Biography
Debra Gale Marshall (previously McMichael and Williams) is an American actress and former professional wrestling valet. Known by her ring name Debra, she gained recognition for her roles in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Queen Debra from 1995 to 1998 and in WWE as Debra from 1998 to 2002. She started her wrestling career in 1995, accompanying her husband Steve "Mongo" McMichael to the WCW ring.
In 1998, she joined WWE, managing the tag team of Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart until Hart's fatal in-ring accident in May 1999. That same year, she captured the WWF Women's Championship by defeating Sable in an Evening Gown match. She later appeared alongside her second husband, Stone Cold Steve Austin, until both departed the company in 2002. During her WWF career, she was recognized for her distinctive Southern accent and enhanced bust. Marshall studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York and graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama. As of 2013, she was pursuing a master's degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama.
Marshall's first marriage was to NFL veteran and wrestler Steve McMichael, lasting thirteen years. Their initial meeting was arranged by McMichael's mother on an airplane. They divorced on October 12, 1998. In 1998, Debra met Steve Williams, known as Stone Cold Steve Austin on-screen; they began living together in 2000 and married on September 13 of that year at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, after which she took the name Debra Williams. On June 15, 2002, police responded to their San Antonio residence and found Debra with bruises and a bloody nose. Austin was arrested on August 14 and charged with misdemeanor assault. He entered a no-contest plea on November 25, receiving one year of probation, a $1,000 fine, and 80 hours of community service. Austin filed for divorce on July 22, 2002, finalized on February 5, 2003. Marshall later sold her wedding ring on eBay for $27,100, donating part of the proceeds to Safe Place, an organization supporting domestic abuse victims.
In June and July 2007, Marshall appeared publicly to discuss the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide. She attributed Austin's June 2002 assault on her to steroid and drug use and suggested connections between such substances and the Benoit family tragedy. She also claimed Austin assaulted her on three occasions.
