Paige Is the Modern-Day Version of Sherri Martel

Rugged, raven-haired Paige pays tribute to Sherri Martel's legacy with each stiff right hand she throws.

The former Divas champion shares Sensational Sherri's toughness and mat skills. She defies expectations for what a female wrestler is supposed to be, much like Martel did in her heyday.

Martel first burst onto the wrestling scene in 1985, starring for the American Wrestling Association. She won that promotion's women's title before doing the same as part of the then-WWF in 1987. Along the way, Martel kicked foes in the gut, tore at their hair and howled like a beast.

Her antics look a lot like Paige's approach to the art of wrestling.

Paige, like Martel, isn't out there to tantalize as much as terrorize. Her "Miss Hell in Boots" nickname would have been just as apt for Sensational Sherri.

Noting the parallels between the two women, it's not surprising that Paige's mother, Saraya Knight, dreamed up a tag team featuring her daughter and Martel:

That would have been one hell-raising duo. 

Screeching Predators 

Martel excelled as a heel. From her intimidating snarl to how comfortable she was being vicious in the ring, she seemed born to play that role.

During her matches, she often yanked her foes up by the hair. She battered her opponents with strikes. Martel bent her rivals backward, clearly enjoying the pain she caused.

Paige has all those same tools in her offensive arsenal. She too thrives when she is most aggressive, most sadistic. 

WWE has switched her from babyface to heel and back again, but it's clear that she's at her best as the aggressor with a loose moral code. 

Smashing her knees into someone's collarbone or clamping her in the P.T.O. all screams "heel."

And screaming is something Paige does just as well as Martel. Sensational Sherri often bayed during her battles. It always sounded as if she was close to unraveling in the ring.

Paige emits a similar soundtrack. She's made a throaty battle cry one of her trademarks.

Hard-Nosed and Hard to Look Away From

Martel was the kind of woman you wanted fighting alongside you in the bar, not against you. She didn't play tough in the ring; she exuded real grit.

Hearing stories of her early days in the business only add to that aura.

Martel first trained with Butch Moore, offering the instructor $500 to get into his school. She would later tell the story about what happened next several times over.

As J.A. Bawon of PW Torch wrote, "With full force, Moore wound up and slapped Sherri across the face. And as Sherri recounted proudly when telling the story some 25 years later, she asked Butch, 'Is that all you've got?'"

That attitude translated once she began her wrestling career.

Martel had sex appeal, sure, but interest in her stemmed from much more than that. She was a badass, a showboat, a maniac looking for a fight, be it against a man or a woman.

Paige is the same way. She told MTV UK that she would love to collide with Steve Austin, Bray Wyatt or Dean Ambrose. It's easy to believe her, too.

The Anti-Diva, like Martel before her, comes off as someone you simply don't want to mess with. When she told fans that she was once a bouncer as a teenager, it wasn't surprising in the least.

This doggedness was not something WWE fans often saw from the Divas Division. When Paige rose up the NXT ladder and made her mark on the main roster, she broke the mold. The majority of characters in that part of the WWE world were sultry or bubbly. 

She was more of a back-alley brawler than her peers. She was darker, more dangerous and, in result, one of the most talked-about female newcomers in a long while.

Martel was a trailblazer in the same vein. 

She was a stark contrast to bubblegum pop wrestlers like Rockin' Robin. As her profile on WWE.com says of Martel, "Her physical strength and the strength of her personality redefined women's roles in sports entertainment." That statement holds true for Paige, too.

The added focus on the women's division all started with Paige and Emma tearing it up in the ring to decide the first NXT women's champ. The buzz has only grown since then. 

Different Career Arcs

Both Martel and Paige put their stamps on WWE right away.

Sensational Sherri won the women's championship in her debut, knocking off the legendary Moolah. Paige's first appearance on the main roster saw her confront and later pin AJ Lee to claim the Divas Championship.

Martel held the title for over a year. She served as one of the pillars of the women's division.

The same goes for Paige. When she feuded with AJ, The Bella Twins and Charlotte, she was front and center on the women's scene.

In the '90s, WWE de-emphasized the women's division to the point that a cornerstone like Martel had to switch roles. She started managing rather than wrestling. She stood in Shawn Michaels', Randy Savage's and Ted DiBiase's corners.

She thrived as an advocate and antagonist at ringside en route to a spot in the Hall of Fame. One has to wonder, though, what the last part of her career would have looked like had WWE not folded up its women's division.

Today, with talents like Bayley, Sasha Banks and Charlotte leading the way, women's wrestling is in the best position it has ever been with WWE. Paige won't have to move into managing. She will have a steady supply of rivals as she continues to create her own legacy. 

Count on her doing so with the same merciless approach that Martel did.