.jpg) Runnels dressed as "Marlena" in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Terri Lynne Boatright (1966-10-05)October 5, 1966 (age 59) Live Oak, Florida, U.S.[2] |
Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Alexandra York[1][2] Marlena[2] Terri Runnels[1] Terri[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 0 in (152 cm)[1] |
| Billed from | Gainesville, Florida[1] |
| Debut | 1990 |
| Retired | April 1, 2004 |
Terri Lynne Boatright Runnels[2][3] (born October 5, 1966) is an American retiredprofessional wrestlingmanager,television host, and part-timeprofessional wrestler. Runnels began her professional wrestling career inWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) asMiss Alexandra York, manager ofthe York Foundation. She later joined theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF), later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where she worked for two years asMarlena, and then under her real name.
In the early years of her career with the WWF, she managed her (then) real-life husbandDustin Runnels (known on-screen as Goldust) and was a member of thePretty Mean Sisters alliance. She also managed bothHardy Boyz andEdge & Christian following the Terri Invitational Tournament in 1999. Subsequently, she had an on-screen rivalry withThe Kat, managedThe Radicalzstable, and worked as a host and interviewer. During her time with the World Wrestling Federation (or WWE), she briefly held theHardcore Championship, her only championship during her career. After leaving the wrestling business, Runnels became involved in philanthropic work.
Runnels was originally a make-up artist forCNN from 1985 to 1991, where she worked onLarry King's make-up.[3] On the weekends, she did makeup for the wrestlers ofJim Crockett Promotions (JCP).[4] When the company was purchased byTed Turner in 1988 and renamedWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), she moved toAtlanta and continued doing make-up for some of the wrestlers.[3]BookerOle Anderson asked her to become part of the roster as amanager[3] and Runnels debuted in 1990 as Alexandra York, alaptop-carryingaccountant who led an alliance known as the York Foundation, a group of wrestlers with finance-themedgimmicks.[3] The York character was created over a lunch withTony Schiavone, one of WCW's announcers.[4] She worked at WCW for two years.[3]
Runnels debuted in theWorld Wrestling Federation at theRoyal Rumble in 1996 as Marlena, a wrestler modeled afterMarlene Dietrich.[3][4] She debuted as a coolly unconcerned and indifferenttelevision director-like manager, often sitting at ringside in herdirector's chair. With her cigar-smoking, seductive, nonchalant and mysterious gimmick, she acted as the manager of her (then) real-life husbandDustin, who was wrestling under the gimmick of Goldust.[3] Complementing Goldust, the Marlena character too was representative of all things gold (sporting gold dresses, seated in a gold director's chair, carrying a gold purse sometimes consisting of actual gold dust used to throw in the eyes of Goldust's opponents). Often, Marlena took to lasciviously making out with Goldust when she wasn't coaching and encouraging him to do the same with his fellow opponents. The cigar-smoking aspect of the character came about because Runnels enjoyed smoking them in real life.[4] The risque characters helped bring aboutThe Attitude Era of the late-1990s and theDiva division.[3] During a feud between Goldust andTriple H over theIntercontinental Championship, on February 16, 1997, atIn Your House 13: Final Four, Marlena was choked byChyna, who debuted as aplant from a ringside seat and later became the bodyguard for Triple H.[5][6] Later,Brian Pillman feuded with Goldust over Marlena.[5] As part of theangle, Pillman won Marlena in a match and sent Goldust a picture of her handcuffed in a bed.[7] Pillman, however, died in the middle of the storyline.[5] Originally, the plan was to have the rivalry culminate in an on-air wedding where Marlena would leave Goldust for Pillman.[8] After the Marlena-Goldust alliance dissolved, Goldust revealedLuna Vachon as his new manager.[5]
Runnels later re-emerged in 1998, under her real name, as the on-screen girlfriend ofVal Venis.[5] When Runnels claimed to be pregnant with Venis' baby, he dumped her.[5][9] She later joined forces withJacqueline Moore, who had just ended her alliance withMarc Mero, to form the Pretty Mean Sisters (P.M.S.).[9] They later formed an alliance withD'Lo Brown andMark Henry, accompanying them to the ring for a match against Venis andThe Godfather in December atRock Bottom: In Your House.[10] In January, Runnels claimed to have suffered a miscarriage after she was knocked off the ring apron by Brown.[8][9] Weeks later, Brown discovered that Runnels had never been pregnant.[11] P.M.S. gained a "love slave" namedMeat in May,[12] whom Runnels controlled using sex.[13] As a part of the storyline, P.M.S. used Meat for his body, forcing him to have sex with them.[12] The alliance, however, broke up by July, when Jacqueline Moore became frustrated with Runnels' infatuation with Meat.[11]
In late 1999, Runnels arranged the Terri Invitational Tournament, a best-of-five series, betweenEdge and Christian andThe Hardy Boyz, with the winner receiving her managerial services and the sum of $100,000.[14] The Hardy Boyz won the tournament, which culminated in aladder match atNo Mercy (with the prize money suspended above the ring in a bag).[15] Runnels spent the next few months as their manager, notably getting involved in a Steel Cage match between Jeff Hardy andAl Snow on an episode ofRAW. She continued interfering in matches until she was injured whenBubba Ray Dudleypowerbombed her through a table.[8][11] She returned on February 27 atNo Way Out and cost the Hardy Boyz a match.[16] She then became the manager of Edge and Christian, and the storyline originally called for her to come between the duo, resulting in them becoming singles wrestlers with Runnels managingChristian.[17] The storyline, however, was rewritten, and on an episode ofSmackDown!, Edge and Christian—who would now continue wrestling as a tag team—revealed they no longer wanted Runnels' services.[17] She, therefore, slapped Edge, who responded byspearing her.[17]
Runnels began arivalry withThe Kat, and atWrestleMania 2000, Runnels (accompanied byThe Fabulous Moolah) defeated The Kat (withMae Young) in acatfight.[18] Val Venis was the Special Guest Referee, but was distracted when Young kissed him in response to Venis making out with both Runnels and The Kat.[18] This distraction allowed Moolah to pull The Kat out of the ring, and when Venis saw her out of the ring, he declared Runnels the winner.[18] Post-match, The Kat attacked Runnels by stripping her black body suit off to expose her nude colored thong.[18] The rivalry continued in anarm wrestling match atInsurrextion.[19] They later participated in a "Stink Facematch" atSummerSlam, which The Kat won by first performing the move on Runnels.[20][21]
On June 8, 2000, she competed in the first ever women's battle royal to determine the #1 contender to theWWF Women's Championship, but was eliminated byLita. Runnels subsequently became the onscreen girlfriend and manager ofPerry Saturn, who was a member of The Radicalz alliance.[22] She accompanied Saturn to the ring atFully Loaded in July 2000, where Saturn defeatedEddie Guerrero for theEuropean Championship.[23] Saturn, Runnels, and Radicalz memberDean Malenko also had a series of matches withTeam Xtreme (The Hardy Boyz andLita).[24] The on-screen partnership lasted until Saturn, who had hit his head during a match, opted to continue seeing "Moppy" (amop he believed was alive) instead of Runnels.[25] As a result, she then became the manager ofRaven, a member ofThe Alliance, who stole Saturn's mop and fed it into awoodchipper.[22]
In late 2001, Terri replacedTrish Stratus as the host of the WWF recap programExcess.[3] She briefly feuded with Stratus, resulting in awet T-shirt contest between the two onRaw.[26] During this time, she also became the backstage interviewer onRaw and began to wrestle occasionally against the likes ofMolly Holly,Victoria and Stratus. She also became the subject ofKane's affections and they regularly flirted during backstage segments.[27] On May 27, 2002, she briefly held the perpetually contestedHardcore Championship when she pinnedSteven Richards, though he immediately pinned her to regain the title.[28] On the August 19 episode ofRAW,Eric Bischoff placed her a battle royal featuring former Hardcore champions such asTommy Dreamer,Bradshaw andJeff Hardy.[29] She eliminated herself immediately when the match began. On the September 2 edition ofRAW she defeated Stacy Keibler in a "Lingerie pillow fight", but was hit with a clock by Keibler and humiliated after the match, thus igniting a brief feud between the two. Her final match was a losing effort alongside the returningLita against divas Molly Holly andGail Kim on the November 10 edition ofRaw.[29]
After eight years with the company, in March 2004, Runnels was released from WWE prior to a massive firing spree.[3][8] In an April 2015 interview withVince Russo, Runnels stated that she was flown up on April 1, 2004, to the WWE offices for a meeting with WWE executives Kevin Dunn andJohn Laurinaitis where she was told that they were parting ways with her; the reason she was told that she was flown up was because the WWE respected her.[30] After leaving the company, Runnels spent time traveling the world.[3]
On January 22, 2018, in theRaw 25 Years special episode, Runnels was honored as part of a segment involving women considered legends that contributed to the company's success, includingMaryse,Kelly Kelly,Lilian Garcia,Michelle McCool,Maria Kanellis and theHall of FamersTorrie Wilson,the Bella Twins,Jacqueline andTrish Stratus.[31]
In 2021, Runnels was listed by WWE.com as one of the women who made an impact outside the ring.[32]
During her tenure in the WWF, Runnels appeared on the showThe Weakest Link in 2002 as part of a charity show where all the contestants were WWF personalities.[33] On the show, she played for theRonald McDonald House charity, which houses parents of hospitalized children for reduced or no cost.[33] Runnels was the fourth contestant voted out of the game.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | WWF WrestleMania 2000 (video game) | Terri | |
| 2000 | WWF No Mercy (video game) | ||
| 2003 | WWE Raw 2 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Terminators '96 | Marlena | |
| 1997 | Best of Raw 3 | ||
| Best of Raw 4 | |||
| Best of Raw 6 | |||
| Best of Raw 7 | |||
| 1998 | Best of Raw 8 | ||
| 2000 | Divas: Postcard from the Caribbean | Terri | |
| Most Memorable Matches of 1999 | |||
| 2001 | Divas in Hedonism | ||
| 2013 | WWE: Raw 20th Anniversary Collection | Marlena |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | WCW Worldwide | Alexandra York | 1 Episode |
| WCW Saturday Night | 2 Episodes | ||
| 1996 | Wrestlemania XII | Marlena | TV Special |
| 1996 - 1997 | WWF Superstars | 4 Episodes | |
| 1996 - 2018 | WWE Raw | Terri / Marlena / Terri Runnels / Self | 206 Episodes |
| 1997 | WWF on MSG Network | Marlena | 1 Episode |
| WWF Shotgun Saturday Night | 4 Episodes | ||
| WWF Friday Night's Main Event | 1 Episode | ||
| 1998 - 2003 | WWE Sunday Night Heat | Terri / Terri Runnels | 70 Episodes |
| 1999 | WrestleMania XV | Terri | TV Special |
| 1999 - 2001 | WWE Smackdown! | 62 Episodes | |
| 2000 | Freedom | Sandi Mueller | 1 Episode |
| 2000 - 2001 | WWE Jakked | Terri | 12 Episodes |
| 2001 | WWE Metal | 1 Episode | |
| 2002 | Summerslam | TV Special |
Boatright grew up inFlorida.[4] She grew up as aSouthern Baptist, but later became non-denominational.[3] Runnels has worked with various charities, including theMake-a-Wish Foundation,Big Brothers Big Sisters of America,Boys & Girls Clubs of America,Children's Miracle Network, and Hermie & Elliott Sadler Foundation and Fit Kids Marathon.[3]
She datedBrian Pillman in 1990 while they were both in WCW.[4] In 1993, she marriedDustin Runnels, whom she met while they were both working for WCW, taking his last name as her own.[3][4] They have a daughter, Dakota, who was born in 1994.[3][4] Dustin Runnels's strained relationship with his fatherDusty Rhodes caused problems in their marriage, and Terri alleges that Dusty spread rumors about her that included infidelity and gold-digging.[4] The couple divorced in 1999 after six years of marriage.[3] Years after the divorce, they were able to have a "better relationship".[3][34] In 2003, she began a relationship with Tyree Clowe, a US soldier 15 years her junior. The couple remained together for over five years.[3]
Terri began dating former professional wrestlerNew Jack in 2009. Jack professed his love for her in an interview with host Fat Man After Dark on theFuture Endeavors wrestling radio show and described some of the pitfalls, even today, of a mixed-race relationship.[35] As of July 2011, the couple was no longer together.[36]
In August 2011, a Florida judge ordered Jack to stop selling nude and bloody photographs of Runnels. Runnels filed suit, accusing Jack of making libelous comments about her and requested that a court ban him from distributing sexually-explicit photographs of her. Jack said that he took the photos, that they belonged to him and that he should be free to pass them on to whoever he pleases. A judge in Sanford, Florida, temporarily banned Jack from distributing photographs of Runnels ahead of a hearing.[37]
On May 29, 2019, Runnels was arrested inHillsborough County, Florida, and charged withfelony possession of a firearm after bringing a loaded gun into theTampa International Airport.[38] She was later released on $2,000 bond and posted a video to herTwitter page, explaining her side of the incident.[39] In June 2019, the charges against Runnels were dropped.[40]
,Cagematch,Internet Wrestling Database