JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A tragic day in May 2003 ended with the loss of a life that had been adored by millions for years. Elizabeth Hulette (better known as Miss Elizabeth) was dead at the young age of 42.
Her untimely death followed a historic career where she lived out the nickname she had been given: “The First Lady of Wrestling.”
First known to fans around the world as the valet of “Macho Man” Randy Savage (her real-life husband), Miss Elizabeth was the opposite of everything in the wrestling world she lived in.
Unlike the loud, chaotic and downright crazy world of pro wrestling, Elizabeth was gentle, kind and soft-spoken. The total opposite of Savage.
Fans grew to love her at a time when some pro wrestling shows garnered tens of millions of viewers, with Elizabeth at the center of the show.
The peak of her fame came in 1991 when “Macho Man” finally proposed to her and they “got married” at SummerSlam 1991. Technically, the couple had been married in real life for several years, but as far as the fans knew, the wedding was real.
But sadly her marriage to Randy Savage didn’t last and Elizabeth (along with Savage) moved on to competing in WCW. There she was a part of some famous factions -- most notably the NWO.
Along the way, a relationship began with another top star, Lex Luger.
And by many accounts (as was documented in the series Dark Side of the Ring), the two developed substance use disorder, which eventually led to Miss Elizabeth’s overdose death in 2003.
Two years earlier, though, Luger and Elizabeth were out of wrestling after WCW folded in 2001 and Luger was not brought into WWE, which had purchased the company.
News4JAX’s Scott Johnson shares interviews and insights on professional wrestling and its impact on Jacksonville.
Instead, Luger continued collecting money from his WCW pay without a job to go to, as the New York Post reported.
In this episode, we are joined by a retired police detective and Desiree Joson with the Shoots & Ladders Podcast to unpack the tragic case that rocked the wrestling world.
