PWI's Women of Wrestling Special
The 100 Hotest Women in Wrestling History: Debra


Mrs. McMichael didn't seem to have much going for her when she debuted in WCW. Most people believed she was simply following the coattails of her husband, former football player-turned-wrestler Steve McMichael. Debra was easy on the eyes all right, but she rarely spoke. How times have changed!

She first appeared as a spectator at ringside. When Ric Flair made his entrance one evening, he taunted a beautiful woman sitting near the security railing. It wasn't until commentator Steve McMichael got upset that she was revealed as the ex-Chicago Bear's wife.

Eventually, "Mongo" joined Flair and the Four Horsemen. "Queen" Debra became a member of the Horsemen's exclusive group of fillies, along with Woman and Elizabeth. She began to blaze her own career path when she helped U.S. champ Jeff Jarrett against her own husband in a battle between the Horsemen. She left the Horsemen with Jarrett and recruited Alex Wright. When Jarrett jumped to the WWF, however, Debra's fledgling management career seemed doomed.

After dismissing Debra as a "dumb blonde" on Raw, Jarrett made an about-face and asked her to join him in the federation in the fall of 1998. She forged Jarrett and Owen Hart into an effective tandem, leading them to the World tag team title in January 1999. Debra captured the women's belt on May 10 of that year, and led Jarrett to the Intercontinental strap on May 25.

She had a falling-out with Jarrett in the fall and went on hiatus to help fiancee Steve Austin recover from surgery. She and Steve also married in 2000. Commissioner Mick Foley appointed her as lieutenant commissioner in late-2001. She resigned that post in March to manage The Rock at Vince McMahon's request. Debra, who, at one time "didn't seem to have much going for her," stood poised to play the most prominent role of any woman in WrestleMania history.