8. Wendi Richter vs. Leilani Kai And The Fabulous Moolah
While much of the success of WrestleMania may be heaped on Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and the integration of celebrities into the world or professional wrestling, one of the more anticipated matches of that show was Wendi Richter's attempt to wrest the Women's Championship back from the villainous Leilani Kai. With Fabulous Moolah backing Kai and pop star Cyndi Lauper in Richter's corner, there was a great deal of mainstream attention surrounding the match. In July of 1984, Richter made history by ending Moolah's 28-plus year Women's title reign. It was a huge feat for Richter, who Vince McMahon recognized as a potential female face of his company. She became a huge star for WWE, a star that was accentuated thanks to her on-screen friendship with the aforementioned Lauper. Just weeks prior to the first WrestleMania, however, Richter dropped the championship to Kai following interference from the Fabulous one. This set up the WrestleMania bout, the penultimate match on the biggest card in wrestling history. Lauper prevented Moolah from interfering in the bout, ensuring that Richter had the opportunity to regain her title fairly. She did that, using Kai's momentum against her and scoring the win, and her second championship, with a rollup. The image of Kai and Lauper celebrating the outcome while dancing in circles around the squared circle in one of the most enduring of that event. Richter's stint with WWE would come to a controversial end when she lost her title to Spider Lady, which turned out to be Fabulous Moolah under a mask. The title change came after a heated and volatile negotiation between Richter and WWE and the loss is widely considered to be the first instance of a Vince McMahon screw job.
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.
