Wrestlers and fans alike were shocked and saddened to learn that wrestling Hall of Famer Sherri Martel had passed away on Friday, June 15th. Martel was a wrestling mainstay throughout the 1980s and much of the 1990s in promotions like WWF, WCW, and ECW. So how did WWE.com honor this legendary heel?

Head on over to WWE.com and scroll down. Keep scrolling. A little more.

With the soap opera death of Vince McMahon still dominating all of the prime real estate on the WWE web site, Sensational Sherri news and tributes have been relegated to a small box below news of the Chairman’s impounded limo, coverage of Mr. McMahon memorials, and sharp investigative reporting on whether or not the Chairman knew his death was imminent. Very classy.

Many wrestling superstars (including a few ECW alums) have published their (much classier) reactions to the untimely death of Sherri Martel. Francine remembered Martel as a major influence, a mentor, and a role model in a touching post on her MySpace blog.

Describing himself as crushed, Brian Heffron, aka The Blue Meanie, also paid tribute to Martel via MySpace, writing:

I want to send out my deepest sympathies to the loved ones of Sherri Martel. I just saw her a little over a month ago and she looked great. Which is why this came as a BIG shock to me when I got the news yesterday. She was a great person and an awesome performer who gave her all. She would take falls that some of the guys wouldn’t even take. The one that sticks out the most is when she took a huge bump off the top of the WWF’s old monsterous blue cage. Man, she was tough!! Tough but every bit a women whose work ethic commanded respect from all who knew her and all who paid to see her. So young and so sad. Godspeed Sherri!! You ARE missed!!

Jim Ross posted a memorial to Martel on his blog as well:

She was not only an excellent wrestler but evolved into one of the best “manager/valets” ever in the business. Her physicality and toughness may never be matched especially for her gender….

The business has lost one of its most colorful characters who came up the hard way, paid her dues, and survived during the territory days to make it to the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania and the WWE Hall of Fame.

Rest in peace Sherri, and take it easy on the men folk in heaven.

Sherri Martel was an influential wrestler whose impact will be felt in the wrestling industry for decades to come. Our deepest sympathies go out to her loved ones.