10 Most Significant Women's Matches In WWE History
The matches where women's wrestling went in bold and exciting new directions.
If you have been watching WWE for the past 18 months you will be all too aware that a women's revolution is currently taking place. Both Raw and SmackDown have strong and prominent women's divisions on both brands, featuring incredible wrestlers who combine athleticism with charisma that most superstars would kill for.
Sadly, it has been a long and arduous journey for fans who only ten years previously were forced to sit through degrading and quite frankly pornographic encounters between women. Thankfully, those dark days are now long behind us as we are about to be treated to the first ever women's Hell in a Cell match between Sasha Banks and Charlotte.
This momentous occasion is possibly the most historic event in the saga of women's wrestling. Never has a feud between two female competitors been treated with so much intensity and grandeur.
It is likely to be an unforgettable match, but let's not take anything away from the women who have stepped in the ring before them. The long and winding road that lead us to this destination has given us some remarkable, must-see moments where the foundations for this once unthinkable match were laid.
On that note, here are the 10 of the most significant women's matches in WWE history.
10. WWE Women's Championship: Leilani Kai Vs. Wendi Richter (WrestleMania)
Let's go right back to the birth of sports entertainment. The first WrestleMania, although lacking in match quality, was still a monumental occasion in wrestling. It christened the crossover between the roots of the sport and the world of entertainment, eventually morphing into the creation that we now see on our television screens today.
Despite the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and Roddy Piper performing at the show, the women's championship match between Wendi Richter and Leilani Kai stood out. Not only did it feature then world-renowned pop star Cyndi Lauper at ringside, it was also the penultimate match, at a time before this had acquired the unwanted reputation of the 'death spot'.
The image of Richter and Lauper running down to the ring is one of the most iconic images in WrestleMania history, sound-tracked by Lauper's mega-hit 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. The match itself isn't a technical classic but both women had Madison Square Garden at a fever pitch, pulling off some impressive moves in the process. Despite it going just over six minutes, it proved that women deserved to compete on the biggest stage of them all.