Nancy Benoit

Nancy Elizabeth Benoit (née Toffoloni, formerly Daus and Sullivan; May 21, 1964 – June 22, 2007), more commonly known by her in-ring names Woman and Fallen Angel, was a professional wrestling valet and manager. She worked in several promotions, including Jim Crockett Promotions, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling.
==Career==
===Early days===
After graduating DeLand High School, Nancy got a job answering phones at an insurance agency. When George Napolitano needed a beautiful young girl for the cover of the June 1984 edition of the pro-wrestling magazine Wrestling All Stars, fellow photographer Bill Otten suggested the 20-year-old Nancy Toffoloni Daus for the role. Nancy, who had worked as a model, often sat alongside her then-husband Jim.
===Florida Championship Wrestling===
Nancy had been selling programs at the Orlando shows and appeared as Para in the old "Apartment Wrestling" features. It was on this shoot where she met Kevin Sullivan, who eventually wanted her to be a part of his wrestling entourage. After months of convincing, Nancy finally became an on-air valet, taking the name Fallen Angel. She made her in-ring debut on July 7, 1984 at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida for Florida Championship Wrestling.
She became a part of Kevin Sullivan's stable of kayfabe "Satanists", which also included wrestlers The Lock, Luna Vachon, The Purple Haze, and Sir Oliver Humperdink. Nancy and Kevin Sullivan traveled throughout the United States using the "Satanist" gimmick for promotions such as Angelo Savoldi's ICW and Southwest Championship Wrestling. The two married in 1985. She was still appearing as "Fallen Angel" up until as late as 1987.
===World Championship Wrestling===
She first appeared in WCW as a "fan" of Rick Steiner named Robin Green, wearing a Steiner T-shirt and large glasses. She would sit in the audience and would interact with Steiner whenever he appeared. She eventually turned on him, aligning herself with Kevin Sullivan and adopting the name Woman and became the manager of Doom (Butch Reed and Ron Simmons). After leaving Doom, she aligned herself with Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen.
===Extreme Championship Wrestling===
In 1993, Kevin and Nancy surfaced in the fledgling ECW, where—once again called simply Woman—she managed Sullivan and The Tazmaniac to the ECW Tag Team Championships. When Kevin re-sought the greener pastures of WCW, Nancy remained in ECW, going on to manage Sandman and 2 Cold Scorpio. Once again, she almost seamlessly re-invented herself to fit with The Sandman's gimmick—opening his beers, lighting his cigarettes, and destroying his opponents with her own Singapore cane. She wrestled her first match in ECW when she teamed with The Sandman against Tommy Cairo and Peaches in a Singapore Cane Match.
===World Championship Wrestling===
After being dumped by Sandman and Scorpio in ECW, she once again resurfaced in WCW, first appearing on the January 22, 1996 edition of WCW Monday Nitro as one of many women who stood in the aisle and waved as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage came to the ring. On the February 5, 1996 edition of Nitro she turned on Savage during his match with Chris Benoit and rejoined Flair, Arn Anderson, Brian Pillman, and Benoit in the then-current incarnation of the Four Horsemen. Miss Elizabeth also managed the stable.
In 1996, Pillman had left the Horsemen, but they added Steve McMichael and his wife Debra in June, which didn't sit well with Woman. In her next angle, the two bickered, not getting along in general. The Four Horsemen were often given interview time on Nitro and when it came time for Debra to speak on the mic, she'd often go into a soliloquy regarding Woman's looks and fashion sense — usually when the two weren't within the vicinity of each other. Despite the heavy tension, the two managers never had a physical altercation.
At the same time, she started an on-screen relationship with Benoit, who at the time was involved in a feud with her real-life husband, Kevin Sullivan. On December 7, on WCW Saturday Night, during a post-match interview with Sullivan, a home movie of the couple canoodling in a kitchen was played in front of him. Woman taunted Sullivan by saying, "You can't find me" and "I'm my own woman," while Benoit added: "You consider yourself the master of human chess. Well, my bishop just took your queen". After the video, Sullivan stood there speechless, and his manager Jimmy Hart led him off stage. This feud between Benoit and Sullivan saw Woman clashing with Sullivan's then-valet Jacquelyn at ringside. In one match, the two ladies were strapped together, took shots at each other, and used the strap connecting them as a weapon against the men.
Eventually, the Benoit-Nancy on-screen relationship developed into a real-life affair off-screen. Because of this it is often joked that 'Kevin Sullivan booked his own divorce.' The two were indeed divorced in 1997. What's more, Sullivan lost a retirement match to Benoit. His intent had been to retire from in-ring action and focus on booking.
Nancy's final WCW appearance (and professional wrestling appearance as Woman) took place on May 26, 1997 on Monday Nitro as she accompanied Benoit to the ring for a confrontation with Jimmy Hart regarding the whereabouts of Sullivan, who wasn't in the arena. On the following week's show, Benoit came alone to ringside without her by his side. After managing him for a little over half a year, no reason was given for Woman's sudden disappearance, and she was never mentioned on WCW programming again.
===WWE===
Her husband Chris Benoit continued to wrestle for the WWE after it bought out WCW. She died in 2007, for more details see here.
==Wrestling facts==
*Tag teams and stables
:*Army Of Darkness
:*Four Horsemen
*Weapons
:*Singapore cane
*Wrestlers managed
:*Arn Anderson (WCW) (1995-1996)
:*Butch Reed (NWA)
:*Chris Benoit (WCW) (1995-1996)
:*Kevin Sullivan (ECW)
:*Ric Flair (NWA, WCW) (1989-1990, 1995-1996)
:*Ron Simmons (NWA)
:*Steve McMichael (WCW) (1996)
:*The Sandman (ECW)
:*The Tazmaniac (ECW)
:*Too Cold Scorpio (ECW)
==External links==
*Nancy Benoit profile at CAGEMATCH.net
Category:American wrestlers
Category:Female wrestlers
Category:Managers and valets
Category:Championship Wrestling From Florida alumni
Category:Extreme Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:World Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:Wrestlers who have died
Category:1964 births
Category:2007 deaths
Category:1984 debuts