There are moments in real life that tend to affect the direction a performer's career takes. For Lita, that was most certainly the case when her real life affair with Edge became public knowledge, thanks to both the internet and her former beau Matt Hardy. Suddenly, the revolutionary redhead who had once been among the most popular stars in all of WWE was its most hated vixen. "She's a crack whore" chants rained down on her in arenas across the country and the look on her face indicated that the hate was very much affecting her. Ultimately, the decision was made by management to turn her real life drama into an angle and soon, she was turning heel and aligning herself with Edge. Lita gave Edge the final piece of the puzzle, the last element he needed to really put his Rated R Superstar character over the top. It helped the character breakthrough the proverbial glass ceiling and, more important, led fans to accept Edge as a main event star. Dubbed the "Sinister Sexpot" by commentator Joey Styles, Lita was not above using her sexuality to help her man gain an edge, pun most definitely intended. She would seduce fellow heels into aiding him or try to throw babyfaces off their games by flaunting some incredibly impressive cleavage. That she had an established history as a wrestler and was unafraid to put herself in harm's way made her even more valuable. With Lita by his side, Edge won two WWE Championships and became one of the marquee stars in the company.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
