WWE: Five greatest women wrestlers in the modern era
Trish Stratus
When we talk about pro wrestling, we talk about guys. It is rare to imagine women wrestlers in the serious sense. In the world of WWE, that only gets worse. With their image of a ‘Diva’ (Yes, they won’t even acknowledge girls as ‘women’ any more) in the WWE, you cannot help but wipe off the seriousness while talking about the ‘Divas’ division. It is rare that they get decent amount of air time, and even rarer for them to put on a decent match.
At a time when a diva is looked at only as an eye candy, it is hard to believe that the women’s division has fallen to this point, from a time when two girls went on last to close RAW. There was a point when girls were taken seriously, and they outperformed their male counterparts in the ring. The sad state of affairs are obvious, especially since the new in-charge Paul Levesque doesn’t see a point in giving 3 minutes for the divas on RAW. Although this time, I won’t blame him, considering the abysmal talent of the so-called ‘divas’ (Except for Natalie a.k.a Nataliya, who is subjected to fart jokes and stupid storylines).
This article isn’t intended to be a diatribe against the current crop of individuals in the company, but a sad reminder of what once was. As I write about the past, I can only be disappointed with the route WWE has taken. If they wanted to, they could have resurrected the division till last year, when they had talents like Kharma and Beth, with Natalie in the picture, but they let go of two and one is lost in oblivion. I am one of the many admirers of women’s wrestling in a male dominated business, and I go back in time to pick 5 of my favourite women ‘wrestlers’ in the WWE.
When Mickie first appeared in the WWE, she had the character of a psychopath who stalked Trish. Now, like all the guys, I did not complain about the storyline (which involved a ‘close interaction’ between them, so to speak), and their quality of matches kept getting better and better. Soon, Mickie won the Women’s Championship, and became one of the most successful women wrestlers in the Organization in a relatively short span of time. But she made up her mind to leave the WWE because of the way the WWE heads treated her (remember, WWE supports Anti Bullying campaigns. Yeah, sure). She was ridiculed because of her weight problems, and decided to part ways with the organization after a brief feud with LayCool.
I’m one of the biggest fans of Gail Kim. She has some serious talent, and climbed up the ranks in the WWE by capturing the WWE Women’s title. Gail is one of the forgotten heroes in the women’s division, and even her second exit was as camouflaged. Her first run with the WWE saw her becoming the top women wrestler, capturing the WWE Women’s on her very first night! After capturing the WWE Women’s title during her debut match, she had a good run in the Organization, feuding with the likes of Trish and Lita. Her second run, however, saw her putting over the ‘divas’, a move which showed the direction the WWE creative was heading in. Her final match was a testament to how Kim felt about the Organization, when she rolled out of the ring and went to the back during a Diva Battle Royale. She’s one of the best wrestlers in the world, and it’s a shame how she was treated by the WWE management.
Here’s one of the other forgotten heroes. Like Gail Kim, Victoria was a huge part of the reason why the women’s division was taken seriously. Tough as nails, Victoria won the WWE Women’s title on multiple occasions, and was one of the best heels in the women’s division. Unlike Trish, Victoria never got her fair share of adulation and respect for all she did for the girls. Her theme song was one of my favourites growing up, and so was she. WWE clearly missed the ball when they stopped focusing on her and wanted to change the image of the division. And unlike Gail Kim, she got a proper send off from the WWE after her final match.
At number 2 is one of the greatest women’s champion of all time. Trish started out as an eye candy, being the manager of T&A (Test and Albert, not the other abbreviation). Then she started competing more regularly, and she was an incredibly quick learner. In a year’s time, she started putting on good matches, and soon enough, she won the WWE Women’s title. Stratus was also involved in one of the best feuds in the history of women’s wrestling, against Lita. These two put on incredible matches one after the other, and on one occasion went on to close RAW, which at that time, was the highest possible recognition for their hard work and dedication. From a manager, to winning the WWE Women’s title on multiple occasions, Trish had a great career in the WWE and went on to retire as the WWE Women’s champion; again, one of the biggest compliments you could ever achieve in the business.
At number 1 is my favourite women’s wrestler of all time. Whether it was the high flying, Lucha libre style, or the incredible agility, or better wrestling ability than most of the guys in the locker room, Lita made her name being a part of the Hardy Boyz as Team Xtreme (she was with Essa Rios before that, but wasn’t known much for that). Known as the ‘Punk princess’, she changed the view of the fans and revolutionized the women’s division almost single handedly. Her feuds were legendary (With Trish, Jazz, Victoria etc), and so were her matches. She was the only high flying women’s wrestler, and held the WWE Women’s title on multiple occasions. She later faced controversy because of her affair with Edge, but went on become one of the most hated heels in the industry. And the way she left the WWE probably was the most disgraceful act by the WWE creative heads. She deserved a much better send off, but she took it into stride and did what was best for the business. Although she made a couple of sporadic appearances in the WWE after her retirement, Lita’s absence left a huge void in the women’s division.