With her cigar-smoking, seductive, nonchalant and mysterious gimmick, she acted as the manager of her then real-life husband Dustin, who was wrestling under the gimmick of Goldust.[3] The cigar-smoking aspect of the character came about because Runnels enjoyed smoking them in real life.[4] The risque characters helped bring about The Attitude Era of the late-1990s and the Diva division.[3] During a feud between Goldust and Triple H over the Intercontinental Championship, on February 16, 1997 at In Your House 13: Final Four, Marlena was choked by Chyna, who debuted as a plant from a ringside seat and later became the bodyguard for Triple H.[5][6] Later, Brian Pillman feuded with Goldust over Marlena.[5] As part of the angle, Pillman won Marlena in a match and sent Goldust a picture of her handcuffed in a bed.[7] Pillman, however, died in the middle of the storyline.[5] Originally, the plan was to have the rivalry culminate in an on-air wedding where Marlena would leave Goldust for Pillman.[6] After the Marlena-Goldust alliance dissolved, Goldust revealed Luna Vachon as his new manager.[5]