Sacrifice and disgrace - The story of Amy Dumas

They say fairytales do come true in reality, and when you work hard enough, more often than not, you realize your dreams. Whether it is making to the top in a sport, or any other ambition, hard work usually gives you the rewards you deserve. The world of professional wrestling has seen its share of childhood dreams coming true. Whether you talk about Edge and Christian, two guys who have been wrestling fans all their lives, or Mick Foley, a crazy lunatic who used to dive off the roofs and imitate wrestling stunts as a kid, they all realized their dreams, and went on to steal shows at Wrestlemania, and winning the WWE/World Heavyweight title in the WWE, the pinnacle of any athlete’s career. Most of the guys who went on to win the title after years and years of training and sacrifice would tell you that it was all worth it, those few moments you spend in the centre of the ring, soaking in all the love and respect from the fans. Some would even say it’s more than what you ever deserve.

Amy Dumas aka Lita

Professional wrestling can be equally relentless. There have been guys whose careers were ended because of a botch/spot in a match. Then there are the unfortunate few who lost their lives inside the squared circle. People who were fathers, husbands, brothers and sons, who dedicated their lives to the business, travelling on the road, constantly leaving their kids and wives at home. And sometimes, there also comes a story of inspiration from these unfortunate few. Whether it is a moment of glory that defines their careers, that moment living on in the hearts of the fans, or the story of their hard work and dedication becoming a Bible for the younger guys, thereby cementing their legacy in the industry long after they’re gone. Professional wrestling is like a throw of dice, and you never know which end would come up.

This article is mainly intended to show the two worlds of professional wrestling, relating to the life of one individual who changed the women’s wrestling and revolutionized it, but also tasted both the worlds of pro wrestling. The good and the bad, and quite ironically, it wasn’t a part of the make believe world of pro wrestling, but one of those rare times when personal life camouflages the professional life, thus entwining the two worlds, amalgamating into something unique. The story is of Amy Dumas, better known to the fans as ‘Lita’. Growing up, I was a huge fan of Lita, and to this day I believe she is the best women’s wrestler the business has ever seen. Not only because of the things she did inside the ring, but because of the sacrifices she made, and the things she went through to do that. Amy has been a phenomenal performer, and a controversial figure who went through genuine love to genuine hatred to genuine love roller coaster, something that very few can experience.

Amy Dumas started out by training in one of the favourite places of many guys back in the 90s, Mexico, where she learnt the Lucha Libre style of wrestling, something that fascinated the United States in the mid 90s. Later, Paul Heyman (The Genius) signed her and she was with ECW for a brief amount of time, before Vince offered her a contract with the then WWF, and her dream was just taking off. She was partnered with Esse Rios, but she clearly out-shined him, and she was then partnered with Jeff and Matt, the Hardy Boyz, thus beginning her road to fame.

Lita was very different than the women WWF had at that time, the Debras and Ms. Kats. Lita could out-wrestle any guy in the locker room, and she had something that couldn’t be seen anywhere, the aerial moves. She revolutionized the way women’s division was seen at that point, and thus started an incredible journey. Who could forget her involvement in the TLC matches between Hardys, the Dudleys and E & C? She had beauty with talent, something that was unheard of back in those days, and it was only a matter of time before she won the Women’s title, at a time when it had great value, and Lita only added more value to the title. At this point, she was involved in the greatest feud in women’s wrestling with Trish Stratus. This feud changed the way the fans saw Women’s division. There isn’t a bigger compliment than closing the show, and these two ladies earned that respect by giving their all in the ring.

Lita, whenever she was in the ring, put her career on the line while performing moves which were never done by a female in the WWE. There were instances where she hurt herself, and who could forget how she nearly broke her neck during a match?

There were few people in the business who could bring a transition solely based on the way they carried themselves. Lita is one among them, with her unique style and passion for the business like no one else. This only meant she was a fan favourite for more than half of her career, but all that changed when rumours ran rampant that she had broken up with Matt Hardy, whom she was dating for some years. Matt came out with the entire truth, stating she was having an affair with Edge, and this started one of those rare moments when a person who was loved by the fans, faced their wrath without doing anything storyline wise. She was paired with Edge on screen, and they became the most hated couple in the history of this business.

The story that followed was messy. Matt was fired, as Edge was in the middle of the push of his career, and Lita became a catalyst that helped Edge achieve super stardom when he won the WWE title, his first till that point. Matt was hired back, and went on to feud Edge in a personal rivalry, which culminated with Matt being drafted to Smackdown! But all of this didn’t change anything, as fans loathed Lita, for something she did in her personal life. It was one of those ‘art imitating life’ situations, and Lita became the biggest heel in the company, which was unheard of, considered she was a female wrestler.

What followed can only be described as gross injustice. After Trish retired from the WWE as the Women’s champion, receiving love and praises from the fans for her contribution, Lita announced that she’d be retiring, as she had had enough of personal abuse in a business which was scripted. WWE took it too far, disrespecting the person who is arguably the greatest women’s wrestler/champion in the history of the company, and not only that, but the fans disrespected her by jeering her and insulting her. This took away everything Lita had worked for in the past 7 years, and soon the WWE fans started requesting Lita to come back, thus completing the love – hate – love circle in the business, but only this time, it was real.

I have always been the biggest Lita fan, and admired her for her contributions to professional wrestling. I for one, do not want her to come back to the WWE, because in all honesty, the fans don’t deserve to see her wrestle. But she’s one of the few people to find closure with the company, and to go out not as a trashy character, but as a legend that she truly has been. She had started her own band after she retired, and achieved success away from the business. I only have respect and gratitude for her, and it was a pleasure watching her perform. To this day, I’m still the biggest Amy Dumas fan, and will be so for a very long time.