Debra McMichael recently spoke with Uproxx; you can read a few highlights below. McMichael is appearing at WrestleCon this month in Orlando on behalf of Title Match Wrestling.
Debra McMichael comments on appearing at wrestling conventions, how fans approach her and what they remember most about her:
Well, what I notice about the fans, they’re very loyal. A lot of these people, I’ve seen them for years. You know, or they’ll … There’ll be some [fan] even from the ’90s that I remember at a convention. But then they’re very personable and, um, and they all remember my characters, you know? They all remember Queen Debra, and then they all remember the puppies.
You know what, I just have to be thankful to my fans, because I would’ve never had a job if it wasn’t for the fans. You know, and even doing stuff like this, you know? Wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for fans. I mean, the fans, I owe everything to the fans. Because without fans you wouldn’t have wrestling.
Debra comments on Pepe the dog being a part of WCW Monday Nitro:
I’m trying to remember how that happened. Because I know Steve McMichael and I, you know, we were almost … We were very childlike. We would do things just to laugh all the time. I’m sure we just thought it up to bring him because he’s so ugly, you know. The ugly little old chihuahua. He was so ugly!
Then, of course, then you’ve got to dress him up. Then I had friends, they would make him little outfits. My friends would make little outfits and give them to me, and then when he would just go right on the show. That was actually Steve’s dog.
Well I remember that, you know, back then you could keep things real secretive. But [you can’t do that] now with the internet. But they hired me, then nobody knew they hired me. You know how they just surprise everybody when you just show up? But I didn’t even know who I was going to work with when I showed up. Because I showed up in Chicago, and then that’s when they brought me out in Milwaukee, you know. They changed me to more of the office [manager type]. The savvy businessperson.
Once I got there, then I found out I was going to work with Jeff. But I think we do work well together ,and I think that’s part of what brings an audience. I believe you’ve got to be matched really well. I mean, I had the easiest job. I’m not out there breaking my balls like the guys and the other girls. You know, my job was just kind of being a manager. It was great.
Debra shares her favorite memories of Owen Hart:
Good gosh. I mean … It was really fun working with those two guys, because they worked so well together, and I kind of knew how their bodies all moved. If that makes sense. But I mean it’s just been like, like I said, it would just be fun memories like [the photo prank]. We would go on a lot of autograph sessions together, and then they were always playing jokes on me.
Like one time we were in Florida, and we were doing our autograph session and I went to put on my sunglasses to leave, and Owen had switched them and they were some raggedy, hideous-looking pair, and I didn’t even notice when I put them back on. We were leaving with the crowd of people [and I didn’t notice] until I got into the car. It was hideous. It would just be funny little stuff like that. You would just laugh all the time.
Oh yeah. I still remember the first day that they brought him into the WWF. I remember we were in Chicago and I was on the treadmill or something next to him, and I introduced myself and he was on the treadmill. That was the first time I met him, and then speed it up forward with when I was working with Steve and Kurt and all that, and it was fun, because I was the one that thought up the little hat, the little [cowboy hat]. It was just fun because he was so cool. He’s so dynamic in all his little characters that he can pull off. Kind of like Pepe.
