Purple Passion (WCW Magazine #64)
by Amy Bell

   Once A shy bookworm, Sharnell Sullivan has emerged as one of sports
enterainment's leading ladies as the alluring Paisley.

   Sharmell Sullivan was a timid, studious young woman missed her senior
prom because she didn't have a date. The selfproclaimed "late-bloomer" says
she was a nerdy child - although she was active in dance and cheerleading.
Books and good grades were the top priorities in her life. As sullivan grew
older, her fondness for the entertainment industry became so strong that she
emerged from her cocoon. As she entered the world of sports entertainment
in November 1998, the former bookworm debuted as Nitro Girl Storm before
morphing into the extroverted Paisley, the Artist's partner in enigmatic
crime.

   The "20-something" Sullivan, born and raised in gary, Indiana, was a very
active child. She started swimming competitively through the Amateur Athletic
Union circuit at a young age and traveled the country for swim meets. She
began instruction in dancing and gymnastics when she was 5. "I got into
gymnastics seriously when I was about 8," Sullivan says,"It got where I was
asked to train for the Olympic team, but they would have had to pull me out
of school and my mother wouldn't let me do that. Shortly thereafter, I began
developing and I grew these long legs, so my gymnastics career kind of went
out the window."

   Although Sullivan's main focus at Roosevelt High School was on academics,
she was captain of the cheerleading team, a pom pom girl and a majorette. "I
was definitely a bookworm, but I always thought I was kind of cool because I
was the cheerleader captain and I was in the popular crowd," she says. "But
I didn't date a lot and I was very shy. I guess I saved the extrovert part
of me for the stage, for dancing or cheering. I used this side of me strictly
for performance. But I was really heavily into my books." Sullivan's hard
work in academia paid off; she was valedictorian of her high school
graduation class.

   After high school, Sullivan moved to Atlanta to attend Spelman College,
an all-women's school. As she worked toward a mathematics degree, the
independence of being away from home helped Sullivan creep out of her shell.
"When I was at Spelman, I was a cheerleader for Morehouse College, an
all-men's college in Atlanta. I was in pageants and won Miss Freshman at
Morehouse," Sullivan says. "My senior year of college I won Miss Black
America, and that was really cool."

   Sullivan took her role as Miss Black America seriously and started a
program called Ubudade, which is Swahili for sisterhood. "I traveled to high
schools all over the country and held overnight retreats for high school
girls who were considered at-risk youth," she says. "These were African
American teenage girls who were getting into a lot of trouble. I would have
professional women such as doctors, dentists and police officers come in and
mentor the girls. We'd talk about whatever issues they might want to discuss.
That was a really fulfilling part about being Miss Black America."

   Although Sullivan accomplished many goals at Spelman and considered
working on another degree in biomedical engineering, the entertainment field
continued to entice her. Once Sullivan graduated with a math degree, she
began a career as a professional dancer. She toured with R&B and hip hop
artists Keith Sweat, Black Street and 112. Sullivan's last job before joining
WCW was a 3 1/2-year tour with James Brown. "That tour was awesome," Sullivan
says. "Because of the James Brown tour, I've been to every continent save
Antarctica, and that's an experience I wouldn't trade for the world."

   Sullivan first heard of the Nitro Girls when people on Brown's tour bus
discussed the dance group. "I didn't know anything about the Nitro Girls
because I traveled so much I didn't have time to watch TV," she says. "After
I heard these people talking about them, I got off the bus and watched Nitro.
When I saw the girls, I said,'OK, these girls are on television, and that's
going to be me. I am going to have that job.' I claimed it right there."

   Sullivan's prophecy began to materialize when her close friend Vanessa
Bozman (Tygress) joined the Nitro Girls. Sulivan told Tygress to call her if
WCW began searching for more dancers. "Sure enough, three months later
Tygress told me the Nitro Girls were holding an audition. I auditioned and
got it," she says. Sullivan first appeared as Nitro Girl Storm in December
1998. "I loved working with the Nitro Girls," she says. "Dance had always
been my passion."

   The relationship Sullivan describes the Nitro Girls as having is markedly
different from the cat-fighting, food-tossing, hair-pulling vamps that have
been portrayed on WCW shows. "It's really crazy, because this was the first
dance group I'd been with that truly got along," she says. "We were all like
sisters. It was the strangest experience. There was no cattiness; it was just
like true family."

   After a year of displaying her raging dance moves as Storm, Sullivan
received a call from WCW's creative team. They told her to start shopping for
costumes for her new character: the Artist's valet. "I jumped at the chance,"
Sullivan says. "I thought it was great because I was going to be a character.
I definitely saw it as a better opportunity."

   WCW fans watched in awe as Storm transformed into the purple-adorned,
vicious sphinx known as Paisley. As Storm became Paisley, Sullivan changed
mentally and physically. Sullivan hired a personal trainer, and her newly
sculpted curves were obvious to the fans as she strutted alongside the Artist
with her newfound strength.

   Sullivan says she enjoys the unique experience of working with the Artist
(Mike Hayner). According to Sullivan, the seemingly reticent Artist actually
is a fun-loving comedian. "A lot of people think he's really quiet, but he's
hysterical. The character suits him well, and I think we work well together.
He brings a lot out of me, and I hope I bring a lot out of him," she says.

   As for leaving her dance career behind, Sullivan is not broken-hearted.
"I don't really miss the dancing. I thought I would, but I don't. It was kind
of like graduation. It was just time for me to move on. I do miss my girls,
but we still see each other at the shows," she says.

   Sullivan's new character definitely reflects some of her personality and
flair "Paisley is similar to myself because she's creative," Sullivan says.
"She dyes her hair purple and dresses really funky. She's a spunky girl, and
that's me. I also wear crazy clothes and shoes, and I've always been very
free and expressive. Of course, Paisley is not as refined as I am. She can
get in the ring and act like a maniac, and that's nowhere near the real me."

   Paisley's clashes with other valets have grown more frequent. She has
tussled with Tammy and Daffney on numerous occasions. One of Paisley's
conflicts with Daffney was so realistic that Sullivan had to call a close
friend's daughter to assure the bawling youngster that she was unharmed.

   Now that she has experienced some in-ring brawls, Sullivan says she would
consider wrestling full time. "I think with my gymnastics background, my
flexibility and my intensity, I could be an awesome wrestler," she says.
"I've been to the Power Plant a few times to prepare for my fights, and I'm
anxious to get back in there."

   Although Sullivan calls WCW home, she says she would love to expand into
television or movies. "I admire DDP, Goldberg, Sting and all those guys for
doing movies. That's exactly what I would like to do," she says.

   Sullivan wants young people to realize that it is possible for anyone to
accomplish their dreams. "Stick with your craft and develop that craft," she
says. "With me, it was particuIarly difficult because I've always wanted to
be an entertainer and there always have been nay-sayers who feel
entertainment is a waste when you're an intelligent person. But I never let
go of my dream. No one can tell you what's going to make you happy. If you
have a dream, I advise you to go for it."