to form the Pretty Mean Sisters. Extremely Attitude Era in its execution, the Sisters had a provocative acronym and gained a sex slave in Shawn Stasiak, who was dubbed simply Meat. Meat would prove to be the undoing of the group, as Runnels’ obsession with him would cause Jacqueline to ditch the group.

6 The Miscarriage Angle

Terri Runnels miscarriage storyline with D-Lo Brown

Terri Runnels’ pregnancy angle wasn’t just impetus for the formation of the Pretty Mean Sisters, but also a storyline unto itself. The Sisters ended up aligning with D’Lo Brown and Mark Henry, but Brown accidentally knocked Runnels off of the ring apron during a match on an episode of Raw, forcing her to suffer an apparent miscarriage. From there, Brown was compelled to carry out the Pretty Mean Sisters’ bidding — that is, until he found out that Terri was never pregnant.

5 Managed The Hardy Boyz

Terri Runnels with the Hardy Boyz

By the end of 1999, Terri Runnels was looking to gain new clients and held a best-of-five series between The Hardy Boyz and the team of Edge and Christian called the Terri Invitational Tournament, with the winner gaining Runnels as a manager and a large sum of money. Matt and Jeff Hardy ended up winning the final bout, a Ladder Match at the pay-per-view No Mercy. But after several months, Runnels would betray them and side with Edge and Christian anyway.

4 Feuded With The Kat

The Kat in WWE

Not all of Terri Runnels’ pro wrestling exploits involved her functioning as a manager. In 2000, she got into a rivalry with The Kat, resulting in a Catfight at WrestleMania 2000, a match that, in addition to being provocative, involved an “over the top rope” elimination, which Runnels won thanks to her corner woman The Fabulous Moolah pulling The Kat out during a referee distraction.

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Several more gimmick matches between Runnels and Kat ensued, including a Stink Face match at SummerSlam later that year, wherein the winner was the one to perform the Stink Face maneuver on her opponent.

3 Managed The Radicalz

Terri Runnels with Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko

That same year, Terri Runnels forged an on-screen romance with former WCW wrestler Perry Saturn and thus became aligned with Saturn’s faction, The Radicalz, managing Saturn and joining the group in mixed tag team matches against The Hardy Boyz and Lita, who formed Team Xtreme. However, when a kayfabe head injury caused Saturn to fixate upon a mop he named Moppy, he left Runnels in favor of the inanimate object. In response, Terri began to manage Raven, who stole Moppy and threw it into a woodchipper.

2 Became A Host & Backstage Interviewer

Terri Runnels interviews Batista and Randy Orton

The early 2000s saw Terri Runnels venture from managing and wrestling into broadcasting roles, joining Jonathan Coachman to become a co-host of the totally forgotten WWE Excess, replacing the previous co-host Trish Stratus. In addition to being a recap show, Excess also aired some classic matches. Runnels’ run with the show lasted until Excess changed format in April of 2002 and was canceled the following month. That wasn’t Runnels’ only broadcasting gig in WWE — she also started working as a backstage interviewer on Raw.

1 Wrestled Sporadically Before Being Released

Terri Runnels wins the WWE Hardcore Championship

Despite her broadcasting positions with WWE, Terri Runnels did also step into the ring from time to time. As to be expected of the women’s division of the era, Runnels was no stranger to gimmick matches, competing with Trish Stratus in a wet T-shirt contest and taking on Stacy Keibler in a Lingerie Pillow Fight. She even briefly dethroned Stevie Richards to capture the Hardcore Championship. However, in March of 2004, WWE released a whole slew of talent, including Terri Runnels, who hasn’t wrestled since.