On Monday, July 23rd, World Wrestling Entertainment will air the 1000th episode of Monday Night RAW. Starting on January 11th, 1993 at the Manhattan Center in New York City, World Wrestling Entertainment offered a weekly installment of WWE action every Monday night for over 19 years (sans a couple of Thursday or Friday night specials because of tennis or dog shows on the USA Network). It is an incredible accomplishment and, like or hate what World Wrestling Entertainment has become, is an accomplishment worthy of respect.
One major component to the success of Monday Night RAW has been the beautiful WWE Divas. Strong, sexy, and the things of every young man’s dreams, the WWE Divas have been a major part of RAW since the later half of the 90s. Many have reached heights never seen before by female performers in the business. Others have left less-than-stellar memories during their time on RAW. On this list, I am going to reveal my picks as the Top 10 Divas in RAW history and the Worst 5 Divas in RAW history. While I am sure that many will disagree with these rankings, I believe wholehearted that each woman earned her place on this list through her contributions, good or bad, to the 1000 episodes of Monday Night RAW.
On with the list…
The Worst 5 Divas in Monday Night RAW History
Dishonorable Mentions: Hervina, Jackie Gayda, Mae Young, Nicole Bass, Tori
5. Kharma - Kharma entered World Wrestling Entertainment in 2011 amidst much hype and fan anticipation. After weeks of vignettes, Kharma appeared on RAW for the first time on May 2nd, 2011. After multiple attacks on Divas, Kharma broke down in the ring on the May 23rd episode and announced her pregnancy the following week. Other than an appearance at the 2012 Royal Rumble, Kharma never appeared again on RAW. She stands as a testament to what today’s WWE can do with the best of performers, as Kharma is one of the worst Divas of all-time.
4. Ryan Shamrock - Debuting in January 1999 as Ken Shamrock’s sister, Ryan Shamrock initiated a feud between Shamrock and Val Venis. Ultimately, her most memorable moments came when she joined the Blue Meanie alongside Goldust and her brief time with Terri Runnels and Jacqueline as a member of PMS. WWE released Shamrock in July 1999 to little dismay.
3. Mrs. Cleavage - In May 1999, Marianna Komlos debuted alongside the repackaged Headbanger Mosh as Mrs. Cleavage and Beaver Cleavage. She appeared in vignettes for weeks alongside him before the gimmick was dropped via a worked shoot from Chaz. As his girlfriend Marianna, she began appearing with black eyes and bruises while blaming Chaz of domestic abuse in a tasteless angle that went nowhere. She left WWE soon afterwards. Komlos passed away in 2004 from breast cancer.
2. B.B. (Barbara Bush) - Appearing as an EMT on WWE programming, B.B. debuted by saving Miss Kitty from choking on the Thanksgiving edition of SmackDown. In the following weeks, B.B. became involved in a rivalry with then Women’s Champion Ivory as Ivory was jealous of the attention B.B. received because of her chest. Let’s face it, her chest was the only reason she was on TV too. They should have called B.B. either D.D. or E.E. In February 2000, Bubba Ray Dudley put B.B. through a table and she never appeared again.
1. Santina Marella - At WrestleMania 25 (known inaccurately by WWE as the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania), Santino Marella won the 25-Diva Battle Royal when he competed in drag as his sister, Santina. While that was bad enough, Marella then entered a feud on RAW with Vickie Guerrero that lasted two painful months. It amazes me that WWE was not stupid enough to put the Women’s Championship on Marella. In June 2009, RAW owner Donald Trump (Yes, that happened.) fired Santina Marella and “she” never appeared on RAW again.
The Top 10 Divas in Monday Night RAW History
Honorable Mentions: Debra, Ivory, Melina, Molly Holly, Stacy Keibler
10. Beth Phoenix - Beth Phoenix debuted in 2006 as Trish Stratus’ help/back-up in Trish’s rivalry with Mickie James. That was a short-lived experience as Phoenix suffered a broken jaw in her second match. Phoenix returned to RAW in July 2007 and quickly dominated the WWE Diva ranks. Phoenix was involved in legendary feuds with Mickie James and Melina from 2007-2009 and joined forces with Santino Marella to form Glamarella in 2008. With three Women’s Championship reigns and a Divas Championship reign under her belt, Phoenix has shined during her career in WWE.
9. Terri Runnels - Terri Runnels debuted in 1995 as Marlena, the cigar-smoking muse of Goldust. As one of the original crop of WWE Divas, Terri ditched the gold dresses of Marlena in 1997 for her own identity. While never achieving the fame of her Diva counterparts, Terri outlasted both Sunny and Sable in World Wrestling Entertainment. Terri was a manager of many including Meat (Shawn Stasiak) in 1999, Matt and Jeff Hardy in late 1999/early 2000, and notably Perry Saturn as a member of the Radicalz in 2000 and the Alliance in 2001. Before requesting her release in 2004, Terri spent her final years in WWE as an interviewer and host for various WWE programs.
8. Victoria - Originally appearing as one of The Godfather’s Hos in 2000, Victoria made her name as one of the premiere women’s wrestlers in the business beginning in 2002. Victoria’s first major feud was with fellow fitness model-turned-wrestler Trish Stratus. Throughout the next five years, Victoria engaged in feuds with Stratus, Molly Holly, Jazz, and Mickie James over the Women’s Championship that were among the best rivalries in female wrestling history. Victoria participated in the first women’s cage match in WWE history on RAW in November 2003, defeating Lita. While the later years of her WWE career were forgettable, Victoria’s time on RAW saw the Widow Peak Freak achieve incredible levels of success that simply seemed impossible for a woman who started her career as a Ho.
7. Sunny - While there were women in World Wrestling Entertainment before her, Sunny was the original WWE Diva. Debuting alongside the late Chris Candido in 1995 as The Bodydonnas, Sunny quickly outshined her partner. As her popularity rose, Sunny made the covers of magazines and was the most downloaded woman in the world in 1996. In the ring, Sunny never achieved success physically. However, she led three tag teams consecutively to World Tag Team Championship reigns (Bodydonnas, Godwinns, and Smoking Gunns) and later managed the Legion of Doom in 1998. Drug problems led to Sunny’s untimely departure from WWE in mid-1998. However, Sunny already left her mark on World Wrestling Entertainment.
6. Chyna - While she was not the conventional Diva, Chyna indeed was one of the most successful Divas of all-time. Debuting alongside then-real life boyfriend Triple H in 1997, Chyna served as the muscle behind Shawn Michaels and Triple H in the early days of DX. Staying with Triple H throughout 1998, Chyna turned heel with an attack on DX in January 1999. Triple H rejoined Chyna in April 1999. The heel turn did not last as Chyna’s popularity grew when she began facing men. Her feud with Jeff Jarrett ended with Chyna as the first female Intercontinental Champion. Chyna and Chris Jericho feuded over the title for months before Chyna started her last great relationship in WWE alongside the late Eddie Guerrero. Chyna won the Women’s Championship in April 2001 from Ivory in the culmination of her feud with the Right to Censor but vacated the title in May 2001. Chyna left WWE after discovering the real-life relationship between Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. While she was not the prototypical Diva, Chyna achieved incredible success and inspired a new generation with a style all her own.
5. Mickie James - Mickie James is personally my favorite WWE Diva of all-time. The spitfire from Richmond, Virginia debuted in WWE in October 2005 as Trish Stratus’ biggest fan. Over the next few months, Mickie stalked Trish and they had segments that created lesbian fantasies for men of all ages, including a kiss under the mistletoe on a Christmas episode of RAW that fans still talk about today. After her feud with Trish and a brief feud with Lita over the Women’s Championship, Mickie entered into her most prolific feuds over the Women’s Championship with Victoria, Melina, and Beth Phoenix. While WWE never promoted her the way they did Sunny, Sable, Lita, or Trish, it could be argued that Mickie James’ popularity reached levels as high as those women during her premiere years in WWE from 2007-2009. Mickie James achieved great success inside the ring while inspiring generations of future Divas with character and abilities that were second to none during her time on RAW.
4. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley - The daughter of WWE owner Vince McMahon started her time on RAW in 1999 as part of an angle involving The Undertaker and Vince McMahon. Initially the innocent daughter of the boss, Stephanie developed an on-screen relationship with Test (the late Andrew Martin) the culminated in a November 1999 wedding where Triple H revealed he married an abducted and drugged Stephanie in Las Vegas. Weeks later, Stephanie turned heel and joined forces with her on-screen husband to start the McMahon-Helmsley Era. Throughout 2000, Stephanie used on-screen political stroke to benefit her husband and his cohorts. McMahon herself won the Women’s Championship once on RAW. When Triple H left because of injury in 2001, McMahon ran ECW as part of the ill-fated Invasion angle of 2001. Upon his return, Stephanie entered a feud with Triple H as he divorced her on-screen while marrying her in real-life. Despite leaving RAW in 2002, Stephanie’s impact has remained through much of Triple H’s reign of terror. While she never fit the mold of the traditional WWE Diva, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley influenced Monday Night RAW unlike no other female during her time on RAW.
3. Sable - Entering the WWE as the valet of Triple H at WrestleMania XII, Sable quickly found herself alongside then-husband Marc Mero in 1996. Clad in black leather with a whip, Sable added much-needed charm to the otherwise drab “Wildman.” Sable’s sex appeal outshined any of her other attributes. While I personally found her third of the Divas in her era, WWE did not as the company pushed her to the moon in 1997-1999. She was a focal point of the Attitude Era as she participated in Evening Gown matches and bikini contests to show off her body. Sable won the Women’s Championship in late 1998 and posed for Playboy, the first Diva to do so, in 1999. With the success of Playboy, Sable developed an attitude on-screen that mirrored one off-screen that led to her departure from WWE in June 1999. Despite not being one of my personal favorites, the success of Sable is a story of success that most women in wrestling could only dream of achieving.
2. Lita - The tattooed, thong-exposing, redhead from North Carolina moonsaulted her way to second on my list. Lita was the first WWE Diva to bring a high-flying style to her in-ring work. That, along with a style that screamed punk sex appeal, captured the imaginations of fans all over the world. Debuting alongside Essa Rios in 2000, Lita quickly joined forces with Matt and Jeff Hardy to form Team Xtreme and reach new heights in their careers. Lita won her first Women’s Championship in August 2000 from Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley in one of the few women’s main events in RAW history. Despite a neck injury that sidelined her for 18 months, Lita returned to RAW and resumed her high-risk matches as she competed against Victoria in the first women’s cage match on RAW in November 2003. Lita’s greatest rivalry on RAW was with Trish Stratus. From 2000-2006, these two battled over the Women’s Championship. I was in Charlotte, NC on December 6th, 2004 when Lita defeated Stratus for the Women’s Championship in the main event of RAW. While an excellent wrestler, injures toned down Lita’s in-ring career in 2005. However, Lita remained important as she achieved tremendous success alongside Matt Hardy and Kane on RAW. Her real-life split from Hardy and relationship with Edge led to her final major pairing in WWE as she joined Edge and helped him develop the “Rated R Superstar” gimmick that defined his career. Whether in the ring as a competitor or outside in a managerial role, Lita’s impact on Monday Night RAW is one that cannot be denied. She was one of the greatest Divas in RAW history.
1. Trish Stratus - Trish Stratus is the greatest WWE Diva in the history of Monday Night RAW. There is no argument. Trish debuted in March 2000, assembling Test and Albert to create the team T & A. While she never led them to championship glory, Trish did assist Val Venis in winning the Intercontinental title in July 2000. Her first major angle saw Trish become the on-screen lover of Vince McMahon. Trish was degraded in March 2001 in one of the most tasteless angles in WWE history, covered in sewage by Stephanie and forced to strip and bark in the ring for Vince. While Trish got revenge at WrestleMania X-Seven, her image did not shake the image for a long time. Trish won the Women’s Championship in November 2001 and Stratus turned her image from a blonde bombshell to a hard-working, fighting champion over the next few years. Trish’s feuds with Victoria, Molly Holly, and Jazz were outstanding. Her feud with Lita was a legendary rivalry that changed the course of women’s wrestling for years to come. Meanwhile, her beauty helped Stratus’ popularity reach levels unheard of for a female performer in World Wrestling Entertainment. Stratus refused to pose for Playboy numerous times, citing her desire to be remembered as a multiple-time Women’s Champion and not the girl who posed for Playboy. In late 2005, Stratus entered her final major feud against her obsessive fan-turned-stalker Mickie James. Despite still popular, Trish retired in September 2006 after a final match on PPV with Lita. Her final match on RAW was against Mickie James in Madison Square Garden. Throughout seven years, Trish Stratus reshaped the image of a WWE Diva and a women’s wrestler in general with a legendary career showcased on Monday Night RAW.
No comments:
Post a Comment