10 key women’s matches that have led to the first ever women’s main event at WrestleMania
When WWE confirmed that WrestleMania 35 will mark the first time there will be a women’s main event on their flagship pay-per-view, it proved that women’s wrestling has come a long way since they started.
A look back at women’s wrestling at WrestleMania is hardly something to be positively remembered, as many of the matches were short filler matches, with a few of them even featuring the women being subjugated and wearing provocative clothing.
For example, at WrestleMania XX, Torrie Wilson and Sable faced Miss Jackie and Stacy Kiebler in an evening gown match and at WrestleMania 22, Torrie Wilson was in another match where she was eventually stripped to her underwear in a Playboy pillow fight against Candice Michelle.
However, for all of those matches that set back women’s wrestling, there have been a number of female wrestlers that have continued to move women’s wrestling in the right direction when given the opportunity. There are a number of matches that have slowly built towards this historical pay-per-view but these are the ten key classic matches in chronological order that have eventually led to the first ever women’s main event at WrestleMania.
#10 Lita vs. Trish Stratus - WWE Women's Championship Match (Raw, December 6, 2004)
This match is one of the many reasons why both Lita and Trish Stratus are in WWE's Hall of Fame. This match may not be the first ever all women’s main event on Raw – that honour goes to Lita and Stephanie McMahon, who fought four years earlier. However, even though Stephanie and Lita contested for the Women’s Championship, the match ended up being more focused on the rivalry between Kurt Angle, Triple H, and the special guest referee of the match, The Rock.
However, in the case of Lita’s second ever main event on Monday Night Raw, there was no need for any involvement of male wrestlers, as the WWE Universe was purely invested in her and the then Women’s Champion, Trish Stratus. These were the two women who were heads and shoulders above the rest of the women’s division, and when this match took place, were at the peak of their careers. On the night, they delivered an unforgettable match that will cement its place in WWE history, not to mention successfully headlining a main event on a weekly show.
Despite it would take over a decade before women would solely main event Raw again, it is now not uncommon for women to close the show on Raw and SmackDown. Whilst WrestleMania 35 will mark the first ever women's main event in WrestleMania history, it is safe to confirm that this match was the first stepping stone that proved that female wrestlers had the ability to be at the top of the WWE.