Lita began her career in ECW before making her way to WWE. As a true icon during the Attitude Era, Lita was one of The Godfather’s Ho-Train members before honing her skills and training to become a wrestler. On July 5, 1999, Lita made her official WWF/WWE debut on Raw is War and was rebranded under the new name “Lita.” She was paired with Essa Rios and debuted on Sunday Night Heat on February 13, 2000.
Her alternative image with her signature baggy pants with a thong hiked high above was different. Her ability to be pretty and tomboyish and keep up with the guys she wrestled with cemented her as one of the best women who’s ever graced the WWE. Being one of the members of Team Extreme and her rivalry with Trish Stratus are things still talked about to this day.
Lita “the Queen of Firsts” during WWF/WWE makes it nearly impossible to refute that Lita was something special. While some will argue that the fabulous women in WWE now are more athletic, one cannot deny Lita’s impact. I could go on and on about Lita, but for now, I’ll give you 5 top moments from Lita’s career.
#5- Lita’s First Royal Rumble
On January 28, 2018, WWE had their first-ever Womens’ Royal Rumble. While Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were the first and second entrants, many women from past and present participated in this historical event, such as Trish Stratus, Beth Phoenix, Jacqueline, Michelle McCool, The Bellas, Molly Holly, and more.
Lita was also one of those surprise entrants who entered at number 5. When she came out, the level of excitement and happiness I felt was astounding. I didn’t think I would ever see Lita wrestle in a WWE ring since she retired from pro-wrestling in 2012. Lita eliminated both Mandy Rose and Tamina, but Becky Lynch eliminated her. I wish I could’ve seen a match-up with her and Trish, but Stratus was the 30th entrant in the rumble.
#4- Lita Induction into the WWE Hall of Fame
There are a total of 15 women that are currently in the WWE Hall of Fame. Other women in the Hall of Fame are Alundra Blayze/Madusa, Ivory, Mae Young, Sensational Sherri, and Chyna. Out of those 15, there were only 13 inductees as The Bellas came as a package deal and, Chyna was inducted with DX posthumously.
On February 10, 2014, WWE announced that Lita was one of the inductees for the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2014. Again, as Lita is one of my all-time favorite women wrestlers, I was stoked about this. Her best friend and fellow Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus, inducted her into the Hall of Fame.
#3 Lita and Team Xtreme
Every person who knows me as a wrestling fan knows how much I love The Hardy Boyz. They are my favorite tag team of all time. However, adding Lita to their stable to become Team Xtreme gave me life in my younger years. Lita was the first woman I saw doing high-risk spots and high-flying moves. She showcased it a bit with Essa Rios doing hurricaranas and moonsaults. However, she flourished using this style of wrestling in Team Xtreme, fitting right in with Matt and Jeff.
Her punk rock type image, with her iconic baggy pants and a thong, was an image that always stuck out to me. If I didn’t hate the way thongs feel, I would’ve copied her style a long time ago. But, let me digress. During this time, Lita also involved herself in TLC matches (Summer Slam 2000 and WrestleMania 17 2001). While Edge speared her in the first one and she was 3-D’ed by the Dudley Boyz in the second one, she took it like a champ. Her ability to use ladders and fly off of things was top-notch.
The two years that were Team Xtreme were some of my favorite memories of the Attitude Era.
#2 Lita becomes WWF Women’s Champion
On August 21, 2000, Lita became the WWF Women’s Champion for the first time after defeating Stephanie McMahon. With The Rock as the special guest referee, Kurt Angle and Triple H’s outside interference didn’t stop Lita from hitting her finisher and capturing the championship. Her fued with Stephanie began after winning the first-ever women’s battle royal against Terri, The Kat, Ivory, and Jacqueline. This match had my stress levels at a high because of the shenanigans from Stephanie, Kurt, and Triple H. Lita will win the title 3 more times, holding the belt for a total of 73 days. One of those matches included in her reigns was the hardcore match between her and Jacqueline.
Bonus Moment: Lita and Victoria in a Steel Cage (Monday Night Raw)
On November 23, 2003 (my birthday) Eric Bischoff, changed up Raw from the norm as he introduced the first-ever Raw Roulette. This meant that every match would be determined by spinning a roulette wheel. Eric’s goal of the episode was to get the most outrageous matches. The stipulation for the match Lita had already scheduled with Victoria would be the first time two women entered a steel cage match.
While the steel cage match itself wasn’t long and had a lot of “love,” and other angles dampened the match for me. However, this was another first for Lita making history for the women in WWE puts this as a bonus moment on my list.
#1 Lita and Trish Stratus Main Event Monday Night Raw
On Monday Night Raw, December 6, 2004, Lita was in the main event with Trish Stratus for the Women’s Championship. These two have feuded since coming to WWE during the Attitude Era for years. Now, Lita had main event matches on Raw in the past, where she captured her 1st championship, and she teamed up with the Rock to take on Trish and Triple H on July 31, 2000.
Historically, this match was a classic, where both women had much pressure to do their thing and deliver. The match was terrific, giving Lita her second title run.
This was the last time there was a women’s championship title match on Monday Night Raw for the main event for years. The next time wouldn’t happen until October 2, 2016, between Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair, which Banks ended up with the Raw Women’s Championship.
Lita is most certainly one of the most versatile women of her time. She is also one of the most influential women from the Attitude Era. Lita stood out on her own, making history and becoming one of the greats that stepped into WWE.
Until next time, this is Katrina signing out.
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