WRESTLING NEWS
The 10 Most Historic Women's Matches In WWE History
By DAVID BIXENSPAN
Until 1984, American women's wrestling had, unfortunately, been a bit of a sideshow until Vince McMahon tried to emulate Japan's success. The first push for women's wrestling was a match between Wendi Richter and Fabulous Moolah, where, with Cyndi Lauper as her in-canon manager, Richter took the title, kicking off a massive marketing push.
Wendi Richter's Title Win
Wendi Richter's reign didn't click long-term, and Vince McMahon pitted her against Penny Mitchell as the masked Spider Lady on November 25, 1985. However, the Fabulous Moolah replaced the Spider Lady, holding Richter down for an unexpected three-count and ending Richter's title reign and WWF career.
Richter Vs. Spider Lady
During the summer of 1987, a new wave of talent — including Japan's Jumping Bomb Angels Noriyo Tateno and Itzuki Yamazaki — came to the forefront. In the first-ever Survivor Series, a 10-woman elimination tag match with the best WWF women wrestlers of that time brought about big crowd reactions for an athletic, action-packed night.
Survivor Series
The first real attempt at a modern women's division came in late 1993, when the WWF signed free agent Madusa Miceli, renamed her Alundra Blayze, and made her champion. While not entirely successful, Blayze's feud with Bull Nakano wowed audiences, with the most excitement coming from SummerSlam '94, when Nakano twisted Blayze into a pretzel.
Blayze vs. Nakano
When the women's division was brought back yet again in late 1998, it lacked experienced talent until Trish Stratus and Lita were added in 2000. Lita's title win over Stratus headlining the December 6, 2004 episode of Monday Night Raw was a huge step forward for the division, as it was the first time a "serious" women's match had closed the show.
Stratus vs. Lita